Before Spartacus struck down his first opponent in the arena, there were many gladiators who passed through the gates onto the sand.'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena' tells the story of the original Champion of the House of Batiatus: Gannicus in a more ruthless time before Spartacus' arrival where honor was just finding its way into the arena.
Lưu ý: (Phim chỉ dành cho người lớn)
Lưu ý: (Phim chỉ dành cho người lớn)
Bộ phim Spartacus miêu tả tình dục và bạo lực ở mức cực độ,
và sử dụng ngôn ngữ mà nhiều người có thể cảm thấy khó chịu. Nó là bức chân dung lịch sử miêu tả lại thời
kỳ La Mã cổ xưa, và cường độ mạnh của nội dung là nhằm mục đích miêu tả một
cách xác thực thời kỳ đó.
Các diễn viên trong phim:
Đạo diễn: Jesse Warn, Rick Jacobson, Michael Hurst, Brendan Maher John Fawcett,
Sản xuất: Steven S. DeKnight, Robert Tapert, , hloe Smith, Charles Knight, Aaron Lam
Kịch bản: Steven S. DeKnight, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing, Seamus Kevin Fahey, ,Misha Green Brent Fletcher
Diễn viên: John Hannah, Manu Bennett, Peter Mensah, Nick E. Tarabay, Dustin Clare, Jaime Murray, Marisa Ramirez, and Lucy Lawless...
Âm nhạc: Joseph Loduca
Quốc gia: United States
Ngôn ngữ: English
Original channel Starz
Phát hành: January 21, 2011 – February 25, 2011
Thời lượng: 300 minutes
Số tập: 6
Trước khi Spartacus hạ gục kẻ thù đầu tiên trong đấu trường, đã có rất nhiều đấu sĩ lừng danh đã trải qua con đường vinh quang trong đấu trường này. "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" (''Spartacus: Các vị thánh của đấu trường") kể về câu chuyện về nhà vô địch đầu tiền từ lò luyện đấu sĩ danh tiếng Batiatus. Đó là đấu sĩ Gannicus (Dustin Clare) - một đấu sĩ nổi danh trước thời Spartacus.
Phim "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" có nhiều cảnh bảo lực và cảnh nóng. Dành cho người trên 18 tuổi.
Tập 1: Quá khứ tội lỗi - Past Transgressions
Tập 2: Nhiệm vụ - Mission
Tập 3: Thống lĩnh - Paterfamilias
Tập 4: Bên dưới mặt nạ - Beneath The Mask
Tập 5: Toan tính - Reckoning
Tập 6: Kết cục cay đắng - The Bitter End
Series mới bổ sung diễn viên Jaime Murray trong vai Gaia một kẻ thích bon chen đầy quyến rũ và Marisa Ramirez trong vai Melitta, một nữ nô lệ xinh đẹp phải đối mặt với quyết định tối thượng của trái tim. Jeffrey Thomas vai Titus cha của Batiatus. Phim còn có sự trở lại của John Hannah (Quintus Batiatus), Lucy Lawless (Lucretia), Peter Mensah (Oenomaus, trước khi anh trở thành Doctore, người huấn luyện đấu sĩ) và Manu Bennett (Crixus).
Đầu phim, Quintus Batiatus thay quyền của cha mình là Titus trong khi ông đang đi thăm Sicilia. Nhưng Batiatus không hài lòng với cái ý nghĩ chỉ nắm quyền Ludus trong có một ngày, hắn khao khát quyền lực chính trị và thanh thế tại Capua, và còn nhiều hơn thế nữa. Trong thế giới coi trọng về giai cấp như Rome cổ đại, Ngôi nhà của Batiatus phải có được sự nể trọng của giới chính trị và những kẻ có vai vế trong xã hội, trước khi được cho phép để các chiến binh của Ngôi nhà được chiến đấu trong một giải vô địch rất được coi trọng có tên là Primus. Batiatus không chỉ phải sống sót trong chính trường đầy khắc nghiệt của Capua mà còn phải thúc ép Gannicus, chiến binh mà hắn hài lòng trở thành đấu sĩ vô địch để mang lại sự kính nể và tôn trọng dành cho Ngôi nhà của Batiatus.
