In this shot, Commodus, Lucilla, and Lucius sit in their box at the gladiatorial games. The background is in shadow, to minimize distraction to the foreground and to add a level of unsettling dark behind the imperial family. In the very foreground to the right, Commodus looks on in contempt. He is in the most light in the shot (as evidenced by the fact that he has the most color in his skin and the gold on his costume is gleaming), and stands larger than everyone else; this shows not the size of his ego—though that would be accurate—but his power over Rome and his sister alike. Behind him and slightly left sit his sister and her son. They sit regally but are smaller and further back in the shot. Furthermore, with Lucius on his mother’s lap, he sits slightly above his mother, subtly illustrating that he holds power over his mother’s decisions (which we know to be the case from Lucilla’s various conversations with Maximus). Lastly, the Roman mob sits behind all of them in the shot—small but mighty, taking up a whole side. They tower above Lucilla and Lucius, but not even they reach as high in the shot as Commodus.
I think that this a great analysis. The fact that you took into consideration not only the royal family but also the people of Rome behind them is really impressive. People might have skipped over the mob as they are not in the foreground of the shot and the focus is on Commodus. Joaquin Phoenix portrays Commodus as very manipulative and makes the attention on him so in scenes with him, the background details are often forgotten.
ReplyDeleteI really love how much focus you put into the levels the characters are at; I think that's an element that can really often go overlooked.In particular, the note about Lucilla and Lucius is super interesting.
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