Directed by Nicolas Roeg and written by Terry Johnson that is based on the play by the latter, Insignificance is the story of a meeting between four famous figures in a hotel room in New York City in the year 1954 as they all deal with fame and such. The film is an exploration of four famous people who deal with their own celebrity as none of them are named by who they are as they all talk about their own world inside a hotel room. Starring Gary Busey, Michael Emil, Theresa Russell, Will Sampson, Patrick Kilpatrick, and Tony Curtis. Insignificance is a rapturous and enthralling film from Nicolas Roeg.
Set during a day at a hotel in New York City in 1954, the film revolves around four iconic figures who all meet at a hotel room as they all discuss themselves and their contributions to the world. It’s a film with a simple premise as it revolve around these four people as they would all meet at the hotel room of one of the film’s protagonists in the Professor (Michael Emil). Terry Johnson’s screenplay play into this period that spans nearly 24 hours as it has the Professor going over notes as he would meet with the Senator (Tony Curtis) while the Actress (Theresa Russell) is making a movie while her husband in the Ballplayer (Gary Busey) watches with disdain. Later on as the Senator goes into his room at the hotel after a discussion with the Professor doesn’t go well as he planned. The Actress would meet the Professor as it would lead to discussions of existence as the Ballplayer and the Senator would later join in as the script has these four characters plus an elevator attendant known as the Indian (Will Sampson) be part of this sociological experience on existence.
Nicolas Roeg’s direction is definitely stylish in the fact that much of the action takes place inside a hotel and a hotel room as much of the film is shot inside a studio soundstage in Wembley. While there are some exterior shots of New York City, the film is more about four people often engaging in conversations in a hotel room with recurring flashbacks appearing every now and then as it play to these people and who they are. There are some wide shots in the film including in a few of the locations as it relates to some of the flashbacks that the Professor is thinking about that also include these dark images as it relates to his own guilt. Much of Roeg’s direction is intimate in its usage of medium shots and close-ups to get the characters to talk with one another as there’s also a lot of close-ups relating to the Actress and her beauty that also feature flashbacks of how she became this icon through extreme close-ups of her ass and breasts.
There are also a lot of symbolism in the imagery whether it’s the Actress in how she’s seen by the world or images of clocks and watches as it relates to time where the Professor carries a stopwatch with the time 8:15 as if it means something. Roeg also maintains this air of tension once the Ballplayer appears at the Professor’s room while there are also these chilling images of the Actress dealing with her insecurities. Even as she is trying to prove that she’s not this dim-witted beauty as she does know things yet her husband doesn’t get it as he’s kind of a raging buffoon who does mean well. It also play into this air of foreshadowing and the growing sense of fear in all four of these characters whether it’s from their past or what is to come. Most notably its ending as it relates to time and the guilt that looms from the Professor into what he’s created as well as what the Senator wanted from him and the Ballplayer pleading to have another chance with the Actress. Overall, Roeg creates a provocative yet captivating film about four popular figures in the 1950s meeting in a hotel to deal with their fame and the world around them.
Cinematographer Peter Hannan does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish usage of lighting and shadows for the scenes in the hotel room along with the way a bar is lit and the streets at night as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Tony Lawson does excellent work with the editing as it help play into the drama and emotional suspense as well as the stylish usage of jump cuts for some of the flashback scenes. Production designer David Brockhurst, with art directors Arthur Max and Celia Barnett, does amazing work with the look of the hotel room and other interiors as well as the bar and a few of the exteriors in the film. Costume designer Shauna Harwood does fantastic work with the costume from the suits that the Senator and the Ballplayer wear as well as the sweatshirt that the Professor wears and the white dress that the Actress wears.
Hair stylist Jan Archibald and makeup designer Christine Beveridge do terrific work with the look of the Professor with his hair and the Actress with her platinum blonde hair. The special effects work of Alan Whibley is wonderful for the film’s end sequence as it play into the horrors and fears of the characters involved in the film. The sound work of Paul LeMare is superb for the way things sound in and out of the hotel room as well as the sounds of things happening in the hallway and in some of the exterior settings outside of the hotel. The film’s music by Stanley Myers and Hans Zimmer is incredible for its mixture of jazz, lush orchestral music, hip-hop, and electronics to play into the sense of chaos and drama that occurs throughout the film that also features a soundtrack of music ranging from jazz, blues, and country that are performed by Roy Orbison, the trio of Will Jennings, Glenn Gregory, and Claudia Brucken on a song, and Theresa Russell.
