Seeing the roman legions marching up, the germanic tribes challenging them, maximus leading the calvary, in combination of the music. Its this movie that made wanted to learn more and more of the roman empire as a kid
So true... I remember watching this at my town theater back in the day, man what a feeling... The theater has since closed, but sometimes i just drive by to feel these epic moments i spent there...
@@alexman378 In my opinion its because of political correctness and too much feminism lol. Nearly every woman must be a warrior now, there has to be enough diversity in the movies, men may not be too masculine, nobody may feel offended in any way…
I agree! It was a scene that really pans to see how mighty and how extremely organized the Romans were in contrast to the much less organized but so extremely brutal ruthless and strong the Germans were. It almost show just how the Romans really mean war and business. If they haven't cut the head of the Roman negotiator they wouldn't be so freaked like they were in this scene. The Romans were brutal no doubt but I rather have them anyway than the Germans.
I would love it set from the perspective of a Roman Triarii so that you can check all the boxes and get that heroic final stand that the Triarii had at that battle as maybe a younger brother or even a son to the MC retreats and recounts the story to the Roman Senate. Then, we can make a sequel that goes with Scipio in Africa
Still mesmerising after 24 years. The sheer might of the Roman army is so beautifully portrayed. But it’s the score that really makes this scene so powerful.
3:20 This sequence is some of my favorite shit in the whole movie. That banging score building to a crescendo as Maximus' voice cuts through the chaos of battle, Roman's moving in to attack from all directions.
I know there are a lot of historical oddities or inaccuracies in this whole battle sequence, but damn it really gives you a sense of what the Romans were capable of when they brought their full force to bear.
@@luisffernandezlopez3552 Romans fought in tight formation. In this we see the typical Hollywood battlefield of everyone splitting off into one-on-one duels.
@luisffernandezlopez3552 believe that the fire arrows are a Hollywood liberty. I'm no expert and could be wrong I am however pretty sure that the roman military never used fire arrows. The catapults ect I have no idea but definitely don't think they ever used fire arrows.
@@the.watcher.on.the.wall.. I am no expert either, but it's not a coincidence that catapults, ballista, tribuchet are called siege weapons. Lucky for the Romans here that Germans attacked from the "front" instead of going around them. Also that they patiently waited for the Romans to load the catapults. They look more like modern artillery weapons. Also good question what sense it makes to set the forest on fire, where your soldiers are too :D Or that Maximus' cavalry would essentially charge into their own infantry, but likely their horses would have broken all their legs while running in a forest
LMAO I dont think most people notice that in the non 4k release. If you look at Lord of the Rings Two towers, you can clearly see Gandalfs body double in some scenes on the horse now.
A little late here, but, that was how the Romans fought. You stayed in formation, because your gear was designed with the guy next to you in mind. Breaking formation typically meant death. So, while those guys are just standing there, it's actually for a good reason. When filming, the extras were all reenactors, so I think they know what's up.
This upload is exactly how it’s supposed to be, 3:11 you get the view of Marcus Aurelius and you can notice how many fire lit arrows were being fired at the Germanian Hordes by the Felix Legion. TY for the upload.
@@itsallgoodman4108 If anyway Markus Aurelius here shows far more care than the typical rich men sending the poor bastards to die in their name. He at least has the courtesy of showing up to see for himself instead of waiting on a gilded throne. Also Markus Aurelius was a well regarded philosopher and exemplar of Stoicism. for those willing to dive in and do a bit of reading his writings and perspectives are genuinely fascinating.
They literally set a forest ablaze for this. They found a place that was set to be put to the torch for the sake of a controlled burn and were given the go ahead to film there. That long shot. That long sweeping shot was a thing of beauty. this opening gives good example of why Rome is still highly regarded even thousands of years later.
@@MissLiveLaughLove1 the battle was filmed in Surrey, England - I'm dubious of the fire story as it's clearly filmed in winter and no way in hell will you get an English forest to burn in the middle of winter lol
I watched this HDR release. This battle is SO dark it's sometimes hard to see what's going on. I understand it was shot in the relative darkness but... damn. Everything after this scene looks beautiful, daytime scenes especially.
I watched Gladiator in the cinema when it first came out in 2000. This epic battle looks awesome remastered. Brings back the nostalgia of seeing it first time. Thanks for sharing 👍
Man I miss Richard Harris. He was the perfect Dumbledore, too. I hated when they changed the actors. He was on spot in Count of Mount Cristo as well. Not to mention his previous work, but these were his latest ones. Damn good actor. I remember crying when I heard he was gone.
