Stanley Kubrick - Spartacus (1960)

Spartacus (1960)

For many years Stanley Kubrick has gotten a bum deal on DVD. Sure all of his films from Killer's Kiss through Eyes Wide Shut are available, but very few of them have anything to offer beyond a decent transfer. So it is odd that the best DVD of any of Kubrick's films happens to be the most disregarded film of his career. It may also be honest that the least characteristic DVD is for his least characteristic film. A few special editions later and another Criterion treatment for Paths of Glory and the situation has improved dramatically. Spartacus is legendary for numerous reasons, it was a massive production, it garnered plenty of awards, its screen credit to Dalton Trumbo effectively ended the Hollywood blacklist, its restoration set a new standard in film preservation, and of course it was the last film Kubrick made before his self imposed exile to England.

With this type of reputation and so much surrounding the film before anyone even sees it, it is very hard to take a fresh look at the picture. I remember the first time I saw it, unaware of most of these stigmas, I considered the film a poor man's version of Ben-Hur. Spartacus isn't Ben-Hur just like Stanley Kubrick isn't William Wyler. Both men were perfectionists, but each had a much different approach, and Wyler despite being showered with Oscars in his career, never did earn the long term respect and esteem that critics have assigned Kubrick. So what happens when you take an art house director and give him all the resources of a major studio and their biggest production of the year? Well you get a well executed film. Kubrick shows his versatility and his ability to adapt. For people who believed that he needed massive amounts of preparation and had to reshoot every scene every possible way before he was satisfied may want to check this film out. It was made on a tight budget, under a strict shooting schedule, and was a remarkably collaborative effort.

Listening to the commentary on the DVD, nearly everybody takes credit for everything on it, except one man. Howard Fast was the author of the book on which the film was based, and he has condemned the film on nearly all grounds. Fast was replaced by Trumbo because he was incapable of adapting his own book. Therefore he takes great pains to point out what was changed and why he thinks that he did it better in the book. The one moment he seems proud of in the film is during Spartacus' initial gladiator battle with Draba (Woody Strode). Draba's death at the hands of Crassus (Laurence Olivier) was one of many, many scenes edited out because of the blood splattered reverse shot. You hear throughout the commentary just how much was cut, and the result is baffling. Being accustomed to modern pictures, most of the footage cut seems to be nitpicking. I'll admit some of the film probably should have been trimmed, because unlike most of Kubrick's films, Spartacus' 196 minutes don't fly by.

The pacing seems off, because of the numerous hands that got on the film. The footage that was cut, the footage that was lost, and a cast of actors that all felt that their role should have been more important. Nearly everyone who appears in the film at one point or another wrote additional lines and tried to have their part upgraded. Tales of divas throughout make a few chuckles, but again with a cast like this (in one regard far superior to Ben-Hur) you can't be surprised that some actors didn't want a little more attention. The actors present give great performances. Ustinov and Laughton have a remarkable rapport with each other. They have a unique chemistry which from Ustinov's own account was the result of much rehearsing. In many ways they come off as old friends, the same way one has to laugh at Laughton's back and forth tug-of-war with Elsa Lancaster in Witness for the Prosecution.

Douglas' characteristic intensity seems made for this type of role, and although I always thought him a little old for the part, he has a commanding presence that makes him appear a natural leader as Spartacus. He never really seems to get comfortable in chains, but there are moments throughout when he sheds a little human side that make for quite touching passages. The first of these is when Varinia (Jean Simmons) is pouring him wine in the gladiator camp, and he stops her and gently touches her hand. This connection is renewed later following Varinia's obligatory bathing scene, which of course leads to Spartacus Jr. coming out at the end. The man is born a slave, and is treated like an animal at the outset. In fact he even looks like an animal when we first see him, covered in dirt, in rags, in desperate need of a shave. He doesn't look too far removed from the apes at the beginning of 2001. The goal is gradually to humanize him as the film progresses, with his final moments, sacrificing Antoninus (Tony Curtis) with his first and only look at his child completing the cycle.

As a production there are numerous tricks used to convey opulence and splendor in a blockbuster production. Matte paintings are used throughout, and I never noticed that ancient Rome is in fact about 90% matte painting. If it hadn't been pointed out in the commentary I wouldn't have noticed that half of the Roman Legions during the decisive final battle was actually a duplicate matte painting of the moving troops (the row of legions behind don't move). I think part of the credit for these flawless tricks come from the restoration work which so painstakingly matched every shot and quite possibly fixed the color comparisons between the two, making for a less obvious contrast as opposed to other films of the period with more noticeable backgrounds. Hearing about the particular job of restoring this film made me not jealous for those involved in the project, it sounded like absolute agony, but what a fine result.

Kubrick the auteur doesn't have a great deal of time to shine here. However look hard enough and there are enough complicated, well choreographed tracking shots to suit the standard Ophuls fan. There unfortunately isn't a great deal for deep focus composition, because of the technical limitations at the time for shooting in such a wide aspect ratio. The film does have a decent amount of closeups however, which isn't too common with a film of this size. However most of the film is composed of long shots where we get to see "everything that's going on". However one may believe that in the case of this film some of the longer shots may have been choreographed to save valuable time shooting scenes over and over from different angles for coverage. On the other hand, looking at every other film of Kubrick's this practical application seems an inaccurate one.

Spartacus is still a flawed film though. I find it a bit of a mess. It is overly long, and some scenes are dreadfully unnecessary. The famous oysters scene is completely pointless in the film, and despite the controversy surrounding it should have probably been left on the cutting room floor in the restoration. There also seems to be an ongoing battle in the film for entertainment vs. historical accuracy that makes some things inauthentic, and other moments boring. The only time the matte paintings are distractingly obvious comes after the final fight when Crassus and Batiatus are surveying the dead. The whole shot looks like a dreadful soundstage and breaks some of the allure and continuity in it. As a historical epic Spartacus is a remarkable achievement, but I think that it is too much. The cast is too good, the scale too large, and the length too long. A little moderation would have served this film well, but you never help but feel like you are trying to be forced into thinking the film is spectacular.