Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Gladiator of Morocco

The New Gladiator of Morocco

We didn’t stay long in Marrakesh, we were again on an eleven hour bus ride to our next destination. (Oh joy) The one thing keeping me sane is we are on our way to where they shot “Gladiator,” one of my all time favorite movies.
Morocco, though mostly Sahara desert, also has a mountainous region, as well as sporadic oasis; flowering beauty in the midst of a vast expanse of nothingness. The mountain regions, I am told, bloom with great beauty after rains.

valley in Morocco

We continue our journey, finally, in a scraggly hillside I see ancient buildings rising from the dusty hillside. This city is over 1,000 years old and has become quite the attraction for tourists brave enough to venture the vast stretches of nothingness that comprise Morocco.
The car finally stops. Excitedly, I race past all the souvenir shops, up a hill, and into the ancient city. It is relatively well preserved and apparently a couple families still live amongst the ruins. I finally arrive at the top of the mountain and gaze down. A local river, although currently depleted of water, accounts for some of the green.
ancient city where Gladiator was shot
Ancient ruins
I sit atop the hill imagining what Maximus Desmudus Meridius, Commander Of The Armies of the North, father of a murdered son, husband of a murdered wife, thought when he gazed down upon the remnants of the coliseum below at the beginning of the first millennium. More than likely: “This is soooo cool!”

(check out the coliseum they filmed with and then added CGI to Gladiator!)

3 comments:

  1. gladiator is in my top 5 too loool great movie

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  2. OK, Rich, we're gonna have our first fight. I hated that movie!! It was so continuously gory & focused so much on the fighting that depth of characterization was lost. I also thought Russell Crowe gave a shallow, one note performance. The only thing I liked in the movie was joaquin phoenix-I thought he was brilliant. (btw-almost all my actor friends agree w/ me about Russell. Just sayin', lol)

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    1. Lol! I loved Russell in that movie and J Phoenix as well. Loved the heart of the movie, loved the way it was shot. One of the best movies ever Joanna! :)

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