معرفی

Introduction

All eyes turned to the trees. A horseman rode out, toward the Roman army. There was something strange about the way he was riding Maximus was the first to understand . . .

As the horse came closer, the other men could see what had happened.

The Roman messenger was tied to his horse. His head had been cut off.

Maximus knew now what he had to do. Life was suddenly simple.

General Maximus, Commander of the Roman Army of the North, fights his last battle in the war against Germania. Then, he hopes to return to his farm and his family in Spain.

But there are many serious problems in Rome and Emperor Marcus Aurelius knows he will soon die. Maximus realizes that he must perform another duty for the Emperor before he can go home. He knows it will not be easy, and he is right. Soon he is fighting for his life again, first as a prisoner, then a slave, and finally as a gladiator.

One thought keeps Maximus alive: that he will finally meet and kill the man he hates most—the new Emperor, Commodus.

The book, Gladiator, was written by Dewey Gram. The screenplay by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson was made into a very successful movie. The movie stars Russell Crowe as Maximus and Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus. British actor Oliver Reed (Proximo) died before the movie was finished, although almost all his scenes had been completed.

On film and on paper, Gladiator is a very exciting story.