The casting by Lucy Boulting and Margery Simkin is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Patrick Kilpatrick as the Actress’ driver, Raynor Scheine as an autograph hunter, and Will Sampson in a fantastic performance as the elevator attendant known as the Indian who is often in the elevator meeting the protagonists and have brief conversations with them while observing everything they’re thinking about. Gary Busey is excellent as the Ballplayer as a man driven with envy for his wife while trying to understand what she wants as he’s also a man with some knowledge despite the fact that he is a bit of buffoon that means well yet knows a lot about baseball. Tony Curtis is brilliant as the Senator as a man trying to uphold some idea of law and order as well as get some documents from the Professor and have him testify or else the Professor gets in trouble as Curtis brings a charm and a devious approach to the character.
Michael Emil is amazing as the Professor as a man trying to come up with answers about existence and the shape of the universe while dealing with his pasts and the horrors of what he had created as it would haunt him as he’s also looking at his stopwatch. Finally, there’s Theresa Russell in a phenomenal performance as the Actress as this woman who exudes immense beauty but is also insecure yet curious about the ideas of existence and the universe as Russell has this charm and exuberance in her character as well as selling the chaos that is her emotions as it is a career-defining performance from Russell.
Insignificance is a tremendous film from Nicolas Roeg. Featuring a great ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, studies of fame and existence through these famous cultural figures of the 1950s, incredible art direction, and a sumptuous music score. The film is definitely a unique look into the world from the viewpoint of four famous figures along with the events that haunt them. In the end, Insignificance is a spectacular film from Nicolas Roeg.
Nicolas Roeg Films: Performance - Walkabout - (Glastonbury Fayre) – Don't Look Now - The Man Who Fell to Earth - (Bad Timing) – (Eureka) – (Castaway) – (Aria-Un ballo in maschera) – (Track 29) – (The Witches (1990 film)) – (Heart of Darkness (1993 film)) – (Two Deaths) – (Full Body Massage) – (Samson and Delilah) – (Puffball)
© thevoid99 2020
Based on the novelette by Ernest Lehman, Sweet Smell of Success is the story of a newspaper columnist who decides to ruin the love life of his own sister due to his opinion of her new boyfriend by getting a press agent to help him. Directed by Alexander Mackendrick and screenplay by Lehman and Clifford Odets, the film is a stylized noir-drama that plays into a man trying to impose his own ideas about what is best for his family as he decides to ruin the lives of his sister and her new boyfriend. Starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner. Sweet Smell of Success is a chilling and captivating film from Alexander Mackendrick.
The film revolves around the work of a press agent who is asked by a powerful newspaper columnist to ruin the life of his sister and her jazz musician boyfriend. Much of it is told in the span of two days in New York City where Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) has to use his connections and wit to do whatever to break-up a young couple’s relationship as he’s also eager to get in the good graces of the powerful columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster). It’s a film where a man is at the bottom of his rope as he’s dealing with debt as well as losing clients as he works with Hunsecker to do this deed. Along the way, Falco confronts Hunsecker’s sister Susan (Susan Harrison) into breaking up with her boyfriend Steve Dallas (Martin Milner) as things get more troubling during the course of the film.
The film’s screenplay by Ernest Lehman and Clifford Odets definitely play into a sense of morality which comes much later in the film as it relates to everything Falco is doing for Hunsecker. Falco may not be a good man as he does very bad things to people in order to gain something as he is also very unsentimental. While he starts off being someone that is willing to help Hunsecker, Falco realizes that Dallas is someone that they underestimate as it leads to questions of morality where Falco has done his job without any sense of remorse. Part of the script’s success is the dialogue and how it has this sense of rhythm where characters like Falco and Hunsecker use words as weapons as well as a way to get what they want. Another aspect of the script is the usage of power where Hunsecker is a man who can do anything and be influential as he would drive Falco to do what he wants. It becomes something that is prevalent in the third act where it’s about everything these two men have done and the implications of their actions where one of them realizes the severity of what was done.
Alexander Mackendrick’s direction definitely has elements of style as much of the film is shot at night and around Time Square in New York City. It adds this sense of a world that feels very amoral where it’s about getting ahead and do whatever it takes to get ahead. Mackendrick uses a lot of medium shots to convey this new world where he captures something that feels lively and dangerous in the jazz clubs and bars where there’s also some unique camera angles to play into that world. Especially in the sense of chaos where Falco would meet Hunsecker and see if he can win him over. Mackendrick’s use of compositions definitely play into the drama as well as the exchanges between Hunsecker and Falco where there’s a lot of reverse shots and other stylistic moments to play into two men having a conversation.
