Spartacus

Rating:
Summary: ORIGINAL GLADIATOR GUY
Review: SPARTACUS (Criterion, ...)

The late Stanley Kubrick is on a career roll with not only new DVD releases of his films but Spielberg's upcoming interpretation of Kubrick's long-in-development "A.I." One film Kubrick seemed to almost disavow since he saw it as strictly a directing assignment for producer and star Kirk Douglas, was "Spartacus."

This intelligent, sweeping (is there any other kind?) epic of a slave revolt is now available in an ultimate two disc set that not only includes a stunning 16x9 fully restored Super Technirama transfer, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, but also an eye-brow raising commentary with Douglas, Peter Ustinov, novelist Howard Fast (he's not thrilled with the detals of the screen adaptation), restoration expert Robert Harris, designer Saul Bass and a scene-by-scene analysis by former blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.

Disc II includes rare, deleted scenes, vintage newsreel footage, 1960 promotional interviews with Jean Simmons and Ustinov, original storyboards by Bass, the 1960 documentary "The Hollywood Ten," plus archival documents about the blacklist, sktches by Kubrick, hundreds of production stills and more! This once controversial film has been called the prime model for "Gladiator," has never looked better. It still reverberates with our contemporary sensibilities as it blends politics, violence and sexual suggestion. "Spartacus" was the first Hollywood film to openly defy the blacklist and is a fitting universal metaphor for freedom and sacrifice. And a lasting tribute to Kubrick's genius. Highly Recommended. 196 minutes, PG-13.

Rating:
Summary: Strong story, weak depth, but epic & entertaining
Review: Based on the novel by Howard Fast, Spartacus recounts the life of a slave turned gladiator turned freedom fighter. The story of Spartacus begins with him as a free spirited Thracian slave in 70BC. Spartacus is trained in a gladiator school, where he meets and falls in love with the slave girl Varinia. He then leads the other gladiators in revolt, and assembles a huge army of thousands of slaves to challenge the might of Rome. The ending is tragic, but not without hope. Spartacus was in fact a historical figure and the movie's story of his squashed rebellion against Rome - including the crucifixion of 6000 survivors - is largely rooted in truth.

The movie can best be described as epic. On a grand scale, the Roman empire is brought to life, with its corrupt aristocracy and its simple lower class. The epic battle scene which forms the climax of the movie features 1000s of extras, and although it is sometimes hard to tell who is on which side, the effect is magnificent and grandiose. Despite the action scenes, the movie is surprisingly introspective at times. Unlike modern efforts such as Gladiator, Spartacus is not an action movie as such, and fans of contemporary action movies not surprisingly find it disappointing. Spartacus' struggles are just as much emotional as they are physical. But to me this is a strength and not a weakness: the shortcoming of most modern action movies is not present here because the characterization is superb.

Even though the movie is not gory (although it is bloody at times), the adult themes make it unsuitable for children. For instance, successful gladiators are given women to have their way with them. And on numerous occasions, although nudity is not shown it is strongly implied and barely concealed. The implication of bisexuality (in a scene not present in the original) and promiscuity is also strongly evident as part of the corruption in Rome. But it also touches Spartacus. In a rather daring move for the 1960s, Spartacus and his woman Varinia conceive a child out of wedlock, which is presented as natural and good. Spartacus' fight for freedom apparently includes sexual freedom. Its hardly surprising that these two fall in love in a rather sappy love-at-first-sight Hollywood romance, where they don't even know each other as yet. Ultimately it is not only Rome that chases gold, girls and glory without morals, but Spartacus himself is not really much different.

