Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is Maximus's whole outlook in a sentence: the work of one soldier, one life, is never finished when he dies. The film's own tagline, it has become the quote fans reach for about legacy, loss and dying well, on posters, gym walls and tribute videos.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for GladiatorShow the scene
In the opening battle of Gladiator (2000), Maximus Decimus Meridius leads the Roman cavalry against Germanic tribes in the forest near Vindobona in 180 AD. Once the archers and catapults have set the woods alight, he rides along his waiting horsemen and tells them to hold the line and stay with him. If any of them finds himself alone in green fields with the sun on his face, he says, he is already dead and in Elysium, and the men laugh. He then calls them brothers and says this line, and the charge begins. The film used it as its main tagline.
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: Gladiator (2000 film)Maximus section and TaglinesReference checked
- Gladiator Wiki: Battle of VindobonaPreparations and BattleReference checked
- Wikipedia: Gladiator (2000 film)Plot and ProductionReference checked
Context reviewed
