SPARTACUS [1960 / 2012] [50th Anniversary Edition] [Special Deluxe Limited Edition DigiBook] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] The Thrilling Adventure That Electrified the World! Winner of 4 Academy Awards!
This presentation of the powerful film classic features an additional five minutes of footage cut from the film's original release, plus the original overture and extended soundtrack.
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 [Sir Laurence Olivier], Spartacus is forced to face his convictions and the power of the Roman Empire 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. Narrated by Vic Perrin.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1961 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Peter Ustinov. Win: Best Cinematography in Color for Russell Metty. Win: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration in Color for Alexander Golitzen, Eric Orbom, Julia Heron and Russell A. Gausman. Win: Best Costume Design in Color for Bill Thomas and Valles. Nominated: Best Film Editing for Robert Lawrence. Nominated: Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture for Alex North. 1961 Golden Globes: Win: Best Motion Picture in a Drama. Nominated: Best Director for Stanley Kubrick. Nominated: Best Actor in a Drama for Sir Laurence Olivier. Nominated: Best Supporting Actor for Woody Strode. Nominated: Best Supporting Actor for Peter Ustinov. Nominated: Best Original Score for Alex North. 1961 BAFTA Film Awards: Nominated: Best Film from any Source for Stanley Kubrick [USA]. 1961 Laurel Awards: Nominated: Golden Laurel Award for Top Male Dramatic Performance for Kirk Douglas. Nominated: Golden Laurel Award for Top Male Supporting Performance for Peter Ustinov. 1961 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Win: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in a Feature Film. 1961 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Written American Drama for Dalton Trumbo. 1985 Huabiao Film Awards: Win: Outstanding Translated Foreign Film. 1987 Huabiao Film Awards: Win: Outstanding Translated Foreign Film. 2011 International Film Music Critics Award: Win: Best Archival Release of an Existing Score for Alex North (music), Robert Townson (album producer, liner notes, album art direction), Matthew Joseph Peak (album art direction) and Bill Pitzonka (album art direction). 2016 Online Film & Television Association: Win: OFTA Film Hall of Fame for SPARTACUS Motion Picture. 2017 National Film Preservation Board, USA: Win: National Film Registry Award for National Film Preservation Board.
FILM FACT No.2: Kirk Douglas, whose company Bryna Productions was producing the film, removed original director Anthony Mann after the first week of shooting. Stanley Kubrick, with whom Kirk Douglas had worked before, was brought on board to take over direction. It was the only film directed by Stanley Kubrick where he did not have complete artistic control. Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo was blacklisted at the time as one of the Hollywood Ten. Kirk Douglas publicly announced that Dalton Trumbo was the screenwriter of ‘SPARTACUS,’ and President-elect John F. Kennedy crossed American Legion picket lines to view the film, helping to end the blacklisting. Howard Fast was also blacklisted, and originally had to self-publish it.
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Sir Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin, Nina Foch, John Ireland, Herbert Lom, John Dall, Charles McGraw, Joanna Barnes, Harold J. Stone, Woody Strode, Peter Brocco, Paul Lambert, Robert J. Wilke, Nicholas Dennis, John Hoyt, Frederick Worlock, Tony Curtis, Arthur Batanides (uncredited), Paul Baxley (uncredited), Norman Bishop (uncredited), Don Bramblett (uncredited), Courtney Brown (uncredited), Rudy Bukich (uncredited), Bob Burns (uncredited), Al Carmichael (uncredited), John Daheim (uncredited), Carol Daniels (uncredited), Tony Dante (uncredited), Doris Darling (uncredited), Ted de Corsia (uncredited), Terence de Marney (uncredited), Frank Donahue (uncredited), Mary Donovan (uncredited), Johnny Duncan (uncredited), Louie Elias (uncredited), Maurice Elias (uncredited), Logan Field (uncredited), Duke Fishman (uncredited), Seamon Glass (uncredited), Joe Gold (uncredited), Sol Gorss (uncredited), Brad Harris (uncredited), Wayne Heffley (uncredited), Charles Horvath (uncredited), Loren Janes (uncredited), Duke Johnson (uncredited), Harry C. Johnson (uncredited), Kenner G. Kemp (uncredited), George Kennedy (uncredited), Hubie Kerns (uncredited), Aron Kincaid (uncredited), Paul Kruger (uncredited), Stubby Kruger (uncredited), Dayton Lummis (uncredited), Otto Malde (uncredited), Gordon Mitchell (uncredited), Regis Parton (uncredited), Victor Paul (uncredited), Leonard