No "Glad" in "Gladiator"

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2008)

Great film. Kirk Douglas gave the performance of his career. Kubrick was very adept at filming Douglas's face...no joke - Kirk Douglas can convey deep feelings and moods without uttering a word and that chiseled mug of his is one powerful cinematic tool. Douglas's grimacing face, bright white teeth flashing, elicits more drama than Shakespeare ever could. When the lighting casts shadows accentuating all the angles and lines of that face and the piercing eyes.I tell ya, no other director utilized Douglas this way before or since. Kubrick was a genius. The first half of the film was filled with tension as Spartacus was tormented by the gravely-voiced trainer, Marcellus. When Spartacus finally snapped, the rebellion was swift and brutal.This came shortly after the gladiator match between Woody Strode and Douglas - the best gladiator fight ever filmed. All the conflicts and nuances of human behavior, whether from slaves or Roman gentry, seemed very authentic. Kubrick was able to depict the gathering of the slave army and how they trained and sustained themselves. Douglas was very charismatic and pulled it off well as a leader to whom thousands would follow. Olivier was flawless as the hateful Roman general, Crassus. Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons,Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov - all put in great performances. I would have liked to have seen several more sustained battles - they were few and much too brief in this film. The climactic battle scene was very powerful; I wish it had lasted longer. I also wish the film was more historically accurate - the true story of Spartacus was even more amazing and brutal. Two things that were flawed in the film were a lack of the development of some of the minor characters..they seemed like stock 1950-1960 cookie cutter characters. Also,the fake outdoor scenes filmed under a studio roof were out of place in such a spectacle - they were more suited for a TV show like Bonanza - come to think of it, this practice of having phony trees, rocks, and ground instead of actually filming outdoors ruined many TV shows and movies of the 50's and 60's. Anyway, Douglas's performance and Kubrick's direction made this film a classic. The soundtrack music was excellent - very original and it added a lot to the film.