Mackendrick also manages to display bits of melodrama as it relates to Susan and her relationship with Dallas as there’s very little close-ups in the film but it relates to people that Hunsecker and Falco both have done damage to. Most notably in the latter where Falco asks a lady friend to spend some time with a columnist whom she had been with a couple of years ago which she reluctantly does. Yet, it’s Hunsecker’s actions into breaking up his sister’s relationship with Dallas that is far more damaging where Falco is involved as the third act becomes a film about morality and power. The direction becomes slightly detached in terms of where the camera is placed and how the actors are framed as it adds to the dramatic tone of the film. Overall, Mackendrick creates a very unsettling and haunting film about a man being asked by another man to do damage to a young woman’s life.
Cinematographer James Wong Howe does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to capture the eerie and mesmerizing look of the scenes set at night with its lights along with elements of smoke for the interior scenes. Editor Alan Crosland Jr. does fantastic work with the editing as it’s mostly straightforward with some stylish usage of rhythmic cuts and dissolves to play into the drama. Art director Edward Carrere and set decorator Edward Boyle do amazing work with the set pieces from the look of Hunsecker‘s lavish apartment to the jazz club where Dallas plays.
Costume designer Mary Grant does excellent work with the costumes from the suits that Falco and Hunsecker wears to the low-key dress that Susan wears. Sound recorder Jack Solomon does terrific work for the sound to capture the atmosphere of the clubs, bars, and restaurants the characters go to. The film’s music by Elmer Bernstein is superb for its mixture of eerie orchestral pieces as well as somber and more dramatic pieces while the rest of the music features songs by Chico Hamilton and Fred Katz that play into the world of jazz that Dallas is a part of where Hamilton and his band make an appearance in the film as the club house band.
The film’s marvelous cast include some notable small roles from Edith Atwater as Falco’s secretary Mary, Sam Levene as Dallas’ manager/friend Frank D’Angelo, Barbara Nichols as bar waitress in Rita, David White as a columnist that Falco works with to spread lies on Dallas, and Emile Meyer in a terrific role as the corrupt policeman Lt. Harry Kello. Martin Milner is excellent as Steve Dallas as a young jazz guitarist who just wants to have a good life with Susan as he despises Falco as he also meets with Hunsecker as he gives his real opinion on the man without any sense of fear. Susan Harrison is amazing as Susan Hunsecker as this young woman who is in love with Dallas as she is unaware of her brother’s immense disapproval as she also despises Falco despite his attempts to help her.
Finally, there’s the duo of Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis in absolutely incredible performances. Lancaster is the more restrained of the two but maintains a very dark and menacing presence as he is a man of great power which he uses with such terror as he can get anyone to do anything. Curtis is the shower of the two as he manages to talk with such a fast pace as he displays a charm but one that is also very dark as he is a character that is a real son-of-a-bitch. Lancaster and Curtis both display great rapport in their scenes together where Lancaster does get moments to be the dominant while Curtis is content with doing what he’s told until his character begins to question things where both men become equals as they’re major highlights of the film.
Sweet Smell of Success is a remarkable film from Alexander Mackendrick that features two masterful performances from Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. The film is definitely a very powerful and chilling film about what a man is willing to do to get his way with the help of another as it is a very dark exploration into the world of power. In the end, Sweet Smell of Success is a sensational film from Alexander Mackendrick.
Alexander Mackendrick Films: (Whiskey Galore!) - (The Man in the White Suit) - (Mandy) - (The Maggie) - The Ladykillers - (Sammy Going South) - (A High Wind in Jamaica) - (Don’t Make Waves)
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Billy Wilder and screenplay by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond from a story by Robert Theoren and Michael Logan, Some Like It Hot is the story of two male jazz musicians who witness the St. Valentine’s Massacre in 1929 as they pretend to be women to hide from the mob as part of an all-female band. A remake of a French film from 1935, the film explores men discovering what it means to be a women while hiding from the mob as well as the sexual interplay between men and women where one of them falls for a singer. Starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe, George Raft, and Joe E. Brown. Some Like It Hot is a whimsical yet exhilarating film from Billy Wilder.
