Review of Spartacus (1960) by James Joseph L — 21 Jun 2009

This is pretty much a perfect film with tremendous acting from its lead stars. There is a bit of everything; action, romance and some humour. The other point is that the film does not just focus on the slave revolt but focuses on Roman politics. This gives a greater understanding of the story and allows both sides of the story to come together towards the end of the film. The film is a bit long though but even if some of the unnecessary scenes were cut out then it would not be much shorter. There is also some great scenes where acting camera work and music come together to make some fantastic scenes.

Although the entire cast acts extremely well and it is obvious that they have been specifically chosen for there roles not just for their acting but also or there characteristics. There are, however two actors who stand out from the rest; Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier. Both of these actors are worthy of note because they act so well but in different ways. Douglas is the main star of the film but seems to have very little dialogue compared to the other actors especially during the first 30-60 minutes but he has a great persona on screen and his acting by his facial expressions and body language is fantastic. Olivier is completely the opposite. He has very little body language but has some great dialogue which involves both great speeches and small conversations all of which he delivers superbly well!!!

Overall an excellent film which has a bit of everything including a great story. The story, although split in two sections comes together really well at the end. There is a also some fantastic acting especially from the main stars of the film.