Rating: 
Summary: Kubrick, even with hands tied, still comes through
Review: Kubrick has disowned this film, and I can see why. Although compelling, entertaining, and excellently directed, it's got major flaws, most having to do with the story. It boasts epic battle scenes, sweeping music, and deliciously corrupt Romans that make for an above average movie. Still, when compared to Kubrick's other work, it falls well short of the mark.
Rating: 
Summary: a story that tells many stories
Review: The power of this film arises from the way that it taps the resources of so many other, well-known stories. Based on Howard Fast's novel, which makes of the Spartacus story a parable of the struggle between capitalism and communism, the film Spartacus also replays the American Revolution (most of the Romans are beastly Brits), the story of Exodus (the Romans are Pharoah and Kirk Douglas' Spartacus is Moses), the civil rights movement, the death of Christ, and many other stories as well. In an ingenious turnabout, the city of Rome is portrayed as an armed camp, while the camp of Spartacus is portrayed as a city in the true sense. Stanley Kubrick, the director, was wrong to disown this film. Spartacus is a classics of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for your collection.
Review: One of the all time classic movies really comes to life on DVD.After years of seeing grainy prints of this film on tv,you really can appreciate what a superb job the restorers have done.As well as an extra five minutes of the film,the soundtrack has also been lovingly extended.You think you've seen Spartacus on TV ? Unless you've seen this version you really haven't.
Rating:
Summary: THIS FILM ENDED THE BLACKLIST
Review: 1960 was the "official" end of the Blacklist. A young director named Stanley Kubrick had made a brilliant movie about military justice, "Paths to Glory", starring Kirk Douglas in 1958. In 1960, he directed the classic, "Spartacus". "Spartacus" starred Douglas as a slave of the Roman Empire, depicting his deadly rivalry with the Roman General Crassus (played to perfection by Laurence Olivier). The film was rife with social message. The slaves who rise up against their Roman oppressors are metaphors for the working class, especially minorities, rising up against white oppression. One black slave, played by ex-football star Woody Strode, gives his life so Spartacus can live. The fact that he was black was well calculated. Dalton Trumbo, a former Communist, wrote "Spartacus". He penned it under an assumed name because he was still Blacklisted. When it came time to edit the film for release, Douglas, a huge star and its producer, made the decision to list Trumbo as the writer. His power and the film's success combined with this act ended the Blacklist. In a notorious scene that was cut from the original but has since been restored, a slave named Antoninus (Tony Curtis) bathes Crassus/Olivier. Strange wordplay about a preference between snails and oysters at first seems irrelevant until one realizes it is Trumbo's effort to introduce a homosexual theme to the story, using snails and oysters as metaphors for straight and gay love. Isn't that special? STEVEN TRAVERS
Author of "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman
STWRITESaol.com
Rating: 
Summary: 3 Stars For 3 Outstanding Performances...
Review: Kubrick replaced Tony Mann on directing duties for this brave, but lumbering costume epic which is ultimately propped up by three beautiful performances. Peter Ustinov(won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work here), Charles Laughton(should have been similarly nominated)& Laurence Olivier all do incredible work under the guidance of a very young Kubrick & all deliver what comes very close to their best work. Their presence is notable chiefly for the fact that without them, SPARTACUS would never have been the extraordinary spectacle it surely is. Kirk Douglas gives a brooding(& lifeless)performance in the title role, ultimately undermining any sequence not containing the three aforementioned thespians. Jean Simmons, as the love interest, is similarly uninteresting & while undeniably beautiful, fails to evoke for the viewer the love & devotion she receives from Douglas & ultimately Olivier. Pre CGI, it comes armed with some beautifully choreographed & violent battle sequences, but for those looking for an earlier version of Ridley Scott's GLADIATOR, this one may come off a little old-fashioned. It is worth noting(& you'll learn this from the wonderfully insightful 1992 Ustinov interview[his impersonation of Laughton is a riot]contained in the bonus material)that Ustinov rewrote all the scenes he plays with Laughton. It should come as no surprise to the discerning viewer, they are easily the best moments in the film.....
