Review of Spartacus (1960) by Mereie D — 03 Mar 2010

How could one possibly not be impressed by this majestic costume drama by Stanley Kubrick? Words can hardly express the grandeur of this movie. Even though today we have grown more used to close-up shots to suggest dynamic action than was customary in the early sixties, we must still admit that this production undoubtedly made one hell of an impression on its contemporary viewers.

The panoramic views, the costumes, the suggestion of heat, sand and hardships must have knocked back the audience at the time â?? possibly unaware of the now-so-obvious occasional studio shots. It is also interesting to see that we are clearly dealing with a view of history from hindsight: it is constantly being emphasized that the Roman era was one of excessive deprivation and ruthlessness â?? in the period itself people would have taken this for granted and accepted as a given, merely focusing on Spartacusâ?? heroic status instead, no doubt.

In my opinion, Kubrick has created a fine balance between action scenes and consultation scenes, paying the necessary attention to the political scheming of the Romans, against the revolting slaves, but also among themselves â?? this makes â??Spartacusâ?? into a valuable historical reference.

In addition, it is good to see attention being paid to the human side of Spartacus (mainly to be seen in his relationship with Varinia (Jean Simmons)) without overdoing it. The only real point of criticism I could find pertains to the sometimes all-too-hasty cuts from one scene to the other and the speed events appear to take (before you realize it, Spartacus is leading a revolt).

Taking oneâ??s time is sometimes the preferred option, even in a three-hour movie.