Subjects:
Gladiator is directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise. Gladiator revisits the epic sword and sandal genre last seen in the late 50’s, and early 60’s in William Wyler's Ben Hur (with Charlton Heston) and in Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus (with Kirk Douglas). Scott's Gladiator successfully explores the savagery of the Roman gladiator games and the ageless and universal appeal for violence by film viewers. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, directed by Ang Lee (Eat Drink Man Woman, Sense and Sensibility) tells a story about love and honor, power and betrayal, as experienced by its set of mythical characters. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Drago
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Crouching Tiger offers imaginative plots and subplots that enhance the film's main storyline and that enrich its characters. n expands the genre of the martial arts film, which was poular in the 70’s and 80’s and it is effective by applying modern special effects to its carefully choreographed action scenes. Gladiator cleverly uses its spectacular images and its powerful characters to create a dramatic story that speaks of the corruptibility of the human mind and the redeeming powers of love and justice.
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. Driven by the mission to avenge Commodus' cruelty and corruption, and guided by his principles and sense of justice, and love for!
his family, Maximus is transformed from a slave to a hero.
Gladiator, however, owes most of its success to "spectatorship.
All in all, both are spectacular films. Weakened by a lifetime of war, yet aware and proud of the brave and noble nature of his General, the dying Caesar decides to appoint Maximus as his successor and spurns his ambitious yet deceptively immoral son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Then Shu Lien encounters the governor's beautiful daughter Jen (Zhang Ziyi), !
whose interest in the Giang Hu (martial arts life) sets her up as an unlikely suspect. " Consequently, Gladiator manages to lure the viewer into reacting as the Roman crowd does, ultimately hating the villains and rooting for the inspiring hero, as the Roman crowd does and as spectators do in sports today. The fluency of these acrobatics that are obviously impossible in reality speaks a poetic language that expresses its characters and that creates a unique set of laws for its fake world. " By providing violent images of the gladiator games, the film portrays the Roman crowd's thirst for violence while simultaneously confronting the film's viewers (spectators) with their appeal for screen violence. Gladiator captures most of its glory in the heroism of its main character Maximus, the General/Gladiator,whereas in Tiger the female characters steal the show. The strength and appeal of Maximus derives from a well-developed role and from Crowe's skillful Oscar winning performance .
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