Historical films about gladiators. List of the best films

The times of Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt and Rome seem very interesting to us. Even the cruelty that prevailed then everywhere was surrounded by a halo of romance. This is especially true of gladiatorial battles, during which brave semi-naked warriors had to defend the right to life with a sword in their hands.

So, let's look at historical films about gladiators - a list of the best! The horrors of the times of the Roman Empire are revealed in many worthy paintings. We will try to list the most interesting of them.

"Gladiator" Ridley Scott

If we list historical films about gladiators, the list of the best should start with the picture “Gladiator” by Ridley Scott, which was shot in 2000. There are several reasons for this: firstly, the work won five Academy Award at once, and secondly, it with this film began the revival of cinema in the peplum genre.

103 million dollars were spent on shooting the picture and another 40 million was invested in marketing. Special effects, costumes, the work of the director and performer of the main role - everything in this film is pleasing to the eye. Charges around the world amounted to almost 458 million. In a word, so far no one has surpassed Ridley Scott’s tape.

The picture is about the fate of the Roman general Maximus, who is omnipotent on the battlefield, but absolutely unable to cope with court intrigues. After General Maximus rebelled against the murderer of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, he was sentenced to death, his family and estate destroyed. Maximus manages to avoid execution, but he is captured by the slave traders and soon turns into a gladiator. Rome will shudder when Maximus enters his decisive battle ...

Spartak Stanley Kubrick

Ridley Scott is not only interested in historical films about gladiators and knights - Stanley Kubrick took up the adaptation of such a story in 1960.

In his picture, a real life story is told. A certain Spartak as a young man ends up in a school for gladiators. He is distinguished by a rebellious disposition, physical stamina and undeniable leadership qualities. Having rallied a cohort of gladiators near him , Spartacus raises a serious uprising that has gone down in world history. It was the only revolt of the slaves that really threatened Roman power. He was crushed by a certain Mark Crassus, and no one else could repeat the feat of Spartacus.

Kubrick spent $ 12 million to create his painting. At the box office managed to gain 90 million. The film received four Oscars. The role of the freedom-loving gladiator went to Kirk Douglas (“Champion”) - the son of emigrants from the Mogilev province of the Russian Empire. Consul Marc Crassus was played by Lawrence Olivier (“Clash of the Titans”), and the role of Spartacus's lover went to Gene Simmons (“Egyptian”).

Spartak Riccardo Fred

Historical films about gladiators and love dedicated to the adventures of Spartak were shot before Stanley Kubrick’s creative experiments. One of the first pictures of the rebellious Roman slave was the 1953 Spartak Riccardo Fred.

The director interprets the life story of Spartak in a completely different way. Initially, his hero was a Thracian warrior of noble birth, he served in the Roman army. Once he witnessed an unpleasant scene - one governor's daughter was bullied. He stood up for her honor, for which he was accused of unprecedented audacity, sold into slavery and sent to fight at the Coliseum. However, the Roman authorities made a big mistake: the slaves rallied in their hatred of Rome, but they lacked the leader, who became the noble Spartacus.

The story filmed by Fred is more true. The main roles in the film were played by Massimo Girotti (Medea), Lyudmila Cherina (Red Shoes), Yves Vincent (Frozen) and many other Italo-French actors.

Historical films about gladiators. List of the best: Steve Carver's Arena

Another impressive peplum work is Steve Carver’s Arena tape, which was shot in 1974. If you like historical films about gladiators, this tape should be added to the list of best ones, even though its rating on IMDb is only only 5.4 points.

The film "Arena" was shot jointly by Italy and the United States. In the 70s, he hit the viewer with several things at once: firstly, not men, but women fought in the Coliseum; secondly, they went out to battle almost naked. Moreover, women fought not only among themselves, but also with men.

The picture received mixed reviews from the audience. It is easy to guess that most of her audience was men who were ready to ignore minor flaws in the script, just to enjoy the beauty of half-naked and warlike women.

Amazons and Gladiators by Zachary Ventraub

One of the most entertaining shows is historical films about gladiators. The list of the best paintings on this subject includes the creation of Zachary Ventraub called "Amazons and Gladiators."

The picture was released in 2001. It transferred the viewer to the time of the brutal Roman Empire. Mark Crassus, who is known for defeating Spartacus, is sent to the outskirts of the empire, as he fell into disgrace of the emperor. Deprived of the opportunity to fight for the glory of Caesar, Crassus begins to commit atrocities within his domain: he regularly organizes bloody fights, brutally cracking down on rebellious locals.

Once Crassus kills the mother of the Siren, the girl declares to avenge her family and adjoins the Amazon tribe. In the final of the picture, she will have to fight with the legendary Crassus himself, but before that she will have to pass a number of difficult tests.

Gladiatrix by Timur Bekmambetov

Nowadays, many peplum films are shot, but specifically there are not so many films about gladiators. Therefore, we will move on from the best films to the list of controversial “masterpieces” that you need to watch and independently draw conclusions about the value of the film.

So, if you describe historical films about gladiators, a complete list will not do without the picture "Gladiatrix" by Timur Bekmambetov. The story was shot in 2001, as was the remake of Steve Carver's Arena. The film “Gladiatrix” is just Bekmambetov’s third film as a director, so the tape is not entirely successful. But still, lovers of gladiatorial exoticism also have something to look at.

First, attractive actors with equally attractive bodies were selected for the main roles: Karen McDougal and Lisa Dergan - models of PlayBoy magazine, and that’s it! Secondly, the plot of the picture is quite intriguing: a cult attendant and a slave suddenly find themselves in a school for female gladiators. There they make friends, but then they are forced to enter the arena and fight with each other.

Historical films about gladiators. List of the best: “The Last Gladiator” Yorgo Papavasiliou

In 2003, German-Austrian television broadcast the film "The Last Gladiator" directed by Jorgo Papavasiliu. On the day of the premiere, the picture had good ratings: apparently, German viewers are also fascinated by historical films about gladiators. This picture is unlikely to complement the list of the best, since her IMDb rating is only 4.5 points. But the tape also has advantages.

Firstly, viewers note the quality of scenery, costumes. In general, the historical atmosphere in the film is sustained. Secondly, the plot, although not new, is quite capable of captivating: two brothers and a sister from a noble family are captured by the Romans, one of the brothers in the gladiatorial arena is killed by a certain Lagos, his sister falls in love with a murderer, then she must make a choice between the family and loved one.

In short, the story is confusing - quite in the spirit of television projects. The picture is more suitable for a female audience.

Other gladiator films

There are many more films that one way or another relate to the theme of gladiatorial battles: “The Magnificent Seven of Gladiators” (1983), “Rise of the Seven” (1962), “10 Gladiators” (1964), etc. These paintings are not High ratings, but may well be interested in certain categories of viewers.