In this scene we have an over the shoulder shot. We see Maximus who looks out across this field. The scene plays up this field and road, suggesting there is somewhere to go. The road suggests there is somewhere Maximus must travel. He touches the wheat, which represents what he has grown, perhaps the fields of his homeland. This scene is also vaguely blue, signifying its otherworldly/illusionary role as part of Maximus's dying visions. Far in the background are his wife and son, who he dreamed of seeing again. Indeed, this scene represents him having finally returned to the home he has always wanted to.
I like that you thought about a deeper meaning for the road because it clearly is a big part of the screen shot taking up most of the space in the shot. The shot is split between the road and Maximus which I think is interesting. I also liked how you explained that the road is suggesting that he must go somewhere. I think that maybe the road represents not his journey away but to the place he is now.
ReplyDeleteGood start, but I'm sure you'll have A LOT more to say about this wonderful shot once you've seen the movie.
ReplyDeleteNow that we have seen the movie, there is a lot more that you can do with this particular picture. For example the fact that his hand is feeling the plants is fairly significant. For a good portion of his life now Maximus has either been forced to fight for the army, or held captive and forced to fight as a gladiator. This scene occurs once he is dead and meeting his family in heaven. It allows him to enjoy even the smallest things, like feeling the plants on his farm as he returns to his family.
ReplyDeleteCasey, you are right to focus on Maximus' hand, since we've seen it in close-up going through stalks of wheat often enough in the movie. But I don't think you've quite captured the significance of the wheat yet. It's not just that touching the wheat is one of the many small pleasures that life affords and that Maximus ironically can now, that he is dead, enjoy. There's more to it.
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