Spartacus

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  • Trailer 1

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann

Producer:

Edward Lewis

Writer:

Dalton Trumbo, Howard Fast, Peter Ustinov

Release Date:

Oct 7, 1960

Runtime:

3hr 4m

Synopsis

Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) is a rebellious slave purchased by Lentulus Batiatus (Peter Ustinov), owner of a school for gladiators. For the entertainment of corrupt Roman senator Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier), Batiatus' gladiators are to stage a fight to the death. On the night before the event, the enslaved trainees are rewarded with female companionship. Spartacus' companion for the evening is Varinia (Jean Simmons), a slave from Brittania. When Spartacus later learns that Varinia has been sold to Crassus, he leads 78 fellow gladiators in revolt. Word of the rebellion spreads like wildfire, and soon Spartacus' army numbers in the hundreds. Escaping to join his cause is Varinia, who has fallen in love with Spartacus, and another of Crassus' house slaves, the sensitive Antoninus (Tony Curtis). The revolt becomes the principal cog in the wheel of a political struggle between Crassus and a more temperate senator named Gracchus (Charles Laughton). Anthony Mann was the original director of Spartacus, eventually replaced by Stanley Kubrick, who'd previously guided Douglas through Paths of Glory. The film received 4 Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Ustinov. A crucial scene between Olivier and Curtis, removed from the 1967 reissue because of its subtle homosexual implications, was restored in 1991, with a newly recorded soundtrack featuring Curtis as his younger self and Anthony Hopkins standing in for the deceased Olivier.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast

  • Kirk Douglas
  • Laurence Olivier
  • Jean Simmons
  • Charles Laughton
  • Peter Ustinov
  • John Gavin
  • Nina Foch
  • John Ireland
  • Herbert Lom
  • John Dall

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.9
220.0K
89.7K
45.3K
RATINGS 527 FANS
3.9
  • Aug 20, 2022

    I audibly gasped when Spartacus chopped a guy’s hand off and it spurted blood because I didn’t think movies were allowed to do that back then

    1.8K Likes
    Patrick Willems
    Patrick Willems
    Jan 3, 2021

    I can see why this feels like for-hire work when you look at Kubrick's filmography but when compared to other old-fashioned analog epics this is honestly among the more beautiful and intimate of them with finely-tuned performances from some reliable greats (Douglas,…

    1.1K Likes
    Josh Lewis
    Josh Lewis
    Jan 11, 2015

    One of its taglines says, "More titanic than any story ever told!" which actually isn't very far from the truth. Notorious for being the only film in the legendary career of Stanley Kubrick for which he didn't have complete artistic control, Spartacus is breathtaking in…

    499 Likes
    cinemacl🎃wn
    cinemacl🎃wn
  •
    Aug 30, 2017

    Pretty rousing and undoubtedly a gorgeous piece of classic spectacle. Not as enamored with its depiction of queerness as a symptom of decadence, especially since it bumps up so poorly with the larger thread of individualism here, but you can't have everything. Would've been…

    459 Likes
    matt lynch
    matt lynch
    Jul 26, 2021

    “Spartacus” subverts the empty cloak theatrics of many major and minor sword and sandals epics for one reason: the unbridled intensity of emotion swelling on and off camera.  The ‘disowned child’ of substitute director Stanley Kubrick, the history of “Spartacus” is as…

    350 Likes
    theriverjordan
    theriverjordan
    Apr 6, 2020

    during the climatic battle an extra gets his forearm chopped off. it ruled.

    357 Likes
    Jamelle Bouie
    Jamelle Bouie
  •
    Aug 19, 2013

    Damn you, Spartacus. With a first half containing just a single shot that truly impressed me, I was fully expecting to have an easy time ranking this in relation to Kubrick's other, later works. The first half seemed to solidify this as an entertaining - yet sterile -…

    302 Likes
    PTAbro
    PTAbro
    Aug 17, 2022

    Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.

    292 Likes
    anna nomaly
    anna nomaly
    Feb 15, 2022

    Explaining to a Roman soldier background actor that in 45 years technology will exist that will not require him and several others to be physically steamrolled by a massive flaming log in a battle scene, but right now it’s 1959 and I’d actually be happy to offer you this…

    291 Likes
    Greg
    Greg

Queue Community Reviews

88%
Community 1,557
❤️ LOVE
25%
👍 LIKE
63%
😐 MEH
10%
👎 DISLIKE
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Top Reviews
  • nevan
    nevan loved
    Spartacus

    better than gladiator; more douglas’ vision than kubrick’s, there are excellent visuals and a powerful narrative that explores themes of ego, greed, and humanity. strong performances, combat, and music make for a great epic that holds up today. what an ending

    1Y
    Brianug
    Brianug liked
    Spartacus

    Good gladiator movie with a great overall story. Being a history buff, I like how they used actual names from history and while it’s not all as it happened, they did a good job of tying it together. Good for any war, love, and action film fans.

