Iconic masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (17 August 2013)

It's 1st century BC. Rome is corrupt and functions by slavery. Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) is forced to be a gladiator in a school run by Lentulus Batiatus (Peter Ustinov). He falls for a slave named Varinia (Jean Simmons). He leads a revolt against his Roman masters as more slaves join. Educated slave Antoninus (Tony Curtis) joins them. They are opposed by Roman armies and Senator Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier).
Stanley Kubrick created a masterpiece. It's not only a great movie but it's influential. It's iconic. The acting power is off the charts. The legendary names would easily make it to the pantheon of acting. The scale of production is massive. It's grand in the old Hollywood sense. It fits its ambition. The story is about a gladiator revolt that turn into a slave revolt that turn into an all out war. It has some great iconic movie scenes. When the slaves each claim the name Spartacus, this becomes more than a simply great movie. It is movie history. It is a must see.