"nO, because all im surrounded by are the faces of royalty and not the common......but *looks out window, sees man blasting shit into a bucket* Nevermind, the senate is good. walks away
Can 100% see Jack Gleeson's inspiration for Joffrey! That soft, almost caring tone with the under note of 'totally hatstand crazy and likely to snap in a second' lol
Maybe the Academy thought at 26 years of age he's too young to win.... As far as I'm concerned this man deserves one Oscar every time he appears in a movie!!
GeorgeMonet that is true. On the one hand, Commodus is right that the senators have it way better off than the people do. At the same time, though, Gracchus is correct when he asks Commodus if he has extensive understanding of his own people and how they live. Considering that Commodus was born into nobility, it’s clear that he has no knowledge of what the people are going through, nor has he experienced it himself.
@@TrooperJet But, he has ducks... and can afford to feed them grain. How many ducks, do you suppose, has a typical roman household has? I'm not saying graccus is corrupt - I'm just saying the guy is better off than some of his constituents (likely was of the merchant class before he was elected senator )
@@stinkyfungus My problem is that Gracchus didn't even let him finish what he was saying. Its obvious that upper classes don't understand what working classes go through, but Commodus wasn't pretending to be from the people, unlike the elected senate.
Okay if Russell Crowe won an Oscar for this film, Joaquin Phoenix needed to. The venom and sadistic nature he brought to Commodus makes him one of the best villains in cinema.
Senator: "We really have to deal with the plague and ensure that people have basic sanitation..." Commodus:" Shut up, let me act smug and make a pointless speech that means nothing other to puff my own ego"
@@MerleUnchained Joey Brandon has Alzheimers, and has destroyed the economy and is trying to take away our second amendment. Trump although not perfect AT ALL had a plan to boost the economy and keep the USA #1 in Economic influence as well as militarily, wasn't trying to destroy the Bill of Rights like Brandon and he was succeeding. He also remembers his own name for christs sake.
For those interested in the actual historical nature/politics of the time. The Romans had a social construct called "authoritas". The way it worked was that the more positions and prestige one could accumulate the more authoritas he could claim to control. The more authoritas you could control the more worthy you were of ruling. Egypt was the richest province and was considered the personal property of the emperor and no senators were allowed to set foot in Egypt without the personal permission from the emperor. It was the revenue collected from the province of Egypt that was used to pay the legions and the legions were loyal to the person that paid them. So the emperor had military power but the power of granting "authoritas" was controlled by the senate who could grant honors and rights to the emperor thus giving him legitimacy. Members of the Royal family were given positions like consul etc from an early age (like 16) so they can accumulate "authoritas" in preparation for the time they would rule. Meanwhile everybody else had to wait to live until they were in their 30s and 40s until they even become eligible for consul. To become a senator however you did not need to be elected as the movie implies. You needed to be rich enough, from a noble family or a friend of the emperor. Also, most of these senators were put in place by the emperor of his allies. By the end of the rule of Marcus Aurelius around ~30% of the Roman population had died due to plague from the East. Marcus Aurelius was the last of the 5 good emperors. They all came to power peacefully by various means. One was childless and elected by the senate. The other was adopted by the emperor. A third had no sons and so choose a worthy air and married him to his daughter and so on. Commodus was the legitimate air and Aurelius had always intended for him to be emperor. He would have had no problem with legitimacy. In fact the way this often worked was that a person close to the emperor would make a proposal and then the senate was supposed to approve of it because it was implied that it in fact came from the Emperor. No one would dare talk to the emperor in such a rude and disrespectful manner.
Commodus does make some good points, though. The senate claim to represent the people but many of them are corrupt as well as power and money hungry. Just like Trump and his cabinet members.
And the senate hated many of them as well, even though so many of them came from the senate. Hadrian, although considered a successful emperor, was despised by them.
"What a pity you weren't born a man, what a caesar you would have made" You can see what an intelligent and calm person Lucilla is, especially in how she has to handle her psychotic brother.
Roman Senators will not call commodus "sire" they will call him imperator or princeps because the emperor and the senators are equal in patrician states in the Principate it is true Senators are free to talk to the imperator/princeps as they wished
Nor would the senate at that time have thought of itself as a representative body of 'the people'. Nor would a woman (even the emperor's sister) normally be present during a meeting. The degree to which the film rebranded the senate and Rome in the image of what America supposedly is is extraordinary.
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic. It was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a Roman magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic appointment to the Senate. According to the Greek historian Polybius, our principal source on the Constitution of the Roman Republic, the Roman Senate was the predominant branch of government. Polybius noted that it was the consuls (the highest-ranking of the regular magistrates) who led the armies and the civil government in Rome, and it was the Roman assemblies which had the ultimate authority over elections, legislation, and criminal trials. However, since the Senate controlled money, administration, and the details of foreign policy, it had the most control over day-to-day life. The power and authority of the Senate derived from precedent, the high caliber and prestige of the senators, and the Senate's unbroken lineage, which dated back to the founding of the Republic in 509 BC. Originally, the chief-magistrates, the consuls, appointed all new senators. They also had the power to remove individuals from the Senate. Around the year 318 BC, the "Ovinian Plebiscite" (plebiscitum Ovinium) gave this power to another Roman magistrate, the censor, who retained this power until the end of the Roman Republic. This law also required the censors to appoint any newly elected magistrate to the Senate. Thus, after this point in time, election to magisterial office resulted in automatic Senate membership. The appointment was for life, although the censor could impeach any senator. The Senate directed the magistrates, especially the consuls, in their prosecution of military conflicts. The Senate also had an enormous degree of power over the civil government in Rome. This was especially the case with regards to its management of state finances, as only it could authorize the disbursal of public monies from the treasury. In addition, the Senate passed decrees called senatus consultum, which was officially "advice" from the Senate to a magistrate. While technically these decrees did not have to be obeyed, in practice, they usually were. During an emergency, the Senate (and only the Senate) could authorize the appointment of a dictator. The last ordinary dictator, however, was appointed in 202 BC. After 202 BC, the Senate responded to emergencies by passing the senatus consultum ultimum ("Ultimate Decree of the Senate"), which suspended civil government and declared something analogous to martial law.
