See the Restored Film on the Big Screen

Rating: 9/10 (16 November 2001)

On a huge silver screen in a 1,500 seat Italian Renaissance Theater, I viewed the epic film. Restored in 70 millimeter film, you cannot fully appreciate this work viewing it on a TV screen.
While Spartacus is a historically accurate person the movie makes slight changes to his history. We find Kirk Douglas as Spartacus being taken into slavery at age 13 and now in the rock quarry in Libya, North Africa prior to his being sold to Peter Ustinov as the gladiator school owner, Lentulus Batiatus. A historical note on an Internet website reports that Spartacus was a Thracian Soldier who was captured by the Romans and sold into slavery. This aside, the drama and telling of the story of slaves wishing to be free men is more compelling than this slight historical inaccuracy.
For almost the first hour of this long 190 minute epic, Kirk Douglas has few speaking lines. Rather, he acts by his eye movements and sheer presence on the film. The film is heavy with excellent extreme facial close-ups which when seen in 70 millimeters makes for dramatic acting in spite of the lack of dialog. What is remarkable is the way the film shows and tells the story of how gladiators were trained at "schools" to perform in the arenas of Rome. See this film for the training school sequences alone and you have received your money's worth.
Kirk Douglas begins to speak more dialog after he and his fellow gladiator trainees overrun the school and set out to free all slaves being held in Italy. However, the most dialog and most skillfully acted is the scene stealing performance of Peter Ustinov as Batiatus.
Strong performances were made by the great Charles Laughton as the senior Roman Senator, Sempornius Gracchus. A Roman Republican, Gracchus weaves a web of political intrigue which ends in his not shown on screen, suicide. Sir Laurence Olivier as the power seizing Marcus Licinius Crassus is a believable power behind the throne who wins in the end.
Charles McGraw plays the gladiator trainer Marcellus. Marcellus was a slave gladiator who survived the arena and was promoted to gladiator school trainer by Batiatus. Watch how he dies during the slave revolt. Good performance by McGraw.
The subplot is a romance between Spartacus and Bratiatus' household slave and slave concubine Varinia played by the lovely Jean Simmons. Her only flaw when viewing her close-ups is that Hollywood makeup artists gave her overly large black eyebrows which detract from her pretty face. Spartacus, whom in this movie we are lead to believe has been a slave for more than 15 years or so and obviously "without woman" falls in love with Varinia and she with him. History records, however, that Spartacus had a wife before he was captured and made a slave. But, without a romance and a pretty face, these "swashbuckler epics" would not survive on the sheer weight of the fighting sequences and political twists and turns.
Once the slaves escape and run wild liberating 12,000 slaves of Italy, Douglas and Simmons declare their love for each other and become common-law husband and wife. A boy child ensues. Watch to see what happens in the end.
The final battle scenes using 8,000 real Spanish Army soldiers marching in attack formations becomes too much for the slave army to overcome. Craccus prevails and the entire slave army is destroyed and the survivors crucified along the famous Apian Way Road into Rome as an example for others not to repeat this again.
Tony Curtis a slave poet and magician/juggler, Antoninus, who first resembles a pacifist becomes an able right hand man and Lieutenant to the new General of Slaves, Spartacus. Despite Mr. Curtis' renowned "New York" accent, you seem to forget it due to the action-in-every-scene of this movie.
Spartacus lives long enough to see from his Varinia and his infant son being smuggled out of Rome with the help of Batiatus and the money from Gracchus as Simmons hold up Spartacus' son and from the cross, Spartacus knows that his son will grow up a free man.
An error was made in naming John Gavin's character Caius Julius Caesar who became head of the Roman Guard. Caesar is a title meaning Emperor and thus the younger Caius Julius would not have been referred to by the name Caesar until he later became the actual Emperor of Rome. In fact, it's more accurate to refer to him later as Caesar, Julius rather than Julius Caesar. In the same manner, Christ is not the last name of Jesus. Rather, Christos in Greek means the "anointed one" and thus, it is a title, also.

John Ireland plays slave gladiator and Spartacus' lieutenant Crixus, although he has little speaking parts he fights well. Woody Strode as Draba gave a memorable performance.
This movie is a solid "9" and should be seen on the widest TV screen you can find, or else watch for a revival showing on a huge theater screen. Don't miss it!