Abstract This essay examines historical fiction as seen in the famous Hollywood movie Spartacus. The successes and failures of the film in accurately portraying Roman history and the struggle between Spartacus and the Roman Republic are analyzed. Through a look at real historical sources, we can see that for the most part the film is an entertaining but inaccurate retelling of this historical event and the story of Spartacus? life.
From the Paper "The famous and award-winning film Spartacus was produced by Universal Pictures in 1960 and based on a popular historical novel of the same name by Howard Fast At over one-hundred seventy five minutes, it is a lengthy bit compelling viewing experience. The main characters are played by legendary Hollywood stars Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier, although a host of other renowned talents such as Charles Laughton and Tony Curtis also appear."
A look at Spartacus, the gladiator of ancient Rome who led the slave rebellion against the Roman authority, and the film, "Spartacus", directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Abstract This paper discusses the film, "Spartacus", its historical background, the significance of the movie being made and shown in 1960s America, the real-life events occurring in the U.S. in the 1960s, the historical significance of the slave revolt of Spartacus, how gladiators and slavery in Rome relate to the movie, and background information about Rome at the time of Spartacus, including the slave revolt and the rise of Roman generals to positions of power.
From the Paper "Spartacus was a slave, who is famous for having led a revolt "the slave revolt" against the Roman Republic, from 73 BD to 71 BC. Spartacus was born in Thrace, a region northeast of Greece, and was a member of a group of nomadic herders and later served in the Roman Army (Sinnigen, 2003). Spartacus deserted the army, but was captured and enslaved, following which, the Romans trained him as a gladiator to fight other gladiators and wild beasts in the arena for entertainment (Sinnigen, 2003)."
