Gladiator,角斗士

英文片名: gladiator

中文片名: 角斗士

上映: 20xx

gladiator

by

david franzoni

first draft revised

april 4, 1998

fade in:

ext. near the german front - 180 a.d. - dawn

the rising sun unveils steep hills and luxuriant mountains

untouched by man. snow flurries dart in the frigid air

and on the horizon crows gather.

ext. dirt road

a column of praetorian cavalry flank two enclosed wagons

as they rattle along a rock and log accordion road. on

all sides a forest rises like some kind of primordial

soul: limitless and dark. with every step 'steam'

whooshes from the nostrils of the horses.

the first wagon halts as a praetorian guard jogs back. he

straightens his tunic and helmet and raps on the wooden

door as the second wagon stops behind. the door swings

aside and another praetorian guard leans out.

1st praetorian guard

sir, we must be getting near.

int. first wagon

lucius aelius aurelius commodus huddles in the back of the

wagon: dark hair, handsome, beard; as commodus rises we

see he's a large, powerfully built young man and though

barely twenty years old he already has the caution and

arrogance of a caesar.

opposite a gaunt man climbs from a heap of blankets:

galen of pergamum, probably the most frozen, unhappy man

on earth. the wagon is lined with pillows and blankets.

baskets of bread and dried fruit are stacked in one corner

and an oil lamp hangs from a pivoting cleat like the

swinging lamp in a ship.

2nd praetorian guard

caesar, we're nearly there.

ext. wagon

commodus steps down and pulls his cape up against the

bitter cold. galen follows, curiously overcoming his

natural hatred of discomfort. tribuus, burly praetorian

guard commander salutes commodus and leads him to the edge

of a gully. tribuus is an old-timer for whom commodus is

just another royal pain-in-the-ass.

the gully is black with crows -- with their endless 'caw-

caw-caw' they feast on corpses and in the shadows below

roman soldiers bury dead comrades. compared with the

burnished perfection of the praetorian guards these

typical infantry grunts are grizzled and battered.

commodus

soldier! what happened here!

a legionnaire stops working, spits, leans on his shovel so

he can shout up toward tribuus and commodus. galen squats

beside a corpse, fascinated.

legionnaire

we had a battle!

commodus

i can see that. you leave your dead

on the field?

legionnaire

general narcissus beat the germans

here and now the whole army is

moving fast! no time to let them

get away!

the second wagon --

as a twenty-five year old attractive young woman opens the

door. she is lucilla -- commodus' sister. lucilla pulls

her coat tight against the wind.

lucilla

where are we now, commodus? can you

see the camp? my gods! the air is

turning into ice!

commodus

we're nearly there, lucilla.

lucilla

that's what you told me two days

ago!

commodus

will you please get back in your

wagon? and stay there?

lucilla

i'm tired of being stuck in that

wagon.

embarrassed by commodus' childish spat with is sister,

tribuus gestures to the 2nd praetorian.

tribuus

soldier, help the emperor's sister.

as a soldier jogs back up toward lucilla commodus looks

down at the legionnaire leaning on his shovel.

commodus

where is my father?

tribuus

where is the emperor and the army,

soldier?

the legionnaire points up the road. commodus and tribuus

return to the wagon. galen rolls the dead soldier over

and sticks his finger into a gaping chest wound, then

notices the legionnaire glaring at him.

galen

i'm a doctor.

the legionnaire studies him a second, then the corpse as

if giving a second opinion.

legionnaire

well, you're too late.

galen pulls back in revulsion at his impudence. he

scrambles to follow commodus. the legionnaire spits and

gets back to work.

ext. dirt road - dawn

the wagon crests a hill with a precipitous view of the

valley and torches that seem to fill the lingering dark

far below. the wagon makes straight for them.

and commodus...

riding on a seat on the front of the wagon, wrapped to his

chin in a bearskin blanket -- absolutely set on catching

up with the army.

on the edge of a forest sixty year old emperor marcus

aurelius stands in the back of an unharnessed supply wagon

surrounded by a dark so black it's barely moved by blazing

torches.

a wolf -- living symbol of rome -- stand before the wagon

held on a leash by a battle-hardened senior centurion:

servis.

marcus wears the purple robe of imperial power over his

leather and copper segmented upper body armor (lorica

segmentata). his breath clouds in the bitter cold; the

man is tired to the bone.

opposite stands the roman army

this is the mighty army of the danube, yet it seems like

these men -- buried in the shadows and as frozen and worn

as their leader -- have come to the very edge of the world

to be swallowed by this wilderness.

numidian archers, tall africans, out of place in this

freezing land, stand behind their leader -- juba -- who

has the whip-like body of a dancer. each carries his

recurve bow as if it were a delicate musical instrument.

quivers of brightly colored arrows hang from their backs.

field commanders -- contubernium -- stand by each row of

soldiers. less numerous, and above the contubernium, are

the centurions, and at the front line of the mass of

cohorts are four tribunes.

before the entire army

mounted on magnificent grey horses, are two legate, the

overall commanding generals, wearing ornate lorica

segmentata. the first legatus is quintus clarus, rome

army general: fair-haired, fit, forty. he has the face

of a boy.

