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Spartacus (film)
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Spartacus
Spartacus sheetA.jpg
Theatrical release poster by Reynold Brown

Directed by
Stanley Kubrick
Produced by
Edward Lewis
Kirk Douglas
Screenplay by
Dalton Trumbo
Based on
Spartacus
 by Howard Fast
Narrated by
Vic Perrin
Starring
Kirk Douglas
Laurence Olivier
Jean Simmons
Charles Laughton
Peter Ustinov
John Gavin
Tony Curtis
Music by
Alex North
Cinematography
Russell Metty
Editing by
Robert Lawrence
Studio
Bryna Productions
Distributed by
Universal Pictures
Release dates
October 7, 1960

Running time
184 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$12 million
Box office
$60,000,000



 Original 1960 theatrical release poster
Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas as the rebellious slave of the title. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo was based on the novel Spartacus by Howard Fast. It was inspired by the life story of the historical figure Spartacus and the events of the Third Servile War.
The film also starred Laurence Olivier as the Roman general and politician Marcus Licinius Crassus, Peter Ustinov, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as slave trader Lentulus Batiatus, John Gavin as Julius Caesar, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton and Tony Curtis. The film won four Oscars in all.
Douglas, whose Bryna Productions company was producing the film, removed original director Anthony Mann after the first week of shooting. Kubrick, with whom Douglas had worked before, was brought on board to take over direction.[1] It is the only film directed by Kubrick where he did not have complete artistic control.
Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo was blacklisted at the time as one of the Hollywood Ten. Kirk Douglas publicly announced that Trumbo was the screenwriter of Spartacus, and President John F. Kennedy crossed picket lines to see the film, helping to end blacklisting.[2][3] The author of the novel on which it is based, Howard Fast, was also blacklisted, and originally had to self-publish it.
The film became the biggest moneymaker in Universal Studios' history, until it was surpassed by Airport (1970).[4]


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Screenplay development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Music
3.4 Political commentary, Christianity, and reception
4 Re-releases and restoration
5 Awards and nominations 5.1 Academy Awards
6 Critical reception
7 "I'm Spartacus!"
8 See also
9 References
10 External links

Plot[edit]
In the 1st century BC, the Roman Republic has slid into corruption, its menial work done by armies of slaves. One of these, a proud and gifted man named Spartacus, is so uncooperative in his servitude that he is sentenced to fight as a gladiator. He is trained at a school run by the unctuous Roman businessman Lentulus Batiatus, who instructs Spartacus's trainer Marcellus to bully the slave mercilessly and break his spirit. Amid the abuse, Spartacus forms a quiet relationship with a serving woman named Varinia, whom he refuses to rape when she is sent to "entertain" him in his cell.
Batiatus receives a visit from the Roman senator Marcus Licinius Crassus, an arch-conservative who aims to become dictator of Rome. Crassus buys Varinia on a whim, and for the amusement of his companions arranges for Spartacus and three others to fight in pairs. When Spartacus is disarmed, his opponent, an African named Draba, spares his life in a burst of compassion and attacks the Roman audience, but is killed by an arena guard and Crassus. The next day, with the school's atmosphere still tense over this episode, Batiatus takes Varinia away to Crassus's house in Rome. Spartacus kills Marcellus, who was taunting him over this, and their fight escalates into a riot. The gladiators overwhelm their guards and escape into the Italian countryside.
Spartacus is elected chief of the fugitives and decides to lead them out of Italy and back to their homes. They plunder Roman country estates as they go, collecting enough money to buy sea transport from Rome's foes, the pirates of Cilicia. Countless other slaves join the group, making it as large as an army. One of the new arrivals is Varinia, who escaped while being delivered to Crassus. Another is a slave entertainer named Antoninus, who also fled Crassus's service after the Roman tried to seduce him. Privately Spartacus feels mentally inadequate because of his lack of education during years of servitude. However, he proves an excellent leader and organizes his diverse followers into a tough and self-sufficient community. Varinia, now his informal wife, becomes pregnant by him, and he also comes to regard the spirited Antoninus as a sort of son.
The Roman Senate becomes increasingly alarmed as Spartacus defeats the multiple armies it sends against him. Crassus's populist opponent Gracchus knows that his rival will try to use the crisis as a justification for seizing control of the Roman army. To try and prevent this, Gracchus channels as much military power as possible into the hands of his own protege, a young senator named Julius Caesar. Although Caesar lacks Crassus's contempt for the lower classes of Rome, he mistakes the man's rigid outlook for nobility. Thus, when Gracchus reveals that he has bribed the Cilicians to get Spartacus out of Italy and rid Rome of the slave army, Caesar regards such tactics as beneath him and goes over to Crassus.
Crassus uses a bribe of his own to make the pirates abandon Spartacus and has the Roman army secretly force the rebels away from the coastline towards Rome. Amid panic that Spartacus means to sack the city, the Senate gives Crassus absolute power. Now surrounded by Romans, Spartacus convinces his men to die fighting. Just by rebelling, and proving themselves human, he says that they have struck a blow against slavery. In the ensuing battle, most of the slave army is massacred by Crassus's forces. Afterward, when the Romans try to locate the rebel leader for special punishment, every surviving man shields him by shouting "I'm Spartacus!" As a result, Crassus has them all sentenced to death by crucifixion along the Via Appia.
Meanwhile, Crassus has found Varinia and Spartacus's newborn son and has taken them prisoner. He is disturbed by the idea that Spartacus can command more love and loyalty than he can and hopes to compensate by making Varinia as devoted to him as she was to her former husband. When she rejects him, he furiously seeks out Spartacus (whom he recognizes from having watched him in the arena) and forces him to fight Antoninus to the death. The survivor is to be crucified, along with all the other men captured after the great battle. Spartacus kills Antoninus to spare him this fate. The incident leaves Crassus worried about Spartacus's potential to live in legend as a martyr. In other matters he is also worried about Caesar, who he senses will someday eclipse him.
Gracchus, having seen Rome fall into tyranny, commits suicide. Before doing so, he bribes his friend Batiatus to rescue Spartacus's family from Crassus and carry them away to freedom. On the way out of Rome, the group pass under Spartacus's cross. Varinia is able to comfort him in his dying moments by showing him his little son, who will grow up without ever having been a slave.
Cast[edit]
Kirk Douglas as Spartacus
Laurence Olivier as Crassus
Jean Simmons as Varinia
Charles Laughton as Gracchus
Peter Ustinov as Batiatus
Tony Curtis as Antoninus
John Gavin as Julius Caesar
John Dall as Marcus Glabrus
Nina Foch as Helena Glabrus
John Ireland as Crixus
Herbert Lom as Tigranes Levantus (pirate envoy)
Charles McGraw as Marcellus
Woody Strode as Draba
Production[edit]
The development of Spartacus was partly instigated by Kirk Douglas's failure to win the title role in William Wyler's Ben-Hur. Douglas had worked with Wyler before on Detective Story, and was disappointed when Wyler chose Charlton Heston instead. Shortly after, Edward (Eddie) Lewis, a vice-president in Douglas's film company, Bryna Productions (named after Douglas's mother), had Douglas read Howard Fast's novel, Spartacus, which had a related theme—an individual who challenges the might of the Roman Empire—and Douglas was impressed enough to purchase an option on the book from Fast with his own financing. Universal Studios eventually agreed to finance the film after Douglas persuaded Olivier, Laughton and Ustinov to act in it. Lewis became the producer of the film, with Douglas taking executive producer credit. Lewis went on to produce several more films for Douglas.[1]
Screenplay development[edit]
Originally, Howard Fast was hired to adapt his own novel as a screenplay, but he had difficulty working in the format. He was replaced by Dalton Trumbo, who had been blacklisted as one of the Hollywood Ten. He used the pseudonym "Sam Jackson".
Kirk Douglas insisted that Trumbo be given screen credit for his work, which helped to break the blacklist.[5] Trumbo had been jailed for contempt of Congress in 1950, after which he had been surviving by writing screenplays under assumed names. Douglas' intervention on his behalf was praised as an act of courage.
In his autobiography, Douglas states that this decision was motivated by a meeting that he, Edward Lewis and Kubrick had regarding whose name/s to put against the screenplay in the movie credits, given Trumbo's shaky position with Hollywood executives. One idea was to credit Lewis as co-writer or sole writer, but Lewis vetoed both suggestions. Kubrick then suggested that his own name be used. Douglas and Lewis found Kubrick's eagerness to take credit for Trumbo's work revolting, and the next day, Douglas called the gate at Universal saying, "I'd like to leave a pass for Dalton Trumbo." Douglas writes, "For the first time in ten years, [Trumbo] walked on to a studio lot. He said, 'Thanks, Kirk, for giving me back my name.'"[1]
The filming was plagued by the conflicting visions of Kubrick and Trumbo. Kubrick complained that the character of Spartacus had no faults or quirks, and he later distanced himself from the film.[6] Despite the on-set troubles, Spartacus's critical and commercial success established Kubrick as a major director.
Blacklisting effectively ended in 1960 when it lost credibility. Trumbo was publicly given credit for two blockbuster films: Otto Preminger made public that Trumbo wrote the screenplay for the smash hit, Exodus,[7] and Kirk Douglas publicly announced that Trumbo was the screenwriter of Spartacus.[8] Further, President John F. Kennedy crossed picket lines to see the movie.[2][3]
Filming[edit]



