In 73 B.C., a Thracian slave leads a revolt at a gladiatorial school run by Lentulus Batiatus (Sir Peter Ustinov). The uprising soon spreads across the Italian Peninsula involving thousand of slaves. The plan is to acquire sufficient funds to acquire ships from Silesian pirates who could then transport them to other lands from Brandisium in the south. The Roman Senator Gracchus (Charles Laughton) schemes to have Marcus Publius Glabrus (John Dall), Commander of the garrison of Rome, lead an army against the slaves who are living on Vesuvius. When Glabrus is defeated his mentor, Senator and General Marcus Licinius Crassus (Sir Laurence Olivier) is greatly embarrassed and leads his own army against the slaves. Spartacus and the thousands of freed slaves successfully make their way to Brandisium only to find that the Silesians have abandoned them. They then turn north and must face the might of Rome.Written by
garykmcd
The filming was plagued by the conflicting visions of director Stanley Kubrick and openly communist screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Kubrick complained that the character of Spartacus had no faults nor quirks, and was completely interchangeable with any other slave gladiator. He later distanced himself from the movie. See more »
Goofs
When Spartacus confronts Marcus Glabrus after the latter has been captured, the formed tears off Glabrus' medallion (which is the symbol of his office as commander of the garrison of Rome), breaking its chain. In the next shot Glabrus is shown wearing the medallion on its intact chain. See more »
Quotes
[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, "first among cities and home of the gods is golden Rome." Yet, even at the zenith of her pride and power, the Republic lay fatally stricken with a disease called human slavery. The age of the dictator was at hand, ...
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Crazy Credits
The six main cast members are accompanied by an item that represents their character (a chain, a Roman eagle, a wine jug, a couple of hands - one wielding a snake, and a sword). See more »
Alternate Versions
The film premiered at 202 minutes. However, the prints from the premiere were lost in the 1970s when Universal threw out all the film's tracks, outtakes, additional prints etc. (This was parallel to 'John Landis'' claim during his work on creating the director's cut of The Blues Brothers). The Criterion Collection has 4 minutes of lost scenes involving the Gracchus subplot:
1.) After the first senatorial meeting scene, Gracchus and Caesar walk around the market discussing the dirty tactic of fishing votes. (Shown in production-still form)
2.) Gracchus commits suicide by slitting his wrist in the bathtub. This occurred immediately after he closes the curtain near the end of the film. Only the audio track was found in the studio vault.
For younger people, not that young any more, used to Micheael Douglas' career, it is interesting to see his dad in action. Protagonist with traces more like Daniel Craig or Russel Crowe in our days. This epic shows Hollywood effort before technological resources of special effects. We can notice in scenarios, artificial or natural, and in extras use, the effort of creation of remarkable landscapes. With perceptive and pragmatic script, the movie chooses posterity instead of clichè. Its greatest merit is, in my opinion, reinforce that the conquest of freedom and relative peace of today were not natural, but result of profound clashes. Plus, it portraits the transition from democracy to authoritarianism of Rome.
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For younger people, not that young any more, used to Micheael Douglas' career, it is interesting to see his dad in action. Protagonist with traces more like Daniel Craig or Russel Crowe in our days. This epic shows Hollywood effort before technological resources of special effects. We can notice in scenarios, artificial or natural, and in extras use, the effort of creation of remarkable landscapes. With perceptive and pragmatic script, the movie chooses posterity instead of clichè. Its greatest merit is, in my opinion, reinforce that the conquest of freedom and relative peace of today were not natural, but result of profound clashes. Plus, it portraits the transition from democracy to authoritarianism of Rome.