Spartacus: Gods of the Arena
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | Spartacus: Gods of the Arena |
| Original title | Spartacus: Gods of the Arena |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| year | 2011 |
| length | 55 minutes |
| Episodes | 6 in 1 season ( list ) |
| genre |
Period film , sandal film , story , drama |
| idea | Steven S. DeKnight |
| production |
Steven S. DeKnight , Robert G. Tapert , Chloe Smith , Charles Knight , Aaron Lam |
| music | Joseph LoDuca |
| First broadcast | January 21, 2011 (USA) on Starz |
| German-language first broadcast |
October 5, 2011 on RTL Crime |
| occupation | |
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (English f. Spartacus: Götter der Arena ) is an American miniseries by the US cable broadcaster Starz , which first aired in January and February 2011. The series isto be understoodas a prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand and was inserted as an interim production after the production of the 2nd season was delayed due to the main actor suffering from cancer. The series focuses on the story of the House of Batiatus in the city of Capua before the arrival of Spartacus . The series was shot in Auckland , New Zealand.
action
The action of Gods of the Arena takes place approximately five years before the events of Spartacus: Blood and Sand . The prequel is about the development of Quintus Lentulus Batiatus, who has great ambitions after taking over the gladiator school (Lat. Ludus [gladiatorius] ) from his father.
The young Batiatus tries to lead his father's ludus as well as possible and strives to finally accommodate his gladiators in the more important fights in the afternoon, but he repeatedly fails due to the business and political relationships of his rival, the young and inexperienced Vettius. A possibility would arise for Batiatus if he could negotiate with Tullius. Tullius is a wealthy businessman and, thanks to his fortune, one of the most powerful men in Capua, who is also funding the new arena that is being built.
One day an opportunity arises for Batiatus while he is walking through the streets of Capua with his close friend Solonius. The Gauls Crixus, a slave of Tullius, instigates an argument with the guards when Batiatus and Solonius walk past them. Batiatus realizes the potential that lies hidden in Crixus and buys Crixus at an overpriced price. A gesture that, as planned, caused a stir by Tullius. Tullius invites Batiatus into his shop, where Batiatus explains his intention to see his first fighter Gannicus in the opening games of the new arena. That's why he bought Crixus so dearly from him. Batiatus is upset to discover that Tullius has already invested in the Ludus of Vettius, but would leave him a fight in the opening games if Batiatus would sell him Gannicus for a handsome price. Batiatus feels betrayed and refuses any offer. Tullius reacts indignantly and beats Batiatus badly with his men. Angry, Batiatus devises a risky plan.
characters
- Quintus Lentulus Batiatus
- Batiatus has been running the family's gladiator school ( ludus ) since his father moved to Sicily due to illness . Although he strove for a political career, he bowed to his father's wishes and continued the family business. However, he never abandoned his ambitions and strives to establish the gladiator school among the leaders in the city and thus gain prestige and power for his family and himself. His actions and decisions are therefore always caught in the tension between his own ambitions and the desire to please his humble and class-conscious father.
- Lucretia
- Lucretia is Batiatus' wife. However, the love wedding never found the approval of Batiatus' father, for whom Lucretia is not a befitting role for his son. Lucretia shares her husband's ideas and supports him to the best of her ability. She is very convinced of herself and her importance and is unscrupulous when it comes to possible success. Therefore, she does not shy away from weakening his father Titus without Batiatus' knowledge by regularly administering poison in order to give her husband greater freedom of action.
- Titus Lentulus Batiatus
- The father of Quintus Lentulus Batiatus and owner of the gladiator school. He is an old school Roman and disapproves of his son's ambitions for advancement, as he believes a man should know his place in society. He also warns that there can be dire consequences if you mess with men whose position is higher than your own. He thinks nothing of Lucretia, since she is of low class, he underlines this by asking Quintus to part with her or to lose his place as his inheritance. With his intervention, he tries to end the tensions with Tullius and to smooth things out again, which he almost succeeds. Lucretia puts an end to his efforts with poisoned wine.
- Tullius
- A business rival of the Batiatus family and financier of Vettius' gladiator school. In contrast to the Batiatus family, he is of high social standing, which he clearly lets Batiatus feel and uses this circumstance to his advantage by trying to keep Batiatus' gladiators away from the fighting and the arena under construction. In doing so, however, he also stimulates the ambitious Batiatus and thus fires the increasing spiral of violence.
- Gannicus
- Gannicus has been the reigning champion of the Batiatus gladiator school since Oenomaus' (Drago) was seriously injured. Despite his qualities as a fighter, he lacks the seriousness of other gladiators and presents himself as a bon vivant. He has a deep friendship with Oenomaus and his wife Melissa. Batiatus sees him as an opportunity for his advancement plans. But Gannicus also arouses the interest of Tullius, who absolutely wants to acquire him from Batiatus and win him over to his school. Batiatus' refusal to accept this trade leads to increasingly violent clashes as the season progresses. As a result of his success in the newly opened arena of Capua, Gannicus wins freedom - at Solonius' instigation and against the will of his master Batiatus.
