1961 Oscar Best Supporting Actor
1961 Oscar Best Cinematography Color
Long and a bit clunky but enjoyable, so long as the neat hairstyles don't irritate you.
More particularly, an extra ingredient is its significance from a 1940-60s USA political point of view - McCarthy etc, then black equal rights. Until I re-watched recently, then saw Trumbo, I hadn't realised what an important film it was, for its time. And still is, actually.
A useful antacid for the indigestion caused by the present USA political administration.
You'll have to devote an evening, as it is so long, but time does not drag and there's a useful half time to fetch the coffee and whisky!
Saga of the ancient Roman world remains relevant, unlike many contemporary historical epics, because its themes are timeless and universal. Spartacus was a slave and gladiator who went to war with Rome to gain the freedom of his class. When Kirk Douglas as Spartacus rouses his army before the battle he is clearly also speaking to the contemporary American civil rights movement.
And just as plainly, Dalton Trumbo's brilliant script is referencing the McCarthy witch-hunt of the 1950s. Trumbo was one of the Hollywood Ten and refused to name names to HUAC. The famous scene where the Roman general (Laurence Olivier) commands the survivors of the uprising to identify Spartacus and they all respond "I am Spartacus" must have gone straight to the heart of American audiences.
Of course, Douglas' performance is legendary, and he is matched by Olivier who manages to evoke decadent cruelty without overacting or even a flicker of camp. The whole cast is excellent, and Peter Ustinov steals his scenes as an unctuous, mercenary slave merchant. Alex North's innovative score does a lot of the dramatic work. The Roman world feels plausible, whether the intimate interiors or the huge hillside battle scene.
It's a grand spectacle which demonstrates that political miracles are possible, and it continues to inspire. Spartacus is the greatest film of its kind, not because of its epic scale but because of its powerful evocation of humanity and brotherhood. And Douglas' production broke the stranglehold of HUAC on American cinema, which may even be the film's greatest legacy.