Stanley Kubrick looking through camera with cinematographer Russell Metty (in hat) standing behind.
After David Lean turned down an offer to direct, Spartacus was to be directed by veteran Anthony Mann, then best known for his Westerns such as Winchester '73 and The Naked Spur. Douglas fired Mann at the end of the first week of shooting, in which the opening sequence in the quarry had been filmed. "He seemed scared of the scope of the picture," wrote Douglas in his autobiography; yet a year later Mann would embark on another epic of similar size, El Cid. The dismissal (or resignation) of Mann is mysterious since the opening sequences, filmed at Death Valley, Nevada, set the style for the rest of the movie.
Thirty-year-old Stanley Kubrick was hired to take over. He had already directed four feature films (including Paths of Glory, also starring Douglas). Spartacus was a bigger project by far, with a budget of $12 million (equivalent to approximately $96,095,890 in today's funds[9]) and a cast of 10,500, a daunting project for such a young director. Paths of Glory, his previous film, had only been budgeted at $935,000.
Spartacus was filmed using the 35 mm Super 70 Technirama format[10] and then blown up to 70 mm film. This was a change for Kubrick, who preferred using the standard spherical format. Cinematographer Russell Metty complained about Kubrick's unusually precise and detailed instructions for the film's camerawork, but Metty remained on the production and later won the Oscar for Best Cinematography, Color for the film.
Kubrick found working outdoors or in real locations to be distracting and thus preferred to film in the studio. He believed the actors would benefit more from working on a sound stage, where they could fully concentrate. To create the illusion of the large crowds that play such an essential role in the film, Kubrick's crew used three-channel sound equipment to record 76,000 spectators at a Michigan State – Notre Dame college football game shouting "Hail, Crassus!" and "I'm Spartacus!"
The intimate scenes were filmed in Hollywood, but Kubrick insisted that all battle scenes be filmed on a vast plain outside Madrid. Eight thousand trained soldiers from the Spanish infantry were used to double as the Roman army. Kubrick directed the armies from the top of specially constructed towers. However, he eventually had to cut all but one of the gory battle scenes, due to negative audience reactions at preview screenings.
Despite the film being a huge box office success, garnering four Oscars, and being considered to rank among the very best of historical epics, Kubrick disowned the movie, and did not include it as part of his canon. Although his personal mark is a distinct part of the final picture, his contract did not give him complete control over the filming, the only time he did not exercise such control over one of his films.[11]
Music[edit]