But it is not only the moral ambivalence of this movie that disturbs me, but also its underlying political themes. How is Rome presented? As totally corrupt, with no redeeming qualities. "If a criminal has what you want, you do business with him." How are the slaves presented? As noble and good. "We're brothers." The army of slaves proceeds in a carnival like atmosphere, and the producers present lots of images of joyful children and exuberant elderly as part of their number, to arouse sympathy for their cause. But isn't this rather a cliché? It is, but that's the whole point. Aristocratic Rome is presented as evil, and the oppressed lower class need to be liberated from her corrupt rule. The rich are all evil, the poor are all good. Sounds familiar? It's a defence of the brotherhood of communism. Ultimately the movie endorses peasant revolt as a legitimate option, and advocates rebelling against authority. Rather than rendering to Caesar what is Caesars, it encourages open rebellion, in order to usher in a new political system of brotherhood and freedom from repression. Sound too far-fetched? Here's the clincher: Howard Fast, author of the novel on which this movie was based, was a devout and committed member of the Communist Party of the USA, and for many years his works were black-listed. The story of Spartacus may be rooted in history, but Howard Fast has reinterpreted it as a defence of his own political communist ideals. Rome represents Western Capitalism, and the slaves represent the oppressed peasant proletariat. Spartacus' defence of liberty, equality and fraternity is in fact anachronistic.

So sure this is an epic movie. At the time of its production in 1960, Spartacus was the most expensive movie ever made. With a cast of star actors, especially the compelling performances of Kirk Douglas as Spartacus, Laurence Olivier as Crassus (the influential Roman senator), Peter Ustinov as Batiatius (the bumbling and greedy owner of a gladiator school), and Charles Laughton as Gracchus (the corrupt and scheming Roman senator), it's no wonder it won four academy awards. But the fact that Spartacus is an epic movie does not disguise the fact that it is not deep. Any deeper themes that the movie does have to offer are communist and hedonistic, and this ideology mars the story. This may be a movie that rivals the grandeur and scale of Ben Hur, but thematically, it doesn't come close.

Even so, it's still worth a look. Even if one cannot share the cause of Sparticus and political ambitions it embodies, one has to admire the spirit in which Spartacus fights for his cause: it is a losing battle, and yet with dignity and fervour he fights for what he believes is right - a quality to be coveted. And it's ironic that if you can overlook the weaknesses of its depth, the strength of this movie lies in its superficial story. It has comedy, tragedy, triumph, romance, action, intrigue, and an epic scale. As entertainment, it's an enduring epic that still can be enjoyed today.

Rating:
Summary: "A good body with a dull brain is as cheap as life itself."
Review: Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus" is a grim reminder that freedom has always come at a cost. One common thread running throughout history is that the oppressed have always strived to be free of their shackles and have been willing to place their lives on the line in order to achieve their goal. Things were no different in the Roman Empire.

A slave named Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) has his life spared by Lentulus Batiatus (Peter Ustinov) who sees great potential for him as a gladiator. While training, Spartacus becomes enamored with the beautiful Varinia (Jean Simmons) who he later weds after he escapes from the gladiator academy. Now a free man, Spartacus inspires other slaves and gladiators to join his rebellion against the Roman Empire. The rebellion goes well until a betrayal forces a dangerous revision in plans. Soon Spartacus is leading his army on Rome itself intent on engaging the enemy in a final, deciding battle.

"Spartacus" is a problematic film from start to finish. It is no surprise than Stanley Kubrick did his best to distance himself from it. On one hand, "Spartacus" is a sweeping epic in the best cinematic fashion - the story is inspiring and timeless, legendary actors appear in the film, and there is a lushness and grandeur to the images that fill the screen. On the other hand, "Spartacus" is wooden and dull - the story meanders, the pacing lags, and Tony Curtis is seriously miscast. Even more fatal to the film is that Douglas is oftentimes stiff in the lead role. Despite his best efforts, he never really brings his character to life. In the end, Spartacus is more memorable in the film for the idea he symbolized rather than who he was as a man. It's too bad more time wasn't spent fleshing out his character since there is genuine chemistry between him and Simmons who is absolutely radiant in her role. As it stands now, "Spartacus" is merely an interesting product of the Sixties that has too many flaws for its own good.

