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    Spartacus

    Reviewed by
    pietroantoni@

    A great Roman epic about the revolt of the "slaves" in Ancient Rome was spearheaded by Kirk Douglas as Spartacus who was in his forties in 1960, perfectly cast as the lead. The film boasts many big name stars with Jean Simmons as the love interest and males from Lawrence Olivier to Tony Curtis. Kirk Douglas was instrumental in having Dalton Trumbo, a blacklisted writer, draft the screenplay under his own name, a first after the notorious McCarthy witch hunt for Communists led to the destruction of many Hollywood careers. The movie is now fully restored with censored scenes of 1960 fully restored, particularly one that evokes homosexual feelings among the higher crust in Rome.

    Spartacus is a film shot on a grand scale but not lacking in magnificent character studies from the leads to the several supporting characters. Its theme of freedom and dying for a cause will recall movements in our own society of the 20th and 21st centuries such as Martin Luther King's fight for racial equality or Harvey Milk's endeavours for the gay movement right to today's battles for marriage equality amongst both gay and lesbian couples. Trumbo's screenplay is a gem as is the magnificent cinematography. Stanley Kubrick takes on huge themes from the height of the Roman Empire and makes them positively come alive under his masterful direction! Obviously this is a film that should be seen on the big screen, if possible. The conclusion of the film, grandiose and mythic, will haunt you for sometime. We know all too well what it means to be a leader, role model and hero in our own not too distant past and in contemporary society. Spartacus was one such hero some 2000 years ago! The filming was a labour of love and it shines on the silver screen. So much better and realistic than the SPARTACUS mini-series made for television a few years back!

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    pietroantoni@  21.7.2015 age: 36-49 14,551 reviews

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