 This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. (November 2009)
The original score for Spartacus was composed and conducted by six-time Academy Award nominee Alex North. It was nominated by the American Film Institute for their list of greatest film scores. It is a textbook example of how modernist compositional styles can be adapted to the Hollywood leitmotif technique. North's score is epic, as befits the scale of the film. After extensive research of music of that period, North gathered a collection of antique instruments that, while not authentically Roman, provided a strong dramatic effect. These instruments included a sarrusophone, Israeli recorder, Chinese oboe, lute, mandolin, Yugoslav flute, kythara, dulcimer, and bagpipes. North's prize instrument was the ondioline, similar to an earlier version of the electronic synthesizer, which had never been used in film before. Much of the music is written without a tonal center, or flirts with tonality in ways that most film composers would not risk. One theme is used to represent both slavery and freedom, but is given different values in different scenes, so that it sounds like different themes. The love theme for Spartacus and Varinia is the most accessible theme in the film, and there is a harsh trumpet figure for Crassus.
The soundtrack album runs less than forty-five minutes and is not very representative of the score. There were plans to re-record a significant amount of the music with North's friend and fellow film composer Jerry Goldsmith, but the project kept getting delayed. Goldsmith died in 2004. Numerous bootleg recordings have been made, but none has good sound quality.
In 2010 the soundtrack was re-released as part of a set, featuring 6 CDs, 1 DVD, and a 168-page booklet. This is a limited edition of 5,000 copies.[12]
Political commentary, Christianity, and reception[edit]
The film parallels 1950s American history with the McCarthy Hearings as well as the civil rights movement. The McCarthy Hearings, which demanded witnesses to "name names" of supposed communist sympathizers, closely resembles the final scene when the slaves, asked by Crassus to give up their leader by pointing him out from the multitude, each stand up to proclaim, "I am Spartacus". Howard Fast, who wrote the book on which the film was based, "was jailed for his refusal to testify, and wrote the novel Spartacus while in prison.”[13] The comment of how slavery was a central part of American history is pointed to in the beginning in the scenes featuring Draba and Spartacus. Draba, who denies the friendship of Spartacus claiming "gladiators can have no friends", sacrifices himself by attacking Crassus rather than kill Spartacus. This scene points to the fact that Americans are indebted to the suffering of African Americans who played a major role in building the country. The fight to end segregation and to promote the equality of African Americans is seen in the mixing of races within the gladiator school as well as in the army of Spartacus where all fight for freedom.[14] Another instance of the film's allusions to the political climate of the United States is hinted at in the beginning where Rome is described as a republic "that lay fatally stricken with a disease called human slavery," and describing Spartacus as a "proud, rebellious son dreaming of the death of slavery, 2000 years before it finally would die"; thus the ethical and political vision of the film is first introduced as a foreground for the ensuing action.[15]
The voice-over at the beginning of the film also depicts Rome as destined to fail by the rise of Christianity: "In the last century before the birth of the new faith called Christianity which was destined to overthrow the pagan tyranny of Rome and bring about a new society, the Roman Republic stood at the very centre of the civilised world . . . Even at the zenith of her pride and power, the Republic lay fatally stricken with the disease called human slavery. The age of the dictator was at hand, waiting in the shadows for the event to bring forth. In that same century, in the conquered Greek province of Thrace, an illiterate slave woman added to her master's wealth by giving birth to a son whom she names Spartacus. A proud rebellious son, who was sold to living death in the mines of Libya, before his thirteenth birthday. There under whip and chain and sun he lived out his youth and his young manhood, dreaming the death of slavery 2000 years before it finally would die."
Thus Rome is portrayed as the oppressor suffering from its own excesses, where the prospect of Christian salvation is offered as the means to end Roman oppression and slavery. [16]
The film's release occasioned both applause from the mainstream media and protests from anti-communist groups such as the National Legion of Decency who picketed theaters showcasing the film. To affirm the film's "legitimacy as an expression of national aspirations wasn’t stilled until the newly elected John F. Kennedy crossed a picket line set up by anti-communist organizers to attend the film”.[13]
Re-releases and restoration[edit]
The film was re-released in 1967 (in a version 23 minutes shorter than the original release), and again in 1991 with the same 23 minutes restored by Robert A. Harris, plus an additional 14 minutes that had been cut from the film before its original release.
Steven Spielberg gave his backing to the restoration effort, and recommended that Stanley Kubrick be informed of the project. Kubrick, who had disowned the film, had nothing to do with the actual physical restoration of the film, though he gave his approval to the effort, and the producers wanted his final approval of their work. Universal's negative was unusable as it had been cut twice and the colors were badly faded. Kubrick's own print of the film, which was donated to the Museum of Modern Art, could not be used for the restoration as it was considered an archival print. The original studio black and white separation prints, used as a backup in 1960, were used, though the processing lab had to develop a new lens capable of printing the Technirama frame without loss of fidelity. The final cost of the restoration was nearly $1 million. [17] [18]
The 1991 restoration includes several violent battle sequences that had been left out due to the negative reaction of preview audiences. It also has a bath scene in which the Roman patrician and general Crassus (Olivier) attempts to seduce his slave Antoninus (Curtis), speaking about the analogy of "eating oysters" and "eating snails" to express his opinion that sexual preference is a matter of taste rather than morality.
When the film was restored (two years after Olivier's death), the original dialogue recording of this scene was missing; it had to be re-dubbed. Tony Curtis, by then 66, was able to re-record his part, but Crassus' voice was an impersonation of Olivier by the actor Anthony Hopkins, who had been suggested by Olivier's widow, Joan Plowright, who gave her permission. A talented mimic, he had been a protege of Olivier during his days as the National Theatre's Artistic Director and knew his voice well. Kubrick faxed instructions as to how the scene should be played. The actors separately recorded their dialogue.[19]
Some four minutes of the film are lost, because of Universal's mishandling of its film prints in the 1970s. These scenes relate to the character of Gracchus (Laughton), including a scene where he commits suicide. The audio tracks of these scenes have survived. They are included on the Criterion Collection DVD, alongside production stills of some of the lost footage.
Awards and nominations[edit]
Academy Awards[edit]

