What kind of movie is spartacus

The direction is by the year-old Stanley Kubrick , who realizes the ideas of Douglas, Fast and Trumbo but cannot be said to add much of his own distinctive style to the film. The most entertaining performance in the movie, consistently funny, is by Ustinov, who upstages everybody when he is onscreen he won an Oscar.

All historical films share the danger that their costumes and hairstyles will age badly. But the hairstyles of the visiting Roman women at the gladiatorial school are laughable, and even Jean Simmons looks too made up and coiffed at times. Balancing against those dated elements are some that were ahead of their times, including a muted but sophisticated understanding of sexual motivation. That brings his desire for Jean Simmons into focus: He wants her not merely to possess her, but as a form of victory over Spartacus.

The film has been restored by Robert A. The full minutes of screen time has been pieced together from various shorter release versions; 10 minutes of opening, intermission and closing music is supplied; the color has been renewed by going back to the original materials and restoring them; the sound track is in six-track Dolby although many theaters are equipped with only four tracks , and the 70mm wide screen picture reminds us of when movies filled our entire field of vision.

The movie is about revolution, and clearly reflects the decadence of the parasitical upper classes and the superior moral fiber of the slaves. But at the end, Spartacus, like Jesus, dies on the cross. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from until his death in In , he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Laurence Olivier as Crassus. Jean Simmons as Varinia. Manu Bennett Crixus as Crixus. Daniel Feuerriegel Agron as Agron. Peter Mensah Doctore as Doctore …. Nick E. Tarabay Ashur as Ashur. Viva Bianca Ilithyia as Ilithyia. Liam McIntyre Spartacus as Spartacus. Pana Hema Taylor Nasir as Nasir …. Cynthia Addai-Robinson Naevia as Naevia. Dustin Clare Gannicus as Gannicus. Heath Jones Donar as Donar. Katrina Law Mira as Mira. Ellen Hollman Saxa as Saxa. Barry Duffield Lugo as Lugo. Kelvin Taylor Kraynos as Kraynos.

John Hannah Batiatus as Batiatus. Craig Parker Glaber as Glaber …. Steven S. More like this. Watch options. Storyline Edit. The inspiration behind this series is the Thracian Gladiator Spartacus, who led a slave uprising against the Roman Republic. The Thracians had been persuaded by Claudius Glaber to serve as auxiliaries in the Roman legions in a campaign against the Getae, who had often plundered Thracian lands.

However after Glaber reneges on the deal and switches his attentions from the Getae to attack Mithridates in Asia Minor, the Thracians feel betrayed and mutiny. Captured by Glaber, Spartacus is condemned to death as a Gladiator, whilst his wife Sura is condemned to slavery. Spartacus, however, proves to be a formidable gladiator, and defeats the four gladiators tasked with executing him.

He becomes a favorite of the crowd, leading Senator Albinius to commute his death sentence to a life of slavery. Spartacus is purchased by Batiatus for gladiator training, who promises to help him find Sura if he proves himself in training. As the series develops, the story follows the betrayals and machinations of Roman life and a tale of one man's heroic quest for vengeance.

Some legends are written in blood. Did you know Edit. Trivia In September , Andy Whitfield Spartacus announced that he would not be able to appear in the second season because he had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and was pursuing aggressive medical treatment. In September , Whitfield died at the age of Goofs In several episodes the use of the letter U, for example under the bust that Batiatus made for Spartacus, was seen.

Spartacus and the thousands of freed slaves successfully make their way to Brandisium only to find that the Silesians have abandoned them. They then turn north and must face the might of Rome. Electrifying Excitement! Adventure Biography Drama History War. Did you know Edit. Trivia Stanley Kubrick was brought in as director after Kirk Douglas had a major falling out with the original director, Anthony Mann. According to Sir Peter Ustinov , the salt mines sequence was the only footage shot by Mann.

At first glance, they appear to be Roman numerals, but the letter "E" was never used to represent a number during Roman times. In fact, the only time the letter "E" was ever used as a Roman numeral was hundreds of years later during the Middle Ages, where it was used to represent the number , but it is no longer used in modern times.

Quotes Antoninus : I'm Spartacus! Crazy credits The opening titles appear in a montage of silhouetted Roman sculptures and tablets, which evokes the strength and power of the Roman Empire. The montage ends with a zoom into the eye of a crumbling Roman bust, which hints at the Empire's coming decline and fall.

Alternate versions After its premiere the film was heavily cut and wasn't shown in its complete form until , when a restored version was re-released. The soundtrack was damaged, so Anthony Hopkins was called in to dub Olivier's lines. In addition, several scenes of violence preview audiences reacted to negatively were restored, including Crassus bloodily stabbing Draba, Marcellus being drowned in the stew, Spartacus stabbing a Roman soldier in the pool, and several gory shots in the final battle, notably Spartacus lopping off the arm of a Roman soldier.

User reviews Review. Top review. Best credits sequence. A magnificent movie deserving of every accolade heaped upon it. Watch out, especially, for the credit sequence at the beginning. It is truly worthy of this epic. Unless you are watching it at home and can rewind , it might just pass you by before you are settled in. And that would be a pity. So get comfortable quickly before the movie starts. Be prepared for a real treat. Whoever put the credit sequence together ought to be commended.

Coincidentally, Alex North also composed the music of the other epic with a great credit sequence, Cleopatra. FAQ 2.