the second is narcissus meridas, general, spanish gemina

felix vii army: dark hair, proud and though about

quintus' age his face is like a map of a soldiers's hard

life. narcissus' eyes are locked on marcus like the eyes

of a long-suffering pilgrim on the icon of his single

hope.

the wagon

just before marcus is about to speak, commodus steps into

the wagon looking out of breath. surprised, marcus

embraces him and then commodus stands behind his father

wrapped tightly in his bearskin robe. he's trying to look

tough but unlike his father he's not used to this rigorous

life.

narcissus & quintus

swap looks as if commodus were the last person they were

expecting...

marcus aurelius

citizens!

marcus' voice booms out tough and firm as if defying the

cold and dark.

marcus aurelius

today may be the last day in the

life of rome... for nine hundred

years rome has lived! for nine

hundred years architects,

mathematicians, poets, and

philosophers have fled within her

arms sheltered from superstition,

prejudice, hate, and every form of

human cruelty. we romans have

become a light in the barbarian

night!

on narcissus

no trace of feeling, just his breath slowly clouding in

the frigid air.

and marcus...

seeming to look at each legionnaire as he speaks.

marcus aurelius

for nine hundred years this one

heart of humankind has been defended

by the likes of pompeii, mark

anthony, julius caesar, the divine

augustus, claudius, trajan,

hadrian, and my own father antoninus

pius. now, it has come down to us!

it has come down to this one day...

he leans forward on the rail of the wagon, a gesture that

seems to bring him closer to the men.

marcus aurelius

five years we've lived together, you

and i, in a state of total war. we

have shared cold, rain, heat,

bitterly watched the deaths of

beloved friends. we are not alone.

look around you! consuls and

senators have forsworn the luxuries

of home and moved with us to the

front to ensure that the

administration of our government

radiates from the source of her

bravest citizens.

outside a field tent

stand senator gaius and senator falco wrapped to their

chins against the staggering cold.

both men are in advanced middle age. gaius looks like a

stoic: impassive, plainly dressed. falco wears an

expensive fur trimmed robe with gold and asbestos.

flanking them are consuls and various officials. lucilla

stands by gaius and a very stately, attractive numidian

woman, mela, juba's wife.

marcus aurelius (o.s.)

the link between us and rome is a

solid chain of unbroken purpose!

for nine hundred years the roman

senate has stood one with the army

in dignity and resolve!

and commodus...

watching the troops, seeming to weigh any response with

the utmost calculation.

and marcus

eyes dead-ahead on the troops.

marcus aurelius

but on this day i ask you to put

those nine centuries down -- they're

too heavy for us to carry into

battle again! so, we'll leave them

here for the senators to guard for

us!

quintus

allows himself a smile as the troops grin and laugh. he

looks across at narcissus who manages the faintest of

smiles -- a very serious man...

marcus aurelius

this day i want you to fight for the

cold and the heat and the filth --

and for all those friends who will

never feel the sun on their faces

again! i want you to fight for you!

for at the moment of battle you and

you alone are rome!

the soldiers...

rank after disciplined rank: not one sideways look, not

one sound...

and marcus...

as his eyes pass from cohort to cohort.

marcus aurelius

how quickly all things sordid and

perishable in the universe

disappear. yet throughout time the

remembrance of great deeds grows

only fresher bringing life again to

those who dare perform them...

(pause)

legate narcissus meridas and legate

quintus clarus, i must ask you and

your legions for one more day out of

nine centuries! will you give it to

me?

the troops howl their support. marcus pulls his sword and

half turns aiming it behind him.

marcus aurelius

there is the enemy of rome!

commodus steps forward to join his father and the uproar

grows.

narcissus

removes his helmet as a sign of respect. now the stoic

veneer of his face cracks into a mixture of reverence and

perhaps even love for the emperor.

and commodus...

taking every single bit of this in. he seems particularly

interested in narcissus.

narcissus & quintus

move their horses close and dismount.

quintus

i see the emperor's little boy has

finally caught up with the army.

narcissus

let's hope he doesn't start giving

orders.

servis approaches and salutes. it starts to rain.

servis

at your command, sir.

ext. forest - early morning

in a howling rainstorm felix division breaks through the

dense woods like a moving human wall behind their

rectangular shields.

they're in the midst of mass combat -- spears, arrows and

stones crash off shields, taking out soldiers.

the zing of arrows and whoosh of spears saturate the air.

because there are no explosives every scream and arrow

shot is heard.

narcissus

leads his troops on foot in the thick of battle. a

contubernium walks beside narcissus tugged on by the

leashed wolf mascot as painted german warriors dart out of

the woods hurling spears. narcissus yells over the sounds

of battle, wind and rain.

narcissus

tribune! the right flank is falling

back! if we lose the flank we're

all dead!

the tribune salutes and dashes off and servis rushes in

from another direction.

servis

sir! there's a fortification ahead!

the germans are waiting for us!

should we slow the men down?

ahead

juba leads his numidians in a fluid, disorderly formation

into the thickest part of the forest. just before he

dodges into the woods juba locks eyes with narcissus --

and he's gone.

