Spartacus | | Cast : | Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier | | Director : | Stanley Kubrick | | Studio : | Criterion Collection | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Surround Sound, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | October 07, 1960 | | DVD Released Date : | April 24, 2001 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 19, 2005 | | Summary | A bit expensive for the limited features | Content
 | This collection is not worth the $40+ price. The movie itself is ok with only one big battle scene. Unfortunately, the extra features disc stated that over 6 hours of footage was filmed for this movie, but the extra footage has been lost. It is a shame since the movie does a really poor job of portraying time and the historical events of Spartacus' revolt. He spent nearly 2 years running north and south in Italy and had defeated the Romans in more than one battle. The movie simply shows his final defeat.
Personally found the USA Network version of Spartacus more engaging with the acting and flow of the characters. Had this two disc dvd included the extra footage, it would have been worth the investment. The extra features had some silent footage of the actors practicing for gladiator school, gee-whiz. Not really worth the extra price tag. This set is worth $20 tops.
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a much better collection and value if one likes to view the history and evolution of film making. If one likes ancient history battles, then the 300 Spartans is a highly recommended movie instead.
I bought this movie after reading the recommendations posted on Amazon, but this movie is really for the die hard fans, not for a casual movie fan like myself. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 18, 2005 | | Summary | BEWARE THE IMPORT DVD | Content
| In my opinion SPARTACUS is THE measuring stick for "Sword & Sandal" flicks. But, BEWARE of the IMPORT DVD (white case) you may be tempted to acquire. The wonderful Alex North score is treated without respect on this DVD. The opening credits are upcut and do not start at the very beginning of the music. The transition to the intermission is jarringly clumsey (another music upcut) and the entre'acte music is non-existant. Stick with the UNIVERSAL or CRITERION editions. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 24, 2005 | | Summary | defing role for screen legend. Masterpiece for the ages. | Content
| There are not enough superlatives when one sets out to adequately review this undoubted masterpiece. That the movie was ever completed at all is testiment enough to the genius and determination of Kirk Douglas who made many more movies in his career with none even approaching the sheer brilliance of this stand out performance in my view. That he failed to win the acting Oscar that year is one of the enduring injustices in cinema history, we will never know totally whether it was because of political considerations involving Trumbo or merely the fact that Spartacus had the misfortune to follow Ben Hur the previous year which won the Oscar for Heston. It is one of the great imponderables.One could draw a parallel with Pattons failure to win a fifth star during WW2 when most people thought he deserved it. Spartacus stands alone not only for Douglas but for the brilliant casting which brought together for the first and probably only time in cinema history the trio of Olivier, Ustinov and Laughton.One can only imagine the tensions and creative arguement that ensued with these high profile icons each striving to surpass the others performance. Alex Norths score is as memorable as the acting and stands on its own as a masterpiece which has seldom if ever been surpassed. The sheer scope of this movie and the attendant cost probably means we shall never see a similar production again unless you are a devotee of digitally manufactured products which I personally am not although I realise they have a major place in the present and future and one cannot stand in the way of technology. The stark difference is evident if one views Spartacus against a film like Gladiator which incidentally won a best actor award for Russell Crowe which I think is an insult to Douglas but only in a subjective sense. Crows performance was undoubtedly enhanced by the digital aspects of that movie whereas Douglas's Spartacus is more pristine if one can use such an anology. All in all a masterpiece for many reasons apart from Douglas. One can only imagine how the completed film would have looked had Kubrick continued for the whole production. A tantalising thought. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 09, 2005 | | Summary | pretty good classic... | Content
| This is a great movie which even today stands the test against time. While it isn't quite up to par with Gladiator, it does hold its own as a classic tale of the rebellious slave gladiator who stands against the Roman Empire. I recomend this movie to most, but watch this first before you watch Gladiator. You will see art only gets better with time. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 01, 2005 | | Summary | Forget historical accuracy | Content
| This is a dramatized Hollywood film, not a documentary. It was chosen as the manliest movie of all time in "The Big Damn Book of Sheer Manliness," but has much more to recommend it, of course. Much has already been written praising the screenplay, direction, and acting talents involved, particulary those of Olivier, Ustinov, and Laughton. I have no quibble with any of that. It does have a few flaws, however. Without going so far as to call it a 'noble failure,' one can point to elements that could have been handled better. In some scenes the background, ostensibly outdoors, is obviously and inexplicably a stage set, contrasting jarringly with the real outdoor shots seen throughout most of the film. The casting of Tony Curtis as Antoninus and John Gavin as Julius Caesar was a mistake. Curiously, these two characters are not in the Howard Fast novel, but were added for the film. Both actors were certainly chosen for their looks; speaking their lines doesn't seem to have been their strong point. With Gavin I'm constantly expecting him to trip over his tongue, forcing him to start over. And the score by Alex North, although some reviewers say good things about it, just doesn't work for me. Most of the time it has a contemporary Hollywood feel and does nothing to evoke the ancient world. (The 'Love Theme,' incidentally, has been recorded numerous times by jazz musicians like Bill Evans and Yusef Lateef.) Only the segments stripped down to trumpets and snare drums -- the martial music -- really succeed. At any rate, the film's virtues outweigh its faults, and is a remarkable achievement, coming out when it did, unlike almost anything which had gone before. It's worth many viewings. (BL, Tucker, GA) |
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