Tập 1: Quá khứ tội lỗi - Past Transgressions
Tập 2: Nhiệm vụ - Mission
Tập 3: Thống lĩnh - Paterfamilias
Tập 4: Bên dưới mặt nạ - Beneath The Mask
Tập 5: Toan tính - Reckoning
Tập 6: Kết cục cay đắng - The Bitter End
| Spartacus: Gods of the Arena | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Historical drama Mini-series |
| Created by | Steven S. DeKnight |
| Directed by | Jesse Warn Rick Jacobson Michael Hurst Brendan Maher John Fawcett |
| Produced by | Steven S. DeKnight Robert Tapert Chloe Smith Charles Knight Aaron Lam |
| Written by | Steven S. DeKnight Maurissa Tancharoen Jed Whedon Aaron Helbing Todd Helbing Seamus Kevin Fahey Misha Green Brent Fletcher |
| Starring | John Hannah Manu Bennett Peter Mensah Nick E. Tarabay Dustin Clare Jaime Murray Marisa Ramirez Lucy Lawless Jeffrey Thomas Stephen Lovatt |
| Music by | Joseph Loduca |
| Editing by | Allanah Milne |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Original channel | Starz |
| Original run | January 21, 2011 – February 25, 2011 |
| Running time | 300 minutes |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Preceded by | |
| Followed by | |
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena is a Starz television miniseries and prequel to Spartacus, which premiered January 21, 2011. The series follows the character Gannicus (Dustin Clare), the first gladiator representing Lentulus Batiatus to become Champion of Capua. Cast members and characters reprised from the original series include John Hannah asBatiatus, Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, Peter Mensah as Oenomaus, Nick E. Tarabay as Ashur, Lesley-Ann Brandt as Naevia, Antonio Te Maioha as Barca, and Manu Bennett as Crixus.
The miniseries aired in Canada on Movie Central and The Movie Network,[1] on Sky1 in the United Kingdom and on FXin Latin America.
Plot
The mini-series features the bloody history of the House of Batiatus and the city of Capua before the arrival of Spartacus. Quintus Lentulus Batiatus becomes a lanista (manager) when he takes over his father's ludus of gladiators. He has ambitions of stepping out of his father's shadow by seeking recognition for his own name and achieving further greatness for his house. By his side stands his beautiful wife Lucretia who will help her husband achieve his ambitions, whatever the cost. Batiatus puts all his fortunes on the man who will gain him fame and glory. That would be his best gladiator, the Celt, Gannicus, a skilled warrior who wields dual swords with deadly purpose. Those who oppose Batiatus and his future champion(s) of Capua do so at their own peril.
Purchased as an undisciplined and disheveled recruit in the first episode, Crixus the Gaul endures mockery and threats of death to become the champion after Gannicus. As Batiatus fends off repeated attempts by his professional rival Tullius to obtain Gannicus, his relationships with his father Titus and friend Solonius begin to suffer the strain of his relentless ambition. Former champion, Oenomaus, reluctantly becomes Doctore, while Syrian recruits Ashur and Dagan try to prove themselves worthy of being gladiators. Veteran gladiators Barca and Gannicus note the rising star of Crixus, as the machinations of Batiatus and Lucretia end in tragedy for several members of the household. Against all of this, the city's splendid new arena nears completion and with it the opening games that will make slaves into gods. When the arena opens, Batiatus' gladiators prevail in the contest. Gannicus again proves himself to be the champion of Capua and a god of the arena. By virtue of his win against Solonius' gladiators, he gains his freedom and Crixus becomes the new champion.
Cast
Main article: List of Spartacus characters
Slaves
- Dustin Clare as Gannicus – a Celtic gladiator who is the champion of the Batiatus' ludus.
- Peter Mensah as Oenomaus/Doctore – an African gladiator who later becomes the doctore of Batiatus' gladiators.
- Marisa Ramirez as Melitta – Lucretia's body slave and the wife of Oenomaus.
- Manu Bennett as Crixus – a new Gallic gladiatorial recruit.
- Nick E. Tarabay as Ashur – a new Syrian gladiatorial recruit.
- Shane Rangi as Dagan – a gladiatorial recruit who cannot speak Latin, and fellow Syrian to Ashur.
- Antonio Te Maioha as Barca – a Carthaginian gladiator.
- Josef Brown as Auctus – a gladiator and Barca's lover.
- Temuera Morrison as Ulpius/Doctore – Oenomaus' predecessor as the trainer of Batiatus' gladiators.
- Lesley-Ann Brandt as Naevia – a young house-slave and virgin.
- Jessica Grace Smith as Diona – a slave girl who loses her virginity to the whim of Cossutius with devastating results.
Romans
- John Hannah as Quintus Lentulus Batiatus – a lanista and Gannicus' dominus
- Lucy Lawless as Lucretia – Batiatus' wife.
- Jaime Murray as Gaia – a social climber and Lucretia's friend.
- Craig Walsh Wrightson as Marcus Decius Solonius – Batiatus' close friend who has aspirations of becoming a lanista himself.
- Jeffrey Thomas as Titus Lentulus Batiatus – Quintus Batiatus' father and the pater familias of the House of Batiatus.
- Stephen Lovatt as Tullius – Batiatus' brutal business rival.
- Gareth Williams as Vettius – Tullius' young henchman and owner of a rival ludus.