narcissus --

jerks his shield up in time to stop an arrow. but a

legionnaire is slammed in the chest by another as sniper-

shots whiz in.

now, from the distance comes the rolling roar of drums and

howls. then a horrendous thunderclap and a bolt of

lightning tears the lead grey sky.

narcissus

come on, servis! forward!

servis turns and runs down the front line as the storm

becomes more intense. the yelling and drumming get

louder...

the german fortification

a chaos of interlocked logs rimmed at the top with

sharpened stakes. german warriors shout waving spears

and clubs.

the felix division

scatters the german snipers and rearguard before it,

closing on the fortification.

tribune

where the hell are the damned

archers?

narcissus

don't worry about juba; just keep

our own damned troops moving!

german warriors loose an avalanche of rocks and spears.

narcissus

tortoise!

tribune

tortoise! form a tortoise!

as the call echoes legionnaires furiously overlap their

shields on all sides and overhead forming a perfect box

just as the stones and spears crash against them...

inside the tortoise

rocks slam the wall of interlocked shields with ear-

splitting resonance. but the tortoise holds.

outside

soon as the barrage stops the germans unleash fighting

mastiffs. the dogs tear into the legionnaires. one leaps

at narcissus and he kills it with a single chop of his

spatha sword.

servis

here they come!

german warriors charge the shields as the legionnaires

level their spears. singing and screaming the warriors

impale themselves on the spears and grasp the shafts. a

second wave charges the line on the heels of the first.

the legionnaires --

in a well rehearsed movement twist their spears releasing

the tips. as the dying warriors drop with the quick-

release spear tips embedded in their bodies, the romans

reverse their spears over the top and -- no problem:

roman spears have points on both ends. so the german

second wave is met by an intact position.

still they power into the line chopping at the roman

shields with axes.

far behind...

a legionnaire blows a piercing note on a brass horn and a

second, thin line of legionnaires appears out of the

forest. narcissus turns, yelling to a contubernium behind

him.

narcissus

answer that signal!

a red 'flag' on a long pole goes up answering the trumpet,

and the line of the fresh cohort parts in segments

revealing onagers -- portable catapults -- and scorpions

-- powerful precision-fire crossbows that launch javelins.

the artillery fires...

cannonball-size shot driven at a hundred miles an hour rip

over the heads of narcissus' troopers and slam against the

fort walls.

onager crews

reload with incredible speed from wagons filled with hand-

picked rocks -- some bear scrawled epithets essentially

the latin equivalent of 'eat this hans!' onagers launch

barrage after barrage, their backs leaping off the ground

like recoiling 45 millimeter field guns.

scorpion operators

picks their targets. the germans are leveled by a sheet

of scorpion javelins as their crude log fortification

splinters under the onager barrage. the germans are being

pulverized by superior technology.

the whole german army --

led by tall grey bearded man, pours from the log blockade

and hurls itself against the roman line.

again the romans are staggered as the germans collapse

more of their shields, battering through the front line

with clubs and axes.

narcissus --

fights desperately refusing to give ground. a german

rears up from behind and slams narcissus in the back with

a club and he goes down.

narcissus is nearly trampled as another german warrior

throws himself on narcissus holding his sword arm about to

kill him with a club -- there's a blur of fur and blood as

the roman wolf leaps into the warrior's face.

narcissus lurches back to his feet and seeing he's in the

midst of the whole german army he goes wild. yelling and

slashing out with his sword and the knife-edge top of his

shield, in seconds he's drenched with blood.

like some fantastic romantic painting --

narcissus climbs onto a heap of bodies flashing his sword

with the snarling wolf of rome at his side.

centurions and legionnaires --

see this supernatural vision of their leader battling for

life --

servis

romulus! the gods of rome are

fighting with general narcissus!

others join the cry as more legionnaires turn and there's

an irresistible surge of the army back toward narcissus.

narcissus

joined by servis, then another, then two contubernium,

then ten legionnaires... the legionnaires fight

desperately to hold their ground around narcissus.

then with a sound of a hundred out-of-tune violins the

germans are swept from behind by arrows.

juba's numidians

line the edge of the forest four deep pouring arrows into

the germans. juba stands on a log in front shouting

piercing sing-song orders easily heard over the screams of

battle.

narcissus & his troops

dive behind their shields for cover from the cloudburst of

arrows.

arrows fired by almighty recurve bows hit the germans

with the power of .44 magnum rounds: arms splinter like

twigs; shields are nailed to chests; skulls explode.

the germans turn and charge the numidians but they may as

well hurl themselves against a machine gun nest as they're

mowed-down in whole lines. they hurtle back in disorder

into the forest.

the romans

lower their shields. narcissus catches a fast smile from

juba, then jumps to his feet...

narcissus

come on men! forward!

river bank

the retreating german army spills out of the forest

following their leader into a shallow narrows, narcissus

and his division on their heels.

above

on the opposite bank is a single roman on horse back.

it's quintus. he draws his sword and spurs ahead -- then

right behind him rush his fresh rome cohorts.

the two roman armies --

crash into the germans in the middle of the river --

throwing aside his shield and holding his sword with two

hands narcissus chops his way into the enemy with a fury.

wild chaos of horrendous fighting in knee-deep water --

spray, blood, flashing swords and flying spears as men

desperately kill to stay alive.

then the two roman armies close like a fist and the

surviving germans squeeze through the fingers in disarray.

narcissus & quintus

meet in the middle of the river and at that moment the

legionnaires realize they've won. they howl and stab at

the heavens with their swords to intimidate the gods.

narcissus pulls off his lorica segmentata which literally

drools blood and heaves it into the water. then in the

vortex of the cheering cohorts, he and quintus embrace.

from above

the danube runs red...

ext. roman camp - vindobona - near dusk

surrounded by cheering legions narcissus rides his grey

horse slowly into camp. servis walks ahead leading the

beloved wolf mascot on a leash. quintus rides beside

narcissus, but it's clear all this adulation is for

narcissus.

narcissus dismounts and finally the crowd parts revealing

commodus outside the roman headquarters flanked by slaves

and praetorian guard. commodus strides forward and

embraces him as a cheer goes up from the soldiers.

commodus

welcome back from your great triumph

narcissus meridas. my father sends

his heart felt praise. sadly,

marcus is in dark humors -- nothing

to worry about, but he needs rest.

likely just the weather.

narcissus

respectfully caesar, quintus and i

must report.

commodus

of course, but not now. however, if

he continues to be unwell, you may

report to me.

a challenging look from commodus -- clearly narcissus is

not in the mood to report to this boy. quintus steps in.

quintus

gladly, caesar. and, if you'd like

we can take you for a tour of the

front at first light.

commodus

i'm certain father will be in better

humors by then. now, honor us with

your presence at dinner. i'll join

you as soon as i see my father's

physician.

for a second commodus eyes the shouting army... it makes

him nervous. then he turns to enter the building.

narcissus

what the hell was all that about?

quintus

what the hell do you think it was

about? there's nothing an unproved

heir to the throne likes less than

glaring competence in others.

narcissus

why don't we try to keep politics

out of the conversation.

quintus

well, we can try...

int. roman hq - early morning

inside the single large building at the vindobona central

base, a wraith-like fortune teller stands with her eyes

closed, hand on falco's head.

tribunes and high ranking hangers-on bask near a blazing

hearth like over-fed dogs. senator gaius sits apart near

juba and his wife mela. all are fixated on falco.

fortune teller

... a great man: great of birth --

great of girth!

(laughs all around)

your fate in flame and bronze is

wrought... the rest in haze is

sought.

falco

smoke from the fire no doubt!

she opens her eyes and falco hands her a coin.

narcissus

fire and bronze -- symbols of strong

character, senator!

all turn toward narcissus and quintus.

falco

general narcissus, it's your turn!

everyone in this room would love to

know your future. go on, ask him if

he'll stand for the senate!

applause as narcissus catches a smirk from quintus.

narcissus

no future-telling, please, i've been

terrified enough for one day.

lucilla

narcissus! terrified? you? the

only thing he's scared of is me.

lucilla greets narcissus with an embarrassingly intimate

embrace. looks like she's been hitting the sauce pretty

good.

gaius

slave! wine and meat for our

generals! the saviors of rome!

falco

judging from your adoring troops and

what we heard, narcissus, you are

personally responsible for our

victory.

lucilla hangs onto narcissus' hand taking him around the

room like he was her date.

lucilla

you know our two most senior

senators: gaius cantus and falco

verus?

narcissus

only from a distance.

gaius

well let's not be so distant,

general. now that this war is

ending rome needs good men off the

battlefield as well.

juba

the wolf of rome fought beside him.

i saw it with my own eyes.

narcissus looks at juba as if to say 'thanks a lot.'

lucilla

you see? the gods favor you for

greatness! tell us about it -- all

about it.

voices

yes/tell us/tell all!

narcissus

the truth is i got into a little

trouble and when the army came to

rescue me the german counterattack

broke around us. an example of

being in precisely the wrong place

at exactly the right time.

(off their laughs)

it was juba and his archers who

finally got them running. then

quintus arrived with the rome

legions just in time to cut off

their retreat.

commodus and galen suddenly step into the light; it's

unclear how long commodus may have been listening in the

doorway. everyone rises...

commodus

narcissus meridas, you win the

battle and deny you had any hand it

it. but if we had lost, you would

have taken complete responsibility.

senators, rome needs more such

models of humility and courage.

(pause)

my father sends regrets that he will

not join us after all as he

continues to be unwell.

commodus reaches over to fill lucilla's cup which is

nearly brimming.

commodus

more wine, sister? surely you can

drink more than that.

lucilla

i was suddenly thinking about going

to bed.

commodus

oh, stay...

