Spartacus DVD

Advantages: Stands up well even by today's production standards
Disadvantages: Plays fast and loose with actual history at times

...while the current remake of Spartacus was in production. The original film, based as it was on Fast’s novel, takes many liberties with history. The characterisations of Spartacus’ early days with Varinia, for example, are mere speculation. The course of the slave-army progress through Italy is similarly an invention made for easier poetic rendering – the slave-army in fact wandered throughout Italy in a much different fashion, with different results ...
...revolt in Roman history, and Spartacus and his band of gladiators drew strength and inspiration from the Sicilian and southern Italian revolts of the then not-too-distant past. However, the main object of Fast’s novel, and Stanley Kubrick’s realisation of such in cinema, was the story of the quest for freedom against oppression and tyranny. There are echoes of the cold war here, to be sure – the autocratic Crassus threatening the freedom of a great ... Read review

Advantages: see review
Disadvantages: see review

...put on a decent show, Spartacus organises the other trainee gladiators and revolts against the school, then setting about the countryside liberating and recruiting slaves into an ever-growing army which he hopes to march on Rome to liberate all enslaved men. Standing in his way are the tyrannical patricians, in particular Crassus(Laurence Olivier) who orchestrates the fury against this uprising in the senate and the full might of the Holy Roman Empire. ...
...alike, although completely falsified for Spartacus himself was hacked to death in battle - but this wouldn't have been dramatic enough of course... ;o) Recently, some extra scenes were restored to the movie which had previously been cut for being too risque as the movie tried to stick closely to the debauchery that was Rome...one scene for example sees Crassus trying to seduce Antoninus(Tony Curtis) with thinly veiled references. (Incidentally Oliviers ... Read review

Advantages: All round family feature.
Disadvantages: None.

...some ways even more, as Spartacus is based on the true story of a slave who became not just a Gladiator, but also a historical hero. The film in it's original form dates back to 1960, though now you can buy it on DVD with extra footage that had been cut from the cinema version. Along with various DVD extras like Biographies, Production Notes, The Original Trailer and much more, you also get the quality, both in sound and vision due to the digital ...
...a much more grown up Spartacus is working as a slave, a fellow slave collapses and Spartacus steps in to help only to be punished because he has stopped working. In retaliation he attacks the Roman guard and is subsequently sentenced to death by starving as an example to others. Anyway a slave trader passing by decides to buy him, hence his life is spared. The slave trader takes Spartacus to a Roman training camp to sell on for the purpose of becoming ... Read review

Advantages: Great script, superb acting, cinematography, score, battle scenes
Disadvantages: pace falters at times, 20 mins too long, some very obvious scenes filmed in studio

...against seemingly impossible odds! Spartacus is a classic amongst the classics. Not quite so pompous as Ben Hur; not so overdone as Ten Commandments. Spartacus offers a comfortable middleway between being a cultured and a populist movie. Stanley Kubrick's direction has never been better, especially during the final battle scenes, and the rather subtle & discreet scene between Laurence Olivier & Tony Curtis sharing a bath together - a lot of the ...
...to spare the life of Spartacus (Kirk Douglas). Kubrick knows how to tap the best out of some actors, and here is no exception. Of course the true honours are shared by Olivier and Douglas. In a way the characters they play is like a metaphor of their real acting abilities & achievements. We have in the red corner, Laurence Olivier, playing the sweeping & majestic Crassus, leader of Rome (in all but name), who rides his white horse with an air of ... Read review

Advantages: The best epic of them all.
Disadvantages: Tony Curtis's accent.

This is unquestionably the best and most intelligent historical epic yet made - possibly because no other similar films had such a fine and intelligent movie maker as Stanley Kubrick at the helm. Apart from being a hugely compelling study of the central character and his story (based on truth) it also boasts many of the best performances in any similar film, notably Charles Laughton and Peter Ustinov who manage to steal every scene they're in even ... Read review

Advantages: Great Ballet - great music- wonderful dancing
Disadvantages: no ballet is as good on dvd as live- filming of ballets from russia is inferior

...... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Shiny swords!
Disadvantages: There's no budget, no script editor and stunningly average acting.

...pile of swords and this shiny halfpenny piece. Witness the glory of Rome and its one street! See armies fight in epic battles of dozens! Marvel at sets that will stand the test of one good solid kick, if they're lucky! It's pretty bad, but at least they seem to have spent money on a decent choreographer. Because the sword-fighting's generally pretty good and one of the most entertaining things the movie has to offer. Also there is blood. Not a lot, but it's definitely there. In inoffensive quantities. And since it's on DVD, you might expect extras, but there aren't any. Not a sausage. Disappointing indeed. So, really, if you want to have the story of Spartacus told to you with talking pictures, then it's the Kirk Douglas movie all the way. It's got a better script, bigger budget and far, far better actors. There really isn't the faintest... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Great Transfers
Disadvantages: Not all Films Included And Few Extras

...and worth watching. The box set includes A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Full Metal Jacket, Eye Wide Shut, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, The Shining and A Life In Pictures. All films are digitally re-mastered and tweaked wherever possible to make this a great set of film transfers. The price of this collection of masterpieces is fairly pricey. Amazon sells the box set for around £80, on DVD, which is a good price. Most shops on the high street ask for about £100. If you’re willing to buy it on VHS video, which I strongly discourage because the quality is lacking compared to DVD, then it’s in the region of about £60. Note that several of Kubrick’s films are not included in this box set, most notably ‘Spartacus’ and ‘Paths Of Glory’. I recommend you buy these separately to complement the box set. Criterion does a wonderful... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful