One of the Greatest Casts You're Ever Going to See

Rating: Null/10 (19 August 2011)

Spartacus (1960)
**** (out of 4)
Born a slave and trained as a gladiator, Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) leads a revolt against the Roman Empire and the evil Marcus Crassus (Laurence Olivier) so that slavery can come to an end and his men granted their freedom. This story has become rather legendary due to the power of the film itself and even if you're not a movie buff there are so many sequences in this film that everyone knows. Of course, the biggest is the "I'm Spartacus" sequence and while this is a beautifully mounted scene, there are many others that are just as powerful. In this era of Hollywood it seems an epic was coming out every few months and it's my opinion that this here is among the greatest ever made. I mean, just take a look at the cast, which includes not only legends Douglas and Olivier but also Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin, Tony Curtis, John Ireland, Nina Foch, Herbert Lom and even Woody Strode has a brief part. So many brilliant actors in one film certainly makes SPARTACUS stand apart but there are many other things that really help this.
The epics of the silent era really weren't any different than those made in the 50s and 60s and there really no different than what's being made today. They contain great battle scenes and SPARTACUS is full of them. You can tell where the money was spent as we get thousands of extras and it's really amazing to watch a film with all of these people in real costumes and acting out these battles. One can't help but wonder what producer Douglas and director Kubrick would have to do in order to get everything ready to shoot. These mammoth battle sequences really are jaw dropping and especially the final ones and wait till you check out the burning logs that are rolled down the hill. One wonders how no one was injured or killed. Even the earlier stuff in the gladiator school is perfectly handled as we get some great battles to the death between slaves.
Most epics featured these great battle scenes but to me what really makes SPARTACUS stand out are the brilliant performances and the incredibly touching personal stories. The love story to most films kill them because they're often not needed but the work between Douglas and Simmons is beautifully done and it features some of the greatest writing in Dalton Trumbo's career. The fireworks between the two stars really come across on the screen and you can't help but feel their passion as well as their love for one another as they try to gain their freedom. Both actors do a marvelous job as does the rest of the supporting players. Curtis probably wasn't the greatest choice for his role but he gives it his all and delivers a fine performance. Laughton is so lovable in his scenes and his final are incredibly touching. Ustinov is the master that he's always shown to be. Olivier delivers one of the greatest performances from any epic and he also makes this character one of the most hated in film history. If you can feel the love between Douglas and Simmons then you can feel the cold evil that is Olivier.
There are a few problems with the film with one being its 197-minute length, which is a tad too long. One other problem is that the music score is often used in places where it would have been better left silent with the actors doing what they're there to do. I think there were a few too many times when the "LOUD" and "BANG" of the score took away from what was on the screen. The one objection that I've read that I'm highly against is that Kubrick wasn't the right man for this picture. I've heard some call him a "director for hire" on this and that he really couldn't deliver "his type of movie" but I find these comments laughable. This is very much a Kubrick picture as you can see that in the style and without him who knows how these movie would have turned out. I've heard many people say Kubrick was a cold filmmaker and that he had no heart but I think the final thirty-minutes of this film proves that wrong. The final sequences are so incredibly powerful and emotionally rewarding that one can't help but be brought to tears by their beauty. SPARTACUS, with its terrific screenplay, brilliant acting and strong direction really stands out in a crowded field of epics.