Rating:
Summary: The Original "Gladiator" - beautifully restored on DVD!
Review: Long before Russell Crowe picked up his sword and battled corrupt Roman emperors, Kirk Douglas showed him the way in "Spartacus". This epic 1960 film still ranks as one of the best performances in Douglas's distinguished career, and it marked his second collaboration with famed director Stanley Kubrick. Even more than "Gladiator", "Spartacus" is based on a real historical event, although it greatly exaggerates the actual history. Spartacus was a Roman slave in the first century AD who became a gladiator for the Romans, but escaped and then formed an enormous army (estimated at anywhere from 50,000 to 75,000) of freed slaves and gladiators. For the next year this army, under Spartacus's leadership, terrorized the Italian countryside, until they were finally trapped and destroyed in battle with the still powerful Roman Army. As an old-fashioned Hollywood epic, "Spartacus" doesn't disappoint the viewer - there are epic battle scenes, high drama, and some great acting by several Hollywood legends. Interestingly, the film's producers felt that the contrast between the slave-gladiators and their corrupt Roman masters would be given greater contrast if they cast British actors (Sir Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, Charles Laughton) as the leading Roman characters, and American actors as the slaves (Douglas, Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons). All of the actors listed above shine in this film - Olivier drips with menace and hypocrisy as the great Roman General Crassus, who will stop at nothing to crush the slave revolt and bring the entire Roman Empire under his personal control. Laughton is delightful as Gracchus, a fat and somewhat corrupt, but also clever and freedom-loving, Roman Senator who loathes Crassus and tries desperately to keep Crassus from becoming a dictator and destroying the individual freedoms of the Roman Republic. He fails, but nonetheless emerges as the sole Roman hero of the movie. Peter Ustinov steals every scene as the bumbling and craven owner of a gladiator training school who rescues Spartacus from certain death and makes him into a gladiator, then reluctantly helps Gracchus gain one last "victory" over Crassus by stealing Crassus's new love interest (and Spartacus's former wife) and taking her to freedom. As for the slaves, Douglas is superb as Spartacus - if the real Spartacus had been as noble and heroic as Douglas's character, then Roman history might have been very different! (Historically, the real Spartacus and his slave army could have escaped from Italy, but instead went on a wild looting and stealing spree across the Italian countryside, thus wiping out any moral advantage they had over their corrupt Roman masters, and also throwing away their chance to gain permanent freedom. This led many sympathetic Romans to join the fight to crush the slave revolt, which was done, brutally). Jean Simmons portrays Spartacus's "wife" (they're never legally married) as a strong and honorable woman; and Tony Curtis plays the cultured and well-educated, but also tragic slave of Crassus who escapes and becomes like a son to Spartacus. The scene near the end of the movie where Crassus forces the two to fight to the death is especially poignant. In many ways this is a movie ahead of its' time - it delicately but still decisively suggests that Crassus was bisexual and had a strong sexual interest in Tony Curtis's character (which led Curtis to escape). In terms of scope, emotional impact, and visual splendor it's hard to top this film. Anyone who's interested in the golden age of Hollywood films and enjoys watching some legendary actors in their prime will love "Spartacus"!

Rating:
Summary: "I Am Spartacus!"
Review: One of Hollywood's greatest historical epics, SPARTACUS is easily in the all-time Top Ten "Real Man's Movies." Starring Kirk Douglas and a literal cast of thousands, this film recounts author Howard Fast's version of the tale of a Roman slave-turned-gladiator-turned-liberator.

Douglas's acting is, as usual, both rife with tight-jawed machismo and full of emotional depth. Douglas dominates the film in a way no actor working today ever could (Goran Visnjic's recent remake is simply watery in comparison).

Truly stellar performances are turned in by Tony Curtis (as Antoninus, the slave-poet), Peter Ustinov (as Batiatus, a comedic gladiatorial schoolowner), Sir Laurence Olivier (as Crassus), and Charles Laughton (as the philosophic Roman Senator Gracchus). The beautiful Jean Simmons plays Varinia, Spartacus's wife.

Roman brutality, with its gladiatorial games and crucifixions is set against nobility of spirit and the power of dreams. It's no contest. The glory that was Rome is pallid beside the strength of just a single man.

Classic scenes include the recently-restored bathhouse scene between Crassus and Antoninus (with its homosexual overtures) and the great capture scene which has ten thousand men declaring "I am Spartacus!" in the face of a terrible death.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick, but conceptualized by Kirk Douglas himself, the film lauds old-fashioned virtues, celebrates the human spirit, and is a paean to freedom, as an intellectual's epic. Of note is the fact that Douglas broke the back of the Hollywood blacklist by openly crediting Dalton Trumbo as the author of the screenplay.

The extras disc is loaded with goodies, but the best thing about SPARTACUS is simply losing oneself to the power of this amazingly well-crafted cinematic classic.