Award[3]
Winner(s)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Peter Ustinov
Best Art Direction–Set Decoration, Color Alexander Golitzen
Eric Orbom
Russell A. Gausman
Julia Heron
Best Cinematography, Color Russell Metty
Best Costume Design, Color Arlington Valles
 Bill Thomas
Nominations
Best Film Editing Robert Lawrence
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Alex North
Spartacus has been on 5 different AFI 100 Years... lists including #62 for thrills, #22 for heroes, #44 for cheers and #81 for overall movies.
In June 2008, AFI revealed its "10 Top 10"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Spartacus was acknowledged as the fifth best film in the epic genre.[20][21]
American Film Institute listsAFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – Nominated[22]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – #62
AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains: Spartacus – #22 Hero
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes: "I'm Spartacus! I'm Spartacus!" – Nominated[23]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – #81
AFI's 10 Top 10 – #5 Epic film
Critical reception[edit]
The movie received mixed reviews when first released, but over time its reputation has gained in stature. Critics such as Roger Ebert have argued that the film has flaws, though his review is generally positive otherwise.[24] When released, the movie was attacked by both the American Legion and the Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper because of its connection with Trumbo. Hopper stated, "The story was sold to Universal from a book written by a commie and the screen script was written by a commie, so don't go to see it."[1]
Bosley Crowther called it a "spotty, uneven drama."[25] It has a 96% (fresh) rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[26]
"I'm Spartacus!"[edit]
In the climactic scene, recaptured slaves are asked to identify Spartacus in exchange for leniency; instead, each slave proclaims himself to be Spartacus, thus sharing his fate. The documentary Trumbo[5] suggests that this scene was meant to dramatize the solidarity of those accused of being Communist sympathizers during the McCarthy Era who refused to implicate others, and thus were blacklisted.[27]
Regarding this scene, an in-joke is used in Kubrick's next film, Lolita (1962), where Humbert Humbert asks Clare Quilty, "Are you Quilty?" to which he replies, "No, I'm Spartacus. Have you come to free the slaves or something?"[28] Many subsequent films, television shows and advertisements have referenced or parodied the iconic scene. One of the most notable is the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian, which reverses the situation by depicting an entire group undergoing crucifixion all claiming to be Brian, who, it has just been announced, is eligible for release ("I'm Brian"; "No, I'm Brian"; "I'm Brian and so's my wife.")[28] Further examples have been documented[28] in David Hughes' The Complete Kubrick[29] and Jon Solomon's The Ancient World in Cinema.[30]
See also[edit]
1st century BC
List of films set in ancient Rome
List of historical drama films
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d Kirk Douglas. The Ragman's Son (Autobiography). Pocket Books, 1990. Chapter 26: The Wars of Spartacus.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Schwartz, Richard A. "How the Film and Television Blacklists Worked". Florida International University. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c "Kennedy Attends Movie in Capital". New York Times. 1961-02-04. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
4.Jump up ^ Link, Tom (1991). Universal City-North Hollywood: A Centennial Portrait. Chatsworth, CA: Windsor Publications. p. 87. ISBN 0-89781-393-6.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Trumbo (2007) at the Internet Movie Database Retrieved April 25, 2010.
6.Jump up ^ Winkler, Martin M. Spartacus: Film and History, p. 4. Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. ISBN 1-4051-3181-0
7.Jump up ^ Nordheimer, Jon (September 11, 1976). "Dalton Trumbo, Film Writer, Dies; Oscar Winner Had Been Blacklisted". The New York Times. p. 17. Retrieved 2008-08-11. "... it was Otto Preminger, the director, who broke the blacklist months later by publicly announcing that he had hired Mr. Trumbo to do the screenplay ..."
8.Jump up ^ Harvey, Steve (September 10, 1976). "Dalton Trumbo Dies at 70, One of the 'Hollywood 10'". Los Angeles Times. p. 1. "He recalled how his name returned to the screen in 1960 with the help of Spartacus star Kirk Douglas: 'I had been working on Spartacus for about a year ..."
9.Jump up ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2013. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
10.Jump up ^ Hauerslev, Thomas. "Super Technirama 70". In 70 MM.com. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
11.Jump up ^ Guthmann, Edward. "The Ones That (Almost) Got Away: Three films director Stanley Kubrick didn't want viewers to see". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
12.Jump up ^ Varèse Sarabande Records: "Varèse Sarabande Records" 11 October 2010
13.^ Jump up to: a b Burgoyne, Robert. The Hollywood Historical Film, p. 93. Blackwell, 2008. ISBN 1-4051-4603-6
14.Jump up ^ Burgoyne, Robert. The Hollywood Historical Film, pp. 86-90. Blackwell, 2008. ISBN 1-4051-4603-6
15.Jump up ^ Burgoyne, Robert. The Hollywood Historical Film, p. 73. Blackwell, 2008. ISBN 1-4051-4603-6
16.Jump up ^ Theodorakopoulos, Elena. Ancient Rome at the Cinema: Story and Spectacle in Hollywood and Rome, pp. 54-55. Bristol Phoenix, 2010. ISBN 978-1-904675-28-0
17.Jump up ^ "Restoration of "Spartacus" - "Spartacus" Production Notes". Universal Pictures. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
18.Jump up ^ "Spartacus". Warnrer Bros. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
19.Jump up ^ "Restoration of "Spartacus" - "Spartacus" Production Notes". Universal Pictures. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
20.Jump up ^ American Film Institute (2008-06-17). "AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
21.Jump up ^ "Top 10 Epic". American Film Institute. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
22.Jump up ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees
23.Jump up ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees
24.Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger (1991-05-03). "Spartacus". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
25.Jump up ^ Crowther, Bosley (1960-10-07). "'Spartacus' Enters the Arena:3-Hour Production Has Premiere at DeMille". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
26.Jump up ^ "Spartacus Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
27.Jump up ^ Pandolfi, Chris. "Trumbo". Movie Reviews. Gone With the Twins. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
28.^ Jump up to: a b c Winkler, Martin M. Spartacus: Film and History, pp. 6-7, fn. 12. Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. ISBN 1-4051-3181-0
29.Jump up ^ Hughes, David. The Complete Kubrick. London: Virgin, 2000; rpt. 2001, pp. 80-82. ISBN 0-7535-0452-9
30.Jump up ^ Solomon, Jon. The Ancient World in Cinema, 2nd edition. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001, p. 53. ISBN 0-300-08337-8
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spartacus (film).
Spartacus at the Internet Movie Database
Spartacus at Rotten Tomatoes
Criterion Collection essay by Stephen Farber
Rare, Never-Seen: 'Spartacus' at 50 at LIFE


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Categories: 1960 films
English-language films
1960s drama films
American films
American drama films
Films directed by Stanley Kubrick
Screenplays by Dalton Trumbo
Best Drama Picture Golden Globe winners
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Films about gladiatorial combat
Films about rebels
Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winning performance
Films set in the 1st century BC
Films set in ancient Rome
Films set in Capua
Films set in Rome
Films shot in Madrid
Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award
Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award
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Spartacus (film)
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Spartacus
Spartacus sheetA.jpg
Theatrical release poster by Reynold Brown

