****1/2 out of *****
Release Year: 2000
Composer: Hans Zimmer (with vocals by Lisa Gerrard)
Genre of Film: Action/Drama
Track Listing:
1. Progeny
2. The Wheat
3. The Battle
4. Earth
5. Sorrow
6. To Zuccabar
7. Patricide
8. The Emperor Is Dead
9. The Might of Rome
10. Strength and Honor
11. Reunion
12. Slaves to Rome
13. Barbarian Horde
14. Am I Not Merciful
15. Elysium (with vocals by Lisa Gerrard)
16. Honor Him (with vocals by Lisa Gerrard)
17. Now We Are Free (with vocals by Lisa Gerrard)
BACKGROUND: The film GLADIATOR was one of the biggest hits of 2000, and cemented Russell Crowe's stature as not only a formidable acting talent, but also a star to reckon with in the Hollywood firmament. The film went on to win Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor, and has become a modern-day classic that went on to revive the "Swords-And-Sandals" and "Historical Action Film" genres. Let's face it: without GLADIATOR's success, we would not have seen TROY, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, 300, ROME, or even ROBIN HOOD. To say that this film is influential is like saying Russell Crowe is kind of hot.
Another gift bestowed upon audiences worldwide by GLADIATOR is its wonderful musical score by musical genius Hans Zimmer. Zimmer caught my attention with his propulsive and moody score for BLACK RAIN in 1989 (review coming), and he has gone on to give us such gems as the scores from BEYOND RANGOON, BATMAN BEGINS, GREEN CARD, THE DARK KNIGHT, and THE LAST SAMURAI, among others.
But it is GLADIATOR that almost everyone knows and remembers... read on to find out why:
IN A NUTSHELL: When I think of the music for GLADIATOR, I can't help but think of the hero of the film, the Roman General Maximus Decidius Meridius played by the smoldering Crowe. This is a guy who is tough, yet vulnerable... serious, yet playful... vicious, yet gentle... self-effacing, yet also unforgettable... intense, yet surprisingly mellow... masculine and mature, yet also child-like...
Like the most interesting people, he is a person of contradictions - with many layers waiting to be discovered. There's a reason why Empire Magazine named Maximus one of the most iconic film characters of all time. The more you know him, the more you discover...
The same goes for the music of GLADIATOR, which is all the qualities and contradictions of Maximus listed above. The film is at once a energizing action film, and a melancholy exploration of loss, loyalty, sacrifice, and redemption. It's these twin qualities that the Hans Zimmer's score so ably touches on.
For most of the first fourteen tracks, the action and intrigue of the film is clearly essayed, with ominous and dark tones dominating the album. There are, however, hints of the ethereal last three tracks interwoven here and there - acting as signs of how the story (and score) will end. These first fourteen tracks are bracingly masculine, entirely appropriate to the story of Roman General who loses everything he loves, and is now fighting back with cold-blooded vengeance laced with a quiet mourning for his loss.
While these first fourteen tracks are good (especially AM I NOT MERCIFUL?), it's the last three tracks that make this album. Titled ELYSIUM, HONOR HIM, and - the best one - NOW WE ARE FREE, these tracks are highlighted by Lisa Gerrard's haunting vocals. These last three tracks captured the other side of Maximus - his gentle, human side: Maximus the father and husband of a slain son and wife. The first time I saw GLADIATOR, the ending moved an entire theater audience to tears, and it's just as much to do with the emotionally powerful score, as it does with the beloved character of Maximus.
These three tracks are so good that I will discuss each of them separately:
15. ELYSIUM
At the beginning of the film, Maximus references "Elysium" - the place that dead soldiers go to. This first reference is made jokingly to his troops. After Marcus Aurelius' murder at Commodus' hands, however, the references to "Elysium" become increasingly somber, with flashes to a wheatfield and Maximus hallucinating about his dead wife and son.
Hints of the ELYSIUM play throughout the first fourteen tracks, but only in snippets. Clearly, Zimmer is building up to a full reveal that occurs at the very end - when a mortally-wounded Maximus, having slain Commodus, instructs the senate on how to carry forward and has another, final flash to the wheat field of his dreams. This is when ELYSIUM plays in full. And it is a haunting piece...
16. HONOR HIM
More mournful and heavy than ELYSIUM, this track plays over Lucilla forcing her sorrow to the depths following Maximus's death, and levelly addressing the senate and the colloseum: "Is Rome worth the life of one good man? We believed it once - make us believe it again. He was a soldier of Rome. Honor him."
At which point, the senators and other surviving gladiators carry Maximus' body out of the arena.
NOTE: An earlier draft of the GLADIATOR script actually had Maximus surviving to take care of Lucius, Lucilla's son. Lucilla was the one who perished at the hands of her brother Commodus. She basically sacrificed herself to keep Maximus alive, therefore finally proving her love to him which he doubted. But this was rewritten to the ending that we now see in the film. Personally, I like the idea of Lucilla's taking that step to keep Maximus okay, but Maximus belongs with his family in the afterlife. So the ending in the movie is perfect.
17. NOW WE ARE FREE
This is it, folks. This is the track that even non-film score collectors love and listen to. Vibrant, upbeat, yet also melancholy somehow, this track plays right after Lucilla's commands the men to honor Maximus. Juba (Djimon Honsou), one of Maximus' surviving gladiator friends, buries the clay figures of Maximus' wife and son in the soil of the arena, promising his dead friend that they will see each other again in the afterlife.
This track is the perfect sound to end such an emotionally-rewarding film to. Lisa Gerrard's soulful vocals are a perfect complement to Hans Zimmer's bracing and confident musical narratives. I look forward to these two collaborating again on a future film. Hopefully by Ridley Scott, as well. Hopefully, it will be called... THE ITALIAN STRIKER...
FINAL ANALYSIS: GLADIATOR is beautiful, multi-faceted score that effectively combines potent, driving masculine compositions with softer, more ethereal cues - resulting in a musical experience that's as close as you can get to an emotional journey...
But don't take my word for it. Check out the sounds below:
5. SORROW:
10. STRENGTH AND HONOR & 11. REUNION:
15. ELYSIUM, 16. HONOR HIM, & 17. NOW WE ARE FREE:
