Spartacus

Kirk Douglas Director: Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick

Overview

Universal's DVD release of Stanley Kubrick's restored classic Spartacus comes with a wealth of interesting information befitting a spectacle of its grandeur. The film, which has been painstakingly reassembled and restored, includes five minutes cut from its original release, notably the notorious "Snails and Oysters" scene between Laurence Olivier and Tony Curtis. Also included are the original overture and extended soundtrack. This DVD also boasts comprehensive biographies and extensive filmographies on the film's seven main actors and director Kubrick, as well as meticulously detailed production notes spanning the time from the original production to Universal's dedicated film restoration. The film can be viewed with either French or Spanish subtitles. It is presented in full Dolby Surround Sound and in its original 70 mm widescreen format. Notably missing is the film's original trailer (included are two later trailers) and any form of documentary or commentary from the film's surviving cast. Still, the wealth of information on the production notes and cast, as well as the deleted scenes and music, make up for what is lacking, making this edition the film's most definitive version.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/31/1998
UPC:	0025192018121
Original Release:	1960
Rating:	NR
Source:	Universal Studios
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Time:	3:16:00
Sales rank:	5,943

Special Features

Production Notes; Talent Bios; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kirk Douglas	Spartacus
Laurence Olivier	Marcus Licinius Crassus
Jean Simmons	Varinia
Charles Laughton	Sempronius Gracchus
Peter Ustinov	Lentulus Batiatus
Tony Curtis	Antoninus
John Gavin	Julius Caesar
Nina Foch	Helena Glabrus
Herbert Lom	Tigranes
John Ireland	Crixus
John Dall	Glabrus
Joanna Barnes	Claudia Marius
Harold J. Stone	David
Woody Strode	Draba
Peter Brocco	Ramon
Paul Lambert	Gannicus
Robert J. Wilke	Guard Captain
Nick Dennis	Dionysius
John Hoyt	Caius
Dayton Lummis	Symmachus
Arthur Batanides	Actor
Buff Brady	Actor
Jerry Brown	Actor
Bob Burns	Actor
Paul E. Burns	Fimbria
Joe Canutt	Actor
Chuck Courtney	Actor
Dick Crockett	Actor
Ted de Corsia	Actor
Terence de Marney	Major Domo
Seamon Glass	Actor
Harold Goodwin	Actor
Sol (Saul) Gorss	Actor
James Griffith	Otho
Brad Harris	Actor
Harry Harvey	Actor
Joe Haworth	Marius
Vinton Haworth	Metallius
Chuck Hayward	Actor
Hallene Hill	Beggar Woman
Charles Horvath	Actor
Jill Jarmyn	Julia
Harold Kruger	Pirate
Carey Loftin	Guard
Cliff Lyons	Actor
Bob Morgan	Actor
Eddie Parker	Actor
Harvey Parry	Actor
Regis Parton	Actor
Leonard Penn	Garrison Officer
Gil Perkins	Slave Leader
Larry Perron	Actor
Chuck Roberson	Slave
George Robotham	Actor
Wally Rose	Gladiator
Autumn Russell	Actor
Russell Saunders	Actor
Aaron Saxon	Actor
Rube Schaffer	Soldier
Tom Steele	Actor
Bob Stevenson	Legionnaire
Kay Stewart	Actor
Ken Terrell	Actor
Lili Valenty	Old Crone
Wayne Van Horn	Actor
Dale Van Sickel	Trainer
Louise Vincent	Slave Girl
Carleton Young	Herald
Jo Summers	Actor
Tap Canutt	Actor
Charles McGraw	Marcellus
Frederic Worlock	Laelius
Anthony Hopkins	Marcus Licinius Crassus (some scenes, 1991 restoratio
Alex North	Conductor

