Spartacus, directed by Stanley Kubrick, is a film that tells the story of a slave, going through the hardships of slavery and being sold to fight as a gladiator. There are many factors throughout the film that portray how the Ancient Roman era was. Gladiator fights were very popular and well known throughout the country. Not only were slaves forced to fight, they were trained as well. In the film, it shows how the slaves were purchased and trained to fight each other as a source of entertainment. In many cases in the real world, most gladiator fights did not end in death of a fighter. They would put the two gladiators (slaves) against each other, and the winner got to ‘live another day.’
Spartacus and the other slaves rebelled and fought back, making their own army to fight against the Romans. Spartacus, and his pregnant love Varinia, picked up more slaves along the way, joining their new army. They were going to the sea to buy boats to sail, however, the ships never arrived. The movie goes on to show how Spartacus fought, but then was turned back into a slave. They show his struggles and the ending is one I had not thought would happen.
As far as props and costumes go, this film successfully portrayed the time period and the types of clothing that people wore in the Ancient Roman Era. The sandals were spot on as well as the clothes that the slaves/fighters were wearing. I thought of the movie Gladiator, because they are very similar as far as props and costumes go. It is interesting how they didn’t wear much armour, because in many other films, like Gladiator, they are head to toe in armour. It is interesting to see how different directors portray the same thing. However, I still feel like both makes the audience understand what a gladiator looked like. One thing I noticed specifically was how the wine was served from a giant bag like sack. There weren’t wine bottle like we have today, so that helped put me in the time period of the Ancient Romans. The makeup was very well done, as the slaves looked tired, dirty, sweaty, and run down. One thing that helps a general audience grasp the time period is how everything looks worn down and “old.” In this film, they actually made many of the structures and clothing of divine figures clean and pristine. Which, from an educational standpoint makes sense due to the fact that at the time, many of those buildings were relatively new. I could see, though, that to a general and uneducated audience, it would’ve been harder to picture the “old” setting.
The buildings and structures were much like the architecture of the actual time period. The columns and tent-like structures made it feel like there were the upper class Romans versus Spartacus and how they traveled rebuilding their tents from location to location. I felt like the landscape was properly portrayed with far hills and deserts as well as forest areas and Roman cities. I would have liked to see the Colosseum more as this was a major topic in the film. Fighting was the main purpose of the slaves. When Antoninus and Spartacus were forced to fight, I feel that if it took place in a Colosseum, it would’ve been more epic and suspenseful. The reason I say this is because from an uneducated standpoint, when the average person thinks of Ancient Rome, one of the first things they think of is the Colosseum. So to appeal to the average audience, adding the Colosseum would’ve helped to picture Ancient Rome.
Overall, I think this film successfully portrayed the Ancient Roman era and the citizens and senate of Rome. However, I think some parts were dragged on. This film was about three hours long and I felt that there were some parts that could’ve been shortened or cut from the film. For instance, during the initial battle scene, the Romans set up their men in a strategical format. It went on for about five minutes. I feel like if they just showed how they were set up at the end, it would’ve still related the same thing. I would give this film an 8.5/10 if I had to, because it successfully portrayed the Ancient Roman era, as well as give a good storyline and plot. The excessive length of the film and unnecessary scenes is what is bringing the score down. However, I would definitely suggest this film to someone who enjoys a good love story, action, and history about the time period.
