Masters of the cinema. I'm Spartacus!

Rating: 8/10 (6 February 2020)

A three hour plus epic directed by Stanley Kubrick after the original director Anthony Mann was fired a week into the production!
Like other epics of the period an intermission is included.
Reminded me of Ben-Hur with its Roman empire background.
It follows the adult life of Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) who fights against his miserable life of slavery at the hands of the Roman's including barbaric gladiatorial fights to the death.
A strong supporting cast includes greats such as Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov and Charles Laughton. Laughton has his usual dry humour in an otherwise serious story.
Thousands of extras, 70mm photography and Kubrick himself add to the gravitas and epic feel of the film.
Douglas himself puts all of his early life of poverty into his role.
After this film Kubrick tended to shy away from Hollywood. I can see his later career veered away from this kind of film.
The film underwent extensive restoration in the early 1990s restoring a controversial bath scene between Crassus (Olivier) and his young slave Antoninus (Tony Curtis).
A great example of some masters of cinema. Worth the three hours plus running time.