“SPARTACUS” REVIEW (1960)
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Kirk Douglass – Spartacus
Laurence Oliver – Crassus
Jean Simmons – Varinia
To me there are two distinct types of “Kubrick”. The first being a more psychological, deep, and profound Kubrick, the movies I attribute to this side would be films like “A Clockwork Orange”, “Eyes Wide Shut”, and last but not least “The Shining”. Films by this side tend to have a lot of underlying meanings and symbolism in them, they most definitely give the viewer something to think about once they leave the theatre. The other side is a more direct Kubrick, but also a fancier Kubrick. This side tends to produce longer, slower, and overall more complicated storylines with a lot less to analyze. All the meaning and morale of the film is placed right on the table instead of the other side which requires you to dig. Films I attribute to this side are “Barry Lyndon”, “2001: A space odyssey”, and the masterpiece I’m about to talk about “Spartacus”.
This film is an epic tale about slave rebellion in Ancient Rome. It starts with a lone and rebellious slave (Spartacus) working under Roman guard in the mines of Libya. When a fellow slave, carrying a basket of boulders, passes out from heat exhaustion and is begins to be crushed by his heavy load, Spartacus springs into action, removing his barrel and saving the slave’s life. The Roman guards however disapprove and beat Spartacus off of the wounded slave. Spartacus returns the favor by “Hamstringing” a guard. We are told that this isn’t the first obstruction that Spartacus has upheld and is punished to starve to death. However a fat and wealthy business man saves him from his fate by buying him to train him into a gladiator. Where he will be auctioned off and thrown into constant “To the death” battles against fellow slave for the amusement of the Romans. This is the beginning of Spartacus’s journey. However, while at the school Spartacus falls in love with a innocent slave by the name of Varinia. While training at Gladiator school a rich, greedy, and power hungry Roman senate member, Crassus, visits. He commands the leader of the school to match up several Gladiators to fight to the death, this is a wedding gift to his friend, He also is astonished by Varinia’s incomprehensible beauty and buys her. However, the slaves at the school don’t ever actually fight to the death, this is something that happens after they’ve been sold. Spartacus is picket to fight against the biggest, baddest, and blackest gladiator in the school. The black slave beats Spartacus but can’t push himself to kill him, he tries to escape but is killed instantly by Roman guards. This sends shock and panic throughout the school and brings about a rebellion which Spartacus leads, and builds into a daunting army ready to march on Rome.
This film boasts a fantastic cast and rich story. The cinematography is flawless and the production value is astonishing. However I did have a few problems with it. The first is that it starts with a long, unentertaining overture which isn’t necessary and doesn’t belong. It only adds to the length of the picture (which is already over 3 hours) and is followed by another boring, long, music driven credit sequence.
Another thing that bothered me was the usage of Julius Cesar, my point is that it didn’t need to be Julius Cesar, It could just as well been any other Roman. The character seemed rushed in and has very little bearing on the story. However Kirk Douglass as Spartacus is the definite show stealer, this is definitely one of his best performances and something to be admired. The romance between Spartacus and Varinia is done beautifully, they both are perfect for each other and I think it’s one of the best romances ever put to celluloid (yes, even better than “Titanic”). It makes you smile just to watch them talk around each other and you feel the emotions swirl between them. The pacing is done rather well and you can actually split the film into two parts if you really wanted to.
Bottom line, “Spartacus” is a great story by a great director and a truly all-star cast. It is not to be missed.
A review by Alex Cravero
5/19/09