(that was an order)

don't you want to join the chorus of

praises for narcissus' glory? just

remember, he is a married man.

narcissus

do you expect marcus to be well

enough by morning for an audience?

commodus

that's difficult to say, general.

narcissus

perhaps, master galen, you may say.

galen

it's difficult to name a time...

commodus

may i remind everyone that master

galen is the finest medical

philosopher in the empire and his

detailed assessment of the emperor

is delicate and confidential and is

the business of the immediate family

alone.

narcissus

i would venture, with all respect:

the emperor's health is the business

of every soul in the empire.

gaius

yes! the days of imperial

prerogative and disdain for the

senate are over -- thanks to your

father! now report to the senate,

master galen: what is marcus'

state?

commodus

report, master galen, by all means.

the senate demands it...

galen

we are talking simply about a

disturbance of the hues. nothing

more. in precisely one hour i will

analyze the emperor's bile and then

my assistants and i will stand by in

an unfailing vigil until his fever

breaks. now with your permission

caesar, senators? i must return to

my patient.

commodus gestures him out as if he were just amused.

commodus

one doctor now knows his place in

the empire. congratulations,

general, your victory seems to

inspire courage everywhere.

quintus stops flirting with lucilla's slaves and starts

paying close attention to the developing dynamics.

narcissus

the battle was won, today, and i

prefer to believe it was a gift of

janus, the eldest god of rome. god

of my ancestors.

falco

god of passages and changes?

narcissus

i believe we are arriving in an

enlightened age; an age of peace

that will bring rome her greatest

glory. thanks to marcus aurelius.

falco

you know, general, there is a gate

of janus in rome which is only

closed in time of peace. sadly, it

has remained open for three hundred

years.

narcissus

i've read of it.

falco

but have never been?

narcissus

my only visits to rome, senator,

have been through books. but the

war's over, time to close the door

of war once and for all.

commodus

then you'd be out of a job.

narcissus

gladly caesar.

commodus

or perhaps into a new one. but

here's to your god and the courage

of our legions...

gaius

and the man who gives them this

extraordinary courage.

gaius stands and raises his cup. but quintus is amused to

see him get as close to narcissus as he can -- nearly

hiding behind him.

commodus

quite so. narcissus and his

courageous men; may they live long

to serve rome...

lucilla

and caesar! let's not forget to

serve caesar!

falco in turn moves to stand near commodus.

falco

they are one and the same my lady.

which is why we senior senators have

chosen to be here on the front to

share the hardships of our

courageous emperor -- marcus

aurelius and his son -- may the gods

protect them!

lucilla

oh, yes, my father is a raving

genius -- poet, essayist,

philosopher, warrior... it's a

wonder he doesn't drift off like a

cloud he's so damned ethereal.

'marcus aurelius etherealus'... but

he should cast his divine eyes

earthward once in a while and see

how fallible some of his decisions

have been! of course i don't mean

you, commodus -- gods know you're

perfect. as far as sharing in his

glory and suffering -- well, i

certainly didn't want to be here.

isn't that true, darling brother?

commodus, i believe, was afraid that

if i stayed in rome i might foment a

rebellion! seize power for myself!

commodus glares at lucilla as she trails off in laughter.

mela decides it's time to rescue lucilla from herself.

she rises and crosses to sit beside her.

mela

if you men are going to talk

politics leave us out of it.

juba

she's not so bashful about politics

when we're alone.

mela

only when it concerns numidia. and,

we're far from home so i'll play the

good roman woman and listen --

perhaps lucilla we could play that

part together.

commodus

what do you say, narcissus? where

are you in this great new balance

between the emperor or the senate?

gaius

are you for the senate, narcissus

meridas? or do you back the

emperor?

narcissus

i back rome against all her enemies

-- if that answer disappoints you,

i'm not a politician...

commodus

oh, but with the army behind you,

you could become extremely

political. not a republican by any

chance?

falco

be as brave here as you are on the

battlefield...

quintus

in the presence of such fearless

senators there's little need for

loyal soldiers to speculate on

politics.

commodus

ah, quintus famous for his perfect

timing. but we want to know what

the hero of the danube thinks.

dead silence. every face in the room turns to narcissus.

narcissus

a republican is a man who strives

to create equality among all

classes. at the core he's a man who

believes in doing what's right.

gaius

the trouble is defining exactly what

'right' is.

narcissus

we all know what right is, senator.

commodus

i would say there's nothing more

dangerous than a man who knows what

'right' is.

narcissus

the dangerous man, caesar, is the

man who doesn't care.

stony silence. a slave enters.

slave

the emperor is awake. he asks to

see his generals.

int. marcus aurelius' room - later

marcus aurelius sits up in his bed and watches with a

seasoned campaigner's eye as narcissus and quintus lean

over a large, beautifully hand-drawn map. commodus sits

by his side, the attentive son.

narcissus

felix army controls the narrows.

four cohorts from quintus' legion

hold the opposite shore and once we

repair the german fort we'll be able

to reinforce and supply them at

will.

seeing he's having trouble seeing, narcissus holds the map

up for him.

marcus aurelius

can the germans cross up stream on

boats or float bridges?

quintus

not through those rapids. they're

disorganized and their army barely

exists.

narcissus

but they're not destroyed, not yet.

commodus

do we really need to repair this

fort? it seems like an expensive

undertaking. i propose we burn it

to the ground. that way if the

germans cross the danube here there

will be nothing to help them build

an offensive position.

