Daily Dialogue — April 28, 2014

Commodus: Lucius will stay with me now. And if his mother so much as looks at me in a manner that displeases me, he will die. If she decides to be noble and takes her own life, he will die. [to Lucilla] And as for you, you will love me as I loved you. You will provide me with an heir of pure blood, so that Commodus and his progeny will rule for a thousand years. Am I not merciful?

Lucilla turns her head.

Commodus: AM I NOT MERCIFUL!?

— Gladiator (2000), written by David Franzoni and John Logan and William Nicholson

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Nemesis, suggested by Alejandro. Today’s suggestion by David Proenza.

Trivia: As Oliver Reed died with three weeks of principal photography remaining and as he was considered a key character, a clause in the insurance coverage on the movie would have allowed the film-makers to shoot all of Reed’s scenes with another actor, with the insurers footing the cost (estimated at $25million). However, most of the actors and crew were exhausted from the punishing schedule and Ridley Scott did not want to lose Reed from the movie, so the script was rewritten and CGI used to give Reed’s character a plausible resolution.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by David: “Commodus shows just how sick and twisted he actually is, how far is mind is warped. The boy who had everything but was still jealous and afraid of everyone and what they thought.”

Comment Archive