For many years I have considered myself a Stanley Kubrick fan. I have watched Clockwork Orange, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: Space Odyssey, and Full Metal Jacket countless times. However, I never took the time to go through his complete filmography. Spartacus, along with Lolita and The Killing, were the ones that I had missed out on. I have known about these films for almost 15 years when I first learned about them. The only familiarity I had with Spartacus, and the place where I learned about its existence, was through a silly parody in the cult animated sitcom The Critic. I finally understand the jokes in that episode.
The film starts off with some really cheesy and cringe-worthy narration: In the last century before the birth of the new faith
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Spartacus is sold to Batiatus (Peter Ustinov) and is trained to be a gladiator and soon revolts against his masters. His adventures takes him all around the Roman Republic sacking and pillaging estates belonging to wealthy landowners and Roman nobles. Along the way, Spartacus amasses a loyal army, finds a lovely girlfriend/wife (Jean Simmons), and strikes fear into the Roman army. However, it does not end well for Spartacus and his followers. Led by the psychotic Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier), the Roman army eventually crushes the slave revolt in a climactic battle. Most of the combatants, including women and children, are slaughtered and the survivors, including Spartacus, are …show more content…
I realized after watching this film that it had so many of the tropes found in later historical epics such as Braveheart and Gladiator. It actually left me somewhat disillusioned with Gladiator. Both films share a similar plot and many similar scenes. In spite of the advanced technology, slick editing, and computer wizardry of Ridley Scott's Best Picture-winning hit, this ended up being the superior film. During the final battle there are panoramic shots with thousands of extras. Those were all real people. Today you could recreate the battle scenes entirely with computer-generated extras.
What really stood out to me was how little there was of Stanley Kubrick's signature style. It is certainly there, but it is only apparent in a few key scenes. Apparently, there were many disputes between star and producer Kirk Douglas and Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick tried to take as much control as he could but his power was limited since he was only a "hired gun" on this project. Whatever the reason, this film lacks that signature combination of editing, pacing, symmetrical composition and overall attention to craft that made all of Kubrick's other films so memorable. When the scenes do contain these elements, they are mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful. The scenes that most stood out were: the "snails and oysters" scene between Crassus and Antoninus, the scenes in the Roman senate, the climactic final battle,
“No man ever proves himself a good man in war unless he can endure to face the blood and the slaughter, go against the enemy and fight with his hands.” The preceding was quoted from “The Spartan creed” by the poet Tyrtaeus. There are two authors in this primary resource reading which include Tyrtaeus as well as Xenophon, whom authored “The laws and customs of the Spartans”. These two works give great detail to the Spartan society. As history has presented it, Sparta was a smaller polis and yet was one of the most, if not most, influential societies in history. What we know of this culture comes to us from excavation of its heritage as well as literary works such as these. But are these “eyes” into history factual and creditable enough to base our own interpretations of such a masterful race? These writings are great resources for Spartan’s war enhanced values and societal customs, but lack in evidence of governmental affairs and religion. This lacking may have been due to both writer’s motives for their work.
Ridley Scott’s epic film, Gladiator, considered one of the greatest films in recent years, won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Scott’s film, tells the story of the fall and rise of the great Roman General, Maximus Decimus Meridius. The Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, tells Maximus that he wishes that he ( ) the emperor after his death, instead of his son, Commodus. Angry, Commodus, murders his own father, thus becoming the emperor, and sentences Maximus and his family to death. Maximus escapes, but the Emperor’s men murder his family and burn his home. Slave traders, capture Maximus, and sell him into slavery. Maximus must rise to the top once more, and enact his revenge on Commodus. Through a liberal humanistic critique, the film contains an inherent meaning, shows the enhancement of life and propagation of values, and reveals that human nature never changes.
Stanley Kubick's Spartacus In the 1960 film Spartacus, directed by Stanley Kubrick, the character called Spartacus is depicted as a revolutionary who leads an army of slaves against the oppressive forces of Rome during the first century B.C. Though the overall story is true, and most of the main characters are real, the presentation of their character is entirely fictional. Spartacus and the other characters have been split into groups epitomizing good and evil, and the story itself has been vastly romanticized. This essay will address the ways in which the story deviates from reality and finally will show how Kubrick and those before him have used such interpretations as a valuable tool for social change.
Kurosawa’s final battle scene is climatic. Kurosawa helps the audience to understand the battle. This film was completely filmed in black and white and the sets, costumes, acting and cinematography all created in this battle scene to show us how a battle scene should be portrayed.