The film is a simple story about two penniless jazz musicians who accidentally witness the St. Valentine’s Massacre in 1929 Chicago as they have to hide from the mob. Upon hearing that there’s a job in Florida though it’s for an all-girl band, the two men dress up as women so they can hide from the mob and get paid while one of them falls for a singer while the other finds himself the object of affection for a millionaire. It’s a film that has a simple premise yet features a lot of aspects about the roles of men and women where Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) are just two men looking for work as musicians so they can pay off their debts. By dressing up as women to hide from the mob and get some money, they are able to have some fun in Florida while Joe falls for the singer Sugar (Marilyn Monroe) who laments over her choices in getting the wrong men.
The film’s screenplay does have a unique structure where the first act is about Joe and Jerry trying to find work as they unknowingly witness the St. Valentine’s Massacre. Since they are now big targets for the mobster known as Spats Colombo (George Raft), they try to figure out what to do as the only job that is available is only for women. With Joe as Josephine and Jerry as Daphne, the two dress up where a lot of hilarity ensues as well as the fact that part of the second act takes place in a train with a bevy of beautiful women including Sugar. Sugar is definitely one of the most interesting characters in the film as she is someone who knows she isn’t the brightest girl in the bunch as she likes to drink and have fun. Yet, she is also someone who just wants to find the right man as she had been with too many bad men where Joe finds himself listening to her as a woman.
The second half, which is set in Florida, is very lively where Jerry as Daphne seems to enjoy himself as a woman playing with Sugar and the girls while Joe decides to pretend to be a millionaire as if he is the ideal man for Sugar. Yet, Jerry has to deal with a millionaire named Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown) who is just smitten by Daphne where something strange happens. All of which plays into the idea that Jerry might go along with what Osgood offers despite the fact that Jerry is really a guy. Still, the presence of Spats and the mob would occur in the third act where both men have to make some hard decisions in order to stay alive while still pretending to be women.
The direction of Billy Wilder is definitely exciting through and through where it opens with a chase scene between the police and the mob where the latter is smuggling liquor for a party that is happening that also introduces Joe and Jerry who are playing at the party. It starts off as sort of straightforward with some humor for the ordeal that Joe and Jerry are dealing with as two penniless musicians needing work until they encounter the St. Valentine’s Massacre. Cold, needing work, and in need to hide from the mob, Wilder ups the humor from the moment he presents Josephine and Daphne as these two men pretending women are having a hard time wearing heels and be believable as women which helps the humor. Notably in the way they react to Sugar and her sex appeal where Wilder does use that sex appeal to enhance the humor but also play into the way men react towards women.
Through some gorgeous compositions in the train and in the scenes set in Florida, Wilder creates something that is a comedy but also infuse it with a bit of suspense and drama but also make it a film about the ideas of men and women. Notably as Joe is known for being a gambler and womanizer who manages to grow by being a woman and getting to know Sugar. Jerry’s encounter with Osgood has him thinking about what he needs where Osgood offers a lot to Jerry as Daphne despite the fact that Osgood doesn’t know that Daphne is really a man. More encounters with mob does lead into a sequence that mixes suspense and humor where Wilder maintains that comic energy right to the end where he creates one of the film’s most perfect endings. Overall, Wilder creates a very entertaining and thrilling film about two men posing as women where they learn to become better men as women.
Cinematographer Charles Lang does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the low-key yet dark look for the scenes set in Chicago to the mixture of lighting styles in the train scenes that would later play into the beauty of Florida as it‘s definitely one of the film‘s technical highlights. Editor Arthur P. Schmidt does excellent work with the editing with its use of rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor and suspense as well as some unique transitions in a scene where both Joe and Jerry go on their respective dates. Art director Ted Haworth and set decorator Edward G. Boyle do superb work with the set pieces such as the look of the train cars as well as the Florida hotel the characters are in for the film‘s second half.
The costume work of Orry-Kelly is fantastic for the look of the dresses that Sugar wears to play into her beauty. The sound work of Fred Lau is terrific for some of the sound work that occurs in the St. Valentine‘s Massacre scene as well as some of the moments in the beach where Daphne plays with Sugar and the girls. The film’s music by Adolph Deustch is a wonderful mixture of somber orchestral pieces and lively jazz cuts while the film also features some songs sung by Marilyn Monroe that really adds to the sense of entertainment as well as to help to tell the story.
The casting by Phil Benjamin is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable appearances from Mike Mazurki and Harry Wilson as a couple of Spats’ henchmen, Al Breneman as a bellboy who tries to woo Josephine, George E. Stone as Spats’ rival mobster Toothpick Charlie, and Nehemiah Persoff as the mob leader Little Bonaparte. Other noteworthy yet memorable small performances include Dave Barry as the band manager Beinstock, Joan Shawlee as the bandleader Sweet Sue, and Pat O’Brien as the police detective tailing Spats. George Raft is excellent as the mobster Spats who tries to regain control of his turf after a raid only to deal with the fact that Joe and Jerry had witnessed his attack on Toothpick Charlie as he tries to find them. Joe E. Brown is amazing as Osgood Fielding III as this very sweet millionaire who tries to woo Daphne as he gives her all sorts of gifts where Brown has some of the best moments that includes the word “zowie”.