Penn (uncredited), Gil Perkins (uncredited), Jack Perkins (uncredited), Larry Perron (uncredited), Preston Peterson (uncredited), Eugene Poole (uncredited), Bill Raisch (uncredited), George Robotham (uncredited), Ronnie Rondell Jr. (uncredited), Wally Rose (uncredited), Autumn Russell (uncredited), Aaron Saxon (uncredited), Jim Sears (uncredited), Scott Seaton (uncredited), Alex Sharp (uncredited), Tom Steele (uncredited), John Stephenson (uncredited), Robert Stevenson (uncredited), Kay Stewart (uncredited), Jerry Summers (uncredited), Jo Summers (uncredited), Glen Thompson (uncredited), Larry Thor (uncredited), Don Turner (uncredited), Dale Van Sickel (uncredited), Louise Vincent (uncredited), Peter Virgo (uncredited), Will J. White (uncredited), Charles Wilcox (uncredited), Billy Williams (uncredited), Lynda Lee Williams (uncredited), Carleton Young (uncredited) and Fred Zendar (uncredited)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Producers: Edward Lewis, Edward Muhl (uncredited) and Kirk Douglas
Screenplay: Dalton Trumbo (screenplay), Calder Willingham (battle scenes) (uncredited), Howard Fast (based on the novel) and Peter Ustinov (uncredited)
Composer: Alex North
Cinematography: Russell Metty, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 2.22:1 (Super Technirama 70)
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
French: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
Italian: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
German: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
Japanese: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Cantonese Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish and Mandarin Chinese
Running Time: 197 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Universal International
Andrew's Blu-ray Review: When is a Stanley Kubrick film not a Stanley Kubrick film? The answer: when legendary auteur was a hired gun for the one and only time in his career. Kirk Douglas installed Stanley Kubrick as director of the Roman epic ‘SPARTACUS’ [1960] after sacking original choice Anthony Mann. Kirk Douglas and Stanley Kubrick had previously worked together on a much more recognisably Stanley Kubrick film, the 1957 World War One drama ‘Paths of Glory,’ but with ‘SPARTACUS’ things were totally different.
A big-budget, high-risk project produced by Kirk Douglas himself, reportedly after the actor failed to win the title role in 1959's wildly successful ‘BEN-HUR' and ‘SPARTACUS' needed to be big at the box office and Kirk Douglas, perhaps understandably, wanted to harness Stanley Kubrick's talent in a very direct and unflashy way. It's the director's most mainstream work and a picture he all but disowned entirely and which convinced him to from that point only make films on which he could exercise full creative control.
It sounds like a bit of a mess after saying all that, but ‘SPARTACUS' is for me the best film of its kind ever produced and for a great many reasons. Firstly, it is the only major Hollywood film of its kind which isn't a dreary Christian parable. ‘SPARTACUS' is a much more down to earth human story, focussing on a slave revolt as an underclass seek to defeat their rulers and escape the Roman Empire. Written by the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, the parallels between the story of Spartacus and the ideology of communism are hard to miss, as the wealthy, privileged Roman ruling elite face the wrath of those whose labour has kept them so well-fed.
The final famous defeat of the slaves at the hands of the Roman army also echoes Trumbo's own story and his defiance. Through the "I am Spartacus" sequence we see the solidarity of those who refuse to "name names" a sub-text Trumbo has since confirmed in interviews, whilst the fate of Spartacus himself is also interesting in this context: though the Romans defeat him, they cannot defeat his idea. We are told at the film's opening that Spartacus dreamed of the abolition of slavery 2000 years before it became a reality and it is from this fact that Dalton Trumbo asks us to take heart. Sir Laurence Olivier, as Roman patrician Crassus, states as the film nears its climax that his aim is not just to kill Spartacus, but to "kill the legend of Spartacus." But unfortunately for him, you can't kill an idea.
With this political tract, ‘SPARTACUS’ is about something more contemporary and more important than the Roman Empire or outdated superstition. It is a hopeful and humanistic film which lacks the soft-focus romanticism of its cinematic rivals. It is also spectacularly witty, such as when Peter Ustinov's cowardly schemer Lentulus Batiatus tells Crassus that he doesn't want to stay with the army during battle, saying: "I'm a civilian... I'm even more of a civilian than most civilians."
