Review of Spartacus (1960) by Nikolaj Z — 24 May 2008

"I love you more than my life. And yet, sometimes, even with you here sleeping beside me... I feel so alone.".

Before Ridley Scott's "Gladiator", before Mel Gibson's "Braveheart", there was Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus".

"He was a man who began all alone, like an animal. Yet, on the day he died, thousands and thousands would gladly have died in his place. . . He wasn't a God. He was a simple man.".

Kubrick likes to make long movies, but at least he knows how to make the introduction and endings of his films leave an impression on audiences. The first third of the film is probably the best part of the whole movie (similar to "Full Metal Jacket"). I could be wrong, but I don't think I've seen a Kubrick film with any real noticeable build-up or character development, they all pretty much focus on the story (except for "Dr. Strangelove"). The middle of the movie kind of slows down and goes through it's motions, which seems to be the exact opposite of modern films today, where all the substance takes place throughout the 'in between' of the beginning and the ending. Then we have a decent sized battle at the finish of the movie followed by more than enough closure and exposition.

"You are strong enough to be weak.".

All the characters in this movie are wonderful, both Spartacus and Crassus have their appeal, but I particularly enjoyed Peter Ustinov's performance the most; his character is very enjoyable to watch. (The character who trains Spartacus and the other gladiators is also very enjoyable to watch.) Despite the fact that this is a movie about slaves fighting for their freedom against the Romans, I really enjoyed all the political scenes involving the Roman senate and Crassus; there just seemed to be more energy in those scenes, in my opinion.

"When just one man says 'No, I won't,' Rome begins to fear. We were tens of thousands who said no. That was the wonder of it.".

The film may not be as epic as Gladiator or Braveheart, but where the film lacks in action and drama it makes up for in character interaction and superb acting. The one thing I disliked about the film was the famous "I'm Spartacus!" scene which came and went too quickly, but who knows? That might work for some audiences.

"Maybe there's no peace in this world, for us or for anyone else, I don't know. But I do know that, as long as we live, we must remain true to ourselves.".