Directed by
Stanley Kubrick
Produced by
Edward Lewis
Kirk Douglas
Screenplay by
Dalton Trumbo
Based on
Spartacus
 by Howard Fast
Narrated by
Vic Perrin
Starring
Kirk Douglas
Laurence Olivier
Jean Simmons
Charles Laughton
Peter Ustinov
John Gavin
Tony Curtis
Music by
Alex North
Cinematography
Russell Metty
Editing by
Robert Lawrence
Studio
Bryna Productions
Distributed by
Universal Pictures
Release dates
October 7, 1960

Running time
184 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$12 million
Box office
$60,000,000



 Original 1960 theatrical release poster
Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas as the rebellious slave of the title. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo was based on the novel Spartacus by Howard Fast. It was inspired by the life story of the historical figure Spartacus and the events of the Third Servile War.
The film also starred Laurence Olivier as the Roman general and politician Marcus Licinius Crassus, Peter Ustinov, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as slave trader Lentulus Batiatus, John Gavin as Julius Caesar, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton and Tony Curtis. The film won four Oscars in all.
Douglas, whose Bryna Productions company was producing the film, removed original director Anthony Mann after the first week of shooting. Kubrick, with whom Douglas had worked before, was brought on board to take over direction.[1] It is the only film directed by Kubrick where he did not have complete artistic control.
Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo was blacklisted at the time as one of the Hollywood Ten. Kirk Douglas publicly announced that Trumbo was the screenwriter of Spartacus, and President John F. Kennedy crossed picket lines to see the film, helping to end blacklisting.[2][3] The author of the novel on which it is based, Howard Fast, was also blacklisted, and originally had to self-publish it.
The film became the biggest moneymaker in Universal Studios' history, until it was surpassed by Airport (1970).[4]


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Screenplay development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Music
3.4 Political commentary, Christianity, and reception
4 Re-releases and restoration
5 Awards and nominations 5.1 Academy Awards
6 Critical reception
7 "I'm Spartacus!"
8 See also
9 References
10 External links

Plot[edit]
In the 1st century BC, the Roman Republic has slid into corruption, its menial work done by armies of slaves. One of these, a proud and gifted man named Spartacus, is so uncooperative in his servitude that he is sentenced to fight as a gladiator. He is trained at a school run by the unctuous Roman businessman Lentulus Batiatus, who instructs Spartacus's trainer Marcellus to bully the slave mercilessly and break his spirit. Amid the abuse, Spartacus forms a quiet relationship with a serving woman named Varinia, whom he refuses to rape when she is sent to "entertain" him in his cell.
Batiatus receives a visit from the Roman senator Marcus Licinius Crassus, an arch-conservative who aims to become dictator of Rome. Crassus buys Varinia on a whim, and for the amusement of his companions arranges for Spartacus and three others to fight in pairs. When Spartacus is disarmed, his opponent, an African named Draba, spares his life in a burst of compassion and attacks the Roman audience, but is killed by an arena guard and Crassus. The next day, with the school's atmosphere still tense over this episode, Batiatus takes Varinia away to Crassus's house in Rome. Spartacus kills Marcellus, who was taunting him over this, and their fight escalates into a riot. The gladiators overwhelm their guards and escape into the Italian countryside.
Spartacus is elected chief of the fugitives and decides to lead them out of Italy and back to their homes. They plunder Roman country estates as they go, collecting enough money to buy sea transport from Rome's foes, the pirates of Cilicia. Countless other slaves join the group, making it as large as an army. One of the new arrivals is Varinia, who escaped while being delivered to Crassus. Another is a slave entertainer named Antoninus, who also fled Crassus's service after the Roman tried to seduce him. Privately Spartacus feels mentally inadequate because of his lack of education during years of servitude. However, he proves an excellent leader and organizes his diverse followers into a tough and self-sufficient community. Varinia, now his informal wife, becomes pregnant by him, and he also comes to regard the spirited Antoninus as a sort of son.
The Roman Senate becomes increasingly alarmed as Spartacus defeats the multiple armies it sends against him. Crassus's populist opponent Gracchus knows that his rival will try to use the crisis as a justification for seizing control of the Roman army. To try and prevent this, Gracchus channels as much military power as possible into the hands of his own protege, a young senator named Julius Caesar. Although Caesar lacks Crassus's contempt for the lower classes of Rome, he mistakes the man's rigid outlook for nobility. Thus, when Gracchus reveals that he has bribed the Cilicians to get Spartacus out of Italy and rid Rome of the slave army, Caesar regards such tactics as beneath him and goes over to Crassus.
Crassus uses a bribe of his own to make the pirates abandon Spartacus and has the Roman army secretly force the rebels away from the coastline towards Rome. Amid panic that Spartacus means to sack the city, the Senate gives Crassus absolute power. Now surrounded by Romans, Spartacus convinces his men to die fighting. Just by rebelling, and proving themselves human, he says that they have struck a blow against slavery. In the ensuing battle, most of the slave army is massacred by Crassus's forces. Afterward, when the Romans try to locate the rebel leader for special punishment, every surviving man shields him by shouting "I'm Spartacus!" As a result, Crassus has them all sentenced to death by crucifixion along the Via Appia.
Meanwhile, Crassus has found Varinia and Spartacus's newborn son and has taken them prisoner. He is disturbed by the idea that Spartacus can command more love and loyalty than he can and hopes to compensate by making Varinia as devoted to him as she was to her former husband. When she rejects him, he furiously seeks out Spartacus (whom he recognizes from having watched him in the arena) and forces him to fight Antoninus to the death. The survivor is to be crucified, along with all the other men captured after the great battle. Spartacus kills Antoninus to spare him this fate. The incident leaves Crassus worried about Spartacus's potential to live in legend as a martyr. In other matters he is also worried about Caesar, who he senses will someday eclipse him.
Gracchus, having seen Rome fall into tyranny, commits suicide. Before doing so, he bribes his friend Batiatus to rescue Spartacus's family from Crassus and carry them away to freedom. On the way out of Rome, the group pass under Spartacus's cross. Varinia is able to comfort him in his dying moments by showing him his little son, who will grow up without ever having been a slave.
Cast[edit]
Kirk Douglas as Spartacus
Laurence Olivier as Crassus
Jean Simmons as Varinia
Charles Laughton as Gracchus
Peter Ustinov as Batiatus
Tony Curtis as Antoninus
John Gavin as Julius Caesar
John Dall as Marcus Glabrus
Nina Foch as Helena Glabrus
John Ireland as Crixus
Herbert Lom as Tigranes Levantus (pirate envoy)
Charles McGraw as Marcellus
Woody Strode as Draba
Production[edit]
The development of Spartacus was partly instigated by Kirk Douglas's failure to win the title role in William Wyler's Ben-Hur. Douglas had worked with Wyler before on Detective Story, and was disappointed when Wyler chose Charlton Heston instead. Shortly after, Edward (Eddie) Lewis, a vice-president in Douglas's film company, Bryna Productions (named after Douglas's mother), had Douglas read Howard Fast's novel, Spartacus, which had a related theme—an individual who challenges the might of the Roman Empire—and Douglas was impressed enough to purchase an option on the book from Fast with his own financing. Universal Studios eventually agreed to finance the film after Douglas persuaded Olivier, Laughton and Ustinov to act in it. Lewis became the producer of the film, with Douglas taking executive producer credit. Lewis went on to produce several more films for Douglas.[1]
Screenplay development[edit]
Originally, Howard Fast was hired to adapt his own novel as a screenplay, but he had difficulty working in the format. He was replaced by Dalton Trumbo, who had been blacklisted as one of the Hollywood Ten. He used the pseudonym "Sam Jackson".
Kirk Douglas insisted that Trumbo be given screen credit for his work, which helped to break the blacklist.[5] Trumbo had been jailed for contempt of Congress in 1950, after which he had been surviving by writing screenplays under assumed names. Douglas' intervention on his behalf was praised as an act of courage.
In his autobiography, Douglas states that this decision was motivated by a meeting that he, Edward Lewis and Kubrick had regarding whose name/s to put against the screenplay in the movie credits, given Trumbo's shaky position with Hollywood executives. One idea was to credit Lewis as co-writer or sole writer, but Lewis vetoed both suggestions. Kubrick then suggested that his own name be used. Douglas and Lewis found Kubrick's eagerness to take credit for Trumbo's work revolting, and the next day, Douglas called the gate at Universal saying, "I'd like to leave a pass for Dalton Trumbo." Douglas writes, "For the first time in ten years, [Trumbo] walked on to a studio lot. He said, 'Thanks, Kirk, for giving me back my name.'"[1]
The filming was plagued by the conflicting visions of Kubrick and Trumbo. Kubrick complained that the character of Spartacus had no faults or quirks, and he later distanced himself from the film.[6] Despite the on-set troubles, Spartacus's critical and commercial success established Kubrick as a major director.
Blacklisting effectively ended in 1960 when it lost credibility. Trumbo was publicly given credit for two blockbuster films: Otto Preminger made public that Trumbo wrote the screenplay for the smash hit, Exodus,[7] and Kirk Douglas publicly announced that Trumbo was the screenwriter of Spartacus.[8] Further, President John F. Kennedy crossed picket lines to see the movie.[2][3]
Filming[edit]