This, relatively short, opening scene had the most memorable quotes squeezed into something like 8-9 minutes. -People should know when theyre conquered. -Would you, Quintus? Would I? -If you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the sun in your face - do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and youre already dead! -Brothers! What we do in life echoes in eternity!
That blurry sequence is the finest moment of Maximus line "At my signal unleash the hell". They shoot those scenes mistakenly with wrong daylight and had to blurr it because there's was not enough frames to make it smooth. For the sake of art they made a mastefully emotional seqeunce. Both tragic, surreal and poetic. I always cry at that moment. Pure magic of cinema. You never know when some problem or decision turn a movie into gold.
Im much more invested in the story of the German war chief than I was watching any of the main characters in the sequel. The best thing about Gladiator 2 is that Im remembering just what a great film the original is.
Saw this in the theater many summers ago, time sure does zoom past. I can still remember this as one of maybe a handful of really earth changing experiences in a cinema as a youth.
The emperor's body language at the end is very interesting. Looks as though he's breathing a sigh of relief, as though he wasn't quite so sure about the outcome of the battle.
He's at the end of his reign and is contemplating the futility of it all. He knows his son and heir apparent is a young hot head who will just continue to let the wheel spin but into his own direction. Nothing will change and that the inevitable end will be as every other nation in time immemorial.
The weight upon Roman emperor had to be enormous. Maybe that is why lot of them decided to just "procrastinate" from it with priestesses of love, games, theatre and intrigues. Like, the knowledge that you crush one tribe, one realm and two stronger enemies will stand on their debris....#thugLife
Read the beginning of the movie this is the last battle then there is peace throughout the empire. The end was never in doubt do you see all the reserves just standing and watching around 3:14 He had thousands of reserves. They didn't want to slaughter them so they offered peace and the Germans sent back their guy without his head. You see the emperor breathing a sigh of relief because it's all finally done before he dies. Just like we exhale after we get in bed after a long day
@@SonOfGod3000 In those times, " peace throughout the empire" is just filmmakers imagination. Persians, Celts, Germans, steppe raiders, civil wars. Also, we see some cohort of Praetorian Guard, not thousands of reserves. But sure, once Roman managed to catch enemies in pitched battle they were pretty close to victory in those times (if said enemy did not have cavalry archers).
3:10 Really gives you a chill seeing what a full on assault from th Roman Empire would have looked like. I bet they felt the world tremble during such an asssault. Can you imagen the feeling, being on either side?
Not for not they conquered a vast majority of the world and were recognized as a world power. Its military strength allowed it to expand to vast countries. Army was well trained and disciplined. That and the Bible foretold that it would become a nation of influence, which branches of it exist today in the form of the us and uk
Exactly the same feeling here. This scene is the one I remember the most. When I saw it the first time at the Cinema [on a massive, curved screen with full-blast surround sound], I said to myself; Jesus, Romans are so powerful, no wonder they ran over so many far-away Kingdoms.
I was an extra on the barbarian side in this battle scene. I can confirm that having a Roman army advance and face off with you is indeed an awesome and very intimidating thing. They kept the cameras quite well hidden during the filming and so at times the sights and sounds were totally authentic.
@@benitoluera8467 majority of the world is a bit of an exaggeration, they conquered Europe and a small part of North Africa. Incredible part of history but let's not get carried away lol.
I just got back from watching Gladiator 2 and I'm watching this clip so I can forget the terrible sequel. There is only one Gladiator movie by Ridley Scott
I saw this 25+ years ago with my (then) girlfriend and when he said "...unleash Hell", she thought he was talking about his dog...like the dog's name was "Hell". Oh yeah...she didn't last much longer.
5:55 I love the low frame rate part, it really shows how dissociation would feel in battle. It probably would happened to me, then reality kicks in and back on fighting 😂
My local cinema was showing this last month. Even though I've seen it countless times, hell yes did I pay to watch it on the big screen! My favourite movie of all time and always will be!
You can visit where this was filmed in Bourne Wood, Farnham is about an hour from Waterloo and it’s a couple of miles from the station if you fancy it.
Maximus' loyal dog (wolf) heading out to battle alongside him was a nice touch by Ridley Scott. Kyte was a Belgian Shepherd by breed. If you're a shepherd owner, you can totally relate to this.
Yeah, I can totally relate to my shepherd following me into battle, rather than growling at the Geico gecko on the television and eating a fly buzzing around his head.
Shows how bloody real war is. We've not seen the like since 1945, true hate for another human. Romans where the bad guys, to think billions of humans have died to war since our species emerged out the water. Something needs to change.