Except Loki is actually smart and could organize an empire. Hell the guy was running Asgard till Thor kinda showed up and pulled the rug out from under him
@ELDEANTI Typical leftist. Always blaming the last guy. 32% approval rating for Biden who's created a country of homelessness, out of control inflation, a total mess left behind with Afghanistan... Get a grip and understand in your dense politically polarized brain, that you're no better than right wingers. Why don't you turn off CNN or MSNBC. You Americans look so stupid with your corporate bootlicker party loyalty. Both hacks to the same system.
This movie did have its flaws, including some editing gaffes and numerous historical inaccuracies. But it was entertaining, badass as hell, and had a good story. Above all though, it rekindled mainstream interest in ancient Rome, history, and epic battles.
When I was younger, I hated Commodus. But now watching the film again, I understood him and I feel sorry for him. He wouldn't do the horrible things he did, if his father and sistdr just loved him. I felt that his father was rude to him in the way he told him that he will not be the emperor, yet Maximus will. Imagine the pain and sadness Commodus felt. Feeling you're not good enough, not moral enough, not manly enough. I am not a man, but I can feel his pain. It's like his father told him that Maximus is more manly and more brave. It feels suck. His sister never really loved him, I'm not talking about the sexual love but the family's love, the pure love. She could have stand with her brother, support him and assist him and comforts him when he was weak, but instead she plots against him, against her pure blood and she wanted him to be KILLED. Again, just imagine his pain again being betrayed for the second time by the people who are meant to love and care for you. All of this plus his complex personality and insecurities turned him into a man soo broken and damaged, into an emperor who was trully hated by his people and not respected by the senators. Put your self in his shoes, I would just give up on life If I were him, but Commodus didn't, he fought till the end of his life, maybe not in the most moral and accepted way, but in his own way. In his HUMAN way. He wasn't perfect, but he has many good traits as he told his father, he has PASSION and determination to reach his goals. Commodus wasn't a bad person, he was a human just like everyone, not perfect , having his good traits and bad ones, but because of his loved ones HATE towards him, he turned into a bad person driven by his pain and traumas.
Did the ancient Romans equate disease with sanitation? I know they had sewer systems but was that for health purposes or for just to make for more pleasant living conditions? Just askin'.
0:44 “Senatus est populus, ex populo electus, ut pro populo loquatur.” --- > "The Senate is the people, Sire, chosen from the people, to speak for the people."
Gracchus stating a true fact to Commodus regarding the Antonine plague that ravaged the empire during Marcus Aurelius' reign. Gracchus' words hitting hard.
@@Ramoreira86 I would argue that that was the point of Commodus' speech. He THINKS that what he's saying is deep and has meaning, but, in truth, it's merely a shallow way for him to justify his lax approach to ruling the empire to the senators.
Ridley truly underestimated Caesar, didn’t he? He could not imagine that the reality would be quite a bit different, but he was right about mistresses of senators and things they like to do most
Oh, I really hope so. The Roman Empire was such a positive influence in world history, I can only hope that my beautiful country can be an even greater influence. In a way, we already are; but I hope that our influence can become greater. Vivat American Imperium
That is the wet dream of every North American. But no, sorry. The US are not an Empire, they will never be. It is a Republic, where the beautiful concept of freedom is the founding value. This is your greatness, be proud of that. What Rome gave to humanity is incomparable to anything else. Let's just protect that heritage and respect it.
@@barb7084 the United States isn't a republic & there is no longer freedom. Individual states don't make their own laws anymore, the oversized federal government does by the end of a rifle
@@chrismadison305 funny how Americans think America is an empire, it’s not, at contrary in an ex colony. Today for sure is the most influential country and has the biggest economy but has never conquered nothing, never win a war by it’s won, don’t have the most nuclear bombs (Russia has) and it’s not the best place to live ( Europe still has that), it’s all a wet dream for Americans, though i love America peace
1:10 it's always amusing when pagans quote the true living God in a way that makes it seem as though they coined the phrase first. Jeremiah 32:38-39 NKJV II Corinthians 6:16-18 NKJV
Jeremiah 32:38-39: "And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them." II Corinthians 6:16-18: "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
Historically when the Emperor was present in the senate his guests, regardless of census and sex, were allowed to assist the sessions (but not to talk).
0:59 ... 1:09 "I call it love" said the man who achieved his position of power through highly insidious nepotism, or should I say family love? Sincerely, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, son of God, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular, doctor who tried to revive Peter Pan after his fall from drinking way too many fizzy lifting drinks, and a leader in a democracy not based on democratic ideals, but the freudian id... we shall call that type of democracy and idiocracy... and it must include non-platonic lovers of lies, kumquats in disguise.
Not realistic, they wouldn't have laughed at him to his face. In real life he would have had them killed on the spot. Roman Emperors were known to be brutal. The way they laughed at him would've been their death sentence.No way they would get away with that.
Unconstitutional Princeps are brutal but they are not like Egyptian Pharaohs or Persian King of Kings For Example On one occasion, Antoninus Pius was visiting the house of Homullus admired some porphyey columns, asking if they had come from the goverment quarries. Homullus replied "when you enter another man's house you should be deaf and dumb." This remark has been variously interpreted as a good-natured jab at a friend or as a slap at the Emperor Senator Marcus Valerius Homullus to Antoninus Pius
