Spartacus (TV 2004)

After he is bought by the owner of a Roman gladiator school and trained as an gladiator A slave leads a rebellion of slaves and gladiators into revolt against Rome.

Director:

Robert Dornhelm

Writers:

Howard Fast (novel), Robert Schenkkan (teleplay)

Stars:

Goran Visnjic, Alan Bates, Angus Macfadyen

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Goran Visnjic	...	Spartacus
Alan Bates	...	Antonius Agrippa
Angus Macfadyen	...	Marcus Crassus
Rhona Mitra	...	Varinia
Ian McNeice	...	Lentulus Batiatus
James Frain	...	David
Henry Simmons	...	Draba
Ross Kemp	...	Cinna
Ben Cross	...	Titus Glabrus
Paul Kynman	...	Crixus
Paul Telfer	...	Gannicus
Chris Jarman	...	Nordo
Georgina Rylance	...	Helena
Stuart Bunce	...	Cornelius Lucius
Hristo Shopov	...	Maecenus

Storyline

Sentenced to spend out the rest of his adult life laboring in the harsh deserts of Egypt, the Thracian slave Spartacus gets a new lease on life when he is purchased by the obese owner of a Roman gladiator school. Moved by the defiance of an Ethiopian warrior, Draba, Spartacus leads a slave uprising which threatens Rome's status quo. As Spartacus gains sympathy within the Roman Senate, he also makes a powerful enemy in form of Marcus Lucinius Crassus, who makes it a matter of personal honor to crush the rebellion.

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Plot Keywords:

slave | gladiator | warrior | staff | death of hero | 

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Taglines:

Once a slave. Forever a legend.

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Genres:

Drama | Action

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Espartaco

Filming Locations:

Sofia, Bulgaria

Company Credits

Production Co:

USA Network Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

174 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the final battle, the Roman army is shown marching downhill. The grass ahead of them is already trampled from previous takes.

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Quotes

David: I will be back...
David: ...and I will be millions!

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Connections

Remake of Spartacus (1960)

User Reviews

A worthy successor to the original

The 1960 version of Spartacus remains one of the best historical epics ever made but this new film rates very well beside it. It is more historically accurate and much more faithful to the original Howard Fast novel on which both films were based.

All the actors did a good job. Goran Visnvjic was an effective Spartacus and Rhona Mitra a feisty Varinia very much in keeping with the book. Alan Bates is at his best in the role of a senator playing a behind the scenes role in trying to stop Crassus in his drive for power over the Roman state. I was least impressed by Angas Macfadyen in the role of Crassus although it's still a competent performance. I guess that Lawrence Olivier who played Crassus in the 1960 movie is a hard act to follow.

The battle scenes are competently performed but the armies look much smaller than the historical record said they were. I guess the original Spartacus had more money to spend on extras. A long standing wish of mine is for a Roman epic to get the armor right. The Roman soldier of this period wore short mail shirts and used oval shields. The segmented armor wasn't introduced until about a century later.

I couldn't fault the history. Everything seems to be done right, from the first battle when the slaves abseiled down the cliffs of Vesuvius to attack the Roman camp to the splitting up of the slave army when Crixus and Spartacus had a falling out. The gladiator scenes are just as good as the original too.

All in all, a great movie that even die-hard fans of the Kirk Douglas version should enjoy.