Rating:
Summary: A masterful controversial epic
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film. This film remains one of the most groundbreaking films of its time. Controversial, censored, re-censored, and re-released. The film itself is quite impressive for the time it was released. The film was also heavily cut for it's theatrical release the "snails and oysters" scene is probably the most famous of the cut scenes. This scene was cut for its sly reference to bisexuality where Crassus attempts to seduce one of his servants by telling him that he likes eating both snails and oysters (which can be compared as being attracted to both men and women.) The audio of this scene was damaged so Anthony Hopkins read Lawrence Olivier's dialog. The story follows Spartacus, a Roman gladiator who leads a slave revolt against Rome. He later gains a major following and the senate argues as to how to stop him. Spartacus is portrayed by Kirk Douglas in the film and looks remarkably like his son Michael Douglas. The DVD is loaded with special features There are two audio commentaries one with an alternate musical soundtrack.
There is a restoration demonstration, theatrical trailer, sketches by director Stanley Kubrick, storyboards, hundreds of publicity photos, lobby cards, production photos and other ephemera. There are also numerous interviews and behind the scenes footage. The interviews are with Peter Ustinov which were made in 1960 and 1992, There is also an interview with Jean Simons made in 1960 There is also newsreel footage of the filmmakers attending various funtions. Finally there is an extended scene and surviving audio of a deleted scene. There is also a showing of the script from a deleted scene that has been lost. This is a release that should not be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Oysters , snails, politics, slavery, swordplay
Review: This movie has it all in epic proportions that engage the modern mind into choosing where they fall in the mix..... the mob, the politician, the slave , the business man trying to make an honest buck training men to kill other men. On the surface a gladiator film that defines the genre... look deeper and you find yourself...
Rating:
Summary: Puts "Gladiator" to shame
Review: A classic gladiator film that still holds up decades later. This has so many things going for it. It's presented in its original Super Technirama 70 widescreen format - watching this any other way is unthinkable, similar to Lawrence of Arabia. This edition has a plethora of extras, and it's anamorphic, unlike the Universal dvd. Perhaps most endearing is the performance by Jean Simmons. She is so beautiful and luminous here - I can see why Spartacus was in love with her! A great, great film with many superb performances. This is the one to get.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Great Epics of Film
Review: Better than Ben Hur, Spartacus didn't rack up as many Oscars as its 1959 predecessor did. But it's a more fluid film with a stronger story line and more interesting characters. The performances are wonderful starting with Kirk Douglas as the leader of the slave revolt. Laurence Olivier is the insatiable Crassus who would possess Rome as if it were a woman. Charles Loughton and Peter Ustinov provide wit and humanity. Ustinov's character starts out as an opportunistic slave trade who demonstrates real growth by the film's end. Tony Curtis teaches "da classics". Spartacus was started by the great Anthony Mann (Winchester '73) who Douglas fired early in the filming, replacing him with Kubrick. Even Kubrick complained of not having complete directorial control over the movie - it was Douglas' baby. Still it's a great film with terrific action sequences, great dialogue ("Do you like oysters or snails, Antoninus?) and a moving narrative. If you get a chance, see it on the big screen.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: I am somewhat puzzled by some of the negative reviews I have seen here. This movie is the prototype for such future blockbusters as "Braveheart", "Gladiator", and "Glory". All three of those movies have scenes in them which were almost directly ripped off from Spartacus.
As for Kubrick, it is true that he was not the director at the onset of production. Yet, he has never demanded that his name be taken off of the credits.
It seems that many of my fellow reviewers have forgotten that this movie was made in 1960. I admire this film for its great "cast of thousands" battle scenes, the grandeur of Rome, and the realism of the gladiator training camp. I excuse it for the hokiness of the love story between Douglas and Simmons because they were doing as much as you could get away with in that era.
All in all, when one puts the film in its historic perspective, it was a milestone in Hollywood cinematography. Bravo!
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