Spartacus (DVD)

I have to admit to being a fan of all the old movie epics such as Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments and this Stanley Kubrik directed effort and incidentally, my favourite of them all, Spartacus. Set in ancient Rome, it tells the true story of a slave rebellion which threatened the heart of the Roman empire for over two years circa 73BC. Admittedly the story has been somewhat glamourised to suit cinema-going audiences but none of this matters because what you get here is an absolutely superb movie. Kirk Douglas plays Spartacus, a Libyan slave who is sold to Lentulus Batiatus(Peter Ustinov), the owner of a gladiator school to be trained in the art of being a gladiator ...  Read the complete review

Nowadays it is easy to see where the mega-bucks budgets go when you see the latest blockbuster from Hollywood. The salary of the stars alone can occupy most of it, but then of course there are the special effects, usually of the digital variety. But in the days before digital effects and mega-star pay cheques where did the money go? Watch Spartacus and find out, although I must stress that you really will be wasting a lot of it if you don’t watch it in its original cinemascope presentation (widescreen) so the Beeb is out, you’ll have to buy it and I’ll explain why. The reason you need this film in widescreen is the spectacular setting and extra ...  Read the complete review

Most biblical epics have more than their fair share of carnage - Ridley Scott's remarkable recent triumph with 'Gladiator' was hardly a laugh a minute - but Stanley Kubrick's unrelievedly grim gladiator movie 'Spartacus' is the blackest, least uplifting of all the sword and sandalfests. Kirk Douglas is the titular hero, a slave who finds success in the arena, and love with another slave (Jean Simmons). After a breakout, he launches a slave rebellion against Roman rule, embodied in the ruthless, degenerate Roman leader (Laurence Olivier). It's all going to end with Douglas on the cross, but even so, Kubrick expresses the desperation ...  Read the complete review

Widely acclaimed for his serious ambitions & his uncompromising perfectionism, Stanley Kubrick has won for himself a unique degree of artistic freedom.. Based on a true story of a slave revolt in 73 B.C., Dalton Trumbo's script mixes the melodrama with some quite moving moments..The film depicts the Roman era..the brutality of the slave system..gladiator combat & the decadence of Roman senators..What emerged on the screen was a passionate statement on behalf of freedom & men who are willing to die to overthrow oppressive governments. The credit for the film's style belongs to Stanley Kubrick, who handled scenes of intimacy & scenes of gigantic ...  Read the complete review

I was waiting for the words 'you may take our lives, but you will never take our freedom'. Obviously, they are from a totally different film about slaves/the poor uprising aginst their dictators. But then, so was Robin Hood, so what the hell........ Spartacus was a great movie for its time. Kirk Douglas (with the largest chin dimple I have ever seen) plays a slave who is born into slavery but is a rebellious one. He is bought by the owner of a gladitorial school (brilliantly played by Peter Ustinov) and trained as a gladiator. Well, he falls in love with a slave girl whom he is not allowed to talk to and events take place that cause unrest ...  Read the complete review