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Movies / On DVD / Spartacus
Spartacus

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Spartacus (1960)

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Reviews Counted:43

Fresh:41

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.1/10

Consensus: Featuring terrific performances and epic action, Kubrick’s restored swords-and-sandals epic is a true classic.

Rated: PG

Runtime: 3 hrs 17 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:09-06-2009

Synopsis: SPARTACUS, based on Howard Fast's popular novel, is Stanley Kubrick's glorious masterpiece about a slave uprising in Rome in 70 B.C. Kirk Douglas, who also served as executive producer, stars as... SPARTACUS, based on Howard Fast's popular novel, is Stanley Kubrick's glorious masterpiece about a slave uprising in Rome in 70 B.C. Kirk Douglas, who also served as executive producer, stars as the title character, a man born of a slave woman and a slave master who has known nothing but chains his entire life. After being forced to put on a gladiator show--that almost leads to his death--for wealthy Romans (including a marvelously conniving Laurence Olivier as the power-hungry Crassus), Spartacus leads a slave revolt across Italy that soon has thousands marching on Rome. Meanwhile, he has fallen in love with the beautiful Varinia (an effervescent Jean Simmons), pledging his life to her. Douglas assembled a fabulous all-star cast for the film; in addition to himself, Simmons, and Olivier, terrific performances are turned in by Charles Laughton as the curmudgeonly senator Gracchus, John Gavin as the young Julius Caesar, Tony Curtis as Antoninus (a "singer of songs," with all lines delivered in a beautifully thick New York accent), and especially Peter Ustinov, an Oscar winner for his portrayal of the businessman Batiatus, who always wants to know what's in it for him. Blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo's melodramatic script and Alex North's thrilling, soaring score add a majesty that helps make SPARTACUS one of the finest costume epics to ever come out of Hollywood. [More]

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, Tony Curtis, John Gavin, Nina Foch

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Screenwriter: Dalton Trumbo
Producer: Edward Lewis
Composer: Alex North

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Spartacus

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato
4/5

James Christopher

Douglas is terrific as the iron-jawed slave fuelled by righteous fury.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 12 2009 06:25 AM

Times [UK]

tomato
5/5

Peter Bradshaw

The great-granddaddy of Ridley Scott's Gladiator hasn't lost any muscle tone after nearly half a century, and Kirk Douglas's direct, unpretentious performance as the great slave-rebel Spartacus is more engaging than ever.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 12 2009 06:14 AM

Guardian [UK]

tomato

Philip French

One of the greatest Hollywood epics.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 12 2009 06:12 AM

Observer [UK]

tomato
5/5

It is in the observation of human detail, and in many memorable little scenes that the film scores most heavily over other epics, and in which it finds an inner strength.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 12 2009 04:09 AM

Sky Movies

tomato
5/5

One of the last truly great Roman epics.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 12 2009 03:58 AM

Total Film

tomato
5/5

Arguably the greatest sword 'n' sandal movie of them all.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 03 2007 05:11 PM

Channel 4 Film

tomato
4/5

Derek Adams

Asurprisingly apt companion piece to Paths of Glory in its consideration of the mechanisms of power.

Full Review Source: | comment 5 Comments | Feb., 09 2006 03:16 AM

Time Out

tomato
5/5

Kim Newman

Though this stuff could have been directed by anyone, the greatness of Spartacus is in the stretches everyone remembers.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 19 2004 08:15 AM

Empire Magazine

tomato
5/5

Ben Falk

Of all the historical epics, this pretty much takes the biscuit, with an unbelievable cast, incredible cinematography and plenty of quotable scenes.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Jan., 01 2000 12:00 AM

BBC

tomato
4/5

Cole Smithey

No review available.

comment Comment | Aug., 02 2008 10:10 AM

ColeSmithey.com

tomato
5/5

David Kaplan

No review available.

comment Comment | Mar., 01 2008 08:01 AM

Kaplan vs. Kaplan

tomato
4/4

Phil Villarreal

More than a standard good vs. evil drama, the movie is about a hero's inner struggle to persevere in carrying out an ideal that's almost certain to lead to his demise.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 22 2007 08:46 AM

Arizona Daily Star

tomato

Jonathan Rosenbaum

This may be the most literate of all the spectacles set in antiquity.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 08 2007 06:07 PM

Chicago Reader

tomato
9/10

John J. Puccio

...notable not only for its expected sword play and scenery, but for the genuine complexity of its characters, their relationships, and their political intrigues.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 08 2006 12:43 PM

DVDTown.com

tomato
4/5

Jake Euker

No review available.

comment Comment | Mar., 09 2006 08:36 PM

F5 (Wichita, KS)

tomato
4/5

Emanuel Levy

No review available.

comment Comment | Aug., 17 2005 12:20 AM

EmanuelLevy.Com

tomato
3/5

Ryan Cracknell

No review available.

comment Comment | Aug., 06 2005 10:01 PM

Movie Views

tomato
B+

Steven D. Greydanus

The comparative frankness of the politics, sexuality, and violence, and especially the downbeat third act and memorable finale give it a dramatic heft beyond its predecessors.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 02 2005 09:38 AM

Decent Films Guide

tomato
4/5

Michael A. Smith

A true spectacle. The restored version rates a 5

comment Comment | Jan., 08 2005 11:42 PM

Nolan's Pop Culture Review

tomato

Luke Y. Thompson

All in all, where the movie is flawed, it's due to following the cinematic conventions of the era.

Full Review Source: | comment 3 Comments | Jun., 10 2004 11:21 AM

LYTRules.com

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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