| |
 |
"Gladiator" conquers all
|
"GLADIATOR", a throwback to a genre abandoned by Hollywood almost 40 years ago, slew its competitors, winning five Oscars, including the one for best picture.
Ridley Scott's swaggering, sword-swinging tale of ancient Rome marks the return of the ancient epic and confirms the British director's reputation as a master of ambiance and creator of other worlds.
And Aussie star Russell Crowe -- as the valiant Maximus -- has surely transformed himself into one of moviedom's most bankable leading men, winning the best actor Oscar.
The film also was honoured for sound, costume design and visual effects.
The resources deployed by DreamWorks Studios to recreate the Roman empire of circa 180 AD -- 100 million dollars, on-location filming in Britain, Morocco and Malta, and thousands of costumes, swords and working catapults -- were up to the task.
After old toga-and-sandals epics "Quo Vadis" (1951), "Ben Hur" (1959), "Spartacus" (1960), "Cleopatra" (1963) and "the Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964) -- which also marked the fall of the Roman epics -- "Gladiator" is new and fresh.
Thanks to breathtaking computer-generated special effects combined with faithful reconstructions of ancient Rome, viewers find themselves transported to a different time and place.
|
|
|
|