Having such a terrific cast is another huge reason why ‘SPARTACUS' is so good. Peter Ustinov won an OSCAR® for his part and deservedly so, whilst Sir Lawrence Olivier and Kirk Douglas are also ably joined by actors of the calibre and presence of Charles Laughton, Jean Simmons and the late great Tony Curtis. The scenes of simmering sexual tension between Tony Curtis and Sir Lawrence Olivier are among the best in the film and add to the sense that something more complex and mature is going on here than in previous film genre.
Perhaps these details are the most tangible signs of Stanley Kubrick's influence on the project are felt in the unprecedented authenticity and scale of the battle scenes, filmed in on location in Madrid using Spanish infantry soldiers at his urging and something he wanted to repeat ten years later, hoping to use real Romanian cavalry to make his doomed Napoleon film. The action scenes in ‘SPARTACUS' are much more bloody and visceral than any others seen in Roman epics of the era as well and hold up well today.
The element of Stanley Kubrick is Spartacus himself. In no other Stanley Kubrick film, other than perhaps Douglas' Col. Dax in ‘Paths of Glory' is the hero so without fault. If let loose on the film I suspect Stanley Kubrick would have made a point of having the slave leader destroyed by his obsession with freedom, whilst he might also have questioned Spartacus' willingness to offer his comrades lives for an ideal. Stanley Kubrick was many things but never an ideologue. But the screenplay of Dalton Trumbo is the opposite of Stanley Kubrick: it has a point of view, an ideology, an ethos which makes it compelling and affecting. Stanley Kubrick made many great films and it is a pity that he never considered ‘SPARTACUS’ to be one of them.
Blu-ray Image Quality – The image quality on this ‘SPARTACUS’ release is a full 1080p image in the 2.20:1 aspect ratio. As IMDb states under technical aspects for the aspect ratio for this, it was filmed using a cinematography process known as "Super Technirama 70" which was really just a marketing name for them using a 35mm source to optically enlarge it to 70mm for larger theatrical displays and such. The level of detail in colour is nearly perfect here though even if it is a tad bit subdued. Take chapter eight, a beautiful outdoor sequence that fully showcases the lush greens, vibrant blues in the sky. For again, for probably about the fifth time I've said it, this a 50 year old film and it looks like a total improvement over the inferior DVD release. The results are, frankly, startling; truer than anticipated flesh tones that pop in their own and even more of an eye-opener is the reinstated information on all four sides of the film frame; and Technirama image providing a startling contrast to the severely cropped original 1080p release. Better still, fine details have tightened up considerably, creating a sense of depth as yet unseen on any home video release. Contrast is beautifully realized and film grain has been exquisitely preserved. While film purists are generally critical and quick to point out that no home video release can ever ‘recreate’ the opening night splendour of the original theatrical experience, but despite this, this Universal’s restored Blu-ray of ‘SPARTACUS’ will accurately be assessed as coming the closest to what audiences first witnessed in 1960. Despite this I still feel it earns a “5 Star Rating” for overall image quality on this, the 50th Anniversary Edition and Hi-Definition Blu-ray debut of this Stanley Kubrick directed classic film is totally amazing.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – The audio quality on this ‘SPARTACUS’ release is presented in a stunning 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, finally given a true audio track, `Spartacus' sounds great, especially in the filmic principal battle sequence in chapter 14. Dialogue is kept in check never becoming overly muddled, except in the battle sequences where some of the few words muttered can be hard to hear over the yelling and screaming of the soldiers fighting. Speaking of the battle sequence, this is really where the soundtrack comes alive. Even though the film is rather heavy in the dialogue field, the battle sequence gives the front speakers a nice workout, as the clanging and banging of the soldiers swords sound great. I was also pretty surprised with the level of the bass in this sequence as well. The bass gave us a nice atmospheric experience to the battle creating a nice piece. The sub didn't boom and shake, but added a good amount of background helping to complete the sense of the battle at hand. I also enjoyed the use of the original music by Alex North as the score, while never that loud and boasting, is the perfect volume to capture all the emotions of the themes in the film and very bright in its nature. Again, while not screaming a demo-material, ‘SPARTACUS' sounded great giving the audience a real sense of the brutality of battle. All in all this still earns again a 5 Star Rating for overall audio quality, not bad for a film 50 years in age film, but then again nothing that is going to amaze you either in all honesty. Speaking of the dialogue, there are some points around halfway through the film when the scene will change angle back and forth and so will the dialogue trying to do some cheesy 5.1 soundscape effect that in turn just leaves you wishing they'd kept the thing in its original intended mix.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Deleted Scenes [1960] [1080i] [2.22:1 / 1.37:1] [7:30] Here you get to view four deleted scenes from the film ‘SPATACUS’ and they are as follows: Spartacus Meets Varinia [USA Version] [2:19]; Spartacus Meets Varinia [UK Version] [2:01]; 1967 Finale [2:20] and Gracchus' Suicide [Audio only] [1:00]. As usual, you can either watch each item separately or Play All.
