a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Marko
      Peric
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      Week:
      All
      roads
      lead
     
     
      to
      Rome
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Spartacus
     
    

    
     
      Kirk
      Douglas,
      Lawrence
     
     
      Olivier,
      Jean
      Simmons,
     
     
      Peter
      Ustinov
      and
      Tony
     
     
      Curtis.
     
    

    
     
      Director:
      Stanley
      Kubrick
     
     
      1960.
      196
      minutes.
      Colour
     
     
      PG:
      =
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      After
      suggestions
      that
     
     
      Blade
      Runner
      and
      The
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Princess
      Bride
      are
      too
      new.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      be
      considered
      classic
     
     
      film,
      it
      seemed
      fitting
      to
     
     
      review
      something
      more
     
     
      suitable.
      Spartacus
      fits
      the
     
     
      bill
      perfectly.
      Arguably
      the
     
     
      best
      epic
      to
      come
      out
      in
      the
     
     
      sixties,
      it
      has
      a
      talented
     
     
      cast,
      striking
      visuals,
      and
     
     
      an
      engaging
      plotline
      that
     
     
      makes
      one
      forget
      that
      the
     
     
      movie
      is
      over
      three
      hours
     
     
      long.
     
    

    
     
      The
      title
      character,
     
     
      played
      masterfully
      by
      Kirk
     
     
      Douglas,
      is
      a
      Thracian
     
     
      slave
      who
      is
      sold
      to
      a
     
     
      gladiatorial
      school.
      Here,
     
     
      slaves
      are
      trained
      to
      fight
     
     
      each
      other
      to
      the
      death
      for
     
     
      the
      entertainment
      of
      the
     
     
      masses.
      Spartacus
      falls
      in
     
     
      love
      with
      one
      of
      the
      slave
     
     
      girls
      at
      the
      school,
      and
      the
     
     
      trainer
      torments
      him
      over
     
     
      this...
      When
      she
      is
      sold,
     
     
      Spartacus
      kills
      the
      trainer
     
     
      and
      unintentionally
      starts
      a
     
     
      revolt.
      Thousands
      of
     
     
      slaves
      flock
      to
      his
      cause,
     
     
      and
      soon
      the
      former
      gladia-
     
     
      tor
      commands
      an
      army
      of
     
     
      slaves.
      The
      Roman
      garri-
     
     
      son
      sent
      to
      put
      down
      the
     
     
      revolt
      is
      slaughtered,
      as
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      legions
      sent
      to
      intercept
     
     
      the
      slaves.
      Although
     
     
      Spartacus
      and
      his
      followers
     
     
      only
      want
      to
      escape
      from
     
     
      Italy,
      the
      Romans
      will
      not
     
     
      accept
      this.
      Led
      by
      the
     
     
      arrogant
      Marcus
      Crassus
     
     
      (Olivier),
      they
      mass
      all
     
     
      their
      forces
      to
      crush
     
     
      Spartacus
      and
      his
      rebel-
     
     
      lion.
     
    

    
     
      Of
      course
      I’m
      not
     
     
      going
      to
      tell
      you
      who
      wins.
     
     
      But
      what
      I
      have
      told
      you
      is
     
     
      only-a
      brief
      summary
      of
      the
     
     
      plot.
      There
      are
      countless
     
     
      details
      and
      scenes,
      each
     
     
      important,
      that
      would
      fill
     
     
      the
      page
      ifI
      tried
      to
      explain
     
     
      only
      a
      third
      of
      them.
     
     
      There’s
      so
      much
      to
      the
      film
     
     
      that
      it
      really
      has
      to
      be
     
     
      watched
      more
      than
      once.
     
    

    
     
      Acting:
      Spectacu-
     
     
      lar.
      Kirk
      Douglas
      becomes
     
     
      larger
      than
      life
      to
      his
     
     
      followers,
      but
      the
      character
     
     
      remains
      very
      much
      human.
     
     
      Douglas
      has
      never
      had
      a
     
     
      more
      memorable
      role.
      Jean
     
     
      Simmons
      plays
      the
      slave
     
     
      girl
      he
      falls
      in
      love
      with.
     
     
      She
      may
      start
      out
      a
      little
     
     
      wooden,
      but
      after
      the
      rebel-
     
     
      lion
      she
      really
      gets
      into
      the
     
     
      role.
      Lawrence
      Olivier
     
     
      steals
      the
      show,
      however.
     
     
      With
      an
      ego
      the
      size
      of
      the
     
     
      Capitol,
      he
      makes
      Crassus
     
     
      ambitious
      and
      merciless,
     
     
      but
      not
      without
      charm.
     
