Spartacus (2004)

After he is bought by the owner of a Roman gladiator school and trained as a 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 & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Goran Visnjic	...	Spartacus
Alan Bates	...	Agrippa
Angus Macfadyen	...	Crassus
Rhona Mitra	...	Varinia
Ian McNeice	...	Batiatus
James Frain	...	David
Henry Simmons	...	Draba
Ross Kemp	...	Cinna
Ben Cross	...	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 the form of Marcus Lucinius Crassus, who makes it a matter of personal honor to crush the rebellion.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | 1st century b.c. | roman republic | character name as title | spartacus character | 

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Taglines:

Once a slave. Forever a legend.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Spartacus

Filming Locations:

Sofia, Bulgaria

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nimar Studios, USA Network Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

174 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Alan Bates' last performance. He died on December 27, 2003 at the age of sixty-nine.

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Goofs

Cinna has the scar over his left eye. When he runs out to fight Spartacus at the start of the slave rebellion, the scar is over his right eye. When he falls to the ground, it is back over his left eye again.

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Quotes

Spartacus: I am not a king. I am something better. A free man.

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Connections

Version of Spartacus (1960)

User Reviews

Truer to the Howard Fast Novel - New take on great movie

The original Spartacus is a superior movie as movies go. However, this version has much to offer and won't disappoint. The depiction of the Gladiator fights has several authentic touches such as the branding on the neck of the losing fighter. The brand was to insure the gladiator wasn't faking death! They still got the thumbs-down crowd signal wrong. In the movies, the thumbs-down means the crowd wants the loser to die. In reality the thumbs-down meant to let the loser live and to signal the victor to put down their sword. The death signal was a thumb stabbing motion toward the heart. I suppose they can be forgiven because few people watching the movie would know that and it would probably confuse most people to change it. They likewise included the signal of the losing fighter to plead for mercy, but got that wrong slightly too because the signal is one finger, not two. Still, they obviously tried to get things more accurate. The gladiator characters were quite accurate as were their weaponry and armor. Very good job there. They obviously paid attention to the discoveries made since "Gladiator" came out in 2000.

But the gladitorial combat scenes are a very small part of this movie. This is primarily a war movie and the war is a fight for freedom by slaves against the Roman empire. The producers retained much of the social commentary from Howard Fast's book. It fact they hit you over the head with it in case you didn't read the book. Most important in this the Draba character, the black gladiator who fights Spartacus. His role, though small, is key to the story. Also pay attention to Agrippa, the Roman Senator who is constantly making Crassius' life miserable. He's not what he seems, so pay attention.

Watching the mini-series on USA Network over two separate nights days apart is unbearable. But when commercials are edited out and you can watch the whole thing without so many interruptions, the narrative is quite fluid. This would make a nice DVD because the photography is good, the costumes detailed, the acting/casting good, and the story excellent.

It is just not the same movie as the 1960 version. Don't expect a simple remake. The ending is different. Spartacus' fate is different. It's more like Howard Fast wrote it originally than what Hollywood made of it in 1960.

The 1960 version is superb, but it's not the same as this movie. It's a similar but different story. I highly recommend this version along with the original.