...lm. With the director’s use of special effects, this proves that he had an artistic way of showing the film, as well as his use of ambiguous scenes and sequences that were provided in the film. By making it a classical cinema film, the Kubrick did a good job in proving the realism of space and all, as well as using the film order to make the movie in order. By making the film both art and classical cinema, this just makes the movie even better and the director more smarter for being able to do this in one movie.
After its debut in America on May 5th of 2000, the movie Gladiator has been a nationwide symbol of heroism(Imdb). The film was directed by Ridley Scott and the lead roles of the film were carried out by Russell Crowe as Maximus and Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus(Imdb). The movie takes place during the reign of the Holy Roman Empire in the year 180 A.D. The Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, is dying and wishes to leave the Roman Empire under the control of Roman General Maximus Meridius. The Emperor’s son Commodus betrays Maximus, kills his father, and takes control of Rome. In betraying Maximus, Commodus has his family killed. Maximus knowing this returns to Rome as a gladiator under the alias “Spaniard” in search of revenge(Imdb). According to Aristotle, “Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude”(Kwheeler). In order for someone to be considered a tragic hero, the person must meet the criteria of high social status, suffer from a hamartia, face a catastrophe, invoke catharsis, and experience anagnorisis and peripeteia(Kwheeler).
Indeed, I found that this documentary had distinctive and remarkable visuals. I specifically liked the recreation of certain scenes. I liked how when the narrator was speaking about the middle passage the background would change to make it look like if Henry Louis Gates Jr. was traveling back in time to that specific moment. Furthermore, I liked how the filmmakers keep the events in chronological order and how the nar...
The book The Spartacus War by Barry Strauss is an in depth look at one of Roman history’s most legendary events, the gladiator revolt led by Spartacus. Spartacus has become a legend, creating a storyline that has inspired many movies and television shows, such as Stanley Kubrick’s epic Spartacus in 1960, starring the legendary Kirk Douglas. Spartacus has inspired a perfect mix of men over time with various backgrounds and beliefs, from Stalin and Marx, to Voltaire, and even to Ronald Reagan. How though, did Spartacus create a massive revolt of slaves that would create a massive problem for the mighty Rome? Strauss attempts to create a chronology of the Spartacus War using his vast knowledge of the Italian landscape, ancient documents, and archaeological evidence, as well as provide the reader with the historical reasons that might have created a perfect combination of causes to create the Spartacus legend.
With the help of superb editing, sound, mise en scene, and cinematography, this film cannot be topped. The fist scene of the movie creates an atmosphere that helps the viewer know that he/she will enjoy this wonderful classic. Throughout the movie there are surprises and fun that makes this a movie that people will want to watch again and again. Gene Kelly said it best when he said, "Dignity, always dignity. " That is what this movie has from beginning to end, dignity.
...litary end even the women in Sparta would have been affected by the military ways of life almost as much as the young men. From childhood they were being primed to raise a family, they were taught in the ways of mid wifery, learning the correct manner in teaching the future young men of Sparta and keeping themselves fit to produce fit children.
In the film, Kubrick makes better use of symbolism and the archetypical characters in the story than King did. Stanley Kubrick has taken advantage of the words written by King and turned them into a genius image. The film is loaded with copies and cycles, individuals existing in two time periods with clashing personas, which are constantly battling each other throughout the movie.
In fact, generally the special. effects are awesome, close to perfection even they also manage to. convey the massive scale of destruction exceptionally well. Without this fantastic leap in visual technology, I think the film would be. utterly dead.
Sparta was a city-state based on strict military ruling, at the age of seven a young Spartan would start out training and be trained into killing machines. When a Spartan baby is born, high elite Spartan soldiers would observe the baby to see if it was healthy and strong, if not the baby was ill and weak so it would be taken up a mountain and left there to die. This is just one example that shows how Sparta only wants a strong army and doesn't care about anything else. Strict rules of the government made it so that every Sp...
Gladiator (2000) is an action drama about a Roman general that is betrayed by his country and is forced to fight in the Colosseum. This particular scene, which runs for approximately 5 minutes, is the aftermath of the fight scene between Maximus, the betrayed general, and Commodus, the jealous emperor who betrayed him. This scene is not only significant because it is the concluding scene of the film, but also because it represents the end of Maximus’s enslavement and his coming to peace with dying.
Due to the film’s quality and interest it became an award winning film. The film had excellent sound effects such as the battle scenes. The image quality was also outstanding; it used many different angles to depict the actor to make you feel involved in the scenes. In the action scenes the most common viewpoint used was a close up shot which allows the audience to see and feel the intensity of the scene. The second viewpoint mostly used was a tracking shot due to the actors c...