    1Y
    Matthew Golad
    Matthew Golad liked
    Spartacus

    I had no idea what to expect beyond the “I’m Spartacus” line that everyone has heard. The 4k Blu-ray looked amazing. Stunning. The story was complex and nuanced to a degree I wasn’t expecting. The film is impactful.

    3M
  • Hayden
    Hayden loved
    Spartacus

    Stanley Kubrick does not miss as this is a classic of cinema in every way possible. Personally I couldn’t look at Kirk and not see Michael and that was cool too. A must watch if your a fan of any of the above.

    3Y
    manny bobanny
    manny bobanny loved
    Spartacus

    I cannot praise this film highly enough. Beautifully shot, an incredible immensity to it, and a constant unwavering theme of freedom and what it truly means. One of the best movies ever made.

    2Y
    Steven Erick
    Steven Erick liked
    Spartacus

    This is the movie that your progressive, educated uncle suggests when your uptight, conservative dad defends “Ben Hur” as his favorite movie.

    5M
  • Brayton Chastain
    Brayton Chastain is "meh" on
    Spartacus

    The story seemed too slow. I don’t really understand the end. Like he died and led all those people to die for just to have his son be free?

    11M
    hannah
    hannah liked
    Spartacus

    very good film but i decided to continue writing my essay while i watched it because i was so bored. 7.5/10

    9M
    William Luckenbach
    William Luckenbach loved
    Spartacus

    This is the most spectacular historical epic of its time if not of all time! 9/10

    4Y

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

87
metacritic
Based on 17 Critics
8.7

USER SCORE (133)

Universal acclaim based on 133 Reviews
75

The most entertaining performance in the movie, consistently funny, is by Ustinov, who upstages everybody when he is onscreen (he won an Oscar).

Metacritic review by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
50

It is a spotty, uneven drama in which the entire opening phase representing the basic-training program in a gladiatorial school is lively, exciting and expressive, no matter how true to history it is, and the middle phase is pretentious and tedious, because it is concerned with the dull strife of politics.

Metacritic review by Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
The New York Times

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Spartacus (1960) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as PG-13, meaning that some material may be considered inappropriate for children under 13.
How long is Spartacus (1960)?
The movie is 3hr 4min long.
What's Spartacus (1960) about?
Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) is a rebellious slave purchased by Lentulus Batiatus (Peter Ustinov), owner of a school for gladiators. For the entertainment of corrupt Roman senator Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier), Batiatus' gladiators are to stage a fight to the death. On the night before the event, the enslaved trainees are rewarded with female companionship. Spartacus' companion for the evening is Varinia (Jean Simmons), a slave from Brittania. When Spartacus later learns that Varinia has been sold to Crassus, he leads 78 fellow gladiators in revolt. Word of the rebellion spreads like wildfire, and soon Spartacus' army numbers in the hundreds. Escaping to join his cause is Varinia, who has fallen in love with Spartacus, and another of Crassus' house slaves, the sensitive Antoninus (Tony Curtis). The revolt becomes the principal cog in the wheel of a political struggle between Crassus and a more temperate senator named Gracchus (Charles Laughton). Anthony Mann was the original director of Spartacus, eventually replaced by Stanley Kubrick, who'd previously guided Douglas through Paths of Glory. The film received 4 Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Ustinov. A crucial scene between Olivier and Curtis, removed from the 1967 reissue because of its subtle homosexual implications, was restored in 1991, with a newly recorded soundtrack featuring Curtis as his younger self and Anthony Hopkins standing in for the deceased Olivier.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Who's the cast of Spartacus (1960)?
  • Kirk Douglas as Spartacus
  • Laurence Olivier as Crassus
  • Jean Simmons as Varinia
  • Charles Laughton as Gracchus
  • Peter Ustinov as Batiatus
  • John Gavin as Julius Caesar
  • Nina Foch as Helena Glabrus
  • John Ireland as Crixus
  • Herbert Lom as Tigranes Levantus
  • John Dall as Marcus Publius Glabrus
Who's the director behind Spartacus (1960)?
Stanley Kubrick and Anthony Mann directed Spartacus (1960).
Who produced Spartacus (1960)?
Edward Lewis produced Spartacus (1960).