Stanley Kubrick looking through camera with cinematographer Russell Metty (in hat) standing behind.
After David Lean turned down an offer to direct, Spartacus was to be directed by veteran Anthony Mann, then best known for his Westerns such as Winchester '73 and The Naked Spur. Douglas fired Mann at the end of the first week of shooting, in which the opening sequence in the quarry had been filmed. "He seemed scared of the scope of the picture," wrote Douglas in his autobiography; yet a year later Mann would embark on another epic of similar size, El Cid. The dismissal (or resignation) of Mann is mysterious since the opening sequences, filmed at Death Valley, Nevada, set the style for the rest of the movie.
Thirty-year-old Stanley Kubrick was hired to take over. He had already directed four feature films (including Paths of Glory, also starring Douglas). Spartacus was a bigger project by far, with a budget of $12 million (equivalent to approximately $96,095,890 in today's funds[9]) and a cast of 10,500, a daunting project for such a young director. Paths of Glory, his previous film, had only been budgeted at $935,000.
Spartacus was filmed using the 35 mm Super 70 Technirama format[10] and then blown up to 70 mm film. This was a change for Kubrick, who preferred using the standard spherical format. Cinematographer Russell Metty complained about Kubrick's unusually precise and detailed instructions for the film's camerawork, but Metty remained on the production and later won the Oscar for Best Cinematography, Color for the film.
Kubrick found working outdoors or in real locations to be distracting and thus preferred to film in the studio. He believed the actors would benefit more from working on a sound stage, where they could fully concentrate. To create the illusion of the large crowds that play such an essential role in the film, Kubrick's crew used three-channel sound equipment to record 76,000 spectators at a Michigan State – Notre Dame college football game shouting "Hail, Crassus!" and "I'm Spartacus!"
The intimate scenes were filmed in Hollywood, but Kubrick insisted that all battle scenes be filmed on a vast plain outside Madrid. Eight thousand trained soldiers from the Spanish infantry were used to double as the Roman army. Kubrick directed the armies from the top of specially constructed towers. However, he eventually had to cut all but one of the gory battle scenes, due to negative audience reactions at preview screenings.
Despite the film being a huge box office success, garnering four Oscars, and being considered to rank among the very best of historical epics, Kubrick disowned the movie, and did not include it as part of his canon. Although his personal mark is a distinct part of the final picture, his contract did not give him complete control over the filming, the only time he did not exercise such control over one of his films.[11]
Music[edit]


