Spartacus: Review

Good old Universal. For this summer they are re-screening five of their classic movies in digital on the big screen, where they truly belong. The first one being Stanley Kubrick's classic gladiator movie starring Kirk Douglas as the title character, a slave who is taken to gladiator school, where he leads a revolt and forms his own army, crossing through Italy and fighting against the Roman Army.

At over 3 hours, it is a long haul, but the epic scenes of thousands of extras, the carefully staged battle scenes and the enormous sets just make the mouth water, as every detail is no longer squashed onto a tiny screen in a living, and where the thunderous roar of the sound echo around the darken movie house.

I have seen this countless times, with almost regular screenings on Bank Holidays and, of course, as part of my DVD collection, but you never really get to see a film unless it is up there on the huge white screen. I got to see things that I never saw before, and even managed to see things that were unintentionally amusing. Particularly the restored scene between Laurence Olivier and Tony Curtis. It's incredible how you see a film truly for the first time when it is on the screen. the whole conversation about liking oysters and snails had pass me by when on DVD, but here it is amplified ten fold.

The performances also show their weaknesses. Laurence Olivier, the greatest actor of our time, looks like he is hamming it up to the hills, and Jean Simmons just comes across as annoyingly wet, leaving veterans Charles Laughton to be more subtle and Peter Ustinov to supply a more comic approach. Tony Curtis' Brooklyn accent seems very out of place but he is fine, but it is Kirk Douglas who really shines. His performance is electric, particularly the infamous 'I'm Spartacus!' scene, where you can almost feel the powerful warmth and love and respect that this man feels. Touching is an understatement.

Kubrick's film is a masterpiece. It hasn't lost any of its charm, wonderment or visual power. It's also a joy to experience such greatness where it belongs.

Over the next few months, there are more Universal classics being re-issued for one day screenings (The Blues Brothers, The Thing, Animal house and Scarface). I for one, will be there.