Spartacus |  | Directors: Anthony Mann, Stanley Kubrick
Actors: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $7.99
as of 11/22/2009 17:10 CST details
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Rating:  185 reviews
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 196 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: MCAD20181D
ISBN: 0783226039
UPC: 025192018121
EAN: 9780783226033
Theatrical Release Date: October 7, 1960
Release Date: March 31, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com essential video
Stanley Kubrick was only 31 years old when Kirk Douglas (star of Kubrick's classic Paths of Glory) recruited the young director to pilot this epic saga, in which the rebellious slave Spartacus (played by Douglas) leads a freedom revolt against the decadent Roman Empire. Kubrick would later disown the film because it was not a personal project--he was merely a director-for-hire--but Spartacus remains one of the best of Hollywood's grand historical epics. With an intelligent screenplay by then-blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo (from a novel by Howard Fast), its message of moral integrity and courageous conviction is still quite powerful, and the all-star cast (including Charles Laughton in full toga) is full of entertaining surprises. Fully restored in 1991 to include scenes deleted from the original 1960 release, the full-length Spartacus is a grand-scale cinematic marvel, offering some of the most awesome battles ever filmed and a central performance by Douglas that's as sensitively emotional as it is intensely heroic. Jean Simmons plays the slave woman who becomes Spartacus's wife, and Peter Ustinov steals the show with his frequently hilarious, Oscar-winning performance as a slave trader who shamelessly curries favor with his Roman superiors. The restored version also includes a formerly deleted bathhouse scene in which Laurence Olivier plays a bisexual Roman senator (with restored dialogue dubbed by Anthony Hopkins) who gets hot and bothered over a slave servant played by Tony Curtis. These and other restored scenes expand the film to just over three hours in length. Despite some forgivable lulls, this is a rousing and substantial drama that grabs and holds your attention. Breaking tradition with sophisticated themes and a downbeat (yet eminently noble) conclusion, Spartacus is a thinking person's epic, rising above mere spectacle with a story as impressive as its widescreen action and Oscar-winning sets. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Director Stanley Kubrick tells the tale of Spartacus (Kirk Douglas), the bold gladiator slave and Varinia (Jean Simmons), the woman who believed in his cause. Challenged by the power-hungry General Crassus (Laurence Olivier), Spartacus is forced to face his convictions and the power of the Imperial Rome at its glorious height. The inspirational true account of man's eternal struggle for freedom, Spartacus combines history with spectacle to create a moving drama of love and commitment.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 185
 Spartacus- Universal Cut November 5, 2009
Donald Edwards (USA)
SPARTACUS. A great motion picture. A film whose message is man must live free or die. A film budgeted at twelve million dollars in 1960 (easily one-hundred and twenty million in 2009 dollars). A cast of supreme stars- Kirk Douglas, Lawrence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Jean Simmons and Tony Curtis. A supporting cast of ten thousand human beings. I first viewed this film in the early 1960's and was entirely
engrossed by it. The dramatic music of Alex North paired with duelling gladiators was
unforgettable to this (at the time) ten year old. I remember, too, the very touching love scenes between Douglas and Simmons. Their love was magnificent, real and precious.
Indeed, this epic rates as one of my all time favourite films because of it's huge scope and emotional appeal. There's passion, politics, betrayal. A timeless story that touches the heart and excites the mind.
I won't delve into the plot as other reviewers have given ample time to this. What I wish to say, however, is that this Universal Studios version, while the sound quality is superb, the visual could have been better. Technically, the film displays a sepia or brownish tone. The contrast level is somewhat harsh and there is a grainy texture throughout. Granted the film is vintage, but the restorations of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, NORTH BY NORTHWEST and VERTIGO are of a much higher standard. The CRITERION version is the one to own.
 Spartacus October 27, 2009
John Pyle (Oklahoma)
Kirk Douglas at his best in this period film. Lots of name actors, and lots of action. I recommend to any fan of Douglas. (Like me)
worthy June 8, 2009
netstarman (Texas)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A great movie by Stanley Kubrick , please do buy if you have a hd-dvd forthe xbox 360, or a HD-DVD player do buy.
A Bit Long, But A Solid Epic Which Looks Better Each Time April 27, 2009
Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA)
This is a solid adventure story that keeps looking better and better with each succeeding DVD. The excellent Criterion version was the last. Next up, I hope, is a solid Blu-Ray version.
*** This comment contains spoilers ***
The story is a no-nonsense dramatic tale of a slave who leads a revolt against Rome, is successful in building the movement from almost nothing to an army of thousands, only to be beaten and literally crucified in the end.....but leaving his mark, to use a cliché, on history.
The prelude to the final battle scene is awesome-looking when you see all the soldiers lined up. I liked the fact they didn't overdo the action scenes, which they could easily have done since they employed a cast of thousands. On the other hand, they could have cut down on the overall length of the movie which was over three hours long. At two-and-a-half hours this would have been a much tighter script and easier to view.
Kirk Douglas, as "Spartacus," the leader of that revolt, was excellent and Peter Ustinov shines, too. The dialog given Ustinov and Charles Laughton was intelligent. This movie also featured the acting talents of Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis and John Gavin. Not bad, eh?
Truth or fiction? April 2, 2009
Diane R. Kennedy (Louisville)
I couldn't wait to get this film. The real Spartucus wasn't as nice as Kirk Douglas' character I hear, but for a man to revolt against slavery and the Romans and win is awesome! "We all have good and evil in us, which we act on is who we are."(Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter.)
Showing reviews 1-5 of 185
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