Special Feature: Archival Interviews: Here you get to view two period interviews and they are as follows:
Interview with Peter Ustinov [2010] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:58] Here Peter Ustinov talks about his part in the film ‘SPARTACUS’ and before takin on the role, does an in-depth research into his character Lentulus Batiatus and enjoyed every moment in portraying the villain, as well as portraying three dimensions to make the character interesting and we also get to view clips from the film with scenes with Peter Ustinov. Peter Ustinov also demonstrates his skill and enjoyment of producing very funny sound effects. This special feature is shown in black-and-white and was filmed in America.
Interview with Jean Simmons [2010] [480i] [1.37:1] [3:44]. During this time period Universal’s publicity department produced “open-ended” talent interviews that could be customized across local American television stations. This latter interview contains helpful gaps for local reporters or newscasters would insert their own voice to give the appearance that they were asking questions that Jean Simmons can then answers as if she was talking directly with them. It was filmed on the Universal Pictures film lot with her favourite poodle and talks about that her whole family live on a ranch in Arizona and enjoys it very much, and talks about her part in the film and the enjoyment of working with the other actors in the film. Again we get clips from the film. This special feature is shown in black-and-white and was filmed in America.
Special Feature: Behind-the-Scenes footage at Gladiator School [2010] [480i] [1.37:1] [5:11] Here we get an exclusive look at the staging and rehearsals for the gladiator school in the film, as well as getting everything ready for the shoot and is without sound, just the composed music by Alex North in the background. We also get to see Peter Ustinov with Italian costume designer Vittorio Nino Novarese and director Anthony Mann [removed the first week of shooting]. We also see Kirk Douglas doing fight scene rehearsals, as well as seeing Peter Ustinov doing some light hearted comedy fight sessions, as well as fight rehearsals with other actors and stunt actors.
Special Feature: Vintage Newsreels [1960] [480i] [1.37:1] [4:58] Here we get to view five separate period newsreels and they are as follows: London Ovation; Tony Curtis Honoured; Sir Laurence Olivier Returns to Hollywood; Kirk Douglas Honoured and Kirk Douglas Arrives in New York. This special feature is shown in black-and-white. As usual, you can either watch each newsreel separately or Play All.
Theatrical Trailer [1960] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:45] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer of the film ‘SPARTACUS.’ What a shame they could not of found a pristine print and also in the right aspect ratio.
Special Feature: Image Gallery: Here you get to view five separate image galleries and they are as follows:
Production Stills [27 images]
Concept Art [27 images]
Costume Designs [23 images]
Saul Bass Storyboards [65 images]
Posters & Print Ads [19 images]
BONUS: A Beautiful Designed Collectible 40-page illustrated booklet, and includes PROLOGUE; A STUDY OF THE SCORE; SPARTACUS BREAKING THE BLACK LIST; KUBRICK AND SPARTACUS; CAST; CREDITS and MAKING HISTORY. You also get to view stunning coloured photos and especially read in-depth information on the making of this classic film and its characters.
Finally, ‘SPARTACUS' is an incredible achievement in film. Touted at the time of its release as a "thinking man's epic," the film retains its spectacular lustre fifty years later partly because of the emotional maturity and thoughtful social commentary of its story, and because of Kirk Douglas' powerfully compelling performance. Kirk Douglas gives a rugged performance as the "proud and rebellious" upstart Spartacus, but it is Peter Ustinov who steals the show. His obsequious slave trader, Lentulus Batiatus, tells Spartacus that he smells like a rhinoceros, before packing him off to gladiator school. Such acidly piquant offhand wit won Peter Ustinov an Academy Award® and one of four for the film, as well as the honour of being the only actor to win an Oscar for a Stanley Kubrick film. All in all this is a brilliant spectacular film and Stanley Kubrick has done a stunning job in directing a very intelligent film and this Special Deluxe Limited Edition DigiBook is an added bonus and if you want the ultimate version, then this is the one to purchase. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