Rating:
Summary: Very un-Kubrick style of a sweeping saga.
Review: Stanley Kubrick disowned this film. Maybe it was this film that made him so reclusive. It is unlike all the other Kubrick films I have seen, but that doesn't make this film bad. Matter-of-fact, I consider it a classic.

"Spartacus" has lost a wee bit of its original impact over the years, but it is still a wonderful and rewarding film. And seeing the restored version was a real treat. Except for "Braveheart", Hollywood doesn't make many of these epics anymore, and that is a shame when one considers the popularity of "The Ten Commandments" and "Ben Hur", and "Spartacus" is every bit as good as those two classics.

Set against the backdrop of Empirical Rome in the century before Christ, this three hour plus story (based very loosely on fact, I suspect) concerns a slave who becomes a gladiator solely for the purpose of Roman entertainment, then subsequently leads a revolt against the empire. Headed by an all-star cast that includes Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, and Laurence Olivier, this wonderfully-acted spectacle follows Spartacus' rise to power and his ultimate demise.

Between 1 and 10, "Spartacus" gets a 9. If, perchance, you have never seen this film, get it. You'll be kicking yourself if you don't.

Rating:
Summary: Do you like gladiator movies?
Review: Currently in the United States, the USA Network is showing a remake of the story of 'Spartacus', taken from the same novel text as the classic 1960 Oscar-winning film of the same subject, so I thought this might be the opportune time to look at this classic film and tale. The author of the novel, Howard Fast, was also the author of many novels-turned-films like 'The Crossing', 'April Morning', 'Freedom Road', and 'How the West was Won'. Fast passed away just last year, while the current remake of Spartacus was in production.

The original film, based as it was on Fast's novel, takes many liberties with history. The characterisations of Spartacus' early days with Varinia, for example, are mere speculation. The course of the slave-army progress through Italy is similarly an invention made for easier poetic rendering - the slave-army in fact wandered throughout Italy in a much different fashion, with different results than shown in the film. The film portrays a rather simple pattern of slaves accumulating to the slave-army in droves as they march toward a port to escape from Italy; this is much easier to portray than the actual course. What this film does not do is set the stage properly historically - this was not the first slave revolt in Roman history, and Spartacus and his band of gladiators drew strength and inspiration from the Sicilian and southern Italian revolts of the then not-too-distant past.

However, the main object of Fast's novel, and Stanley Kubrick's realisation of such in cinema, was the story of the quest for freedom against oppression and tyranny. There are echoes of the cold war here, to be sure - the autocratic Crassus threatening the freedom of a great republic is easily translated into the 'Red Scare' that so many people in the West, particularly in America, perceived in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Kubrick already had a reputation as a good director, but the film 'Spartacus' may be what made his reputation of being a master of the directing arts (films such as '2001: A Space Odyssey', 'Clockwork Orange', and 'Dr. Strangelove', a much less subtle 'Red Scare' film, were all to come later). His casting decisions from the young Kirk Douglas as Spartacus to Laurence Olivier as the conniving Roman power-broker Crassus to Peter Ustinov (who was also a script-writer, uncredited) as the gladiator-school owner Lentulus are all inspired. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, of which it won four, including a nod to Ustinov as best supporting actor. It also won the Golden Globe as best picture.

Crassus, by all historical accounts, was a schemer who wanted absolute rule in Rome. He was not the first, nor the last, but was one of the fore-runners of the Emperors who would spring from Julius Caesar's line. Crassus was for a time the wealthiest man in Rome, competing with Pompeii for power and influence. Crassus did not have the military experience Pompeii had, and so had to make up for this by crushing the slave rebellion. Olivier plays the calculating senator with grace and subtlety, but perhaps the most daring scene (on occasion omitted) was the bath scene with the mis-cast Tony Curtis, in which they speak of bisexuality and homosexuality in very oblique terms; of course such divisions of sexuality were, by many accounts, much less rigid in the past than our post-Victorian sensibility makes them out to be.

