Spartacus (5 Stars)

When the blazing sun hangs low in the western sky,
When the wind dies away on the mountain,
When the song of the meadowlark turns still,
When the field locust clicks no more in the field,
And the sea foam sleeps like a maiden at rest,
And twilight touches the shape of the wondering Earth,
I turn home.

Through blue shadows and purple woods
I turn home.

I turn to the place where I was born,
To the mother who bore me and the father who taught me,
Long ago, long ago, long ago.

Alone am I now, lost and alone in a far, wide, wondering world.
Yet still when the blazing sun hangs low,
When the wind dies away and the sea foam sleeps,
And twilight touches the wondering Earth,
I turn home.

This is the greatest epic film ever made. It stands above all the other epic films made in the late 1950's and early 1960's, such as "Ben Hur", "Lawrence of Arabia", "Cleopatra" and "The Ten Commandments". After watching it today I'm wondering whether I should have included it in my list of 30 films to watch before you die. If I were composing my list today I'd definitely include it, but it's too late to change the list now.

I watched this film over and over again as a child. I remember it being frequently repeated on television, and I couldn't resist watching it. It was a favourite to be shown at Easter, probably because of the crucifixion scene. It has nothing to do with Christianity, of course. Crucifixion was a common form of execution practised by the Romans, mostly used for political crimes. The story of Spartacus contains the biggest mass crucifixion in history: 6000 slaves were crucified side by side for 120 miles on the road from Rome to Capua. In contrast to the usual practise of removing the bodies after death, they were left on the crosses for months, creating an unbearable stench.

The film's release was surrounded by controversy. The film was written by Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted in Hollywood because of his Communist views. Stanley Kubrick later distanced himself from the film for different reasons. He claimed that he hadn't been given full artistic control as director, and he complained that the script made Spartacus appear faultless. The film was made at the beginning of his career in Hollywood, so it's possible he wasn't given as much freedom as he had when he was regarded as an experienced director. However, the film won four Academy Awards and was a huge box office success, so it's strange that he doesn't want to be associated with it.

Roman history is fascinating, especially the first Century B.C, which is when this film takes place. The final scenes take place in 71 B.C. If you watch the film you might become curious what happened next, how the world's greatest republic turned into the world's cruellest dictatorship within a few years.

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