It was a bank holiday. I was ten, and watching Spartacus for the first time. This was before we got a video, so I would basically watch any movie that came on TV. Spartacus was a real shock to me. It was the first film I saw where the good guy doesn't win. in. I had seen Ben- Hur a few weeks before, with it's happy ending - y'know, reunited with his family, miraculously cured of leprosy, everyone lives happily ever after. Spartacus ends with him dying on a cross, having already lost to the Romans. It really affected me. I just didn't know a movie could end like that. I still loved it. Watching it now, I have tried to break down what it so effective, and why this movie stands up so well. Firstly, let me say - Laurence Olivier. Casting him as Roman General Crassus was a smart move, but a risky one. It could have back fired. He is so good he threatens to steal the whole movie. He doesn't, but as much as this movie is Douglas's it's also Olivier's. There's no denying Ustnov is good, but the Oscar really should have gone to Laurence.Another great performance is Tony Curtis as Antoninus, Crassus' personal slave, who quickly joins the revolt. He is no fighter, but a singer, though not much of one! I don't remember the 'snails and oysters' scene from my first viewing. It would have gone clean over my head anyway. It's a very touching scene. You feel that if it was done now, in the Game Of Thrones era, it would be considerably more explicit. And don't tell me Gladiator didn't borrow from this movie! One thing that Gladiator got wrong was the friendship forging between the fighters. When Spartacus asks another slave his name, the guy tells him 'You don't want to know my name. I don't want to know yours. One day we may end up having to kill each other.' It made more sense than Maximus and Juba going on about their wives and children. Ultimately though, it's that ending that still haunts me many years later. Spartacus, having been forced to kill Antoninus, on a cross, Varinia showing him his son, and begging him to die... I think it actually works because Spartacus doesn't say a word, no last monologue. Man, I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Stanley Kubrick famously disowned the film, given that he didn't have complete creative control, but Spartacus is still better than practically all the sword and sandal epics being made then, or even now - Troy, anyone? It is acknowledged as a a classic, and deservedly so.

Just as Ben-Hur is the most famous biblical movie ever, Spartacus is the most famous gladiator movie ever. (Sorry, Russell Crowe.) In 1960, the year after Ben-Hur's spectacular success, producing a three-hour movie about Roman gladiators was risky. Everyone in the audience would be comparing it to Charlton Heston's slavery scenes, so it'd better be good! Well, it was good, and it's remained a classic through the decades.Spartacus focuses on the treatment and life of slaves, and the dissension within the Roman Empire, rather than copying any Biblical theme from the countless religious movies to come out of the 1950s. There are so many famous scenes and lines that have come out of this movie, it's almost superfluous to give a plot summary or even mention the cast. Briefly, Kirk Douglas plays the title character, an unruly slave who is sent to train as a gladiator. He falls in love with Jean Simmons, and while his fellow slaves turn to him as a leader, he bonds closely with one in particular, Tony Curtis. Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, and John Gavin give very memorable performances as Roman politicians, a slave trader, and Julius Caesar, respectively.Spartacus is one of those classics, like Gone with the Wind, that everyone sees at least once in their lifetime. If you have no idea what the phrase "I'm Spartacus!" means, your film education missed a key course. Go rent the movie during your next guys' weekend, and get ready to appreciate the movie that fathered all the modern gladiator movies we know and love.

I don't want to come across as a philistine, but Spartacus doesn't half go on a bit and is one hell of a downer. I know that the film is intended to make the viewer feel inspired by the indomitable spirit of man in the face of terrible persecution and oppression, but after three hours of such, I found myself struggling to care. The dull political machinations of the Roman senate and the aimless wandering of the slave army do little to help matters; I've never been so grateful for an intermission (the DVD retains the original mid-movie break, during which I splashed my face with cold water to wake myself up).It all starts off well enough, with slave Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) sent to gladiator training camp, where he gets a crash course in survival before escaping his confines to lead others in revolt. But then it really starts to go pear-shaped, star Douglas doing his utmost to outdo Heston in the historical epic stakes by spouting over-sentimental, moralistic dross about the importance of freedom in countless maudlin scenes that virtually deify his character—after which he lets down his thousands of followers by leading them into battle against the Romans like lambs to the slaughter.The best thing about Spartacus is its impressive cast, which not only includes heavyweight performers like Olivier, Laughton and Curtis, but also includes tens of thousands of nameless extras, allowing for some wonderful vistas of the Italian countryside swarming with slaves, and a brilliantly staged (and brutal) battle scene, proving that, as clever as CGI is these days, nothing looks better than the real thing. Peter Jackson, eat your heart out!

Spartacus is a historical epic that follows amongst the footsteps of prior historical epics such as Ben-Hur and the Ten Commandments. I have to admit this film is not nearly as great as those, but I am certainly not bashing this film. The fact is, the film is a tad overlong and the dialogue does not hold up well by today's standards. I can appreciate the fine performances, especially Ustinov's Oscar-winning performance, as well as the steady direction of a legend, Stanley Kubrick. The film has some great action sequences and as a history student, I can appreciate the historical aspect of this film. I also like, unlike other films of its time, where we are not stuffed the obligatory happy ending. Thus, that makes me appreciate this epic even more.Kubrick's film talks about a slave uprising during the Roman era. Spartacus is a slave who does not take pleasure at the fact he is being used to fight at a gladiator school only to receive spoiled girls. He and the rest of the slaves revolt which causes other slaves in the countryside to do the same. Crassus, who is aiming to become a dictator, decides to meet Spartacus and his men in battle.I really enjoyed the performances in this film. I liked Kirk Douglas's strength and perseverance as Spartacus. I liked the comedic timing in Peter Ustinov's performance as the head of the gladiatorial school, Batiatus. Jean Simmons gives a mighty fine performance as Spartacu's lover, Varinia. Finally, I really liked Laurence Olivier's deep, intense performance as Crassus, who wants nothing except for political power.Overall, Spartacus is a fine, entertaining historical spectacle. It features some majestic battle sequences and many fine, if perhaps a little outdated performances. The screenplay was excellent, as it was written by none other than the black-listed screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo. Compared to today's quality, the film doesn't live up to it. But I had a fun time watching this historical epic. Not Kubrick's best, but that doesn't stop it from being a fun watch.My Grade: B+