marcus aurelius

commodus, it's we who are going on

the offensive.

narcissus

the fort helps position us for a

final invasion in the spring when

they're most vulnerable.

marcus aurelius

commodus -- listen to narcissus,

listen to the man who has never lost

a battle for rome! you're young

with years ahead of you before you

gain the experience to wear the

purple!

commodus visibly reacts, but swallows his anger. marcus

sits back, weakened from the exchange.

commodus

father, you have to rest...

marcus aurelius

i'm sorry... all of you, excuse me.

they all make shallow bows and turn to leave, but marcus

holds narcissus' hand. quintus sees and politely leaves,

but commodus only goes reluctantly.

marcus aurelius

i want you to start your work for

the last phase of the campaign.

narcissus

i will, marcus. but you're going to

be well enough to direct it

yourself.

marcus aurelius

i've made so many mistakes,

narcissus. we all put off the very

last duties of our lives because

we're afraid of admitting when our

lives are over.

narcissus

there's no reason to say that.

everyone knows you're going to be

well. i had servis groom your horse

for a triumphal visit to the front

at first light.

marcus aurelius

servis made it through again?

narcissus

he's like you, sir, too tough for

the gods to swallow.

marcus laughs and looks like he's better just talking with

narcissus. but now he holds narcissus' hand with both of

his.

marcus aurelius

if i'd ever had a sign that you

wanted to rule i would have... no,

again, it's my own bullheadedness.

narcissus, i should have adopted you

years ago. and now the gods are

begging me to make you my son!

narcissus

commodus is just a young man, he'll

learn what you had to learn.

marcus aurelius

it's not because he's young, it's

because he's ignorant and arrogant.

his sister is a better man. that's

why i have undertaken to begin

sweeping changes in the relationship

between the emperor and the senate.

narcissus

so i understand.

marcus aurelius

everyone talking about it? i

wouldn't wonder. all i seek is a

genuine balance of power between the

emperor and the senate. thus i have

transferred legal power -- which was

theirs to begin with -- back to the

senators. this includes a shared

right to taxation too but some bite

in the plan. it's a start, only a

start. if the emperor and the

senate can share power then the

people will be ready to take their

share. this means commodus has to

bend; does he strike you as that

type?

narcissus

you're too hard on him. he is a

strong young man, with you as his

guide...

marcus aurelius

a man should be upright, not be kept

upright.

(pause)

history shows us that a good general

is quick to recognize opportunities

-- even if it means making a

complete about face at the last

minute. i want you to consider

becoming my heir.

narcissus

marcus, you honor me, but i'm a

soldier, politics scare the hell out

of me.

marcus aurelius

the senators admire you.

narcissus

they fear me.

marcus aurelius

they fear change. the new caesar

must be honest enough to know when

the emperorship is no longer

feasible. you could be the one, the

emperor, the man who oversees the

rebirth of the republic.

narcissus

i'll do anything in my power to help

you restore the republic but i can't

be that power.

the door creeps open and galen slips in followed by

commodus.

galen

general; the emperor needs my full

attention. please? he must have

his elixirs.

marcus aurelius

don't waste time. finish our

work... swear!

narcissus

i swear, marcus.

marcus smiles, but grips his hand.

marcus aurelius

i'm going to miss riding the lines

with you, narcissus...

hallway

commodus walks narcissus to the door himself.

commodus

you and my father have become very

close. perhaps one day i may say

the same for us.

narcissus

you flatter me, caesar.

commodus

being as close, i'm certain you've

noticed what we all have noticed.

narcissus

caesar?

commodus

that this illness has clouded his

mind.

he shuts the door with an ominous finality.

ext. marcus aurelius' quarters - night

narcissus turns and runs straight into lucilla who's been

waiting for him. her reaction is to put her arms around

his neck and look up into his smiling face. but he's just

amused.

lucilla

i thought all good generals were

quick to recognize opportunities.

narcissus

sneaking around with your brother?

lucilla

without him. he'd be weeping if he

overheard that. well? the idea of

you as my adopted brother is very...

exciting.

narcissus

i'm not fit for the job and as a

matter of fact i'm not taking the

job.

lucilla

why do you keep playing at being so

humble? it's a little embarrassing.

narcissus

why do you play at being drunk?

lucilla

how do you know i am playing? well,

the clown is always harmless. isn't

that right? and how did you ever

get to know me so well? the last we

spent any time together i was

fourteen. i think you know me

better than my father.

