Spartacus (1960)

Calificación de los usuarios:

8.0/10   

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Escritores:

Howard Fast (novel)
Dalton Trumbo (writer)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

7 octubre 1960 (USA)

Género:

Acción | Aventura | Biografía | Drama | Historia | Romance

Frase comercial:

They trained him to kill for their pleasure. . .but they trained him a little too well. . .

Plot:

The slave Spartacus leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman empire.

Plot Keywords:

Slave | Spartacus | Rome | Slave Revolt | Gladiator

Premios:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

A Triumph of Spirit Over Oppression?

Reparto

Kirk Douglas	...	Spartacus
Laurence Olivier	...	Marcus Licinius Crassus
Jean Simmons	...	Varinia
Charles Laughton	...	Sempronius Gracchus
Peter Ustinov	...	Lentulus Batiatus
John Gavin	...	Julius Caesar
Nina Foch	...	Helena Glabrus
John Ireland	...	Crixus
Herbert Lom	...	Tigranes Levantus
John Dall	...	Marcus Publius Glabrus
Charles McGraw	...	Marcellus
Joanna Barnes	...	Claudia Marius
Harold J. Stone	...	David
Woody Strode	...	Draba
Peter Brocco	...	Ramon

También conocida como:

Spartacus: Rebel Against Rome (USA) (poster title)
Espartaco (Argentina) (Spain) [es]

Duración:

184 min (premiere version) | Sweden:187 min (1968 re-release) | UK:197 min (1991 re-release) | USA:161 min (1967 re-release) | USA:198 min (1991 restored version)

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Relación de Aspecto:

2.20 : 1

Sonido:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints, restored version) | Mono (Westrex Recording System) (35 mm prints, original release)

Clasificación:

Canada:G (Quebec) (restored version) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (1967 version) | Spain:13 | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-14 (1992) | Finland:K-16 (1962) | South Korea:12 | Brazil:12 | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:AA (Ontario) (restored version) | Canada:G (Manitoba) (1967 version) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) (restored version) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (original release) | Denmark:15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:12 (video rating) | Norway:16 (1963) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 (restored version) | West Germany:16 | UK:A (original rating) (cut)

Locaciones de Filmación:

Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

Compañía:

Bryna Productions

Trivialidades:

A number of scenes featuring Peter Ustinov and Charles Laughton were rewritten by Ustinov after Laughton rejected the original script.

Errores:

Anacronismos: Slaves digging with steel shovels of a pattern invented in the early 20th century instead of Roman wooden spades.

Citas:

[first lines]
Narrator: In the last century before the birth of the new faith called Christianity, which was destined to overthrow the pagan tyranny of Rome and bring about a new society, the Roman Republic stood at the very center of the civilized world. "Of all things fairest," sang the poet...

Conexiones de Película:

Referenced in I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (2008) (TV)

A Triumph of Spirit Over Oppression?

As a historical epic, 'Spartacus' stands out from the crowd.

The film has the basic theme of 'force' versus 'an idea'. One man - Spartacus- has the idea of freedom, which is pitted through his slave army against the entire force of the Roman Empire.

In Spartacus's eventual defeat, force seems to be victorious, but we know with hindsight that it is Spartacus' idea that finally prevails, albeit long after his death, with the abolition of slavery. As the opening narration makes clear, as a young man Spartacus would dream of the death of slavery - "two thousand years before it finally would die." Kirk Douglas gives an inspiring performance as the brutalised and uneducated slave rising above his degradation to find love, leadership and high ideals.

The film closely interweaves the fate of Spartacus with that of Roman politics. His slave rebellion contributes to the fall of Gracchus, the main Republican advocate, and the corresponding rise of authoritarian Crassus. In a way, Spartacus is portrayed as a catalyst for a new era of Roman dictatorship under the Caesars; by suppressing his slave rebellion, Rome sets itself irrevocably on a path away from Republic and freedom, and perhaps confirms its eventual downfall. Some historical licence, no doubt; but a thought-provoking concept.

Unlike many other Roman epics such as 'Ben-Hur' and 'The Robe', the film does not have a Christian motif. However, 'Spartacus' epitomises the triumph of the human spirit in a way that few movies do. Even after his death, not only Spartacus' son but his spirit lives on,if only in man's perennial cry for freedom. The slave leader's resolve, and his will to freedom, remain true to the end.

Considering that it was made in 1960, the film's confronting of hard themes is notable. For example, we have the hint of forbidden homosexual/ bisexual desires from Crassus to Antoninus; the seeming death and failure (but perhaps ultimate victory)for the hero, who traditionally should triumph; and unpleasant scenes involving battlefields and rows of crucified bodies.

The movie is helped by an excellent cast, an evocative score and Stanley Kubrick's direction. The sets and costumes also show great attention to detail, so that ancient Roman society comes alive.

Overall a most entertaining and inspiring movie.