Spartacus with Kirk Douglas: DVD Cover

    Spartacus
    a.k.a. Spartacus, Spartacus, Spartacus Director: Stanley Kubrick Cast: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton

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    • DVD Release Date: 12/30/2008
    • Original Release: 1960
    • Rating: Rated PG13

    Viewer Rating: (5 ratings)

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    • Overview
    • Editorial Reviews
    • Scenes
    • Customer Reviews
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    Scenes

    Scene Index

    Disc #1 -- Spartacus
    1. Overture and Main Titles [7:45]
    2. A Disease Called Human Slavery [6:20]
    3. The Gladiatorial Schol [4:59]
    4. Varinia [12:50]
    5. Marcus Licinius Crassus [11:16]
    6. A Fight to the Death [9:49]
    7. Rebellion [8:43]
    8. Antoninus [18:30]
    9. Snails and Oysters [15:34]
    10. Routing the Romans [5:52]
    11. Entr'acte [6:08]
    12. A Baby! [10:22]
    13. Betrayed [12:24]
    14. Battalions At the Ready [19:17]
    15. Revealing the Rebel [30:52]
    16. At the Gates of Rome [9:11]

    Scene Index

    Editorial Reviews

    Stanley Kubrick's first big-budget movie, a rousing testament to the unquenchable human thirst for freedom, was phenomenally successful when first released in 1960 and is today regarded -- rightfully so -- as one of the truly great cinematic spectacles. It was certainly a career highpoint for Kirk Douglas, who is superbly stoic as Spartacus, the former gladiator who led an army of fellow slaves against their Roman oppressors. But his was only one of many vivid characterizations. Equally memorable are Laurence Olivier's deliciously sly aristocrat, Peter Ustinov's conniving promoter, Jean Simmons's adoring maiden, Tony Curtis's rebellious slave, and Charles Laughton's wily senator. Kubrick's legendary perfectionism (which sparked repeated on-set clashes with producer/star Douglas) manifested itself in astonishingly intricate period re-creations and large-scale stagings of battle scenes. He added his own flourishes to the script, written by blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo, and never allowed spectacle, action, or pageantry to overshadow human emotion. An enormous influence on Gladiator, this sprawling epic has consistently thrilled moviegoers. Ed Hulse, Barnes & Noble

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    Customer Reviews

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    • Ratings: 5Reviews: 2

    Morituri te Saluantby Anonymous

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    April 20, 2004: 'Those who are about to die salute you!' was the traditional gladiator salute to audiences prior to commencing their spectacle of death. In this historical movie, Stanley Kubrik brings the audience into another epoch were life was nasty, brutish, and short for virtually everyone: especially for slaves and gladiators. The all-star cast of Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, and Peter Ustinov, more than makes up for Kirk Douglas' frequent forced acting. The love story could have been shorter and more interesting it covered Spartacus' actual historic lover instead; a wild woman who claimed to be a prophetess and practiced sorcery. The movie, being based on Howard Fast's novel, has a strong Communist undertone to it accentuated by Alex North's brilliant score. If one listen's carefully, many elements of the music are borrowed from the Internationale which was the Soviet national anthem. The film itself skews the social and cultural norms of ancient Rome to present a class conflict theme and plot structure that fits Fast's original communist message; the Romans are portrayes as corrupt MCarthyists/capitalists against the poor but dignified slaves/Bolsheviks sacrificing all their labor for their commarades. The truth is that most of Spartacus' followers were exactly the gang of thieves and brigands that Kirk Douglass doesn't want them to be in the movie; more interested in quick plunder and mayhem than fighting for a desperate cause that no one at the time cared for anyway. Spartacus himself, given his overwhelming familiarity with legionary tactics, was (as historical sources suggest) probably a former auxillary or legionnaire who was condemned to slavery. The movie also wants to suggest that slavery was a product of pagan ignorance that needed the salvation of Christianity to see its cruelty. The legitimacy of slavery (spoils of war mostly) was the dominant world view in antiquity. Actually, early Christians were even more ardent believers of slavery than their pagan counterparts: believing that it was an immutable condition imposed by God. The truth is that slavery was mainly a product of agrarian economics and its end had more to do with the politics of capitalist industrialism than religious beliefs alone: the U.S. Civil War perfectly demonstrates that fact. Much of the dialogue in the movie is exquisite; following exactly the type of intellectual wit and humor that the Romans cherished. The worst dialogue and acting seems to come from the method actors in the movie (Douglass, Curtis, and Simmons.) Kubrick's rendition of the battle is extremely well done and the movie is worth watching or owning for that scene alone. The legionary formations and tactics were meticulously researched even though the campaign against Spartacus depicted in the movie wasn't accurate. Actually, contrary to what is depicted in the movie, Crassus had confined the gladiator army near Rhegium by building a pallisade of several miles from north to south, sea to sea. It was only by desperation and attrition that Spartacus was able to break through and attempt a final push back north. Unlike the movie, there's no historical reference to suggest that the 'I'm Spartacus!' event ever occurred. All historical sources conclude that Spartacus was cut to pieces in the heat of battle. The character of Marcus Licinius Crassus played is brilliantly played Olivier but the movie again takes great poetic license to support its theme of class conflict. A...

    This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen edition.

    Great Roman movie!by Anonymous

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    January 07, 2001: Spartacus is another great movie about a roman slave purchased to fight. It has a great script and storyboard.It is about a gladiator who escapes with his fellow gladiatoral friends who form an army. They wander around Italy battling and conquering anyone who stands against them. Overall, It's a great classic!

    This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen edition.

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    This item Rated Appropriate for Ages 13 and Up

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    Why We Rated This Appropriate for Ages 13 and UP

    What to watch out for

    • Violence:

      Very intense battle scenes, fights, crucifixions, also (off-screen) suicide

    • Sex:

      Implied nudity, slave women are treated as commodities, provided to male slaves as a reward, implication of homosexual advances by Crasus to Antonius

    • Consumerism:

      Not an issue.

    • Drugs:

      None

    • Language:

      None

    • Messages:

      Not an issue.

    What Parents Need to Know

    About Spartacus

    Parents need to know that this movie has intense battles, crucifixions, and an off-screen suicide. There's implied nudity and implied homosexuality. Slave women are given to men as rewards.

    Families Can Talk About

    Families can talk about why it was important for the Romans to spread the rumor that Spartacus was of noble birth. What did Biatius mean when he said he had found his dignity? How was he changed? What did it mean when Gracchus responded that "dignity shortens life even more quickly than disease?" Why did Crassus say he was more concerned about killing the legend than killing the man? Why did each of the slaves claim to be Spartacus?