(pause)

he's going to die, isn't he?

narcissus

i don't believe that. he's got the

best doctor in the world and a will

of iron. you know we're preparing

for a full-blown invasion of

germany.

lucilla

of course i know -- who do you think

is paying for it? the emperor

himself, didn't you know? why do

you think commodus came rushing up

to the front? burning patriotism?

filial love? he wants to be sure

when he takes over there's enough

cash left in the treasury to...

play emperor. watch out for him,

narcissus; he's inexperienced,

but... be careful.

int. narcissus' tent - night

narcissus painfully pulls his toga over his head and for

the first time we really get to see his battle wounds.

all the dressings have bled through. he dips fresh

bandages in a bowl of hot water... then reaches back and

peels off a dressing.

five little fired tablet portraits of narcissus'

ancestors... each in an individual stand on a tiny alter.

narcissus' table is set with five colorful wooden plates

with food and drink for each. dressed again, he not so

much as prays to the tablets as carries on a conversation.

narcissus

postumas, lilliana, guyan,

agrippina, lartes. the battle is

won, my family. of course, i'm sure

you were there with me, guyan.

grandmother always said you loved a

good fight. lilliana, i set some

local fruit at your place tonight.

they're not bad. and don't tell me

you don't like exotic food.

he lights incense that goes up fast seeming to flood the

tent with smoke.

narcissus

welcome to the table of life, my

ancestors.

narcissus hoists his arm onto a folding stool and leans

his head on his arm, exhaustion finally taking over. in

the dark and the smoke of the incense he falls asleep.

the ancestors...

there's a moment when their faces seem somehow alive in

the ghostly, shimmering smoke.

voice

daddy... daddy! daddy wake up!

narcissus

slowly focuses on the portraits in the muted dawn light.

in front of the portraits is the beaming face of a young

girl. she's his six year old daughter themis, a black-

haired, dark eyed beauty.

narcissus

themis!

she holds a doll up in his face: it's a doll dressed up

like a roman general.

themis

this is you, daddy.

he picks her up and spins around to find his wife selene

with their older daughter manto. now the others rush to

embrace him. a thirty-year old male house-hold slave --

lindo -- enters carrying woven bags of personal

belongings.

narcissus

selene! manto! lindo, too! oh,

gods... how did you get here?

ext. camp - near the danube - morning

as the family walks along the edge of a slow moving,

peaceful bend of the great river, themis holds her doll

for narcissus' approval.

lindo walks close; though a slave he's clearly part of the

family.

narcissus takes the toy likeness, makes sure his daughter

sees he's giving it a serious scrutiny.

narcissus

he's very realistic.

selene

isn't the helmet magnificent?

themis

i made the plume from a quail

feather.

narcissus

much more colorful than the ones we

wear. and, of course, less dented.

manto

father, is it true the germans are

just fighting to protect their land?

narcissus and selene swap a fast look.

selene

well, you wanted the girls to have

the best teachers.

narcissus

greeks?

selene

athenians...

that sounds even worse.

manto

teacher says that the divine julius

used the germans as a pretext to

dissolve the republic.

narcissus

did he now...?

manto

and that the germans are only

struggling to keep their honor and

the ways of their people. and that

throughout history rome has always

been the aggressor.

narcissus

well, remind teacher: once upon a

time it was the hebrews over the

philistines; the babylonians over

the hebrews; egypt over babylon; the

greeks over the trojans; persians

over the greeks; etruscans over the

latins; sabines over the latins and

etruscans. now it's rome over

everyone and i don't know when the

world has known such peace.

manto

i can't wait to tell my teachers all

that!

can see narcissus feels better about this already.

narcissus

what about their philosophy lessons?

selene

they're studying with cynics.

narcissus

of course...

themis

daddy, lindo says these forest are

haunted by sprites and spirits! can

we go to bed early so we can meet

them in our dreams?

narcissus and selene catch lindo's smile...

int. tent - late night

narcissus and selene making love in the dark. from

outside come distant lightning flashes followed by the

hollow roll of far off thunder.

finally selene collapses against narcissus, but it looks

like she could go on for another hour if she just weren't

simply exhausted. they laugh quietly at their passion.

selene

you need to come home!

narcissus

i can see that...

selene

the battle is over. the war is

over. you've won!

narcissus

if you win, you know, you have to

stay. it's the losers who get to go

home. besides, i'm not so sure it

is over. centurions report enemy

scouts probing our lines.

selene sighs, then gets an idea and slides out of bed; she

returns with a long necked jug.

selene

look what we've brought you all the

way from spain.

he looks at the jug and the label.

narcissus

this is our oil from our estates?

selene

i've been overseeing production

myself for the past three years,

you'll be surprised at how wonderful

our oil has become.

she pushed the bottle neck between her naked breasts and

smiles.

selene

if you want to know, you'll have to

come and get it.

narcissus puts his hands on the base of the bottle, then

lets his hand slide to her breast. but she moves the

bottle aside, pulls him close -- but he snatches the

bottle and gives it a good look.

narcissus

very fancy. did you design the

bottle?

selene

who else? i'm the one who runs the

estates while you're here risking

everything we have for the glory of

rome! or for the glory of you!

narcissus

i'm a soldier -- we're at war. i

can't stay home tending the damned

olive groves?

selene

we don't need your help we're doing

great on our own.

narcissus cools down, sees this is going a bad way.

narcissus

i want to come home, of course i do,

i'd have to be mad not to want that.

it's just that marcus trusts me.

selene

let him trust quintus.

narcissus

quintus is overly idealistic.

selene

i never knew a more idealistic man

than you.

narcissus

me? well, i believe in rome...

you'd have to after what i've seen,

how people outside the empire treat

each other.

selene

i don't even want to imagine the

things you've seen...

narcissus

what you don't want to imagine is

the things i've done.

