What does the chief of the Germanic tribe say during the film’s iconic opening scene Gladiator of Ridley Scott? Featuring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielson and Richard Harris, Gladiator is inspired by the novel by Daniel P. Mannix of 1958, Those who are going to die. The central plot of this epic historical drama follows Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russel Crowe), who is betrayed and fallen by the power thirsty son of the emperor Marcus Aurelius in an attempt to seize the throne.
It is important to note that the events of Gladiator are (very) loosely based on actual events that occurred in the Roman Empire in the second half of the 2nd century AD resulting in several historical inaccuracies. As an example, the central conflict of the film, in which Commodus assassinates his father, is simply false, Marcus Aurelius died in Vindobona, Vienna, in 180 from the Antonine plague. Riddley scott and his creative team have therefore taken good scriptwriting liberties, which is also the case for the opening scene of the film.
The film opens with the Roman cavalry passing in front of the general Maximus, protagonist of Gladiator, who contemplates his army before the battle along the muddy paths of the forest. The army is ready to attack from the rear flanks of the tribes, who greet Maximus with deep respect. As Maximus discusses battle strategy with Quintus and Valerius, the cries of the Germanic tribe can be heard faintly in the distance, the words “Ihr seid verfluchte hunde!” Resonate. A headless horseman emerges from the forest, while the Germanic chief brandishes the horseman’s head and repeats his proclamation.
“Ihr seid verfluchte hunde! Roughly translates to “You are cursed dogs!” In modern German, capturing the tribal contempt for the Roman Empire. While this is established, the presence of this proclamation is somewhat inaccurate, as it would make more sense for the phrase to be pronounced in an ancient Germanic dialect adapted at that time, rather than in a direct phrase in modern German. Additionally, the actor speaking this line does it with a heavy Scottish accent, which makes the scene even more linguistically inaccurate.
This is, of course, one of the many historical inconsistencies of the Gladiator of Ridley Scott, despite the fact that a handful of historians have been engaged for consultations, most of their observations have been ignored. For example, the costumes do not correspond at all to those of the time, since some soldiers wear fancy helmets and bands around their arms. Germanic tribes, like the one shown in the opening sequence, wear Stone Age clothing, which is a possible manifestation of the stereotype that these groups of people were “savages” or “barbarians.”