What I love is at 5:12 you see the leader get killed by random Roman soldiers. It's not your stereotypical 1v1 battle with the two leaders. Just adds to the reality of how chaotic battles would have been
I am sure that proper historians would find many more things which could make this scene even more epic but imagine if legionaires threw their pillas on Markomans. Chefs kiss. (it is epic enough even without spear throwing)
I have watched this opening battle multiple times throughout the years. One of my all time favorites. Thanks for this 4K HDR version. I just saw things I have never noticed before. Watching the wack a$$ trailer for the upcoming Gladiator film brought me here tonight.
Siege of whiterun, Solitude, and or Windhelm are closest we get. Though there are mods that add battles between imperials and stormcloaks. Frame rate suffers, but man is it a fun time
Hi man, Testudo formations were only use during sieges. However in every movie you can see them using that formation for open field battles. Is not my opinion, I heard that from an history teacher podcast who wrote a book about Roman military tactics
When you realize the purpose of the fire from the catapults was to keep the Barbarians from fleeing, it makes the Romans seem even more badass. The Romans were tired of the Germanic tribes fleeing and evading them in battle.
At 4:00 if you slow it down to 0.25x you’ll see a barbarian casually walking like some random guy during a busy day at a shopping mall. At the center of screen right beside the lion banner.
Not only are a bunch of barbarians just casually standing around or strolling while their buddies charge in like maniacs, a bunch of legionaries and the signifer are also just standing around and watching the barbarians stare back at them, while their fellow legionaries are slugging it out with the other barbarians that smash right into them.
@@machirim2805 This movie has many mistakes that made it to the final cut and most of us would definitely miss it. I knew them from reading from iMDB haha On the 'are you entertained?' scene there's even crew member wearing white t-shirt and jeans on far left of the screen. Rewatching this movie is a different experience than the first time lol
At 5:30, I can never understand why CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) edited it out the scene of the guy on fire getting smacked with the sword while letting much more gory scenes like decapitation.
So a big reason for the CBC edits of films was to cut down the runtime to run advertisements. Scenes their editors thought were unimportant, like some cutaway shots, cinematic scenery panning, and some other combat scenes, like the death of the trident wielder in the first gladiator match, got axed to squeeze in a few ads.
Still amazing after all these years. Yeah, of course there were many errors in terms of weapon usage, like pila (plural of pilum) that were usually thrown (and were design to break after the contact so enemies could not throw them back) and not employed like the sarisses (plural of sarissa) of the Macedonian phalanx (only the Hastati employed the hasta [the spear] in this way within the manipular army of the Republican era), nor the equites cataphractarii (the chivalry) were (usually) employed to encircle the enemies and strike them from behind but they operated on the flanks in order to cross with the heavy infantry ordered in a triplex acies on the battlefield, not even the infantrymen in the cohortal army were used to slowly walk towards the enemy but when they were so close to the enemy lines to being unable to throw their pila, then they start to run at full speed and charged frontally against the enemy, a tactic known as "shock and charge" as Cassio Dione reported in Historia Romana, 62.12.1-2. Honestly, however, we know very little about the tactics effectively used. Last but not least, Maximus Decimus Meridius twice shout "Roma victor!" but this is incorrect as Roma is a name of feminine gender and then the right phrase is "Roma victrix!".
The cinematographer of the film said years later in interviews that the production didn't have this forest location for very long, so they literally were running out of light on the last day and still had some shots left to finish. The reason why the scene starts cutting frames in the later half is literally out of necessity to let in as much light into the lens as possible. Also if you watch it closely the scene has terrible continuity of photography (its snowing in some shots while in others its not, the scene starts getting dark, etc.) but he said "no one said boo" in the theatre so they knew they had made it flow well in the edit. Also the whole movie was shot on only 200 iso film, both exteriors and interiors.
This scene was Ridley Scott at its prime and Russel crowe having perfect chemistry with it. Everything was perfect, the battle scenes despite unreal, the plot because it made sense Marcus Aurelius wanted to choose a hispanic general for emperor, since he was the last one of the 5 good emperos, and 2 were hispanic(Trajan and Hadrian) so they were on trend, everything could make some sort of sense despite its a movie. And visually it simply looks so good, it has aged perfectly because it was that moment of time they still used practical effects with maybe a little bit of CGI, so everything aged well(LOTR is another example)
Havent seen the new one, but im sorry - there is no topping this battle scene. The music, the sets and costume design, the acting, the writing - it cannot be outdone.
wouldve been so cool if they followed one of these projectiles in flight, until it crashes in enemy lines. technology/computer stuff probably wasnt there at the time but it wouldve been so cool. now you see them leaving the launchers or w/e they are called and some wide shot also cool tho
Fun fact. They actually found a forest that was due to be cut down and the studio asked if they could film there and set fire to everything since it was going to be cut down anyway.