Finally, there’s the trio of Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe as they give very remarkable performances. Monroe brings a sense of energy and charm to her role as the very dim-witted but fun Sugar as this woman just trying to find the right man as she is someone full of hope but is also very vulnerable that just adds depth to Monroe’s performance which is one of her best. Lemmon is great in the dual role of Jerry/Daphne as a man who is frustrated by what is happening as he later finds joy having fun with women while giving in to the idea of being married to a man for security and such. Curtis is phenomenal in a trio of role as Joe, Josephine, and the fake millionaire Shell Oil Jr. where Curtis adds a lot of humor and energy to his performances as the three characters while also displaying some growth and understanding as a man who is in love and just wanting to do what is right despite the trouble he’s facing.
Some Like It Hot is an outstanding film from Billy Wilder that features fantastic performances from Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe. The film is truly one of the funniest films ever made as it’s a comedy that still holds up after being released more than half a century. It’s full of moments that are very memorable as well as some great one-liners and antics that manages to still entertain. In the end, Some Like It Hot is a spectacular film from Billy Wilder.
Billy Wilder Films: (Mauvaise Graine) - (The Major and the Minor) - (Five Graves to Cairo) - Double Indemnity - The Lost Weekend - (The Emperor Waltz) - (A Foreign Affair) - Sunset Boulevard - Ace in the Hole - Stalag 17 - (Sabrina) - (The Seven Year Itch) - (The Spirit of St. Louis) - (Love in the Afternoon) - (Witness for the Prosecution) - The Apartment - (One, Two, Three) - (Irma La Douce) - (Kiss Me, Stupid) - (The Fortune Cookie) - (The Private Lives of Sherlock Holmes) - (Avanti!) - (The Front Page) - (Fedora) - (Buddy Buddy)
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the novel by Howard Fast, Spartacus is the story of a slave who leads a revolt against the Romans during first century B.C. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, with additional work by Anthony Mann, and screenplay by Douglas Trumbo, the film is an epic about a man who becomes a gladiator and the voice to slaves as he fights off against his oppressors. Starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Tony Curtis, Peter Ustinov, and John Gavin. Spartacus is a grand yet adventurous epic from Stanley Kubrick.
After being a slave for all of his life, Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) is sold to Roman businessman Lentulus Batiatus (Peter Ustinov) where he’s to be trained as a gladiator to fight against others in the arena. Despite dealing with abuse of trainer Marcellus (Charles McGraw), Spartacus is able to make friends with a few slaves while falling for a serving woman named Varinia (Jean Simmons). When Roman senator Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier) arrives for a visit, he asks to see what Batiatus has to offer where he has four gladiators fight to the death. Spartacus pairs up with the African Draba (Woody Strode) where the two have a good fight but Spartacus is nearly killed by Draba only for Draba to do something that would unfortunately lead to his own death. After learning that Varinia is being sold to Crassus, Spartacus revolts against Batiatus and Marcellus where he and the slaves decide to fight for their own freedom.
With Spartacus gathering an army to lead his revolt, the Romans including Gracchus (Charles Laughton) are aware of what Spartacus is doing as he decides to have Julius Caesar (John Gavin) to control the Roman army. Spartacus manages to gain more numbers including Varinia who had fled Batiatus while they also gain a young slave named Antoninus (Tony Curtis) who had just been a slave for Crassus. After defeating an army led by Marcus Glabrus (John Dall), Glabrus returns to Rome to unveil what happened to him. A power struggle happens in the Senate where Caesar learns about Gracchus’ bribery on the Cilicians to get Spartacus and the slaves out of Italy. Caesar reveals Spartacus’ plans to Crassus who would make a move on his own as Spartacus finds out from Cilician envoy Tigranes Levantus (Herbert Lom).
