The Ancient Genre In Ridley Scott's Gladiator

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000), was the first film set in the ancient world produced since the 1960s. Since then, there have been many more films made set in the ancient world. The question is, why was Gladiator able to revive the ancient world genre? After seeing films like Ben-Hur and Spartacus, two of the greatest films ever made set in the ancient world. it is hard not to see the cinematic cues that Gladiator takes from these films. Ben-Hur follows the story of Judah Ben-Hur after he was betrayed by his childhood friend and seeks revenge against the man who wronged. In Gladiator, we have Maximus go on a quest for vengeance after the new emperor has ordered him executed and kills his family. From Ben-Hur we know that this kind of story is not one likely to go our of fashion. Even modern movies that are not set in the ancient world have a story like this.
After Maximus becomes a gladiator, he throws his weapon into the crowd and asks if they are not entertained. This is clearly influenced by the scene in Spartacus where the gladiator Draba throws his spear to the spectating Romans. If audiences liked these scenes, why is it that the ancient genre died in the 1960s? Fortunately, the past decade has seen the revival of the ancient genre, not just in film, but in TV as well. Notable successes in TV set in the ancient world include Spartacus and the huge hit Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones may not be based in the real ancient world, but as far as we know, even our own accounts of what ancient Greece and Rome were really like are not completely accurate. If these recent films and TV shows are indication of anything, it’s that the ancient genre is here to