All The World’s A Stage: Sweet Chariots
Kate Barker takes her life into her hands as she ventures onto the set of The God You Know and is greeted by the sight of speeding chariots, a power-crazed Roman Emperor and a rather determined Warrior Princess…
Official Xena Magazine: Issue 18
It's a wild and windy day in a crowded Roman street. Well-dressed nobles line the fronts of the buildings, waiting to cheer and applaud as the spectacle approaches. Suddenly, a shout goes up from the crowd as the two competitors burst from around the corner, neck and neck.
Each as intensely determined as the other, Xena and the Roman Emperor Caligula race their chariots forward, bringing their reins down hard to hasten the speed. It’s a breathtaking sight, each reliant on the moves of their chariots, drawn by the increasing power of... no, not horses, but a flatbed truck and a four-wheeled farm vehicle, respectively!
Yes, this is chariot racing, Xena-style.
In The God You Know, the deranged Caligula (played by Alexis Arquette) is attempting to make real his belief that he was born to be a god. To do this, he is slowly syphoning the power of immortality from a helpless Aphrodite. But, says Arquette of the rather flamboyant character, Caligula is only doing what he feels is right - just like any of us would.
“All of us at some point want to believe that we're chosen and special,” says Arquette, adding that this is a view that has helped him “justify everything and make it real for him and the character.”
Unfortunately, Arquette continues, realism is not exactly Caligula’s strong point. “He’s a murderer, a sex addict, a drug addict and a complete misogynist,” Arquette points out. “And the worst thing of all is that he really believes he is the chosen one; that he is actually the centre of the universe. And now there are no real gods left to stop him…”
Of course, it is up to Xena to prevent Caligula’s goals from coming to fruition, and part of the plan includes the crowd-pleasing chariot race. Visually, the race is extremely impressive, which means that it won’t have been a very easy piece to commit to film.
As I write up the notes for this article, proceedings on the chariot race are progressing nicely. The cast and crew are gearing up to film a short section of the race in which Xena manages to pull away from the incredulous Caligula and take the lead. It seems rather incongruous (in fact, downright hilarious) to watch the cheering crowd, take a glimpse at the chariots, and then hear the roar of engines instead of horses as the chariots, actors, crew and motorised vehicles come racing into view. It's very funny, if not slightly surreal…
Next comes a close-up of Caligula, who is straining to maintain his hold on his place in the lead. For this shot, Arquette is harnessed onto the back of the truck that was previously pulling his chariot. He now has lights, sound equipment and cameras literally right in front of his face. From this position, the camera can film the close-ups of Arquette, complete with reins which, in the final cut, will look exactly the way they would have had they been attached to the chariot the entire time. The camera can also shoot over Arquette’s shoulders to focus on Xena’s chariot as it gains speed on him.
After this, it’s a case of musical chairs (or should that be musical chariots) as the actors’ positions are reversed and Lucy Lawless is strapped to the camera truck for close-ups of Xena usurping Caligula’s lead.
After only a couple of takes with each of the actors, it’s back to the side of the road for the camera to film the chariot action at ground level. This set of shots will only cover a few seconds of the race’s final cut on film, but, as is often the case, the setting up requires considerable time and effort.
This is a typical behind-the-scenes image; when the cameras aren’t shooting, the set becomes a picture of ordered and organised chaos. There is the sound of hammering in the background as well as the noises of resetting part of the village set for the next shots, and trucks and generators running the power required for the rest of the equipment. To the untrained eye it might look like chaos, but of course everyone here knows exactly what's going on.
As the setting up continues, Lawless tries a different role on for size: impersonating a television interviewer, she walks around trailing a couple of crewmembers, holding an invisible microphone up to their faces and hamming it up nicely.
All too soon it’s back to work, as Lawless and Arquette are required for the next sequence. At first glance, these shots don’t seem very different from those which have just been filmed. But as we all know by now, nothing in the world of film - and indeed in the world of Xena - is ever as simple as it seems.
This is another version of that part of the chariot race in which Xena takes the lead, this time shot by cameras both at ground level and from the front, back on the truck. Both chariots are now being pulled by the four-wheeled farm bikes and driven at half-speed for those midshots of Xena overtaking Caligula.
Again, much amusement is had by those in the background as Lawless and Arquette beat their reins, seemingly in an effort to make their respective bikes go faster. Between his instructions to the cast and crew, even director Garth Maxwell can’t help laughing.
As soon as these shots are over, the crew rushes in with great bustle and flurry, moving everything they need to in order to shoot in their next location. In the midst of this, Lawless confirms that aside from a little “verbal sparring with Michael the Archangel [Charles Mesure],” most of the day’s filming has been spent on detailed chariot work. From her description, it certainly sounds like the work’s been a lot of fun.
“Real horses feel quite different,” she explains. “It’s a very organic thing and you really are responsible for keeping those horses in check. But being pulled by a four-wheeled farm bike... it's all the excitement without that element of danger.”
Lawless’ eyes light up as she talks about the events, and it’s refreshing to see that she still very much enjoys her work. “I love that chariot stuff,” she continues enthusiastically. “You’re in a chariot being pulled by a motorbike; it’s such fun!
“You have to just sit back and enjoy the ride.”