silence. all the while they've been talking the storm has

been slowly approaching, thunder beating ominously closer.

selene embraces him.

suddenly manto and themis leap into bed with them and push

beneath their bearskin blanket. themis is crying and

manto is shaken.

selene

girls! what's the trouble? manto?

manto

lindo was right! this is a haunted

place! the night spirits came to

us...

themis

we had horrible nightmares!

lightning flashes and thunder drops like a bomb as the

storm settles on the camp. the girls pull themselves

close to selene and narcissus.

int. narcissus' tent - late afternoon

themis and manto help selene and lindo pack the last of

several baskets.

narcissus

don't stop to visit -- take the

children straight home and i'll

follow as soon as i can.

themis

tomorrow?

narcissus

as soon as i can.

themis

on your honor as a roman officer,

daddy?

narcissus

on my honor as your daddy...

one of narcissus personal guards enters.

personal guard

sir, caesar commodus and quintus

clarus to see you.

narcissus

tell them to come in!

commodus and quintus enter as the guard returns to his

post. quintus sets his helmet down. he's wearing his

lorica segmentata.

quintus

selene, girls.

commodus nods as selene motions for the children to sit

quietly.

quintus

marcus aurelius has died.

commodus

he left us at dawn.

everyone stunned. selene embraces the children.

narcissus slowly sits back at the table.

commodus

please accept my deepest sympathy as

you were one of his most loyal

officers.

narcissus takes out four scrolls, hands them to commodus.

narcissus

these were my latest reports to

marcus.

but quintus takes them.

commodus

i want to extend my hand in

gratitude for what you have done for

my father and rome, and to offer my

friendship. the next few weeks will

be trying. as you know marcus

wisely or unwisely laid the

foundations for greater senatorial

control and there are those likely

to take advantage of his good

intentions. will you join me in

strengthening my government? as you

know your support, your friendship

at this critical moment would

silence a dangerous faction.

while they speak quintus unrolls the documents. he's not

happy reading them.

quintus

serious stuff...

narcissus

centurions on both sides of the

river are convinced the germans will

try one last offensive. they've got

nothing to lose and it's so very

like them.

commodus and quintus swap a fast look.

commodus

i'm ordering a general stand-down in

preparation for withdrawal back

across the danube.

narcissus

we have to stop the germans now!

quintus

we must obey our emperor and the

senate.

commodus

i met with falco, and the senators

have agreed to call for a truce with

the germans.

narcissus

forgive me, caesar, but do two

senator represent the mood of the

whole senate or the will of the

roman people? besides, every truce

we make with the germans they break!

commodus

they won't break this one.

narcissus

apparently my opinion wasn't needed.

quintus

everyone knew you would have been

outspoken against this deal.

narcissus

what deal?

quintus

rome is going to pay an allotment to

the german tribes on an annual

basis.

narcissus reacts as if he'd been stabbed.

narcissus

rome is going to pay tribute -- like

a defeated nation begging for mercy?

have you told your troops that?

quintus

my troops don't make policy.

narcissus

well, they die for it!

selene

narcissus -- it's over! pack and

come home with us...

commodus

you have a wise woman by your side.

narcissus

on his death bed i promised marcus i

would complete our work here. the

senate may be vacillating, but i

have the army behind me. i'm taking

half a cohort and restocking that

fort.

quintus

i can't let you do that.

narcissus turns and for the first time really looks

quintus over.

narcissus

in you armor, quintus? is that how

you come to visit a friend?

they stare at each other. narcissus goes for his sword

just as legionnaires rush in. commodus backs against the

tent wall. narcissus heaves one soldier into the

furniture, fells another with a chair and grabs his

sword...

quintus

don't kill him!

three soldiers tackle narcissus to the floor. soldiers

grab selene and the children -- lindo reaches for a knife

and he's immediately killed. the children scream...

selene

narcissus...!

int. cell - night

narcissus sits in the dirt leaning against the log wall,

his hands chained in front of him. the door opens and

four heavily armed praetorian guard enter.

ext. cell - night

narcissus stands in the pouring rain facing falco, gaius,

tribuus and several tribunes. four slaves hold a canvas

over commodus and the others -- as they talk narcissus

continues to be drenched.

narcissus

where is my family?

commodus

cooperate and they will be returned

to your estate. i could have

executed you.

narcissus

and my army would have thrown your

body into the danube.

they glare at each other in the dark; commodus' eyes seem

to burn in the lamp light.

commodus

the army is a problem. they love

you. you have led them from victory

to victory in the name of rome and

they love you. and after all,

you're just a hothead acting from a

misguided sense of loyalty -- who

could fault you for that?

(nods to falco)

thus have i reached a compromise

with the senate over your fate:

instead of executing you, i'm

sending you to rome where you will

be tried...

narcissus

on what charge?

falco

insubordination. to the emperor...

and the senate.

commodus

quintus will tell the army that you

are being called to rome to

celebrate your victory. they will

hear that you are living in luxury.

he will let them feel you have

betrayed them for the good life.

and soon the army won't even

remember your name.

all turn and leave but gaius. two soldiers hold narcissus

while a third goes t