If there are any other scenes in 4k HDR that you would like to see, leave a comment down below
Maximus’ Failed Escape. The one where the Praetorian shouts to Proximo, “Open the Gates in the Name of the Emperor!”
Strenght and honor
Seeing the roman legions marching up, the germanic tribes challenging them, maximus leading the calvary, in combination of the music. Its this movie that made wanted to learn more and more of the roman empire as a kid
So true... I remember watching this at my town theater back in the day, man what a feeling... The theater has since closed, but sometimes i just drive by to feel these epic moments i spent there...
Compare this with the gladiator 2 trailer with that shitty rap music
💯 S.P.Q.R 🫡
@@045jerson7what s p q r stand for ?
I do love this sence
By far, the best marriage of cinematography and theme music in the history of movies.
Hans Zimmer. Never fails. Over 20 years old this film and it's like I am seeing it again for the first time.
I agree. This scene is a masterpiece.
Better than LOTR trilogy?
@@tps-2502 the first place is large enough for several movies :D
Why is it choppy at some scenes? Slow mo i guess would look cool but imo the choppiness of these scenes did not do any favours. Great movie still
they don't make movies like this one anymore. what an epic film
The same guy couldn’t even make a movie like this one… Just saw the sequel. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a big budget fan made film, not canon.
that`s sad true
@@alexman378 gladiator 2, intro: cgi, fact, they wouldnt do an opening like this again
@@alexman378it was pretty good though, cant hold a candle to the original
@@alexman378 In my opinion its because of political correctness and too much feminism lol. Nearly every woman must be a warrior now, there has to be enough diversity in the movies, men may not be too masculine, nobody may feel offended in any way…
That tracking shot at 3:11 with the arrows, catapults firing and infantry marching is all time greatness
I agree! It was a scene that really pans to see how mighty and how extremely organized the Romans were in contrast to the much less organized but so extremely brutal ruthless and strong the Germans were. It almost show just how the Romans really mean war and business. If they haven't cut the head of the Roman negotiator they wouldn't be so freaked like they were in this scene. The Romans were brutal no doubt but I rather have them anyway than the Germans.
Hell yeah
There is just nothing to describe going in cold and seeing this in the theater for the first time.
seeing this many years ago, my imagination told me there were like 50,000 romans vs 100,000 GAULS
Seriously. What a phenomenal experience it was.
Shout out to the doggo staying with maximus and holding the line 🐶
The best doggo
Deserving of Elysium for sure!
Very cute pupper 🐕
Doges are loyal AF. Better than man.
Its not doggo. Its a wolf - symbol of the Rome.
Imagine getting to see an accurate portrayal of the Battle of Cannae with this cinematography. Man!
I would love it set from the perspective of a Roman Triarii so that you can check all the boxes and get that heroic final stand that the Triarii had at that battle as maybe a younger brother or even a son to the MC retreats and recounts the story to the Roman Senate. Then, we can make a sequel that goes with Scipio in Africa
Shout out to Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records for such a timeless masterpiece!
Still mesmerising after 24 years. The sheer might of the Roman army is so beautifully portrayed. But it’s the score that really makes this scene so powerful.
This is without a doubt one of the best soundtracks ever written
3:20 This sequence is some of my favorite shit in the whole movie. That banging score building to a crescendo as Maximus' voice cuts through the chaos of battle, Roman's moving in to attack from all directions.
It's the same music as the pirates of the Caribbean theme. Zimmer re-uses all his music if you listen closely
Every single thing about this battle bothers me and yet I absolutely love it.
I know there are a lot of historical oddities or inaccuracies in this whole battle sequence, but damn it really gives you a sense of what the Romans were capable of when they brought their full force to bear.
What would be an innacuracie?
@@luisffernandezlopez3552 Romans fought in tight formation. In this we see the typical Hollywood battlefield of everyone splitting off into one-on-one duels.
@@Lockieez Upon rewatching it seems the Romans did try to fight in formation but the enemy broke their formation.
@luisffernandezlopez3552 believe that the fire arrows are a Hollywood liberty. I'm no expert and could be wrong I am however pretty sure that the roman military never used fire arrows. The catapults ect I have no idea but definitely don't think they ever used fire arrows.
@@the.watcher.on.the.wall.. I am no expert either, but it's not a coincidence that catapults, ballista, tribuchet are called siege weapons. Lucky for the Romans here that Germans attacked from the "front" instead of going around them. Also that they patiently waited for the Romans to load the catapults.
