Spartacus (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
One of the smartest & most thrilling epics to have come out of Hollywood, 'Spartacus' (directed by Stanley Kubrick, yes that Stanley Kubrick) inspired by the true story of slave rebellion in Ancient Rome, stars Kirk Douglas in one of his most famous roles. Spartacus is a rebellious slave in the Roman Empire, circa 73 BC. An insubordinate, yet proud man, he is sentenced to death for biting a guard in the Achilles tendon, but purchased/rescued by Biatius (Peter Ustinov), owner of a school for gladiators. Like his fellow trainees, he is trained in fighting skills in order to be profitably peddled to Roman coliseum owners. For the purpose of entertainment for corrupt Roman senator Marcus Crassus (Laurence Olivier), Batiatus' gladiators have to fight to the death in 1-on-1 combat.
On the eve before the fight, the enslaved trainees are "gifted" with women. Spartacus' companion is Varinia (Jean Simmons), a comely slave girl from Britannia. When Spartacus later learns that she's been sold to the lecherous Crassus, he leads 78 gladiators in a revolt; looking to liberate oppressed men from Crassus' tyrannical rule. Word of the rebellion spreads like wildfire, & Spartacus' army grows in the hundreds. Escaping to join the cause are 2 notables, 1) Varinia, who has fallen for Spartacus, and 2) the "sensitive" Antonius (Tony Curtis), one of Crassus' house slaves. The revolt kick-starts an intense political struggle btwn. Crassus & the even-tempered senator, Gracchus (Charles Laughton). In an act of solidarity, when Crassus asks a crowd of rebels to reveal who Spartacus is in their ranks, each man, one by one, led by Antonius, stands up to exclaim "I am Spartacus!". It's an amazing, iconic scene that will endure in the annals of cinema forever.
This saga about the price of freedom is one of Hollywood's great epics. The struggles of conscience are as interesting as the battle scenes are gripping. And though it has those battles & a romance plot, 'Spartacus' is known as the thinking man's epic; thanks greatly to co-screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who had been blacklisted for years from writing for motion pictures. When we 1st see Spartacus, he strikes out at an oppressor almost out of a knee-jerk reaction (biting the Achilles tendon). He doesn't gives a rat's you-know-what that the consequence is death; as he later says, for a slave death is only a release from pain {great line!}. When he strikes out again later in the movie, he is then armed with gladiatorial skills, and also with the ability to lead in the revolt. He had found an entitlement to freedom.
Kirk Douglas brings his customary physicality & ice-in-his-veins intensity to the legendary lead role. Peter Ustinov is great as the cynical gladiator-trainer Biatius. Laurence Olivier is stellar as Crassus, the chilling, manipulative senator who, in one extraordinary scene, asks his bath slave Antonius, whether he might not prefer "snails" to "oysters". The homoerotic, bisexual undertones exhibited in that scene were quite edgy/scandalous for the time. Jean Simmons' Varinia has a lovely grace about her, as well as some sly humor, which adds warmth to her character. But Simmons also shows restraint because, as a slave, she has to hide her emotions from the abuse she must endure. And as Gracchus, Charles Laughton conveys the decency of a man who must make many dangerous political & spiritual compromises.
'Spartacus' was one of the year's top-grossers at the box office & won 4 Oscars, one for Peter Ustinov, & 3 for how stunning it looked (cinematography, art direction, costumes). Also exceptional is Alex North's iconic & varied musical score. From an editing standpoint, the massive final battle is wildly impressive; mostly because it was shot in an age with no CGI effects ... that scene employed 8,000+ men. You know, Stanley Kubrick did not exercise complete artistic control, as he was a replacement director when Anthony Mann (of Cimarron, El Cid) left after one week of shooting. I'd say he did a great job, all things considered. Finally, one of the things that intrigued me about 'Spartacus' was the rare, yet courageous conclusion; one without an obligatory happy ending. For 3 hours, audiences had to face a surprising climax & an ending that didn't show the protagonists riding off into the sunset. That said, how the ending is handled is still very inspirational.
On the eve before the fight, the enslaved trainees are "gifted" with women. Spartacus' companion is Varinia (Jean Simmons), a comely slave girl from Britannia. When Spartacus later learns that she's been sold to the lecherous Crassus, he leads 78 gladiators in a revolt; looking to liberate oppressed men from Crassus' tyrannical rule. Word of the rebellion spreads like wildfire, & Spartacus' army grows in the hundreds. Escaping to join the cause are 2 notables, 1) Varinia, who has fallen for Spartacus, and 2) the "sensitive" Antonius (Tony Curtis), one of Crassus' house slaves. The revolt kick-starts an intense political struggle btwn. Crassus & the even-tempered senator, Gracchus (Charles Laughton). In an act of solidarity, when Crassus asks a crowd of rebels to reveal who Spartacus is in their ranks, each man, one by one, led by Antonius, stands up to exclaim "I am Spartacus!". It's an amazing, iconic scene that will endure in the annals of cinema forever.
This saga about the price of freedom is one of Hollywood's great epics. The struggles of conscience are as interesting as the battle scenes are gripping. And though it has those battles & a romance plot, 'Spartacus' is known as the thinking man's epic; thanks greatly to co-screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who had been blacklisted for years from writing for motion pictures. When we 1st see Spartacus, he strikes out at an oppressor almost out of a knee-jerk reaction (biting the Achilles tendon). He doesn't gives a rat's you-know-what that the consequence is death; as he later says, for a slave death is only a release from pain {great line!}. When he strikes out again later in the movie, he is then armed with gladiatorial skills, and also with the ability to lead in the revolt. He had found an entitlement to freedom.
Kirk Douglas brings his customary physicality & ice-in-his-veins intensity to the legendary lead role. Peter Ustinov is great as the cynical gladiator-trainer Biatius. Laurence Olivier is stellar as Crassus, the chilling, manipulative senator who, in one extraordinary scene, asks his bath slave Antonius, whether he might not prefer "snails" to "oysters". The homoerotic, bisexual undertones exhibited in that scene were quite edgy/scandalous for the time. Jean Simmons' Varinia has a lovely grace about her, as well as some sly humor, which adds warmth to her character. But Simmons also shows restraint because, as a slave, she has to hide her emotions from the abuse she must endure. And as Gracchus, Charles Laughton conveys the decency of a man who must make many dangerous political & spiritual compromises.
'Spartacus' was one of the year's top-grossers at the box office & won 4 Oscars, one for Peter Ustinov, & 3 for how stunning it looked (cinematography, art direction, costumes). Also exceptional is Alex North's iconic & varied musical score. From an editing standpoint, the massive final battle is wildly impressive; mostly because it was shot in an age with no CGI effects ... that scene employed 8,000+ men. You know, Stanley Kubrick did not exercise complete artistic control, as he was a replacement director when Anthony Mann (of Cimarron, El Cid) left after one week of shooting. I'd say he did a great job, all things considered. Finally, one of the things that intrigued me about 'Spartacus' was the rare, yet courageous conclusion; one without an obligatory happy ending. For 3 hours, audiences had to face a surprising climax & an ending that didn't show the protagonists riding off into the sunset. That said, how the ending is handled is still very inspirational.