- Jason Hood as Cossutius – a wealthy man who lives outside of Capua, and is possibly the most depraved character in the entire series.
Episodes
See also: List of Spartacus episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Past Transgressions" | Jesse Warn | Steven S. DeKnight | January 21, 2011 | 1.10[2] |
| Opening a number of years before the arrival of Spartacus, Batiatus finds himself administering his father's ludus, while his father is in Sicilia living in semi-retirement. Seeking fame, he (with the support of his old friend Solonius) tries to win favor with a local nobleman, Tullius, by paying 50 denarii for a Gallic slave worth only 10 named Crixus- by noting his potential to be a great fighter. Arriving at the ludus, Crixus soon meets veteran gladiator Oenomaus (who has a slave wife named Melitta), as well as Syrian slave recruits Ashur and Dagan. Meanwhile, Lucretia welcomes the sudden return to Capua of Gaia, a young but recently widowed friend, and "party girl" from Rome who is attracted to both the delights of the ludus and of opium. In an attempt to participate in the opening games of the soon to be completed arena, Batiatus selects his most skilled gladiator, Gannicus the Celt, the original champion of the House of Batiatus, for a duel in the marketplace. Unknown to Batiatus, however, is that young Vettius, the owner of a rival ludus, is merely an agent of Tullius -- leading to deadly consequences as he is soon outmaneuvered in his own game. | |||||
| 2 | "Missio" | Rick Jacobson | Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon | January 28, 2011 | 1.14[3] |
| A week has now passed since the murder of his bodyguard and severe beating at the hands of Tullius' men and Batiatus continues to recover. Tullius sends him a message, via Batiatus' good friend Solonius, and offers to double his offer to 400. Batiatus is in no mood to compromise, however, and soon plans his own revenge on Vettius with the aid of the Syrians. Quintillius Varis comes to Capua to select gladiators for his games, but Gaia and Lucretia seemingly bump into him, and offer to have him wait at Batiatus' house -- where Batiatus will seemingly act surprised, but then offer his ludus' services instead. Meanwhile, Doctore is irked when Batiatus criticizes him as his father's man, and names Oenomaus to succeed him. Shamed, he suddenly challenges Oenomaus to a duel, in which Oenomaus eventually kills him and becomes the new Doctore. Meanwhile, inside the ludus, Gannicus (victorious from his bout with Crixus) and Melitta are ordered to have sex for Varis' entertainment, leaving both of them troubled, but with Batiatus succeeding in securing the position of primus for Gannicus in the upcoming games. | |||||
| 3 | "Paterfamilias" | Michael Hurst | Aaron Helbing & Todd Helbing | February 4, 2011 | 1.26[4] |
| Batiatus is pleased with himself for having arranged Varis' primus. He and the household are not, however, prepared for the sudden return of the lanista and pater familias, his father, Titus, who treats his son's caretaking skills with disdain. He laughs when he hears that Gannicus will represent the house in the games, and sets out to make amends with Tullius, thereby undermining most of the younger Batiatus' schemes. Titus manages to mend relations with Tullius and follows his terms, to pit his own men against each other in some more honorable afternoon games. While father and son are away, Varis returns to the Batiatus home with a friend, Cossutius, expecting to again experience the pleasures of his previous visit, this time with one of the virgin slave women. In the arena, Barca's lover Auctus and newcomer Crixus, duel in the arena and the lesser experienced Crixus manages to kill him, thereby earning the mark of the brotherhood. Surprised by his son's newfound gladiator, the father sees some merit in his son's plans and abilities after all, and decides never to leave the ludus again - much to his son's chagrin. | |||||
| 4 | "Beneath the Mask" | Brendan Maher | Seamus Kevin Fahey & Misha Green | February 11, 2011 | 1.11[5] |
| The tensions between the younger and the elder Batiatus continue, particularly in the old arena where the elder continually reminds his son to remember his place and station. At home, the Roman women are also having difficulty accepting the father's ongoing - and seemingly permanent - presence. When Gaia meets an acquaintance at the market, she introduces him to Lucretia and he immediately comments on the pleasures available at her home. Gaia again sees an opportunity, but the elder Batiatus would never condone such debauchery. His son however manages to convince him to leave for Neapolis, ostensibly to purchase new slaves and receive the salt air. Lucretia agrees to proceed, with Selonious as chaperone, and the night seems to go well, until the unexpected arrival of Tullius, who wishes to fight Gannicus - a duel he is ordered to lose. Recovering from his wounds, Gannicus is however able to share an intimate moment with Melitta. During their liaison, Gaia underestimates Tullius and she dies at his hand. The sudden return of the Batiatus' simply make matters worse yet again, particularly for Lucretia. | |||||
| 5 | "Reckoning" | John Fawcett | Brent Fletcher | February 18, 2011 | 1.38[6] |
