GLADIATOR

Official reel

A few years ago director John Boorman was supposed to start filming for the blockbuster film "Memoirs of Hadrian" based on the book by Marguerite Yourcenar, which tells about the last days of Emperor Hadrian's life.  George Clooney is taken as an option in the role of Adriano who at first accepts, but then for health reasons is forced to give up, so the part of Adriano is proposed to a more Mediterranean actor like Antonio Banderas. From the start, the film appears to be one of the most expensive in Hollywood history, with a production spread across 5 countries. All over the world the first auditions are made for the roles of the characters closest to Adriano, and Ottaviano Blitch is chosen for the part of the "Celtic". Ottaviano flies to Rome to the office of Mr. Peri, one of the executive producers of the film who shows him the balcony in Via Veneto where Federico Fellini used to look out when he needed to get inspiration for his scripts. However, the film was never shot for budget reasons, estimates say that in 2016 the film's budget had soared to $ 140 million, and there were still several million to start shooting. So the project never got off the ground. In an interview with the Italian journalist of La Stampa, John Boorman says that this film for him remained "like a crow resting on his shoulder". Fortunately, some of the auditions of the actors are available, chosen directly by the director. The reels of the auditions had to have historical requirements and a context close to that of ancient Rome. Ottaviano Blitch decides to shoot the famous scene from Ridley Scott's film: "Gladiator", in which Maximo (played by Russell Crowe and Commodus played by Joaquin Phoenix) confront each other in the prisons below the Colosseum. In the reel Ottaviano Blitch plays both characters changing voice and accent. A very intense and pleasant document in which the artist shows a great acting and expressive ability.