FILM · 2000 · UK
Gladiator
- Directed by
- Ridley Scott
- Runtime
- 155 min
- Studio
- Universal Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Red Wagon Entertainment
31 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.
Summary: TMDB
12 Facts From Behind the Scenes of Gladiator
- #014
Gladiator was shot at three main locations between January and May 1999.
- #015
The opening battle in the forests of Germania was filmed at Bourne Wood near Farnham, Surrey, in England. After learning that the Forestry Commission intended to remove part of the forest, Ridley Scott received permission to burn that section down for the scene.
- #016
The Rome scenes were shot in Malta, where the crew constructed a replica of roughly one-third of the Colosseum standing 52 feet (16 meters) tall; the remaining two-thirds and height were added digitally.
- #017
For Gladiator's battle scenes, director Ridley Scott and cinematographer John Mathieson shot with multiple cameras at varying frame rates and a 45-degree shutter, producing stylized visuals comparable to those in Saving Private Ryan.
- #018
Gladiator's fight sequence involving tigers combined real tigers with a dummy tiger.
- #019
In Gladiator, some live animals were filmed on set alongside the actors, while others were shot against a bluescreen and later digitally composited into the scene.
- #020
Russell Crowe sustained several injuries while filming Gladiator, including a lower back injury caused by falls in fight sequences. Crowe has since attributed ongoing problems with his knees, shoulders and Achilles tendons to the production.
- #021
To make it appear that Oliver Reed had performed all of Proximo's scenes in Gladiator, a body double was used and Reed's face was digitally attached to the double's body in post-production. The film is dedicated to Reed.
- #023
Gladiator's script kept changing throughout principal photography, with Ridley Scott seeking input from writers, producers and actors, and some dialogue created on the spot, including Commodus' line "Am I not merciful?", which Joaquin Phoenix ad-libbed.
- #027
Russell Crowe was unhappy with some of William Nicholson's dialogue for Gladiator and allegedly called it garbage, while claiming he was talented enough as an actor to make it sound good.
- #028
According to a DreamWorks executive, Russell Crowe attempted to rewrite the entire Gladiator script during shooting and at first refused to say the line "In this life or the next, I will have my vengeance."
- #029
Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard composed the musical score for Gladiator, with Gavin Greenaway conducting.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia Gladiator (2000 film) — Wikipedia
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