They look more like modern artillery weapons. Also good question what sense it makes to set the forest on fire, where your soldiers are too :D
Or that Maximus' cavalry would essentially charge into their own infantry, but likely their horses would have broken all their legs while running in a forest
For the historical information, it's the Battle of Vindobona, actually Vienna, it's the end of the long campain for the Danube again germanics tribes.
3:59 Look at how everyone just stands around LMFAO. There's even a guy looking around chuckling.
LMAO I dont think most people notice that in the non 4k release. If you look at Lord of the Rings Two towers, you can clearly see Gandalfs body double in some scenes on the horse now.
😂😂😂
Yeah, they dropped the ball on that
A little late here, but, that was how the Romans fought. You stayed in formation, because your gear was designed with the guy next to you in mind. Breaking formation typically meant death. So, while those guys are just standing there, it's actually for a good reason.
When filming, the extras were all reenactors, so I think they know what's up.
@@Tank50usRoman troops wouldn’t stand still by the enemy.
This upload is exactly how it’s supposed to be, 3:11 you get the view of Marcus Aurelius and you can notice how many fire lit arrows were being fired at the Germanian Hordes by the Felix Legion. TY for the upload.
I don’t know if there are any grunts watching this but isn’t it cool to know our job hasn’t changed at all over the centuries
The tools have changed. But the job hasn't. It's dirty, bloody, and nasty... but someone's gotta do it.
Except who are our overlords are
right down to the emperor and his lords observing the carnage from a distance. War never changes
Huge difference here is you have warriors fighting warriors. Not a bunch of welfare queens calling in airstrikes and shooting at Afghan farmers.
@@itsallgoodman4108 If anyway Markus Aurelius here shows far more care than the typical rich men sending the poor bastards to die in their name. He at least has the courtesy of showing up to see for himself instead of waiting on a gilded throne.
Also Markus Aurelius was a well regarded philosopher and exemplar of Stoicism. for those willing to dive in and do a bit of reading his writings and perspectives are genuinely fascinating.
6:30....God, this is beautiful. Hans Zimmer is half of the success of this movie. My all time favourite by far.
They literally set a forest ablaze for this. They found a place that was set to be put to the torch for the sake of a controlled burn and were given the go ahead to film there.
That long shot. That long sweeping shot was a thing of beauty. this opening gives good example of why Rome is still highly regarded even thousands of years later.
Thanks for that tidbit of info. I literally just thought, where were they that it was okay to start of forest fire?!
@@MissLiveLaughLove1 the battle was filmed in Surrey, England - I'm dubious of the fire story as it's clearly filmed in winter and no way in hell will you get an English forest to burn in the middle of winter lol
Absolutely top tier production.
I watched this HDR release. This battle is SO dark it's sometimes hard to see what's going on. I understand it was shot in the relative darkness but... damn. Everything after this scene looks beautiful, daytime scenes especially.
it's fitting too because battle especially melee is some dark brutal shyt.
I was an extra in this battle. It was shot in broad daylight. They used filters on the cameras to make it look darker.
@@TheFleetflyer Very interesting, thank you for the information. And badass you were in the film in some way haha.
Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity!!!
I watched Gladiator in the cinema when it first came out in 2000. This epic battle looks awesome remastered. Brings back the nostalgia of seeing it first time. Thanks for sharing 👍
Seeing this in the cinema as a kid when it premiered . . . Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius, Oliver Reed as Proximo . . .
Man I miss Richard Harris. He was the perfect Dumbledore, too. I hated when they changed the actors. He was on spot in Count of Mount Cristo as well. Not to mention his previous work, but these were his latest ones. Damn good actor. I remember crying when I heard he was gone.
This, relatively short, opening scene had the most memorable quotes squeezed into something like 8-9 minutes.
-People should know when theyre conquered.
-Would you, Quintus? Would I?
-If you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the sun in your face - do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and youre already dead!
-Brothers! What we do in life echoes in eternity!
*riding in green fields. 😉
@@WeAreWatchingU Right... my bad.
'What we do in life echoes in eternity' is such an inspiring line.
I wish I could go back to 2000 and rewatch it again
Gladiator 2 is nothing like this masterpiece.
That blurry sequence is the finest moment of Maximus line "At my signal unleash the hell". They shoot those scenes mistakenly with wrong daylight and had to blurr it because there's was not enough frames to make it smooth. For the sake of art they made a mastefully emotional seqeunce. Both tragic, surreal and poetic. I always cry at that moment. Pure magic of cinema. You never know when some problem or decision turn a movie into gold.
HOLD THE LINE!
STAY WITH ME!
ROMA VICTOR!
Epic.
It's Roma Invicta.
All sounds pretty racist.
