We are under U today because of star Peter Ustinov.
Writer: Dalton Trumbo (Screenplay) Howard Fast (Novel)
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin, Nina Foch
Plot: The slave Spartacus leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic.
Tagline – The Electrifying Spectacle That Thrilled the World!
Runtime: 3 Hours 17 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Too Long, Too Slow
Story: Spartacus starts as young slave Spartacus (Douglas) gets sold to his latest owner Batiatus (Ustonov) who has been turning the slaves into fighters, which sees Spartacus training to become a warrior, only for him to lose his first fight, he finds himself leading a revolt against the owners, putting the Roman Republic needing to prepare for the problems they could face.
As Spartacus grows his army, the Romans put together a plan to stop the uprising, with different members of the empire using this as their own power play to become the ruler of the land.
Thoughts on Spartacus
Final Thoughts – This is a film that is considered one of the classic of the art and for the time of release it would have been amazing, sure, only the problem is we have seen this story done many times since, we have seen the story trimmed to be watchable instead of nearly 3 and half hours long. This isn’t going to be a full review because after 1 and half hours, I simply couldn’t watch anymore, it is a shame because I like watching some of the classics, this one just isn’t one I could make it through.
Overall: Not for me.
Rating
