Review of Spartacus

Introduction

With the popularity of the Roman epic on the rise following the amazing success of Gladiator not so long ago there has been a rush into the toga and desire to emulate at least some of that success. Troy has just been released with the complete Trojan War on offer and Alexander will soon bestride the world -hopefully covering his modern pants.

The desire to keep TV audiences amused and entertained was the compelling reason behind this production but in the past with the struggle to prevent the mass exodus of viewer to the competing television schedules meant that epics like the original Spartacus were staged.

Both versions of Spartacus are based on the Howard Fast novel. Despite being blacklisted by Hollywood for his communist sympathies Fast continued to write books that reflected his left wing views. Spartacus, the story of the people coming together in a common cause was published in 1951 with others following. A loyal supporter, Fast only left the party in 1956, when Khrushchev revealed Stalin`s crimes. With the end of the blacklist in 1960 fellow blacklisted Dalton Trumbo wrote the screenplay for Spartacus.

Goran Visnic previously Luca on ER he as a suitably foreign accent for the part of Spartacus, coming from what was Yugoslavia. Spartacus was Thracian which is modern day Bulgaria, close enough. His physical type is very different to Kirk Douglas` and he seems slight, a man thrust into a position who must think on his feet. His desire for freedom is so strong it affects men and women who have already given up and accepted their enslavement.

Of the actors the majority seem to be Brits with a few recognisable Americans thrown in for the main market.

Brit Rhona Mitra plays Varinia, wife to Spartacus; she is the voice of the narrator and relates the tale in past tense.

Scot Angus McFaddyen, is the devious Crassus who uses the revolt to attempt to gain more power in Rome

Henry Simmons plays the African Draba previously Det. Baldwin Jones in NYPD (2000-2005)

Sir Alan Bates in his final performance adds even more gravitas as Antonius Aggripa who is keen to retain the Republic, outmanoeuvring Crassus where he can.

Ian McNeice, a veteran of many films and TV shows gets to play a much harder version of the slave owning Batiatus, than Peter Ustinov.

A mention here for Ross Kemp playing Grant Mitchell playing Cinna, who trains the slaves to be gladiators-why?

The story follows Spartacus as he rails against the brutality in a mine where he is a slave. Saved from crucifixion by Batiatus he is sent to be a gladiator. It is a pampered existence in the short term with certain death at the end of a glorious career. When Spartacus meets Varinia he explains his idea that all men deserve to be free. After a brutal display put on for the bored and pampered idle Romans he decides it is time to hit back at the oppressor and the slaves make their escape.

Gathering in numbers they are eventually seen as a real threat to the security of Rome as Spartacus outwits the cohorts sent against them. High born and rich Roman Senator Crassus believes it will win him Rome if he marches against the slaves. Funding his own army means he must race against the arrival of wunderkind Pompey in a bid to silence the rebellion once and for all.

Video

The picture is of good quality with no obvious signs of problems.

A word of warning this is on one disc and it is a flipper.

Audio

The sound is fine with the dialogue clearly audible. The music is palatable.

Features

Hard to imagine that anything was deleted as some scenes seem overly long anyway but they are 15 very short scenes included. None of them are particularly illuminating although one or two explain a little more about motivation of the characters.

Conclusion

Spartacus starts out as quite an average reproduction of a blockbusting book with built in expectations or otherwise due to the star-studded film of 1960. It is slow to get going although the interplay between what is happening in the Senate and to the slaves gradually gathers momentum. The obsession of Crassus with the `possession` and elimination of Spartacus reaches an eye-rolling peak in the last few scenes and McFaddyen does well to hold it together. The penultimate scene belongs to Sir Alan Bates, as Agrippa makes amends and it is a fitting coda to his career.


Spartacus stands up against the oppression of a decadent and corrupt empire that uses people as it would animals. He lights the spark of freedom in men`s hearts and is a symbol of freedom for generations to come. Here Spartacus is an unassuming man who has greatness thrust upon him. His main concern is that everyone lives the best life they can. Crucially the people still desire a king figure and there are others who are unable to follow with the majority decision. Division means the death of the cause but not of the ideal. These people are prepared to die to bring freedom for others and their rebellion results in a sea-change in people such as Aggripa who although prepared to defend Rome has seen her grow sick.

When Crassus stands up in the Senate and talks about national security as he is about to lead a huge force of arms against rebellious slaves I had a little moment as no doubt the scriptwriters intended. Made in the year of the new American invasions the contrast of the decadence of Rome versus the purity of the beliefs of the slaves can be no coincidence. In the next breath Crassus states that there is `no hiding place for those that would strike terror `in Rome, almost word-for-word quotes from the American high command.

As an all in one presentation it does drag a bit but the second part it lifts well. Its not something I`d buy but certainly look out for it on rental or the television schedules.