Im much more invested in the story of the German war chief than I was watching any of the main characters in the sequel.
The best thing about Gladiator 2 is that Im remembering just what a great film the original is.
Saw this in the theater many summers ago, time sure does zoom past. I can still remember this as one of maybe a handful of really earth changing experiences in a cinema as a youth.
Yes gentlemen we meet again
Hello
The emperor's body language at the end is very interesting. Looks as though he's breathing a sigh of relief, as though he wasn't quite so sure about the outcome of the battle.
That, combined with the final decision to choose Maximus as his successor.
He's at the end of his reign and is contemplating the futility of it all. He knows his son and heir apparent is a young hot head who will just continue to let the wheel spin but into his own direction. Nothing will change and that the inevitable end will be as every other nation in time immemorial.
The weight upon Roman emperor had to be enormous. Maybe that is why lot of them decided to just "procrastinate" from it with priestesses of love, games, theatre and intrigues. Like, the knowledge that you crush one tribe, one realm and two stronger enemies will stand on their debris....#thugLife
Read the beginning of the movie this is the last battle then there is peace throughout the empire. The end was never in doubt do you see all the reserves just standing and watching around 3:14 He had thousands of reserves. They didn't want to slaughter them so they offered peace and the Germans sent back their guy without his head. You see the emperor breathing a sigh of relief because it's all finally done before he dies. Just like we exhale after we get in bed after a long day
@@SonOfGod3000 In those times, " peace throughout the empire" is just filmmakers imagination. Persians, Celts, Germans, steppe raiders, civil wars.
Also, we see some cohort of Praetorian Guard, not thousands of reserves. But sure, once Roman managed to catch enemies in pitched battle they were pretty close to victory in those times (if said enemy did not have cavalry archers).
Its a shame that we dont get movies like that anymore.
What do you mean by that, Captain Anti-Woke?
@@iche9373 What has my comment to do with Anti-Woke? Unfortunately historical movies are out of time these days.
@@Hunter-jo8ud I am sorry, I misinterpreted your message.
@@iche9373you're just weird..
.
@@jackkiller2931 no u
I'm here to wash away the stinky memory of watching Gladiator 2. Let's all pretend it just never happened.
Exactly. The sequel was absolutely horrible
i had so much hope for gladiator 2 after seeing the opening scenes it just got worse from then on..
Was never going to live up to this movie...The cast alone for no.2 doesn't come close to this masterpiece
It's good though.
God why do movies today SUCK. This old movie looks incredible.
03:10 Jupiter, forgive me but... How wonderful this is!
3:10 Really gives you a chill seeing what a full on assault from th Roman Empire would have looked like. I bet they felt the world tremble during such an asssault. Can you imagen the feeling, being on either side?
Not for not they conquered a vast majority of the world and were recognized as a world power. Its military strength allowed it to expand to vast countries. Army was well trained and disciplined. That and the Bible foretold that it would become a nation of influence, which branches of it exist today in the form of the us and uk
Exactly the same feeling here. This scene is the one I remember the most. When I saw it the first time at the Cinema [on a massive, curved screen with full-blast surround sound], I said to myself; Jesus, Romans are so powerful, no wonder they ran over so many far-away Kingdoms.
I was an extra on the barbarian side in this battle scene. I can confirm that having a Roman army advance and face off with you is indeed an awesome and very intimidating thing. They kept the cameras quite well hidden during the filming and so at times the sights and sounds were totally authentic.
@@benitoluera8467 majority of the world is a bit of an exaggeration, they conquered Europe and a small part of North Africa. Incredible part of history but let's not get carried away lol.
One of the best scenes of one of the best films in history.
Power and Glory. Fantastic opening. Steve 👍
I just got back from watching Gladiator 2 and I'm watching this clip so I can forget the terrible sequel. There is only one Gladiator movie by Ridley Scott
I saw this 25+ years ago with my (then) girlfriend and when he said "...unleash Hell", she thought he was talking about his dog...like the dog's name was "Hell". Oh yeah...she didn't last much longer.
It came out in 2000
@@lad4830 🤣
@@lad4830yeah the girlfriend was the smart one in that relationship
@@raminMTL Ummm. No....
@@jimmy8647 i think so because it can´t be 25 plus years ago when movie came out in 2000
This movie is too fucking epic, I can keep watching it over and over. Favorite movie of all time!
5:55 I love the low frame rate part, it really shows how dissociation would feel in battle.
It probably would happened to me, then reality kicks in and back on fighting 😂
My local cinema was showing this last month. Even though I've seen it countless times, hell yes did I pay to watch it on the big screen! My favourite movie of all time and always will be!
