Gladiator Opening Scene

This is the opening scene from the film 'Gladiator'

Camera

The first shot is a close up of the main character, Maximus. This signalises that he is an important character because we see him straight away. As he rides through the army, we see shots over the tops of both the armies which go into battle. These birds eye views show the extent of both armies, one which is substancial bigger than the others. The camerawork shows different sets of people at different times, showing there are many different groups of people. The camera mainly stays at eye level of below, this could be representing the high stature of the roman empire.

Editing

The editing on this scene consists of lot of different camera changes.

Sound

From the outset, there is very deep, slow and eerie music which creates the dramatic effect. The sound of the horse running is made very loud purposely, to emphasise the fact he is on the move and moving by force. As he is moving, the music becomes quicker, to build the tension even more before battle.

Mise en Scene

The main character is Maximus, played by Russell Crowe. He is a general in the Roman empire and in command of this particular army. We know this already because he is dressed in heavy armour and a fur coat. We can tell the difference between the two armies because of the costumes, with the Romans in their typical, stereotypical attire. The lighting for the scene is dark, because it is at night. This also sets the tone of the movie as dark and scary; this ties in with the war theme. The main actor is Russell Crowe, who is a well-known actor and has been in various action films before. There are lots of props in the scene like the horses which the generals ride, and all the weapons held by the armies. The setting is in a dark forest. However, it is unknown which makes the scene more mysterious and makes us ask more questions about where it is and what armies are fighting each other.