Fascinating, cerebral (if flawed) historical epic

Rating: 8/10 (27 June 2007)

In Rome circa 55 BC, Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) is a Thracian slave who is purchased as a gladiator by the sniveling Lanista Lentulus Batiatus (Peter Ustinov), and along with his colleagues is trained in the art of killing. Falling for a slave girl, Varinia (Jean Simmons), and motivated by the death of one of his colleagues, Draba (Woody Strode), for refusing to kill him in a duel, Spartacus leads a bloody slave uprising that spreads throughout Italy. In Rome, political rivals Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier), a Patrician with dictatorial ambitions, and Gracchus (Charles Laughton), a Republican "man of the people", along with their subordinates Glabrus (John Dall) and Julius Caesar (John Gavin), manipulate the rebellion for their own gains. As army after army is defeated by Spartacus, the situation grows more desperate - until Crassus is given the ultimate authority to deal with Spartacus, and leads three huge Roman armies to trap him in a final showdown.
The stories behind the making of "Spartacus" are legendary. The firing of director Anthony Mann, the clash of ideas between screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, novelist Howard Fast, director Stanley Kubrick, and producer/star Kirk Douglas, and the attempts of various right-wing groups in Hollywood to block the film's release, are as interesting as the film itself. With all these troubles, it's hard to believe that "Spartacus" is such a good film. It's flawed, yes, but nonetheless several notches above most films of its type.
Most historical epics of the '40s and '50s were superficial spectacles which relied on casts of thousands, huge sets and scenery, giant battles, and star-power to (hopefully) overlook poor period writing and ridiculously formulaic stories. In 1959, William Wyler's "Ben-Hur" began to elevate the epic above mere shallow entertainment; in 1962, David Lean would take the genre to its pinnacle with "Lawrence of Arabia". "Spartacus" is very much in the mold of these films, rather than the empty spectacle of C.B. DeMille Biblical epics.
The film contains plenty of spectacle, with its use of gorgeous Spanish scenery (offset by the occasional back-lot scene), and the giant marching armies of Rome and Spartacus, whose army becomes so large that it literally blots out the screen. The film contains a few duels and fights (particularly the memorable trident-vs.-sword fight between Spartacus and Draba), but only one major battle scene: the climactic defeat of the slave army. The prelude to the final battle features one of the most awe-inspiring spectacles ever filmed, as the enormous Roman Army maneuvers into attack formation; this scene is so impressive that the failure to represent Spartacus's earlier victories is easily forgotten. Combined with Alex North's rousing musical score, this scene is one of the most memorable in film history.
But it's the much-debated political aspect of the film which propels it to classic status. The film manages to preserve most of Dalton Trumbo's notion that Spartacus is a genuine people's hero; he is motivated by the cruelty that he sees, the love of Varinia, and goes from an almost animalistic brute to a humanist who genuinely loves his followers. At one point, he refuses a request from his turncoat ally, Cilician pirate leader Tigranus Levantus (Herbert Lom), to evacuate Spartacus and his family to a life of luxury for themselves. The revolt may be futile from the beginning, but Spartacus feels that "just by opposing Rome, we may have won a victory." This is definitely a liberal point-of-view, but I don't see it as particularly offensive; then again, it was released in the aftermath of the McCarthy era, with a previously blacklisted screenwriter, so it was definitely more sensitive at the time.
Even more interesting than Spartacus himself is the intricately woven chess match between Gracchus and Crassus. Gracchus is old, crooked, and venal, and yet he recognizes the threat that Crassus poses to Rome: "I'd rather have a little Republican corruption, with a little Republican freedom, than rule by Crassus and no freedom at all!" Crassus, as written by Trumbo and portrayed by the great Laurence Olivier, is a fascinating character. At first glance he is simply a power-hungry egomaniac, but upon examination he is a much more complex character. Unsure of himself, and of his abilities, he feels threatened personally by Spartacus's rebellion and wants to gain power, we suspect, more to assuage his personal insecurities than for power's sake. Even after his victory, purging Rome of its enemies ("Lists of the disloyal have been compiled" - a line which must have really resonated in 1960) and marrying Varinia, Crassus is still unable to feel secure.
The acting is generally top-notch. Kirk Douglas gives a sterling portrait of Spartacus as a man who grows to have deeply-held convictions. He is more than a simple rock-jawed, noble hero; he is a complex character who grows over the course of the story. Laurence Olivier proves himself the brilliant actor he was with his wonderfully subtle and layered performance as Crassus, with Charles Laughton, in one of his last roles, a brilliant counterpart as his ultra-pragmatic rival. Tony Curtis is also fine as Antoninus, the romantic slave who becomes Spartacus's right hand man, and Peter Ustinov does a fine job as the sleazy Batiatus, who cares not a wit about politics, viewing the whole situation as a mere inconvenience to him. Smaller parts are ably handled by John Ireland, Herbert Lom, Charles McGraw, and Woody Strode. On the other hand, Jean Simmons, while gorgeous, is rather one-note as Varinia, while John Dall and John Gavin are given one-dimensional characters and play them accordingly.
Despite some flaws in its execution (too long, poor pacing, leaving out important battle scenes, undeveloped subplots involving supporting characters), "Spartacus"'s reputation as the "thinking-man's epic" is well-deserved. Skillfully weaving a tapestry of complicated political messages, well-rounded characters, and the usual pomp and spectacle expected of the genre, Kubrick's film, if not a masterpiece, is still a classic.
8/10