- Oenomaus (Drago)
- Oenomaus is a slave trained to be a gladiator by Batiatus' father. He rose to become champion of the gladiator school until he was badly wounded in the fight against the undefeated gladiator Theokoles and was therefore bedridden for a long time. At the beginning of the series, he recovered enough from his injuries to be able to resume training. His greatest wish is to return to the arena as a gladiator, but Batiatus uses him as an instructor instead. Only reluctantly does he submit to the wishes of his master and has great problems finding himself in his new role. He receives support mainly from his wife Melissa, Lucretia's body slave, and his best friend Gannicus.
- Melissa
- Melissa (in the English original Melitta) is Lucretia's body slave and Drago's wife. After she was forced to have sex with Gannicus in order to get her Dominus Batiatus first in the opening fight, she developed feelings about the same. As the series progresses, an affair develops between the two that is very stressful for them.
- Crixus
- Crixus is originally a slave of Tullius. Batiatus acquires the stubborn Gaul at a completely exaggerated price in order to gain a good position with Tullius. He has Crixus trained as a gladiator. Crixus does everything in a row to outdo Gannicus as the first fighter.
- Ashur
- Ashur is a Syrian slave and prospective gladiator of the Batiatus gladiator school, who is particularly noticeable for his cunning. He does everything for a personal gain, up to and including the wounding and murder of his own compatriot. He is not valued by the other gladiators of the Ludus, because he did not get the branding through the usual test, but through an assassination on behalf of the Batiatus.
- Barcas
- Barcas is one of the best gladiators in the school and a master of spear fighting. He is often estranged from Batiatus as a bodyguard. His lover, who was also a gladiator, is killed in the arena of Crixus. Although the loss hurts him, Barcas Crixus shows his respect and then accepts it.
- Naevia
- Naevia is a slave girl and, after Melissa's death, becomes the body slave of her dominatrix Lucretia.
- Gaia
- A close friend of Lucretia, who, after the death of her husband and the loss of all his fortune, is looking for temporary accommodation in the gladiator school. She knows many men in high positions and is very intriguing, she also knows how to manipulate Lucretia in the direction she wants. She helps Lucretia and Quintus increase their social standing.
- Vettius
- A business partner of Tullius and owner of the largest gladiator school in Capua. He is still very young and he and Quintus share a deep, mutual aversion that borders on hatred. He is always at Tullius' side and often tries to humiliate Quintus and to outdo him.
- Marcus Decius Solonius
- A close friend and business partner of Quintus Lentulus Batiatus, but who repeatedly suffers from his moods. By treating his friend badly, ranging from verbal abuse to serious accusations, he finally decides to take advantage of himself. However, he has already tried to get on well with Tullius in order to gain advantages for himself. In addition, over time he shows an increasing interest in Lucretia.
Cast and dubbing
The German synchronization was for a dialogue book by Marianne United and Lutz Riedel and the dialogue director Lutz Riedel by the synchronous company Scalamedia in Berlin .
| role | actor | Voice actor | Main role (episodes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quintus Lentulus Batiatus | John Hannah | Udo Schenk | 1-6 |
| Lucretia | Lucy Lawless | Susanne von Medvey | 1-6 |
| Gannicus | Dustin Clare | Robin Kahnmeyer | 1-6 |
| Gaia | Jaime Murray | Claudia Urbschat-Mingues | |
| Melissa | Marisa Ramirez | Maria Koschny | |
| Tullius | Stephen Lovatt | Uwe Büschken | |
| Crixus | Manu Bennett | Oliver Stritzel | |
| Marcus Decius Solonius | Craig Walsh Wrightson | Lutz Riedel | |
| Barcas | Antonio Te Maioha | Jaron Lowenberg | |
| Vettius | Gareth Williams | Marcel Collé | |
| Drago / Oenomaus | Peter Mensah | Martin Keßler | |
| Ashur | Nick E. Tarabay | Dennis Schmidt-Foss | 1-6 |
| Naevia | Lesley-Ann Brandt | Marie Bierstedt | 1-6 |
Charisma
In the US, the miniseries started on January 21 on the Starz cable channel and ended on February 25, 2011. In Germany it was broadcast on RTL Crime from October 5, 2011 . The free TV -Ausstrahlung began on June 29, 2012. ProSieben .
Indexing in Germany
The series Gods of the Arena was indexed on List A in Germany in May 2013 .
Episode list
| No. ( total ) |
No. ( St. ) |
German title | Original title | First broadcast in the USA | German language first broadcast (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Old sins | Past transgressions | Jan. 21, 2011 | Oct 5, 2011 |
| 2 | 2 | The calling | Missio | Jan. 28, 2011 | Oct 12, 2011 |
| 3 | 3 | The head of the family | Paterfamilias | Feb 4, 2011 | Oct 19, 2011 |
| 4th | 4th | Behind the mask | Beneath the Mask | Feb 11, 2011 | Oct 26, 2011 |
| 5 | 5 | The billing | Reckoning | Feb. 18, 2011 | Nov 2, 2011 |
| 6th | 6th | The bloody end | The bitter end | Feb 25, 2011 | Nov 9, 2011 |
Web links
- Spartacus: Gods of the Arena in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Official website of Starz
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. German synchronous index , accessed on January 22, 2012 .
- ^ Spartacus: Gods of the Arena . In: Zap2it.com . Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
- ↑ Spartacus: broadcast dates for the mini-series on RTL Crime . In: Fernsehserien.de . Retrieved June 22, 2013.
- ↑ Report on indexing from schnittberichte.com, accessed on May 30, 2013
