Demetrius and the Gladiators Page #2

A slave may be freed by emancipation before

a praetor, inscription in the censor's record,...

...testament on death of master

or declaration before witnesses.

- Can you provide proof of any of these?

- No, sir.

- Were you bought or born to the house?

- Bought, sir.

Where is your master?

- Dead.

- A Greek can invent a better story than that.

Flavius. Do you think he'd make a gladiator?

Look at the decurion's face!

Sentenced to be trained for the arena.

- Where is the master?

- Strabo!

- More prisoners.

- Open up.

You prisoners are lucky to be sentenced to

train as gladiators in the Claudian school,...

...rather than to one of the imperial schools.

This is the best. We have

the best trainers, the best physicians...

...to watch over your skins,

your health, your food.

We'll feed you well and dress you well.

You'll have meat at every meal.

Gladiators trained in this school are sought

after for the most important festival games...

...and also for

the emperor's private enclosure.

That's because we have an iron motto:

"We live well, we die well. "

Unchain them.

It may seem in being sentenced here

you're being sentenced to death.

That's not necessarily true.

I, Strabo, was sentenced here

as you are, but I fought well.

I won fame and a fortune, too.

And I won my freedom.

The emperor himself calls me by name.

Even the most famous of the charioteers

has to give way to me.

I fought 52 times in the arena.

I killed 52 men.

Perhaps one of you will do as well.

Come.

Dardanius here is the best of netmen.

You've seen his name often where the girls

have scratched it on the walls of Rome.

He likes the way we live here.

He likes to kill. He's a born butcher.

But he can have his choice

of fair ladies. Tonight he will.

And so will you

when you're ready for the arena.

Glycon was a king in his own country.

Now he's the king of swordsmen.

Learn to use a sword like him

and you may earn your freedom,...

...as he'll earn his very soon,

perhaps tomorrow.

You'll train with wooden swords

till you're ready for the steel.

(angry voices)

These men here will fight tomorrow.

Half of them will live.

Half of them will die.

They know it.

Some men who are sent here

don't seem to like it.

They'd rather live badly than die well,

so they try to escape.

Like this one.

- (fanfare)

- All his training was wasted.

He dies badly like a common criminal.

Try to escape and this is your reward.

Strabo, Claudius is arriving.

Line up the men who fight tomorrow.

You're luckier than most recruits. On your

first day you'll see the owner of the school.

Come.

My lord Claudius.

My lady.

So these are the men, eh?

I hope you drew up a better list than last time.

They know it's for

a special occasion, my lord.

Oh. Probus.

Dardanius.

Barak. Good.

Tomorrow is the emperor's birthday.

You men will have the honour

of competing in the palace itself,...

...in the emperor's private arena.

I expectyou to make a good impression.

You are my birthday present to Caligula.

They'll do you proud, my lord.

Every man has sworn to die well

if he has to, to die with style.

I've also told them there's some special

entertainment tonight, thanks to our lady.

Say a word to them, my lady.

I'm sending you a feast

prepared in my own kitchens.

Rare delicacies from

every province of the empire...

...and wine from the imperial cellars,...

...packed in snow and

brought by runners from the Alps.

I can assure you the rest of the entertainment

will be... of the very highest quality.

Guard! Guard!

Lockthe gate! Stay where you are!

Mark him!

- Stay where you are.

- Stop him!

Stop him! Mark him!

Lockthe gate!

- The best prospect had to be a coward.

- I'm no coward.

Then why did you run? Bind him!

Messalina) Wait.

Why did you run?

I don't think you're a coward. You had no real

chance of escaping. You must have known.

This is a place where men are trained

to kill each other like animals.

- And men aren't animals?

- No.

We admire a magnificent animal who fights.

Why not a man who fights?

Because God didn't put man on earth

to destroy his own kind,...

...nor a woman to enjoy

their agonies as they die.

- Dog!

- Wait.

- What's your name?

- Demetrius.

You spoke of a god, Demetrius. Which god?

There is only one God.

He's one of them. This is very interesting.

A Christian.

- Are you a Christian?

- Yes.

- And you won't fight?

- No.

- He can't. It's against his religion to kill.

- We'll see about that.

- Strabo.

- Yes, my lady.

Put him in the arena tomorrow.

Messalina, he won't fight.

You know what Caligula will do.

I'm more interested in what

this Christian will do...

...when he sees that his choice is kill or die.

Here they come!

- Look, Dardanius!

- Sit here and watch the game.

- Watch me win this.

- Get on with the play. Ah!

You may see a fewthings you didn't

bargain for. These men aren't children.

- They know half of them will die tomorrow.

- I'll try not to be shocked, Strabo.

Your name is Demetrius?

I'm from Corinth, like you.

This is my first time here.

- Do you always eat like this?

- I don't know.

This is my first time, too.

And you're fighting tomorrow!

You must be a famous warrior.

I'm a potter.

Only a potter? And they're sending

you into the arena tomorrow?

You must have done something awfully bad.

I did.

I'm a Christian.

Strabo,...

...when you were fighting in the arena

what did you think about the night before?

It doesn't pay a gladiator to think, my lady.

When you caressed a woman,...

...was your mind on her or on death?

You don't expect to die.

You never think it'll be you that gets it.

There's only one man down there

who knows he's going to die.

You're wrong, Strabo.

When the time comes, he'll fight...

...because he wants to live, like any other man.

My lady, I tried to train him this afternoon.

He wouldn't make a move to defend himself.

And he was a warrior once.

He was brought to Rome

as a prisoner of war, but he won't fight.

Why, you...!

- All right, you're out of the game. Get back.

- He's out. Come on, whose throw?

- Mine. Let's go.

- Throwthe dice.

Watch this one.

(laughter)

The stakes must be high.

They're gambling for a longer life. The winner

gets me for his opponent tomorrow.

Venus. I threw Venus.

I win.

I won you, Christian.

Tomorrow you're mine.

Now I want to show you something.

Watch.

Is it true that when you strike a Christian,

he must turn the other cheek?

Go ahead. Turn the other cheek.

Let's see you.

Anyone else?

I am no Christian.

- Who is he?

- Glycon, the Nubian.

My lord Claudius has been

considering giving him his freedom.

Oh, yes. I remember.

Have him fight the Christian tomorrow.

That should make it even more interesting.

Listen to me. The worst sort of life

is better than the best kind of death.

Forgetyour religion for just one day.

Kill him. He is no good.

Your god will thank you for it.

Thank you for whatyou did.

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