Daily Dialogue — October 13, 2016

“Ultimately, we’re all dead men. Sadly, we cannot choose how but, what we can decide is how we meet that end, in order that we are remembered, as men.”

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

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Coaching.

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: Proximo coaching gladiators before they go to fight to the death. Powerful words. Yes, we are all “dead men”. His point: How we die matters.