A Week of Kubrick- Day 4: Spartacus

A historical epic directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring actors like Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier... of course this movie is good. 

The reason I chose this one for today over some other Kubrick films was for two reason: 1) I just really like this movie and wanted to rewatched it. 2) There are a few sort of  behind-the-scenes facts about the film that I think are interesting. First off, the film wasn't originally supposed to be directed by Stanley Kubrick. Anthony Mann was the original director but was replaced by Kubrick shortly after filming began. Not a bad choice, as the film went on to win several awards. Additionally, Kubrick made public that the film's screenwriter was Dalton Trumbo who had previously been blacklisted a decade earlier for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Committee with regards to whether or not he was a Communist. 

As for the film itself, it was released in 1960 and this was the era of big-budget, 3hour+, historical epics. Spartacus is definitely a recommend for anyone who is a fan of The Ten Commandments (1956), Cleopatra (1963), Ben-Hur (1959), or The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964). The story is that of a slave named Spartacus (played by Kirk Douglas) who is sold and placed into a gladiator training school. One day there is a riot at the school and Spartacus, along with several others, escape. Spartacus is elected leader of the group with the goal of leading the people out of Italy and back to their home countries, while plundering Roman estates and freeing other slaves along the way. Of course, this doesn't sit well with the Roman government and their legions set out to destroy Spartacus and his army of former slaves.

Overall, it's a very good movie that I highly recommend but, it isn't without it's flaws. The one negative thing that stands out to me is that I feel the film is a bit uneven. While there are iconic moments like the famous "I am Spartacus" scene, there are also some sequences that drag on a bit too long. It's not a breezy 184 minutes, you are going to feel the runtime. However, you can shave off a few munites if you skip past the overture and intermission. 

I give this one a 4 out of 5.