Spartacus (1960) Review

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons, and Laurence Oliver

Original Release: October 6^th, 1960

Based on the Novel by: Howard Fast

I tend to buy movies all the time, most of the time I don’t even get around to watching them                                 until I have the time to do so. It’s a problem, I’m aware of this but it’s sort of my addiction and I have to humor it once in a while. During Christmas of 2012 I picked up a box set, this certain collection was an immediate buy for me because it was all the best films by one of my favorite directors, Stanley Kubrick. I am aware that there is a blu-ray edition of this set, but personally it was just something I had to grab, so for once in my picky life I settled for the dvd. 

Over the past two years I’ve only watched four films out of this set, after that I placed the boxset on a shelf for it to collect dust. A week ago however I felt the itch to go and order some movies off of Amazon, but then my eyes gazed upon that collection and I made a vow. I would have to watch all the movies I’ve bought before I go out and purchase any others (trust me, it’s a lot) so I went and decided to watch every film within the Stanley Kubrick collection, the first film in the set was the 1960 Oscar-winning epic, Spartacus.

The film tells the story of Spartacus (Kirk Douglas), a slave who is sold to the greedy Batiatus (Peter Ustinov) to become a gladiator. When Spartacus is forced to fight to the death for corrupt Senator, Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Oliver) he quickly rises against his slave masters and leads a slave rebellion across all of Italy, in the hopes to crush the Roman Empire and free every slave that’s ever been oppressed by the corrupt nobles of Rome. 

If you are a fan of the Starz television series Spartacus and are expecting the same sort of blood orgy that’s represented there, I implore you to not watch this movie you’ll hate it. In fact if you are expecting something akin to 300 than I also think its best if you just stop while you’re a head. Big Hollywood epics were completely different from what we see today on screen, now a day many of these historical epics focus on the brutality of the story rather than the actual characters and plot themselves. Spartacus shines primarily on the complex story it weaves between the slave rebellion lead by the titular protagonist, and the many senate meetings in Rome. Unlike most films of this nature Spartacus shows you two sides of the coin, where our hero’s rebellion might seem heroic and noble, to the Romans it seems like a barbaric and monstrous raid against all that Rome holds dear. As with every Kubrick movie the plot and characters are paramount, everyone in this film is compelling, from Douglas’s rebellion leading Spartacus to the slimy and corrupt Crassus, everyone in this movie is compelling and never once will you be bored by any of the characters in this movie.

It goes without saying that Kirk Douglas is a legend; the man has been in the business since the 40’s and is still around today. The role of Spartacus is Kirk Douglas’s Don Corleone, this role was made for him and is the role that most moviegoers recognize him for. Of course it might seem strange that an American actor is essentially playing and Italian but there is just something about Kirk’s rugged features that makes him hypnotic on screen. Jean Simmons plays Varinia, a slave who becomes Spartacus’s lover and wife. Simmons is simply gorgeous to watch and every scene she’s in demands the full attention of anyone watching the film. The movie also has the great Laurence Oliver as Crassus, the films primary villain. Oliver is so charming that it makes it so hard to not hate his character and I find it completely odd how he was not nominated for the film. The movie also has the great Tony Curtis as a main supporting role and Peter Ustinov as salve trader Batiatus, Ustinov would later be nominated and win the best supporting actor Oscar for this film and is the only actor out of any Kubrick film to have won an Oscar. 

The film does run 3 hours so some of Kurbricks classic long sweeping shots and heavy dialogue scenes might weigh on some viewers, but like I’ve said in other reviews with run times like this, do not be dissuaded. Commit yourself to the film and you’ll be rewarded gladly, its Kurbrick for god sakes you have to give this film a chance at least once. The movie is gloriously shot and looks amazing, watching films from the early days of film really make you appreciate the time and effort that went into making these grand epics. These days all you need to make a Historical Drama is some good cg and an awesome green screen, since Spartacus is decades behind current technology in film, Kubrick had to resort to more practical toolsets. They really don’t make them like they used to, and sure that might be a saying that’s been thrown around for years but we really have become too reliant on computers to do all the hard work for us, I’m not trying to criticize the people who work for companies like Weta and ILM but CG should only be used to enhance the scene, not create it entirely, and yes movies like Star Wars and Avatar are where cg can be used completely and to its best abilities, but let’s not forget our roots here, people.

Many of the actors in this movie are veterans of theater so the acting might seem a bit, over the top to say the least. Many films dating back to the 60’s and further relied on the assistance of the great thespians of theater, but actors like Charles Laughton really are in their element when it comes to this film, I’m all for over the top characters in great films like this, for me it adds to the excitement of the film and the spectacle, the only actor who really seems to be holding back is Tony Curtis, which is a shame because the man is one of the greats. It is well known however that Curtis did not enjoy filming this movie and is quoted as saying “who do I have to sleep with to get out of this picture?” Curtis wasn’t the only person who didn’t have a good time making Spartacus; Kubrick himself loathed the entire experience and even went as far as disowning the movie publicly. One cannot blame Kubrick for this, this was Kubricks first huge studio picture, usually when studios (in this case Universal) invest on a new director, they tend to make sure that the movie stays to their vision instead of the director’s. The movie does have the nuances of a Kubrick film, but at the same time hardly feels like one at all.

The only real problem I had with the movie was the romance between Spartacus and Varinia, the movie just assumes that you’ll buy into the romance because these are the two main leads. However it’s filled with the classic cheese of old school romance. If that’s your thing than you’ll buy it, but even I have my limits when it comes to overacting, and the love story is so forced on the viewer that it becomes an entire burden to the picture. These scenes were the only time I found that the movie slowed down, and I’m all for romance, it’s just that these were the weakest scenes in the entire movie. The movie tries it’s hardest to showcase how madly in love Spartacus is with this woman, but lines like “I’ve never been with a real woman before” are almost on the brink of comedy and I found myself chuckling every time that the two had a “tender” moment. Unfortunately a great deal of the movie’s plot revolves around the relationship between the two freed slaves,  you would think that they would film something more believable than what was put on screen, but I guess that’s just how it was done back then.

Like I said earlier the film is heavy on the talking and not really on the action aspect of the story.  There’s a total of three tiny actions scenes sprinkled throughout the film, the action is only a portion of the plot, which is the way that most films like Spartacus should take note of. The final climactic battle between the Romans and the Slaves is an incredible sight so I think that it should satisfy anyone looking for the carnage that Roman epics have these days.

Spartacus is a great movie; it’s witty, fun, and full of action and drama. Kubrick might have had a bad time filming this movie but it really is the movie that caught audience’s attention towards the great director. I give Spartacus a

8/10

If you have the time to sit through a three hour epic than please do yourself the favor and watch Spartacus. It might not be like the conventional fare like 300, but Spartacus can really make one appreciate what movies used to be. With real locations and practical effects, this is the movie that inspired films like Troy and Gladiator, so it should warrant any viewing from a film fan. Now this is the first in a series of reviews I am doing for the Stanley Kubrick Essential Collection, the next film on the list is the very controversial Lolita, so stay tuned for that review in the near future.