Spartacus, directed by Stanley Kubrick, written
by Dalton Trumbo based on the novel by Howard Fast
9 out of 10
Notes and
thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E
and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
-
I am Spartacus! No, I am Spartacus
This is one
of the most famous lines in the history of cinema, along with “you can’t handle
the truth”; I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse” and others.
The director
of Spartacus is himself part of the history of motion pictures, as one of the
best movie makers:
-
2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork
Orange, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
are among the best films ever made
Spartacus is
also included on The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made list:
It is about
the screenwriter that I have some qualms.
Winner of
two Academy Awards and other important prizes, Dalton Trumbo was definitely a
very gifted story teller.
Nevertheless,
his belonging to the Communist party does not make him endearing, on the contrary,
it makes him rather unlikeable.
Yes, I have
just seen the film about his life and suffering as a creator on the black list,
which obstructed his fundamental rights.
Yet, I have
lived under the communist regime and I know what it means, in spite of what
leftists imagined.
It is
living with permanent terror, in a regime much like the one described in
Spartacus, only tolerated millennia later.
-
What am I saying, not just
tolerated, with the modern day slavery that it involved, but promoted by the
likes of Trumbo, alas
The cast of
the film is spectacular:
-
Kirk Douglas-who seems to have been
involved in producing the film, bringing Trumbo on board and then insisting
that he is listed as the writer, even if that was dangerous for the
film-Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Tony Curtis and last but
not least, Peter Ustinov- who won the Academy Awards for his role
The narrative
is one of the most famous and exhilarating of all time, with the gladiators and
especially at the center.
In 73 BCE,
the Roman Empire was near its peak, occupying most of the territory of the
known world or engaged with people controlling the rest.
As the joke
on the romans, in what is perhaps the best comedy ever produced, in spite of
all the controversy it generated- Life of Brian- has it:
-
“ Reg: All right, but apart from the
sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the
fresh-water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
-
PFJ Member: Brought peace?
-
Reg: Oh, peace? SHUT UP!”
The dark
side of the Roman Empire was slavery and the fight to death of the gladiators,
for the fun of the crowd.
Spartacus leads
a revolt that shakes the foundations of the empire, if only briefly and in a limited
area.
The story
has all the ingredients of a fabulous, phenomenal drama, with expert fighting,
moral issues and philosophical questions.
One of the
best and very famous scenes in cinema involves the punishment of the slaves and
the loyalty they prove for their leader…
One after
the other fighters claim that they are Spartacus and not the others, just to
take the blame on him and spare the real leader.
Great film.
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu