SPARTACUS

SPARTACUS



Spartacus

Introduction

The story of a slave revolt in Italy in the last century before Christ, Spartacus is a grand Hollywood historical spectacle, filled with a long list of stars and an army of extras. The strong-willed slave and gladiator-in-training Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) inspires the slaves of Italy to revolt and pursue their dream of freedom. As a result, Spartacus has surprisingly few all-out action scenes, as Kubrick attempts to keep the focus on characters and politics. The extras are normally deployed in grand canvasses portraying the epic journey of the slave army to the Italian shore seeking a naval passage to freedom, and there is only one elaborate battle sequence between the slaves and the Roman legions (Baldwin, 1996).

Discussion and Analysis

The narrative eventually narrows down to a battle of wits between Crassus and Spartacus, and with the weight of the Roman Empire's military might on the side of Crassus, the outcome is never in doubt. Spartacus needs to be satisfied with his men's enormous displays of loyalty, culminating in the "I am Spartacus!" classic scene and a more hopeful future for the next generation. With star actors in exquisite form, visually appealing elaborate sets and the sweep of history, Spartacus overcome its more inopportune moments and provides a frequently enthralling experience. Spartacus movie is directed by Robert Dornhelm, based upon adaptation from Howard Fast novel.

Compare the movie to civilization

Spartacus is a historical movie based on the first year B.C. Its casting includes Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton and others. All the characters are real but their presentation is fictional. Most of the slave revolt is accurately shown. Characters of Varinia and Spartacus are improved by Hollywood. The role of Spartacus' wife has been given detail in the movie. According to Plutarch she was a Thracian. In the movie she is shown a Briton. Spartacus took all the action to break their grievous oppression. History does not show any signs of their ideological motivation to change the social structure. He intended to bring his forces towards freedom rather to reform the Roman society.

How the movie Spartacus is historically accurate

Rome was facing excess aggression and violence. Soldiers used to invade and take away what they wanted, mainly people to make them slaves. Spartacus, Thracian boy, saw his father being crucified. He was sold into slavery. He was chosen as a gladiator due to his physique. In the gladiator game, one must kill other to win. Spartacus had a match against Draba, which Spartacus lost. According to the tradition, Draba had to kill Spartacus. Spartacus refuses to do so. Instead, the guards cruelly kill Draba. As a reaction, Spartacus screams that it is better to die than live as a slave and gives birth to the rebellion. Spartacus moves all around Apennines with his troops to free other slaves.

This film had a lot of potential in the box office and won many Oscars too. Still, it failed to depict the historical factors correctly because people working on the film had conflicting ...