You can visit where this was filmed in Bourne Wood, Farnham is about an hour from Waterloo and it’s a couple of miles from the station if you fancy it.
The music is next level epic
Because it’s the pirates of the Caribbean theme
@@chrisallen9509absolutely not💀💀💀
@@chrisallen9509this is before pirates so no
Maximus' loyal dog (wolf) heading out to battle alongside him was a nice touch by Ridley Scott. Kyte was a Belgian Shepherd by breed. If you're a shepherd owner, you can totally relate to this.
Yeah, I can totally relate to my shepherd following me into battle, rather than growling at the Geico gecko on the television and eating a fly buzzing around his head.
To think that I missed this scene because I got to the theater late on release. My word!
oh shit :O
WTF
5:45 to end broke my heart 🥺
Shows how bloody real war is. We've not seen the like since 1945, true hate for another human.
Romans where the bad guys, to think billions of humans have died to war since our species emerged out the water.
Something needs to change.
This film was perfect 👌
Who else here cus we all feel this legendary movie does not need a wack sequel
this opening battle from gladiator 1 is much better than the whole gladiator 2 movie.
You watched it already?
@@49ershighlights41 I did too. Mid movie, terrible sequel.
Sharks 🦈 were nice too. I imagine there was a lot of acrylic tanks to transport them back in the day
I was in cinema yesterday and now I on this opening battle from part one cause this one scene is better like half of movies what they making today Xd
" God bless ridley scott,joaquin phoenix and russel crowe, for this movie..this first battle scene is always on mind..what a an amazing movie...
What I love is at 5:12 you see the leader get killed by random Roman soldiers. It's not your stereotypical 1v1 battle with the two leaders. Just adds to the reality of how chaotic battles would have been
Having a laugh before going in to youre possible death. That's some dedication
3:21 hans zimmer personally enters the battle. what a music
Seeing this battle when the film came out made me a better Total War player!
I am sure that proper historians would find many more things which could make this scene even more epic but imagine if legionaires threw their pillas on Markomans. Chefs kiss. (it is epic enough even without spear throwing)
I've lost the count of how many times I have watched the opening scene.
If you pause it after the charge around 4:00 you just notice everyone on that frame smiling and laughing. It still gets me every since I noticed it.😂😂
A masterpiece it was and is.
I have watched this opening battle multiple times throughout the years. One of my all time favorites. Thanks for this 4K HDR version. I just saw things I have never noticed before. Watching the wack a$$ trailer for the upcoming Gladiator film brought me here tonight.
Thank you so much!
Huge difference 4k makes you can see the cavalry horses have rains and bridles which is they never had
Make more movies like this please, god this is good
That score tho 🔥🔥🔥🔥 goosebumps every time
Especially at 5:45 🥹
Noticed how the leader of the barbarians with that big ol boar head mallet taken down by common soldiers and not by the main hero? Masterpiece ♥️☺️
5:28 props to that general's bodyguard
Wish Skyrim would’ve given us this kind of battle for the civil war.
Siege of whiterun, Solitude, and or Windhelm are closest we get. Though there are mods that add battles between imperials and stormcloaks. Frame rate suffers, but man is it a fun time
"People should know when they are conquered"
"Would you, Quintus? Would I?"
3:54 I guess those roman formations didn't work out too well..
Hi man, Testudo formations were only use during sieges. However in every movie you can see them using that formation for open field battles. Is not my opinion, I heard that from an history teacher podcast who wrote a book about Roman military tactics
Came to see this after the shitshow of Gladiator 2 where they have sharks swimming in the colosseum.
When you realize the purpose of the fire from the catapults was to keep the Barbarians from fleeing, it makes the Romans seem even more badass. The Romans were tired of the Germanic tribes fleeing and evading them in battle.
If you can sum up anything about history, it's that dogs are the best.
Nice of Dumbledore to stop by.
They just do not dare to make such productions anymore, its so unfortunate. This is sheer quality.
At 4:00 if you slow it down to 0.25x you’ll see a barbarian casually walking like some random guy during a busy day at a shopping mall. At the center of screen right beside the lion banner.
Not only are a bunch of barbarians just casually standing around or strolling while their buddies charge in like maniacs, a bunch of legionaries and the signifer are also just standing around and watching the barbarians stare back at them, while their fellow legionaries are slugging it out with the other barbarians that smash right into them.
@@machirim2805 This movie has many mistakes that made it to the final cut and most of us would definitely miss it. I knew them from reading from iMDB haha
On the 'are you entertained?' scene there's even crew member wearing white t-shirt and jeans on far left of the screen. Rewatching this movie is a different experience than the first time lol
I notice it last time I watch it and I cracked laughing 😂😂 it’s seems that he is smiling too😂😂😭😭
The nature of ancient warfare was just a totally different kettle of fish. Much more up close and personal.
