Analyse the Cinematography of the Confrontation Scene between ‘Maximus Decimus Meridius’ (Russel Crowe) and ‘Commodus’ (Jacquin Pheonix) in ‘Gladiator’ Directed by Ridley Scott.
...us, cowardly, power craving ‘Commodus’ (Jacquin Pheonix). ‘Commodus’ destroys ‘Maximus’’ life when he realises that his father loves ‘Maximus’ more than himself, and wants to bestow all his powers upon Maximus. Commodus murders his father and assumes the throne. He then arrests Maximus for treason, sentencing him to death. However, he is unsuccessful in killing Maximus who defies Commodus and rises to fame, proving his valour and courage in the amphitheatre as a Gladiator. This scene is the final climax of the film, when Maximus and Commodus finally meet in battle in the Colosseum. The scene begins with Maximus strapped in a cruciform. Despite Commodus’ position of power and Maximus’ present predicament throughout this confrontation they are both shown as equals by the eye level camera shots on both of them. Throughout this conversation the only non-diegetic sounds are that of some low strings playing in the background. These further enhance the importance and imminence of danger in the conversation. It is in this conversation from which the caption used in the entire marketing campaign is derived from, “……………………………”. At the end of this confrontation Commodus calls Maximus his brother. This is ironic, as throughout this film Commodus has done his best to deny Maximus’ strong bond with his father. It is because of this bond and the fact that Maximus possessed everything in life that Commodus ever wished for that he punished the once loyal General and servant. Commodus then embraces his adversary as a brother, but then to further signify his betrayal he stabs Maximus in the back. By use of extreme close-ups the audience sees every action of the blade as it is thrust into the back of Maximus. The shot then cuts to an extreme close-up of Maximus so the audience can capture how muc...