3. Ridley Scott Got Permission From The Royal Forestry Commission To Burn A Forest To The Ground
The opening battle sequence to Gladiator takes place on the edge of a forest - the German barbarians emerge from the tree line and before them lies a vast swathe of mud where trees once stood. At the time of production Ridley Scott was accused by some British newspapers of destroying countryside, an accusation which was completely ill-founded. Filmed in Bourne Wood in Surrey, a short distance from London, Scott actually had the full permission of the Royal Forestry Commission to clear a portion of the woods which was scheduled for deforestation anyway. The idea that a film crew - even one as large and prestigious as that working on Gladiator - would go ahead and chop down trees without permission is one only sensationalist tabloids would entertain. The woods are perhaps the most famous in movie history - Children of Men, Harry Potter, War Horse and Avengers: Age of Ultron are just some of the films in the last decade to have used the location.
