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IMDbPro

Spartacus

  • 19601960
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 3h 17m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
138K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,285
1,081
Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis, John Gavin, Charles Laughton, Jean Simmons, and Peter Ustinov in Spartacus (1960)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer2:43
3 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureBiographyDrama
The slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the upris... Read allThe slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.The slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
138K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,285
1,081
  • Directors
    • Stanley Kubrick
    • Anthony Mann(Libyan slave camp scenes)
  • Writers
    • Dalton Trumbo(screenplay by)
    • Howard Fast(based on the novel by)
    • Peter Ustinov(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Kirk Douglas
    • Laurence Olivier
    • Jean Simmons
  • Directors
    • Stanley Kubrick
    • Anthony Mann(Libyan slave camp scenes)
  • Writers
    • Dalton Trumbo(screenplay by)
    • Howard Fast(based on the novel by)
    • Peter Ustinov(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Kirk Douglas
    • Laurence Olivier
    • Jean Simmons
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 362User reviews
    • 131Critic reviews
    • 87Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 4 Oscars
      • 12 wins & 11 nominations total

    Videos3

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:43
    Watch Official Trailer
    Spartacus
    Trailer 1:12
    Watch Spartacus
    'Spartacus' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:35
    Watch 'Spartacus' | Anniversary Mashup

    Photos195

    Kirk Douglas in Spartacus (1960)
    Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis in Spartacus (1960)
    Kirk Douglas in Spartacus (1960)
    Stanley Kubrick in Spartacus (1960)
    Stanley Kubrick in Spartacus (1960)
    Spartacus (1960)
    Kirk Douglas in Spartacus (1960)
    Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis in Spartacus (1960)
    Laurence Olivier and Jean Simmons in Spartacus (1960)
    Kirk Douglas, John Ireland, and Harold J. Stone in Spartacus (1960)
    Kirk Douglas in Spartacus (1960)
    Kirk Douglas, Charles McGraw, Harold J. Stone, and Woody Strode in Spartacus (1960)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kirk Douglas
    Kirk Douglas
    • Spartacus
    Laurence Olivier
    Laurence Olivier
    • Crassus
    Jean Simmons
    Jean Simmons
    • Varinia
    Charles Laughton
    Charles Laughton
    • Gracchus
    Peter Ustinov
    Peter Ustinov
    • Batiatus
    John Gavin
    John Gavin
    • Julius Caesar
    Nina Foch
    Nina Foch
    • Helena Glabrus
    John Ireland
    John Ireland
    • Crixus
    Herbert Lom
    Herbert Lom
    • Tigranes Levantus
    John Dall
    John Dall
    • Marcus Publius Glabrus
    Charles McGraw
    Charles McGraw
    • Marcellus
    Joanna Barnes
    Joanna Barnes
    • Claudia Marius
    Harold J. Stone
    Harold J. Stone
    • David
    Woody Strode
    Woody Strode
    • Draba
    Peter Brocco
    Peter Brocco
    • Ramon
    Paul Lambert
    Paul Lambert
    • Gannicus
    Robert J. Wilke
    Robert J. Wilke
    • Guard Captain
    Nick Dennis
    Nick Dennis
    • Dionysius
    • (as Nicholas Dennis)
    • Directors
      • Stanley Kubrick
      • Anthony Mann(Libyan slave camp scenes) (uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Dalton Trumbo(screenplay by)
      • Howard Fast(based on the novel by)
      • Peter Ustinov(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Stanley Kubrick was brought in as director after Kirk Douglas had a major falling out with the original director, Anthony Mann. According to Sir Peter Ustinov, the salt mines sequence was the only footage shot by Mann.
    • Goofs
      During the scene where the slaves are storming a wall, the slaves who die at the wall can be seen rolling under it to jump over again later.
    • Quotes

      Antoninus: I'm Spartacus!

      [everyone around Antoninus and Spartacus takes up the shout]

    • Crazy credits
      The opening titles appear in a montage of silhouetted Roman sculptures and tablets, which evokes the strength and power of the Roman Empire. The montage ends with a zoom into the eye of a crumbling Roman bust, which hints at the Empire's coming decline and fall.
    • Alternate versions
      After its premiere the film was heavily cut and wasn't shown in its complete form until 1991, when a restored version was re-released. Among the restored scenes is one where where Marcus Crassus (Laurence Olivier) tries to seduce Antonius (Tony Curtis) in the bath. The soundtrack was damaged, so Anthony Hopkins was called in to dub Olivier's lines. In addition, several scenes of violence preview audiences reacted to negatively were restored, including Crassus bloodily stabbing Draba, Marcellus being drowned in the stew, Spartacus stabbing a Roman soldier in the pool, and several gory shots in the final battle, notably Spartacus lopping off the arm of a Roman soldier.
    • Connections
      Edited into Hercules: The Legendary Journeys: Les Contemptibles (1997)

    User reviews362

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    The Eternal Cry For Freedom
    From what little I've read of this film it was lucky to have been made at all. Some very big talents had some very big egos and those egos clashed repeatedly. Original director Anthony Mann was replaced by Stanley Kubrick by Producer/Star Kirk Douglas among other clashes.

    But the result was all worth it. The stars all give top notch performances, but the mark of a really great film is the memorability of each individual in the ensemble. To give a few examples, Charles McGraw as the sadistic trainer at the gladiatorial school, John Dall as Sir Laurence Olivier's protégé, and John Ireland as Kirk Douglas's fellow gladiator trainee are all memorable in the brief roles they have.

    Kirk Douglas wisely opts for a straightforward interpretation of a hero in the title role of Spartacus. He's a BC everyman, born into a world which hadn't heard anything about human rights, he knows and feels he's not just cattle. Catch the alternating scenes of Douglas and Sir Laurence Olivier addressing the slave army and the Roman Army. Olivier with his years of Shakespearean training coming across as the tyrant to be, and Douglas in simple prose talking about the slaves fighting for their hopes and dreams. Very effective.

    The plot concerns a revolt at a gladiatorial school which mushrooms into a crisis for the Roman Empire. Political factions led by Olivier as Crassus and Charles Laughton as Gracchus seek to use the slave revolt to further their own ends.

    Laughton as always is a wonder. It's a bit of unusual casting for him because his parts are usually those of very tortured souls. His Gracchus is a sly rogue, but a decent man. One of my favorite movie lines of all time is delivered by him addressing the Roman Senate where he says he'll "take a little republican corruption for a little republican freedom."

    Another sly rogue in the film is Peter Ustinov who won the first of his two Oscars as Batiatus the owner of the gladiatorial school. Like so many others I'm sure in those days, he's just trying to come out on the winning side when doing so could be a life or death situation.

    Jean Simmons as Varinia, beloved of Spartacus, has the only woman's part of any substance. But when was Ms. Simmons bad in anything. One of the most underrated and under-appreciated actresses in the history of film.

    The lessons about man's desire for freedom and to control his own destiny are eternal and valid. And this film will be also.
    helpful•147
    38
    • bkoganbing
    • Mar 6, 2005

    FAQ2

    • Is "Spartacus" based on a novel?
    • Besides Spartacus, Julius Caesar, and Marcus Licinius Crassus, what other characters in the film were not fictitious?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 17, 1960 (Brazil)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Spartacus: Rebel Against Rome
    • Filming locations
      • Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, Spain
    • Production company
      • Bryna Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $12,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,830,650
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $92,162
      • Apr 28, 1991
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,844,917
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      3 hours 17 minutes

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