Reflections
on “Spartacus”
Written
by Dalton Trumbo
Directed
by Stanley Kubrick
Starring
Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton,
Jean
Simmons and Peter Ustinov
A video presentation of this material is available here.
This film from 1960 recounts
the true and inspiring story of Spartacus and his fellow slaves who led a
revolt against their Roman enslavement often referred to as the Third Servile
War, in or around 72 BC. More broadly speaking, the film presents a
denunciation of slavery and any society that prospers by incorporating
subservience and subjugation in its ethos and laws.
The Roman Empire was
founded on a society that embraced slavery, developed it and thrived on it,
making it an integral part of social and economic systems for centuries. In the
film, we are invited to observe the customs, attitudes and workings of this society,
and the potential consequences of slavery, through a variety of Romans as well
as slaves.
The quarry guards at the
start of the film set the scene, showing no regard for the wellbeing, dignity
or worth of their slave charges and treating them as animals to be commanded
and directed.
Batiatus, the owner of a
local gladiatorial training school, arrives at the quarry in search of
candidates for training. He treats the slaves as objects or animals to be
inspected, judged and bought if considered a worthwhile investment. Batiatus is
depicted as cunning, obsequious and cowardly, but he is not cruel or vindictive.
He accepts the status quo and acts as a typical Roman citizen, pursuing his own
best interests in the established social order, fawning over Patrician visitors
of high social rank while displaying little or no consideration for his slaves’
feelings, rights or thoughts. They are an investment, objects to be used,
trained and sold off at profit with no thought for their self-respect or
destinies.
The trainers at the
school may be men who have fought as gladiators and received their freedom for
having pleased their masters in the arena. As such, and having known the
conditions and social position of slave-gladiators, they enjoy exercising authority
over Spartacus and his co-slaves, seizing the opportunity to feel superior to
someone and boosting their self-image.
The upper end of the
social spectrum is represented by Crassus, one of the wealthiest men in Rome
and one who seeks ways to realise his Patrician ambitions to become ruler of
Rome and its Empire. He arrives at the gladiator school with some noble friends
who wish to see a display of gladiatorial skill, including a fight to the
death. Batiatus is most reluctant to accede to their request, realising the
consequences on mood and morale of his trainees, but these noble visitors
insist, offer to pay Batiatus well and go on to treat the spectacle of two men
fighting to the death as mere entertainment and even haughtily and distractedly
discuss matters of politics and position in the course of the life-and-death
combat. This reveals a quite shocking indifference toward the lives of these
slaves, but also toward humanity as a whole.
We are also introduced to
Senator Gracchus, an ageing and wily opponent of Crassus who keeps slaves but
is determined to maintain a happy household. His is the slightly more
acceptable and more human face of Roman dictatorship. He even appears willing,
at one point, to allow Spartacus and his followers to leave Italy, but can he
survive the political chicanery at play, and the desire to protect and maintain
Rome’s position and power based on authority and the merciless exercise of its
might?
In terms of its attitude
toward those who enabled it to survive, thrive and prosper, Roman society is
portrayed as condescending, dismissive, self-centred and decadent. It sowed the
seeds of its own destruction as it instigated and incited resentment and hatred
based on a profound sense of injustice. The very lack of hope and expectation
that permeated treatment of slaves and the lower orders, and which was intended
to facilitate subjugation and compliance, only served to nourish bitterness,
courage and daring among our slave-gladiators – if people are left with no
reason to live, they may as well die in trying to find one.
From the opening scenes
in the quarry, emphasis is laid on the deprivation of freedom, rights, dignity
and personal choice of slaves. They are viewed as human objects, there to do
the bidding of their master. Enslaved as a result of conquest, defeat or from
birth, they are divested of hope and expectation as they belong to another.
Spartacus has refused to
bow to this destiny and he displays resentment as he rebels against quarry guards
who show no humanity or compassion toward weak and exhausted slave workers. In
contrast, Spartacus shows a desire to help a fellow slave worker but is
punished for it.
In training, he shows
intelligence, self-control and some warmth toward his fellow slave-gladiators.
When offered the company of Varinia as a reward for his performance in
training, he shows respect and behaves with dignity, refusing to take advantage
of her. Again contrasting with his Roman captors, Spartacus favours empathy,
compassion and sincerity. He develops feelings for Varinia which he conveys
through the gentle touch of a hand, a touch Varinia finds almost overwhelming
as, like all the slave women at the training school, she is treated as a
chattel to be used by her master as he sees fit, with no consideration of her
feelings or emotions.
Communication and
camaraderie are frowned upon or forbidden – fellow trainee Draba explains to
Spartacus that offers of friendship are to be rebuffed as gladiators may have
to kill one another in the arena. However, this common experience of brutality
and a fight for survival creates its own underlying bond. Suffering unites and
a spark of humanity and caring can be enough to ignite a sense of fraternity
and rebellion, and may result in solidarity founded on loyalty, hope and above
all a respect for the humanity and compassion of which they have been deprived.
These elements, leading to community, spirit and mutual affection, cannot be
matched by Rome’s discipline and offers of self-advancement.
This is embodied in the
vain attempts of Crassus to win the respect and affection of Varinia after the
defeat of the rebellion. Crassus fails to comprehend the difference between
wealth, comfort and position and respect, principle and sincerity, suggesting
that lower social orders, through experiencing deprivation, may have learned
more about what is important in life than wealthy, conquering Romans.
The film is largely
faithful to genuine historical events, though records are incomplete and poetic
licence has been taken for dramatic purposes. Spartacus was indeed a Thracian
but it is reckoned he may have spent time as a soldier and been sold into
slavery after a defeat, especially given his skills in military strategy.
The script by Dalton
Trumbo is literate, engaging and human. It incorporates references and details
offering historical information on the lives of slaves and gladiators but this
is personalised as the script focuses on Spartacus and his fellow slaves. Of
course, the points made can be applied to many oppressed groups who find
strength and humanity in the face of victimisation and injustice.
It is interesting to note
that it is Draba, the African slave gladiator, who initially rebels against
Roman callousness and indifference and whose death inspires and motivates the
others to rebel, perhaps drawing attention to the situation of African
Americans and the civil rights movement in early 1960s America.
The famous and immensely
moving scene in which rebel slaves refuse to denounce Spartacus and proclaim “I
am Spartacus”, thus sharing responsibility and condemning themselves to death,
was undoubtedly a reference to events surrounding the House Un-American
Activities Committee. This group investigated so-called communist infiltration of
American society in the 1950s and condemned numerous Hollywood scriptwriters,
many of whom refused to denounce others and paid the price by being blacklisted.
Dalton Trumbo was himself blacklisted and his inclusion on the film’s list of
credits is famously considered to have helped break the embargo on targeted
writers.
The direction by Stanley
Kubrick is intelligent, clear and emotionally engaging, and the music by Alex
North complements and enhances both the battle and more intimate scenes.
In terms of performance,
Charles Laughton and Laurence Olivier make their characters human and
multi-facetted, lending complexity and compassion to what could easily have
been two-dimensional antagonistic roles, while Jean Simmons beautifully conveys
the resignation, hope and inspiration of her character. While Batiatus plays an
essential role in the drama and general proceedings, Peter Ustinov manages to
imbue his character with a certain vulnerability and even some comic relief.
Kirk Douglas wreaks sincerity and belief in the cause which underpins his film,
and this is certainly one of the highlights of his long and illustrious career.
My thanks for taking the
time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie
I can be contacted at stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk .
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