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SUBJECT:
Spartacus leads slave revolt against Roman rulers.

NOTES:
A troubled epic production, Spartacus shot for 167 days, employed over 10,000 people and cost over $12 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever produced in Hollywood at that time. However, the film was a great success, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture and grossing over $13 million within the year.

Production began on January 27, 1959 with Anthony Mann directing. He was fired on Friday the 13th of February. The quarry scenes Mann shot in Death Valley were still used in the beginning of the film. Kubrick was brought in by Kirk Douglas, making this the first and last feature film Kubrick directed where he did not initiate the project.

Among Kubrick's early contributions were the firing of German actress Sabina Bethmann and the hiring of Jean Simmons in her place, and also removing much of the the dialogue in the early love scenes between Spartacus and Varinia, preferring to create the moments visually.

Kubrick and Douglas clashed, however. Kubrick felt he didn't have enough creative input especially where the script was concerned, making him feel like a mere hired hand, and leading him to later buy his way out of his 3 picture contract with Kirk Douglas's production company and in later years to virtually disown the film.

Spartacus was the film that broke the Hollywood blacklist, giving open credit to screenwriter Dalton Trumbo who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy era.

Spartacus was released on October 7, 1960.

TRIVIAL TIDBITS:

The film was shot in Super Technirama 70, a format which ran 35mm film through the camera horizontally, creating a very large negative 8 perforations wide and also incorporated 150% anamorphic compression. Spartacus was also released in 6-track sound, only the third film to use the process.

The scenes of the final battle were filmed in Spain and took 12 weeks to rehearse and shoot, using 8,000 Spanish Army infantrymen. According to Kirk Douglas, the slave army's cries of "I am Spartacus" were actually recorded using the crowd at a Michigan State (Spartans) v. Notre Dame football game.

The men who restored Spartacus discovered that the original soundtrack for the bath scene was lost, so Tony Curtis had to be brought in to redo his lines, 30 years later. Anthony Hopkins provided the voice for the deceased Laurence Olivier.

CREDITS:
Production Company -- Bryna
Producer -- Edward Lewis
Director -- Stanley Kubrick
Screenplay-- Dalton Trumbo, based on the novel by Howard Fast
Cinematographer -- Russel Metty (Filmed in Super Technirama-70)
Editors -- Robert Lawrence, Robert Schultz, Fred Chulack
Music -- Alex North
Production Designer -- Alexander Golitzen
Costumes -- Peruzzi, Valles, Bill Thomas
Sound -- Walson O. Watson, Joe Lapis, Murray Spivack, Ronald Pierce (6-Track Stereophonic)
Cast:
Spartacus -- Kirk Douglas
Marcus Crassus -- Laurence Olivier
Varinia -- Jean Simmons
Gracchus -- Charles Laughton
Batiatus -- Peter Ustinov
Julius Ceaser -- John Gavin
Antoninus -- Tony Curtis
Helena -- Nina Foch
Tigranes -- Herbert Lom
Crixus -- John Ireland
Glabrus -- John Dall
Marcellus -- Chrales McGraw
Claudia -- Joanna Barnes
Draba -- Woody Strode
Running time: 197 minutes originally, then cut to 183 for general and international release. 35 mm re-release in 1967 cut to 161 minutes. Restored on 70mm film in 1991 to 198 minutes. The 1991 version contains credits for the restoration, resulting in a longer running time.
Distributor: Universal Pictures

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