... . The film starts out after the winning a major battle against the Germanic peoples of the north. Emperor Marcus Aurelius (played by Richard Harris) asks his commanding general Maximus (played by Russell Crowe) to succeed him and then to end the corruptness of the kingdom by returning power to the Senate of Rome for the good of the people. When Marcus Aurelius ... -one in the arena. James Monaco , author of How to Read Film states that "an actor's performance is the result of the conflict between the role and the actor's persona." Russell Crowe's role and personal persona fits this film p...

• Word Count: 1374
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate