SPARTACUS from BRYNA PRODUCTIONS (1960). Kirk Douglas passed away last week at the age of 103. He was the head of his own production company named after his mother. This 3-hour epic film won 4 Oscars and earned a whopping $60 million at the world-wide box office. A record for its' time (1960) with Universal Pictures that distributed the movie. Douglas was already known to film audiences, but this made him near immortal for generations.
Douglas portrays an illiterate slave named Spartacus who leads a revolt against Rome. All in the name of "freedom." He is respected by his army when they defend him against identity by yelling, "I'm Spartacus!" This phrase was screamed in movie theaters across the world.
There are wonderful performances here, but it is Sir Lawrence Olivier as Crassus who makes an indelible portrait. He is a top-ranking Roman soldier who fears Spartacus and stops at nothing to capture him. Crassus even wanted Varinia (Jean Simmons) to love him instead of Spartacus. It was implied that Crassus was bi-sexual, but the censors cut a bathing scene between him and a male slave.
Click photos below for all things Kirk Douglas.
(Movie Poster 1960).
(1960 Publicity photo. The main cast. Top: John Gavin, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, Bottom: Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis).
No comments:
Post a Comment