No way the sequel will be anywhere near as good as the opening 10 minutes of the first one was
Lol I am not looking forward to that. The old magic just isn’t quite there anymore.
When you try to create the same magic with Gladiator II, failure is your destiny.
So many years later, every time I see the scene where Maximus shouts Roma victis, I get goosebumps.
At 5:30, I can never understand why CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) edited it out the scene of the guy on fire getting smacked with the sword while letting much more gory scenes like decapitation.
So a big reason for the CBC edits of films was to cut down the runtime to run advertisements. Scenes their editors thought were unimportant, like some cutaway shots, cinematic scenery panning, and some other combat scenes, like the death of the trident wielder in the first gladiator match, got axed to squeeze in a few ads.
@@otoole42 wow that is so lame considering that final cuts are already not what the director hoped for.
Just blame that ass hat sitting on the throne in ottawa
Clearly the doggo’s name is Hell, and he was unleashed at Maximus’s signal 👀
If you don’t want to run through walls after this scene you’re dead inside
The dog is such a nice touch.
The legionnaires correctly hold the Pilum but strangely they never throw them at the enemy and that is a standard procedure in every Roman battle.
Still amazing after all these years. Yeah, of course there were many errors in terms of weapon usage, like pila (plural of pilum) that were usually thrown (and were design to break after the contact so enemies could not throw them back) and not employed like the sarisses (plural of sarissa) of the Macedonian phalanx (only the Hastati employed the hasta [the spear] in this way within the manipular army of the Republican era), nor the equites cataphractarii (the chivalry) were (usually) employed to encircle the enemies and strike them from behind but they operated on the flanks in order to cross with the heavy infantry ordered in a triplex acies on the battlefield, not even the infantrymen in the cohortal army were used to slowly walk towards the enemy but when they were so close to the enemy lines to being unable to throw their pila, then they start to run at full speed and charged frontally against the enemy, a tactic known as "shock and charge" as Cassio Dione reported in Historia Romana, 62.12.1-2. Honestly, however, we know very little about the tactics effectively used. Last but not least, Maximus Decimus Meridius twice shout "Roma victor!" but this is incorrect as Roma is a name of feminine gender and then the right phrase is "Roma victrix!".
The cinematographer of the film said years later in interviews that the production didn't have this forest location for very long, so they literally were running out of light on the last day and still had some shots left to finish. The reason why the scene starts cutting frames in the later half is literally out of necessity to let in as much light into the lens as possible. Also if you watch it closely the scene has terrible continuity of photography (its snowing in some shots while in others its not, the scene starts getting dark, etc.) but he said "no one said boo" in the theatre so they knew they had made it flow well in the edit.
Also the whole movie was shot on only 200 iso film, both exteriors and interiors.
As someone born and raised in Germany with heritage in both Norway and Germany, I can only imagine how brave the barbarians must have been.
This scene was Ridley Scott at its prime and Russel crowe having perfect chemistry with it.
Everything was perfect, the battle scenes despite unreal, the plot because it made sense Marcus Aurelius wanted to choose a hispanic general for emperor, since he was the last one of the 5 good emperos, and 2 were hispanic(Trajan and Hadrian) so they were on trend, everything could make some sort of sense despite its a movie.
And visually it simply looks so good, it has aged perfectly because it was that moment of time they still used practical effects with maybe a little bit of CGI, so everything aged well(LOTR is another example)
Havent seen the new one, but im sorry - there is no topping this battle scene. The music, the sets and costume design, the acting, the writing - it cannot be outdone.
No excessive cgi yet it looks way better than movies nowadays cinema peaked arround this time in my opinion
Two extras in the middle of the screen, just chillin' at 3:59
Maybe the best battle scene I've seen on the screen.
Half of the beauty of this scene is the Zimmer score, which in turn is a salute to Gustav Holst's 'Mars: the bringer of war'
wouldve been so cool if they followed one of these projectiles in flight, until it crashes in enemy lines. technology/computer stuff probably wasnt there at the time but it wouldve been so cool. now you see them leaving the launchers or w/e they are called and some wide shot also cool tho
Le agradezco a mi padre que me llevara a verla en el cine cuando tenia 12 años. Fue una experiencia increíble ver esta película en pantalla gigante.
Fun fact. They actually found a forest that was due to be cut down and the studio asked if they could film there and set fire to everything since it was going to be cut down anyway.
Spectacular scene.
I still try to figure out what was the battlecry when the Roma Legions start marching to the Gauls.