"I AM SPARTACUS!!!" And I was moved to tears!

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2000)

A truly moving portrayal of slavery in Roman Times, and one man's self determination to do something about it, against impossible odds!
Spartacus is a classic amongst the classics. Not quite so pompous as Ben Hur; not so overdone as Ten Commandments. Spartacus offers a comfortable middleway between being a cultured movie & mass-acceptance movie.
Kubrick's direction has never been better, especially during the final battle scenes, and the rather subtle & discreet scene between Olivier & Curtis sharing a bath together - a lot of the cryptic dialogue between the two probably went straight over the heads of a lot of viewers, myself included initially.
But this is the work of Kubrick. Not only can he provide the audience with what they want to see - action, pathos, drama etc; by the same token he can provide us with little hidden delicacies that tease us & tempt us, once we've unravelled their meaning.
I was also taken by the wonderful score by Alex North, especially at the very beginning during the title sequence.
The actors all take a share of the spoils. Simmons, Ustinov, Curtis, even the cameo from Woodie Strode, play with a certain majesty that is needed for a weighty film such as this. Kubrick knows how to tap the best out of some actors, and here is no exception.
Of course the true honours are shared by Olivier and Douglas. In a way the characters they play is like a metaphor of their real acting abilities.
We have in the red corner, Laurence Olivier, playing the sweeping & majestic Crassus, leader of Rome (in all but name), who rides his white horse with an air of arrogance & godliness and you feel could crush Spartacus with one hand. And we all know Olivier's true acting pedigree both on stage & on film, be it Shakespeare or a ruthless Nazi dentist, Olivier always has that aura of class about him.
While in the blue corner, Kirk Douglas, playing Spartacus, the David to Olivier's Goliath. But a man, a little man, who stands alone in defiance of dictatorship, and almost succeeds. And then we can contrast Douglas' films and see that even though his portfolio is not quite so grand he does & has produced/acted in a great number of memorable movies.

It's not often I shed a tear at the movies but after the final battle scene, the victorious Crassus wants to know who Spartacus is amongst the walking wounded. One by one they stand up and declare "I, am Spartacus!" while Douglas looked on, the tears rolling down my face!
Spartacus is perhaps slightly over hyped, but its a very good & thought provoking movie for all that.
****/*****