Spartacus (Stanley Kubrick, 1960) - a historical analysis of the film

Abstract

The subject of Roman civilization and culture on film is a complex one and subjectable to social, political and artistic trends. The film Spartacus isn’t an exception. Its production was a troubled one and the finished product is an interesting tale of a desire for freedom which is mostly grounded in actual history, but has a modern and fitting message. The goal of this paper is to explore the film and its link to the myth of Spartacus. Dissecting one of the Hollywood’s classic historical films shows us a flawed, but specific way in which art deals with ancient history and, looking retrospectively; we can learn a great bit about common misconceptions created by these works of art in the process.