Music

The earlier toga movies, like Cabiria (1914), didn’t have the luxury of music and the emotion it could evoke in an audience. And while silent movies are still capable of creating emotion, it’s just not the same as an actual soundtrack. In Gladiator (2000), music is used sparingly to make the moments where it is used more special. One of the main music moments is whenever Maximus is close to death and he can see his home. It’s slow, quiet, and while it evokes sadness in the audience, the song itself isn’t sad. If I had to identify the emotion behind the song I would say it’s just meaningful, and deliberate. With the music playing as Maximus’ men carried him out and he returned to his home, the ending is wrapped up perfectly. Without the music, this movie would still be purposeful and sad, but scenes hit harder emotionally with the music. The link below this paragraph is one of the final scenes in the movie, and one of the most emotional moments.