inspiring fight for freedom

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2010)

This movie is based on the DVD produced by criterion.The title sequence is unique,the face of a Roman warrior smashed to pieces,a symbol for Spartacus or the Roman empire?The first hour deals with Spartacus gaining his battling skills at the gladiator school and then the revolt of the slaves.The training scenes are very well filmed ,the dialogue is sparse but very effective,it shows how demanding a life of a gladiator was.The burgening romance of Spartacus and Varina is touching helped by some marvellous love theme.The film has a stellar cast including Kirk Douglas,Jean Simmons,Charles Laughton,Peter Ustinov and Tony Curtis.The Romans are shown as cold ruthless and politically ambitous.There are several scenes that stand out,Spartacus fight with Draba,Charles Laughton in the senate,the revolt of the gladiators,the battle scenes,the identification of Spartacus and the farewell at the end.Ustinov won the Oscar for his role and Woody Strode is memorable as Draba.Often called the thinking mans epic,a film that is fresh today.The extras on the DVD include dek leted scenes,a documentary on the Hollywood ten and a couple of interesting commentries.There was a sequel of sorts called the son of Spartacus starring Steve Reeves which never seems to be shown on TV.Spartacus is a film to catch up with if you have not seen it, or a rewatch if you haven,t seen it for awhile.