Gladiator

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

I love this movie for it does not tax my brain. A great adventure with plenty of action and the good guy wins in the end. Great musical score but I still have no idea what language Lisa Gerrard is singing in 'Now we are free.' Some say Hebrew: I wouldn't know. Others say Latin but I doubt that.

Still, it doesn't matter. Many people enjoy music with singers in languages we don't understand and I am one of them. People criticised Beethoven heavily for using choral singing in the final movement of his 9th Symphony. Me I just see the human voice as yet another musical instrument and a wonderful one at that.

Historically, the movie varied in terms of accuracy. Commodus was a bastard but he did not die in the arena although he was fond of fighting there. Lucius Verus, the lad's dad, co-ruled briefly with Marcus Aurelius although Verus was said to have only a daughter. There were Felix legions of Spanish origin. Of Maximus - nothing.

Still a damn good bash and the opening battle was better than most of this WWII stuff. And for once, the Italians beat the Germans.