Review of Spartacus (1960) by Jonathan B — 15 Feb 2016

One of the classic 1950s-1960s "Swords and Sandals" epics, Spartacus is a firm favourite for Bank Holiday viewings. It has a terrific cast headed by Kirk Douglas in a career defining role with strong support from Peter Ustinov, Charles Laughton, Lawrence Olivier, Jean Simmons and Tony Curtis.

The script by Dalton Trumbo shines and, while it is not his best film, Stanley Kubrick directs the action well, showing early promise of his real genius. It is the the smaller, more intimate scenes where Kubrick really does well, such as the now infamous bath scene where Olivier and Curtis speak of culinary delights while meaning something very different.

The larger battlefield scenes are well done but fairly standard for the era. Ustinov and Laughton really steal the show here and make Olivier look somewhat hammy compared to their own naturalistic delivery.

Despite being 3 hours long, the pace is maintained well and the plot is interesting, keeping the viewer hooked. The story of the rebellious slave, Spartacus, who lead an army against the might of Rome is exciting and intriguing and the movie really does the tale justice.

It of course contains the climactic scene where the defeated rebels all claim to be Spartacus and so seal their own fates. However, this point doesn't actually come quite as close to the end as I remembered from when I saw it as a child.

At points, it may appear to be somewhat overly bright and gaudy to modern audiences with Rome being a touch too shiny and the Kensington Gore rather too vivid but Spartacus remains a great movie from a bygone era of cinematic art.