Technical Credits

Dalton Trumbo

Stanley Kubrick	Director
Alexander Golitzen	Production Designer
Fred A. Chulack	Editor
Kirk Douglas	Executive Producer
Edward Lewis	Producer
Russell A. Gausman	Set Decoration/Design
Joseph E. Gershenson	Musical Direction/Supervision
Marshall Green	Asst. Director
Julia Heron	Set Decoration/Design
Joe Lapis	Sound/Sound Designer
Robert Lawrence	Editor
Russell Metty	Cinematographer
Alex North	Score Composer,Musical Direction/Supervision
Vittorio Nino Novarese	Consultant/advisor
Robert Sculte	Editor
Clifford Stine	Cinematographer
Bill Thomas	Costumes/Costume Designer
Dalton Trumbo	Screenwriter
Arlington F. Valles	Costumes/Costume Designer
Irene Valles	Costumes/Costume Designer
Waldon O. Watson	Sound/Sound Designer
Bud Westmore	Makeup
Harry L. Wolf	Camera Operator

Scene Index

Chapter List
0. Chapter List
1. Overture And Main Titles [7:45]
2. A Disease Called Human Slavery [6:20]
3. The Gladiatorial School [4:59]
4. Varinia [12:50]
5. Marcus Licinius Crassus [11:16]
6. A Fight To The Death [9:49]
7. Rebellion [8:43]
8. Antoninus [18:30]
9. Snails And Oysters [15:34]
10. Routing The Romans [5:52]
11. Entr'acte [6:08]
12. A Baby! [10:22]
13. Betrayed [12:24]
14. Battalions At The Ready [19:17]
15. Revealing The Rebel [30:52]
16. At The Gates Of Rome [9:11]

Menu

Main
   Menu Group #1 with 17 chapter(s) covering 03:16:32
Bonus Materials
   Production Notes
   Cast and Filmmakers
      Kirk Douglas
      Laurence Olivier
      Jean Simmons
      Charles Laughton
      Peter Ustinov
      John Gavin
      Tony Curtis
      Directed By Stanley Kubrick
   Theatrical Trailers
Language Selection
   Spoken Language
   Captions and Subtites
Play

Editorial Reviews

Stanley Kubrick's first big-budget movie, a rousing testament to the unquenchable human thirst for freedom, was phenomenally successful when first released in 1960 and is today regarded -- rightfully so -- as one of the truly great cinematic spectacles. It was certainly a career highpoint for Kirk Douglas, who is superbly stoic as Spartacus, the former gladiator who led an army of fellow slaves against their Roman oppressors. But his was only one of many vivid characterizations. Equally memorable are Laurence Olivier's deliciously sly aristocrat, Peter Ustinov's conniving promoter, Jean Simmons's adoring maiden, Tony Curtis's rebellious slave, and Charles Laughton's wily senator. Kubrick's legendary perfectionism (which sparked repeated on-set clashes with producer/star Douglas) manifested itself in astonishingly intricate period re-creations and large-scale stagings of battle scenes. He added his own flourishes to the script, written by blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo, and never allowed spectacle, action, or pageantry to overshadow human emotion. An enormous influence on Gladiator, this sprawling epic has consistently thrilled moviegoers.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

A remarkably expensive production for the time ($12m) that took 167 days to film, Spartacus has been lauded as the "thinking man's" epic because it lacks a happy ending and places as much emphasis on oration as action. The slave revolt storyline, penned in part by the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, is clearly meant to parallel contemporary American political reality. The decadent Romans are grotesquely shaped versions of the Hollywood movie moguls gleefully leeching the talent, who come in the form of noble battling gladiators in the film. The optimistic liberal message is delivered with a heavy handed via speech spouting slaves, and led director Stanley Kubrick, who was not a big fan of the final product, to complain that the film "had everything but a good story." Kubrick was brought aboard after Kirk Douglas and the film's original director Anthony Mann clashed very early in the production. Although Douglas gives a strident and muscular performance, it is the supporting cast, led by Academy Award winner Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivier who steal the picture. While it suffers from some of the flaws of epics of this era-such as an overly sanitized portrait of life at the time, and anachronistic visions of fashion and lifestyle-Spartacus also boasts some stirring action and intelligent dialogue. The final scenes of crucified rebel slaves lining the roads to Rome are unforgettably powerful. Propelled by Alex North's triumphant score and filmed in glorious "Super Technirama" 70mm, the wide screen format serves the stirring and spectacular action sequences, some of which used up to 8500 extras, very well. Oscars went to Ustinov, for best supporting actor, art direction, costume design and cinematography.

All Movie Guide - Dan Jardine

Read More