     
      Most
      of
      the
      time
      he
     
     
      appears,
      he
      dominates
      the
     
     
      scene.
      On
      the
      other
      hand,
     
     
      Peter
      Ustinov
      is
      delightful
     
     
      as
      the
      owner
      of
      the
      gladi-
     
     
      atorial
      school.
      His
      charac-
     
     
      ter
      becomes
      quite
      admira-
     
     
      ble
      as
      the
      film
      progresses,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Arts
      @¢
      The
      P
     
    
   
   
    
     
      which
      is
      remarkable
      since
     
     
      he
      starts
      as
      repulsive
      jerk.
     
     
      Direction:
      Kubrick
     
     
      does
      and
      excellent
      job
      of
     
     
      balancing
      the
      epic
      propor-
     
     
      tions
      of
      the
      story
      with
      the
     
     
      human
      drama.
      His
      han-
     
     
      dling
      of
      both
      is
      deft
      and
     
     
      certain.
      The
      inclusion
      of
     
     
      Tony
      Curtis
      as
      Antoninus,
     
     
      a
      slave
      ‘story-teller
      turned
     
     
      rebel
      is
      a
      perfect
      example
     
     
      the
      human
      side
      of
      the
      story.
     
     
      And
      the
      other
      end
      of
      the
     
     
      spectrum,
      the
      large
      scenes
     
     
      are
      handled
      masterfully.
     
     
      Memorable
      Scenes:
     
     
      Countless.
      The
      first
      few
     
     
      minutes
      of
      the
      slave
      revolt
     
     
      are
      filled
      with
      action
      and
     
     
      bloodletting,
      and
      so
      much
     
     
      takes
      place
      you
      might
      want
     
     
      to
      press
      rewind
      and
      watch
      it
     
    
   
   
    
     
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CUT
      Y
     
     
      CUMBIA
     
    
   
   
    
     
      anther
      Prints
     
    
   
   
    
     
      again.
      The
      final
      battle
     
     
      scene
      is
      also
      astonishing,
     
     
      with
      quite
      literally
      a
      cast
      of
     
     
      thousands.
      I’m
      not
      sure
      if
     
     
      the
      film
      is
      available
      in
     
     
      letterbox,
      but
      finding
      a
     
     
      copy
      in
      that
      format
      would
     
     
      be
      worthwhile
      if
      only
      for
     
     
      this
      scene.
      Also
      watch
      for
     
     
      the
      bathing
      scene
      with
     
     
      Olivier
      and
      Curtis.
      Can
     
     
      you
      figure
      out
      what
      Olivier
     
     
      is
      talking
      about?
      It
      seems
     
     
      that
      the
      censors
      in
      1960
     
     
      didn’t.
     
    

    
     
      Best
      Lines:
      Almost
     
     
      everything
      Ustinov
      says
      is
     
     
      priceless.
      Pay
      careful
     
     
      attention
      whenever
      he
      is
      on
     
     
      screen.
      Aside
      from
      him,
     
     
      Douglas
      has
      the
      great
      and
     
     
      often
      imitated
      line
      “I
      am
     
     
      not
      an
      animal!”
      There
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Street
     
     
      Charlottetown
     
    
   
   
    
     
      64
      Kin
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      movie
      info
      call
     
    
   
   
    
     
      368-3669
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      other
      memorable
      lines
      that
     
     
      you'll
      have
      to
      watch
      for
      --
      I
     
     
      can’t
      begin
      to
      list
      them
     
     
      here.
     
    

    
     
      Bottom
      Line:
      Big,
     
     
      bold,
      perhaps
      a
      tad
      bloody,
     
     
      and
      definitely
      worth
      watch-
     
     
      ing.
      Get
      together
      all
      your
     
     
      friends
      that
      don’t
      have
     
     
      limited
      attention
      ©
      spans,
     
     
      find
      three
      hours,
      and
      make
     
     
      lots
      of
      popcorn.
      If
      you
      only
     
     
      watch
      one
      epic
      in
      your
     
     
      entire
      life,
      make
      this
      the
     
     
      one.
     
    

    
     
      Available:
      The
     
     
      larger
      video
      stores
      will
      of
     
     
      course
      have
      copies,
      but
     
     
      many
      of
      the
      smaller
      ones
     
     
      might
      not,
      even
      ones
      that
     
     
      have
      decent
      classic
      sec-
     
     
      tions.
      It
      might
      be
      good
      idea
     
     
      to
      call
      ahead.
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pree
      ae