 This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. (November 2009)
The original score for Spartacus was composed and conducted by six-time Academy Award nominee Alex North. It was nominated by the American Film Institute for their list of greatest film scores. It is a textbook example of how modernist compositional styles can be adapted to the Hollywood leitmotif technique. North's score is epic, as befits the scale of the film. After extensive research of music of that period, North gathered a collection of antique instruments that, while not authentically Roman, provided a strong dramatic effect. These instruments included a sarrusophone, Israeli recorder, Chinese oboe, lute, mandolin, Yugoslav flute, kythara, dulcimer, and bagpipes. North's prize instrument was the ondioline, similar to an earlier version of the electronic synthesizer, which had never been used in film before. Much of the music is written without a tonal center, or flirts with tonality in ways that most film composers would not risk. One theme is used to represent both slavery and freedom, but is given different values in different scenes, so that it sounds like different themes. The love theme for Spartacus and Varinia is the most accessible theme in the film, and there is a harsh trumpet figure for Crassus.
The soundtrack album runs less than forty-five minutes and is not very representative of the score. There were plans to re-record a significant amount of the music with North's friend and fellow film composer Jerry Goldsmith, but the project kept getting delayed. Goldsmith died in 2004. Numerous bootleg recordings have been made, but none has good sound quality.
In 2010 the soundtrack was re-released as part of a set, featuring 6 CDs, 1 DVD, and a 168-page booklet. This is a limited edition of 5,000 copies.[12]
Political commentary, Christianity, and reception[edit]
The film parallels 1950s American history with the McCarthy Hearings as well as the civil rights movement. The McCarthy Hearings, which demanded witnesses to "name names" of supposed communist sympathizers, closely resembles the final scene when the slaves, asked by Crassus to give up their leader by pointing him out from the multitude, each stand up to proclaim, "I am Spartacus". Howard Fast, who wrote the book on which the film was based, "was jailed for his refusal to testify, and wrote the novel Spartacus while in prison.”[13] The comment of how slavery was a central part of American history is pointed to in the beginning in the scenes featuring Draba and Spartacus. Draba, who denies the friendship of Spartacus claiming "gladiators can have no friends", sacrifices himself by attacking Crassus rather than kill Spartacus. This scene points to the fact that Americans are indebted to the suffering of African Americans who played a major role in building the country. The fight to end segregation and to promote the equality of African Americans is seen in the mixing of races within the gladiator school as well as in the army of Spartacus where all fight for freedom.[14] Another instance of the film's allusions to the political climate of the United States is hinted at in the beginning where Rome is described as a republic "that lay fatally stricken with a disease called human slavery," and describing Spartacus as a "proud, rebellious son dreaming of the death of slavery, 2000 years before it finally would die"; thus the ethical and political vision of the film is first introduced as a foreground for the ensuing action.[15]
The voice-over at the beginning of the film also depicts Rome as destined to fail by the rise of Christianity: "In the last century before the birth of the new faith called Christianity which was destined to overthrow the pagan tyranny of Rome and bring about a new society, the Roman Republic stood at the very centre of the civilised world . . . Even at the zenith of her pride and power, the Republic lay fatally stricken with the disease called human slavery. The age of the dictator was at hand, waiting in the shadows for the event to bring forth. In that same century, in the conquered Greek province of Thrace, an illiterate slave woman added to her master's wealth by giving birth to a son whom she names Spartacus. A proud rebellious son, who was sold to living death in the mines of Libya, before his thirteenth birthday. There under whip and chain and sun he lived out his youth and his young manhood, dreaming the death of slavery 2000 years before it finally would die."
Thus Rome is portrayed as the oppressor suffering from its own excesses, where the prospect of Christian salvation is offered as the means to end Roman oppression and slavery. [16]
The film's release occasioned both applause from the mainstream media and protests from anti-communist groups such as the National Legion of Decency who picketed theaters showcasing the film. To affirm the film's "legitimacy as an expression of national aspirations wasn’t stilled until the newly elected John F. Kennedy crossed a picket line set up by anti-communist organizers to attend the film”.[13]
Re-releases and restoration[edit]
The film was re-released in 1967 (in a version 23 minutes shorter than the original release), and again in 1991 with the same 23 minutes restored by Robert A. Harris, plus an additional 14 minutes that had been cut from the film before its original release.
Steven Spielberg gave his backing to the restoration effort, and recommended that Stanley Kubrick be informed of the project. Kubrick, who had disowned the film, had nothing to do with the actual physical restoration of the film, though he gave his approval to the effort, and the producers wanted his final approval of their work. Universal's negative was unusable as it had been cut twice and the colors were badly faded. Kubrick's own print of the film, which was donated to the Museum of Modern Art, could not be used for the restoration as it was considered an archival print. The original studio black and white separation prints, used as a backup in 1960, were used, though the processing lab had to develop a new lens capable of printing the Technirama frame without loss of fidelity. The final cost of the restoration was nearly $1 million. [17] [18]
The 1991 restoration includes several violent battle sequences that had been left out due to the negative reaction of preview audiences. It also has a bath scene in which the Roman patrician and general Crassus (Olivier) attempts to seduce his slave Antoninus (Curtis), speaking about the analogy of "eating oysters" and "eating snails" to express his opinion that sexual preference is a matter of taste rather than morality.
When the film was restored (two years after Olivier's death), the original dialogue recording of this scene was missing; it had to be re-dubbed. Tony Curtis, by then 66, was able to re-record his part, but Crassus' voice was an impersonation of Olivier by the actor Anthony Hopkins, who had been suggested by Olivier's widow, Joan Plowright, who gave her permission. A talented mimic, he had been a protege of Olivier during his days as the National Theatre's Artistic Director and knew his voice well. Kubrick faxed instructions as to how the scene should be played. The actors separately recorded their dialogue.[19]
Some four minutes of the film are lost, because of Universal's mishandling of its film prints in the 1970s. These scenes relate to the character of Gracchus (Laughton), including a scene where he commits suicide. The audio tracks of these scenes have survived. They are included on the Criterion Collection DVD, alongside production stills of some of the lost footage.
Awards and nominations[edit]
Academy Awards[edit]

