In this scene, they use the medium-shot camera technique to show the emotion and interaction between Commodus and Maximus. You are able to see that Maximus is chained up, and Commodus is free in front of him. In addition, the background of this scene is very plain, showing the dreariness of the cell. It also, more importantly, draws all of the viewers’ attention to the two characters in the foreground. The camera is at eye-level, not angled up or down, making the scene more personal to the viewer.
This also leads to a simple, yet incredibly important, mise-en-scenè for this shot. The two men split the center of the scene, shown in the significant amount of space between them. This alone shows how they are on opposing sides. Maximus is chained, and this shows the viewer that, on the surface, Commodus has all the power, since he is free. Maximus, however, is slightly above Commodus, showing how he actually is the one with more power in the scene. This directly ties to the situation in the movie, where Maximus has the love of the people, and Commodus is merely the emperor unable to kill him.
The color and lighting in this scene are also essential to understanding its meaning. It would have been incredibly easy to put Commodus in dark colors to show his status as the antagonist, however he is in all off-white here. This is because in his eyes, he is the emperor that will save Rome. He is a god in his eyes, so he is dressed in light colors, but his clothes are off-white because of the reality that he isn’t really the good guy. Maximus, on the other hand, is dressed in light-colored, dirty rags to show his gladiator status and his humanness. This alone lets the viewers connect to him on a more personal level than they do with Commodus. He face is also well-lit, in comparison to Commodus’s face, showing how he is the true force of good in this scene.
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