Summary
The 1960 filmSpartacusgets a review from a history expert. Starring Kirk Douglas as the titular Roman slave, the historical epic follows the protagonist’s journey as hetrains to become a gladiatorand leads a violent revolution against the Roman Republic, while his rival Crassus works to gain power through squashing this uprising. In addition to Douglas,Spartacusfeatures a leading cast including Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin, and Nina Foch.
In anInsiderinterview, historian Michael Taylor rates a Roman battle scene inSpartacus.
According to the historian, the basic setup of the battle scene inSpartacus, with separate “cohorts” and a “checkerboard formation,” is accurate to what would have happened historically. Other moments in theSpartacussequence were less truthful, including a scene of a fire log continuously burning, which would have burnt out in real life becausethe Romans did not have “incendiary materials.“The film did get certain weaponry right, like the gladius. Check out the full quote from Taylor below:
In the triplex acies, the threefold battle lines that the Romans have where their cohorts, their individual units, are arrayed in this kind of checkerboard formation. So the Romans don’t like to form a single dense-massed formation. Because that single dense-massed formation can be brittle, it can be broken up by an obstacle. If it gets disordered, everything gets disordered. Each cohort fights somewhat independently of the other cohorts. And that actually gives the overall legion a lot of tactical flexibility on the battlefield.
If I’m the Romans in the front rank and I see these guys rolling the fire logs, I’m just going to kill the guys rolling the fire logs, and then the problem is solved. Also, my guess is those logs are kept on fire because they’ve put a lot of gasoline on them. The ancients are not going to have any kind of incendiary materials as effective. Which means probably the logs are just going to burn out as they’re rolled forward.
The swords approximate the Roman gladius that is in use at this time. And one thing that is inauthentic is you do not use a gladius to sort of fence with the way they’re fencing in this clip. But a gladius is always used with a scutum. The swords is too short and too chunky to effectively parry with. Essentially if you were confronting an opponent, you absorb and parry his blows with your scutum, and then you strike with your gladius. The scutum and the gladius together are a kind of weapon system. I would give this a 7. The classic legion moving across the field, I’ve got to say I’ve got a soft spot for it.
The Legacy of Spartacus
Spartacus Won Four Oscars
Taylor went into the finer details for this analysis, explaining how the gladius weapon paired with another tool called the scutum. While the historian gets granular in pointing out some inaccuracies, he was still generous about his overall rating,givingSpartacusa 7 out of 10.Given the age of the film, a score this high is pretty impressive. The dramaturgical work that went into the 1960 film was clearly a huge part of its priorities.
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The historical epic was well-received at the time of its release, receiving several Oscar nominations.It won four Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor for Ustinov (who played Batiatus in the film), Best Cinematography, Best Art Decoration, and Best Costume Design. It was also nominated for Oscars for Best Film Editing and Best Original Score. Over the course of time,Spartacushas stood out as a huge cinematic achievement for its time as well as a great historical epic.
Spartacusis also notable in cinema history in that it was the breakout film for visionarydirector Stanley Kubrick. AfterSpartacus, Kubrick would go on to direct further classic films, includingDr. Stranglelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,2001: A Space Odyssey,A Clockwork Orange,The Shining, andEyes Wide Shut. Playing Spartacus was also a cornerstone of Douglas' career, who was a prolific actor in that time period. Overall, it seems likeSpartacushas aged well in cinema history and in historical accuracy.
Spartacus
Cast
Spartacus is a historical drama directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Kirk Douglas as Spartacus, a slave-turned-rebel leading an uprising against the Roman Empire. Released in 1960, the film features Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, and Tony Curtis in supporting roles. It portrays Spartacus’s journey from enslavement to becoming a symbol of resistance.