Award[3]
Winner(s)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Peter Ustinov
Best Art Direction–Set Decoration, Color Alexander Golitzen
Eric Orbom
Russell A. Gausman
Julia Heron
Best Cinematography, Color Russell Metty
Best Costume Design, Color Arlington Valles
 Bill Thomas
Nominations
Best Film Editing Robert Lawrence
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Alex North
Spartacus has been on 5 different AFI 100 Years... lists including #62 for thrills, #22 for heroes, #44 for cheers and #81 for overall movies.
In June 2008, AFI revealed its "10 Top 10"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Spartacus was acknowledged as the fifth best film in the epic genre.[20][21]
American Film Institute listsAFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – Nominated[22]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – #62
AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains: Spartacus – #22 Hero
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes: "I'm Spartacus! I'm Spartacus!" – Nominated[23]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – #81
AFI's 10 Top 10 – #5 Epic film
Critical reception[edit]
The movie received mixed reviews when first released, but over time its reputation has gained in stature. Critics such as Roger Ebert have argued that the film has flaws, though his review is generally positive otherwise.[24] When released, the movie was attacked by both the American Legion and the Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper because of its connection with Trumbo. Hopper stated, "The story was sold to Universal from a book written by a commie and the screen script was written by a commie, so don't go to see it."[1]
Bosley Crowther called it a "spotty, uneven drama."[25] It has a 96% (fresh) rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[26]
"I'm Spartacus!"[edit]
In the climactic scene, recaptured slaves are asked to identify Spartacus in exchange for leniency; instead, each slave proclaims himself to be Spartacus, thus sharing his fate. The documentary Trumbo[5] suggests that this scene was meant to dramatize the solidarity of those accused of being Communist sympathizers during the McCarthy Era who refused to implicate others, and thus were blacklisted.[27]
Regarding this scene, an in-joke is used in Kubrick's next film, Lolita (1962), where Humbert Humbert asks Clare Quilty, "Are you Quilty?" to which he replies, "No, I'm Spartacus. Have you come to free the slaves or something?"[28] Many subsequent films, television shows and advertisements have referenced or parodied the iconic scene. One of the most notable is the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian, which reverses the situation by depicting an entire group undergoing crucifixion all claiming to be Brian, who, it has just been announced, is eligible for release ("I'm Brian"; "No, I'm Brian"; "I'm Brian and so's my wife.")[28] Further examples have been documented[28] in David Hughes' The Complete Kubrick[29] and Jon Solomon's The Ancient World in Cinema.[30]
See also[edit]
1st century BC
List of films set in ancient Rome
List of historical drama films
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d Kirk Douglas. The Ragman's Son (Autobiography). Pocket Books, 1990. Chapter 26: The Wars of Spartacus.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Schwartz, Richard A. "How the Film and Television Blacklists Worked". Florida International University. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c "Kennedy Attends Movie in Capital". New York Times. 1961-02-04. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
4.Jump up ^ Link, Tom (1991). Universal City-North Hollywood: A Centennial Portrait. Chatsworth, CA: Windsor Publications. p. 87. ISBN 0-89781-393-6.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Trumbo (2007) at the Internet Movie Database Retrieved April 25, 2010.
6.Jump up ^ Winkler, Martin M. Spartacus: Film and History, p. 4. Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. ISBN 1-4051-3181-0
7.Jump up ^ Nordheimer, Jon (September 11, 1976). "Dalton Trumbo, Film Writer, Dies; Oscar Winner Had Been Blacklisted". The New York Times. p. 17. Retrieved 2008-08-11. "... it was Otto Preminger, the director, who broke the blacklist months later by publicly announcing that he had hired Mr. Trumbo to do the screenplay ..."
8.Jump up ^ Harvey, Steve (September 10, 1976). "Dalton Trumbo Dies at 70, One of the 'Hollywood 10'". Los Angeles Times. p. 1. "He recalled how his name returned to the screen in 1960 with the help of Spartacus star Kirk Douglas: 'I had been working on Spartacus for about a year ..."
9.Jump up ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2013. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
10.Jump up ^ Hauerslev, Thomas. "Super Technirama 70". In 70 MM.com. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
11.Jump up ^ Guthmann, Edward. "The Ones That (Almost) Got Away: Three films director Stanley Kubrick didn't want viewers to see". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
12.Jump up ^ Varèse Sarabande Records: "Varèse Sarabande Records" 11 October 2010
13.^ Jump up to: a b Burgoyne, Robert. The Hollywood Historical Film, p. 93. Blackwell, 2008. ISBN 1-4051-4603-6
14.Jump up ^ Burgoyne, Robert. The Hollywood Historical Film, pp. 86-90. Blackwell, 2008. ISBN 1-4051-4603-6
15.Jump up ^ Burgoyne, Robert. The Hollywood Historical Film, p. 73. Blackwell, 2008. ISBN 1-4051-4603-6
16.Jump up ^ Theodorakopoulos, Elena. Ancient Rome at the Cinema: Story and Spectacle in Hollywood and Rome, pp. 54-55. Bristol Phoenix, 2010. ISBN 978-1-904675-28-0
17.Jump up ^ "Restoration of "Spartacus" - "Spartacus" Production Notes". Universal Pictures. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
18.Jump up ^ "Spartacus". Warnrer Bros. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
19.Jump up ^ "Restoration of "Spartacus" - "Spartacus" Production Notes". Universal Pictures. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
20.Jump up ^ American Film Institute (2008-06-17). "AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
21.Jump up ^ "Top 10 Epic". American Film Institute. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
22.Jump up ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees
23.Jump up ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees
24.Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger (1991-05-03). "Spartacus". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
25.Jump up ^ Crowther, Bosley (1960-10-07). "'Spartacus' Enters the Arena:3-Hour Production Has Premiere at DeMille". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
26.Jump up ^ "Spartacus Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
27.Jump up ^ Pandolfi, Chris. "Trumbo". Movie Reviews. Gone With the Twins. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
28.^ Jump up to: a b c Winkler, Martin M. Spartacus: Film and History, pp. 6-7, fn. 12. Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. ISBN 1-4051-3181-0
29.Jump up ^ Hughes, David. The Complete Kubrick. London: Virgin, 2000; rpt. 2001, pp. 80-82. ISBN 0-7535-0452-9
30.Jump up ^ Solomon, Jon. The Ancient World in Cinema, 2nd edition. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001, p. 53. ISBN 0-300-08337-8
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spartacus (film).
Spartacus at the Internet Movie Database
Spartacus at Rotten Tomatoes
Criterion Collection essay by Stephen Farber
Rare, Never-Seen: 'Spartacus' at 50 at LIFE


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Categories: 1960 films
English-language films
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American films
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Films directed by Stanley Kubrick
Screenplays by Dalton Trumbo
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Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winning performance
Films set in the 1st century BC
Films set in ancient Rome
Films set in Capua
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