| In the wake of Gaia's death, Batiatus senior resolves to cleanse the house of her presence. In responding to his father's ultimatum that he choose between his home and his wife, Batiatus attempts to gain time is not appreciated by Lucretia who believes she would have him leave. She also has her own solution to her husband's desire for a son - via a liaison with Gallic virility in the form of Crixus. Meanwhile, Titus announces a tournament to determine the worth of the new men that make up half his stable of gladiators, with the losers to be sent to the mines. Tullius again visits the ludus, again seeking Gannicus while offering preferential matches in the new arena. Meanwhile, Melitta and Gannicus increasingly desire after one another, but Gannicus, sensing despair, deliberately lowers his guard allowing Crixus to win and sealing his sale to Tullius. Titus, weakened and now bedridden by the ongoing poisonings of Lucretia, finds himself at her mercy when the others leave seeking medicine. He is finally silenced by the honeyed-wine given to him by Tullius but poisoned by her - and, perhaps deliberately, so is Melitta. Quintus and Doctore return, and begin to mourn the dead. | |||||
| 6 | "The Bitter End" | Rick Jacobson | Steven S. DeKnight | February 25, 2011 | 1.72[7] |
| Batiatus now seeks vengeance against Tullius for all that has befallen him, including the death of his father. Gannicus pushes Batiatus to complete his sale to Tullius so that he may seek revenge for the House of Batiatus by killing Tullius himself, but Solonius counsels caution and a more sensible, if final, solution. Meanwhile, Naevia replaces Melitta as the personal body-slave to Lucretia, who promises her that no man will ever touch her as happened to Diona. In the end, Tullius and Vettius both fall into the trap - Tullius is bricked into the foundations of the new arena, and at the opening of the new Capua arena, Vettius informs of the sale of his ludus to Solonius and departs for Antioch. Batiatus now has a new rival, his former friend who he has distanced by his continual rebukes, and one willing to use his own methods against him. The opening games begin with the execution of prisoners (including Diona), and after winning the final mass night-battle of the opening ceremony, Gannicus (at Solonious' suggestion) receives his freedom from the magistrate. He soon departs the ludus - but not before entrusting his champion necklace to Crixus. | |||||
Production
The opportunity to produce Gods of the Arena emerged when the second season of Spartacus was halted while lead actor Andy Whitfield battled Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Series creator and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight expanded a single flashback episode for the second season into a six-part mini-series.[8]Production for Gods of the Arena began in New Zealand in August 2010.[9][10]
User Reviews
Spartacus, without Spartacus?
There were many skeptics leading into this new season (not technically season 2) of "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena", many feared it would not be worth watching without Andy Whitfield. For those with concerns, here is some advice: watch it! The major antagonist was lost from the previous season, but the character depth/story of the new leading actor is building AND new depths of past characters from "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" are unveiled. The history of how they developed is fascinating. The relationship differences between the two season are significant, thus there is a huge void of curiosity leftover to reveal how they developed to become the personalities they portrayed in season 1.
It would be remiss to leave out the absolute, succulent gratuity that peaks our senses! The world is enriched with beautiful people, outstanding wardrobes cast in a time that fascinates most, the Roman Empire. Did I mention that many of these beautiful people are quite revealing? Nudity! It is with taste I might add! Of course, references to porn are made, but no porn has the character depth and sophistication that gives the sexual scenes the passion that is conveyed in this series. The necessity to produce these scenes is important in fostering the time-period's stance of sexual openness. The costume range is great; the rich are adorned with lavish jewelry and a colorful, flowing wardrobe which is artistically chosen, and for the poor, well sometimes they are left with nothing. The gladiators are especially left without much clothing, but the armor they do wear is often demonic, intimidating and everything you would naturally expect to find on a person when they are fighting to the DEATH!
The fight scenes are well choreographed and blood is everywhere! The array of weapons to choose from, the differences in fighting styles, the varying levels of fighting skill all make for interesting battles in the arena. Also, bear in mind that the arena is not only for physical fighting, but the political fold is the pressing force behind the fights. Basically, it is more than just a fight, what you see is not entirely what you get. The fight's value is difference for the gladiator, than it is for the crowd, than it is for the owner's of the gladiators; and, these differences are excellently contrasted. The graphics are not top-notch, but it adds a stylistic element to the show. The blood is vibrant and sometimes seems to defy physics--it's great! The acting is intense and the director seems to strive away from being "natural" which is good. The intensity is not monochromatic and individual to each characters personality.
In a short and sweet summary, this gratuitous mash of beautiful people, fight scenes, political undertones is nothing short of brilliant. Watch it for what it is and you will not be disappointed.
THE COMPLETE SERIES
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