As I say, Tony Curtis seems mis-cast here as Antoninus. The 'singer of songs' is an unlikely slave and unlikely leader in the army, and almost wholly an invention for dramatic device, to give Spartacus a stronger connection to Crassus and a dramatic denouement. The only primary female character in the film is Varina, superbly played by Jean Simmons, whose beauty was at its height during this time, and whose timeless voice carried much of the meaning of the slave revolt in real human emotions. The underutilised character of Draba, the African slave whose refusal to kill Spartacus in a private match staged by Lentulus, is ably played by Woody Strode, whose filmography includes an astonishing 76 films over the course of 50 years.

The staging of the film was dramatic and well-constructed; the sets were very realistic, particularly for a time before the invention of computer generated imagery. The gladiator training camp and army maneuvering showed researched into the training and tactics used in actual Roman settings, even if the blood was still a bit unrealistic by comparison to today's special effects standards. The film is in vivid technicolour, making this a real production of the 'glory days' of Hollywood, where things were larger than life.

Despite ending with the crushing of the slave revolt, the whole film turns history around, as those watching will know the outcome. The freedom of Rome will itself soon come to an end, only to fall under its own weight a few centuries later. The cycle of history continues, and human freedom is something that is always to be valued, and requires the courageous and strong to work together and be willing to sacrifice - this is the moral of the story. The famous scene where all the conquered slaves stand to claim the identity of Spartacus is legendary, for good reason. Oft repeated, oft used in parody, this scene shows both the cost and value of loyalty.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't finish watching it.
Review: I couldn't finish watching 'Spartacus'. It was long, long, long, and boring, boring boring. Don't listen to those Kubrick fans who pretend to like it and say it is great.

Rating:
Summary: Pure Perfection
Review: I absolutely loooove this movie!

Even after watching it 7 or 8 times, I find myself hoping that certain situations will turn out differenty! But then of course, it would not be the masterpiece that it is...
Kirk Douglas (Spartacus) ... in the best role of his career,a slave who would rather "Die free- than live a slave." This is the passion that drives him to challenge the power of the The Roman Empire.

And General Crassus -(Beautiful-Laurence Olivier)...Who is threatened and deeply jealous of Spartacus...whom has many followers who would die for this simple, brave, amazing slave turned gladiator.

The all star cast is just as spectacular...Tony Curtis,Charles Laughten and the stunning Jean Simmons (as Spartacus's wife).

There is an exceptional scene where Spartacus and Virinia are lying down on the ground and Spartacus is running a blade of grass down her neck, cheek, arm, stomach and says..."I want to know every inch of you."

OOOOH, Love that.

Or the scene when Crassus screams, "Tell me who Spartacus is and you will all save yourselves!" One by one they all step forward.
"Then kill them all." He says.

But the scene at the end kills me, absolutely rips my heart out...

Spartacus is on the cross, dying. Virinia finds him and holds his son up towards the cross.

"This is your son, Spartacus. This is your son. He is free. Free."

I only wish I hadn't watched this movie before...so I could experience it for the first time again!

"Spartacus" moved me off my seat and brought every emotion the the surface.
Now that's what a powerful motion picture should do!

Rating:
Summary: Epic story about human equality
Review: This is the story of a lowly man who had the clout to take on the juggernaut of the Roman Empire (though it was technically still a republic) at the very height of its glory. Kirk Douglas stars as a Thracian slave named Spartacus who can't help thinking there's something more, and who refuses to accept his station in life. Spartacus, who is later sold to be a gladiator, eventually instigates a revolt and launches a revolution against the tyranny and harsh slave system of mighty Rome.

Spartacus hardly could have hoped to win his revolution, but that is not the point. He deals Rome a staggering blow, and in that respect he and his army of slaves is extremely successful. This is perhaps best illustrated in the final duel between Spartacus and Antoninus. This is no fairy tale, and Spartacus's revolution, though brave, is always in danger of proving utterly futile. Rome simply has too many resources, too many men, and too well-trained of an army to ultimately allow herself to be pushed around by her slaves. Still, Spartacus tries, and in this, at least, he asserts his right to be a human being just like anybody else.

This film is rightly labeled a "thinking man's epic." It was revolutionary for its time, and still holds up forty years later as a poignant reminder that all men are created equal, and that thousands and even millions of people have suffered and died in a world that did not understand that as we do today. The battle scenes in this movie are phenomenal for their grand scale, and the action keeps you on your toes. Great acting, great directing, and a captivating story--this is Spartacus.