
BONUS: 'Gladiator' (2000)
From That's Not How It Went Down by Lewis Howard & Elliot Fitzpatrick
June 2, 2026 · 42 min · Season 1 · Episode 86
About this episode
This bonus episode explores the historical figures and events depicted in the film 'Gladiator'.
The temptation to parody the speech we all know from this film as a blurb was tempting but would have been too obvious. What perhaps isn't as obvious, is quite how may historical figures made it into this absolute classic. Ancient Rome is an arena that rarely needs augmenting or embellishing, but it was done for this story by taking some archetypal characters and weaving them into a timeless revenge storyline. Did Commodus kill Marcus Aurelius? Did Lucilla conspire against her brother? And who was Maximus? Join us to find out on this bonus episode of That's Not How It Went Down! Subscribe now for further listening: https://tnhiwd.supercast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Hosts: Lewis Howard, Elliot Fitzpatrick
Topics covered
- Ancient Rome
- Historical figures
- Revenge storyline
- Film analysis
- Parody
- Classic cinema
Keywords
- Gladiator
- Ancient Rome
- Marcus Aurelius
- Commodus
- Lucilla
- Maximus
- film analysis
- historical accuracy
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Gladiator
More episodes of That's Not How It Went Down
- 'Quiz Show' (1994) · June 9, 2026 · 1h 1m
- 'Memories of Murder' (2003) · May 26, 2026 · 1h 1m
- 'Battle of the Sexes' (2017) · May 19, 2026 · 60 min
- 'Deepwater Horizon' (2016) · May 12, 2026 · 60 min
- 'Heat' (1995) · May 5, 2026 · 59 min
- 'Philomena' (2013) · April 28, 2026 · 1h 0m
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