Realizing that they’re trapped and nowhere to go, Spartacus reveals to the slaves that the Romans are coming and there’s no choice to fight them all the way to Rome. A battle finally ensues where the results fall in favor of Crassus as Batiatus is also there to identify Spartacus. Unable to find him, they were able to find Varinia and her newborn baby where Crassus decides to take her for his own to the disgust of Batiatus. With Crassus having full control and Caesar joining Crassus, Gracchus realizes what Rome is becoming as he starts to lose control of his power. In a final act of defiance against Crassus, Gracchus organizes a plan to retrieve Varinia and her son from Crassus and take her to freedom with Batiatus to accompany her. Spartacus faces Crassus for the first time as he becomes fully aware of his fate while he begins to ponder if there was any good that came out of his rebellion against Rome.
The film is an epic story about a slave who rebels against his masters and the rule of Rome where he leads a revolt against slavery in hopes to bring Rome to its knees. Meanwhile, a power struggle occurs inside Rome as two politicians try to out-do one another in how to handle Spartacus’ revolt. One of which wants nothing to do with the revolt knowing that Rome is already in enough trouble with other countries while the other is hoping to maintain control of Rome and put things back in order with more restrictions. Eventually, all of these events would collide where many would question abut everything that had happened where one faces death, another faces an uncertain future, and one rises to power all of which contain an element of ambiguity.
Dalton Trumbo’s screenplay is very multi-layered in the way it establishes a lot of what was happening in Rome as it begins with narration by Vic Perrin to unveil a lot about Spartacus’ early life. This is a man who has only known oppression his entire life as he is aware of the cruelty he faces not just to himself but those around him. When he’s sold to a businessman in Batiatus, Spartacus learns the art of being a gladiator as well as finding someone like Varinia who represents a world that is away from oppression. After a fight where his opponent shows compassion and spirit, it gives Spartacus a lot of reasons to rebel where he leads a revolt. Despite his courage and ability to lead the people, Spartacus is fully aware that he’s also uneducated and wants the freedom to not just live a nice life but also the freedom to learn.
Varinia and Antoninus would be the two people in Spartacus’ life that would provide him not just intelligence but also compassion and to be a man of the people. This would raise the ire of the men of Rome who realize how dangerous Spartacus is to not just the ideals of Rome but also the lifestyle they live in. Crassus and Gracchus are two men with very different ideas of politics who are both aware of the kind of power Spartacus would have. The latter is a man who knows that Spartacus is a threat who just wants freedom where would do things that would undermine the ideas of politics just so that he wouldn’t have to deal with Spartacus as well as the lives of Roman soldiers. Then there’s Crassus who is the main antagonist of Spartacus who wants to maintain the kind of control of Rome as he realizes that without slaves, Rome would fall. Crassus and Gracchus would fight for the control of the Roman Senate and its army through political means where part of this is a young Julius Caesar.
Then there’s the character of Batiatus who is just a man that wants to run a house of gladiators where he would prod and do whatever to break Spartacus’ spirit. Yet, it would cost him everything he would have where he also realizes that whatever information he gives wouldn’t necessarily give him any kind of power. After realizing all of that and the kind of humility that Crassus would bring, he begins to understand what Spartacus is all about as he would team up with Gracchus in order to do something about Crassus’ tyranny. Notably in one of the film’s big moments where many slaves say “I am Spartacus” as an act of defiance as it would carry many allusions to what witch-hunt trials that were happening in the 1950s. Trumbo’s screenplay definitely carries references to a lot of what was happening in the 1950s to parallel what was happening during the age of Rome. Yet, there would be some semblance of hope about how people would do in the face of oppression while defying those who want them to do the wrong thing.
Stanley Kubrick’s direction is definitely vast in terms of the presentation that is created for an epic film. While the film doesn’t feature a lot of the visual trademarks and eerie directing style that Kubrick is known for. It is still engaging for the way he creates scenes on a large canvas to showcase a wide depth of field for many of the film’s locations set in Californian desert, parts of Spain, and bits of it in Death Valley, Nevada. With the exception of the film’s opening sequence that was directed by Anthony Mann who was fired after a week, Kubrick’s direction for the rest of the film carries a lot of the visual attributes of the epic film.
Kubrick’s direction definitely has more interesting compositions in some of the film’s more intimate moments involving the Senate meetings and the scenes in some of its interior settings. Largely in where he places the cameras to establish the world of the Romans and how they conduct their lives. Kubrick also uses a lot of close-up and medium shots to help create a mood for some of these scenes while many of the film’s exterior settings do have a lot of amazing imagery. Notably the final scene that features a very hopeful ending despite the ambiguity that it carries. Overall, Kubrick creates a marvelous and exhilarating epic film about oppression and rebellion.
Cinematographer Russell Metty does brilliant work with colorful cinematography to capture the beauty of many of the film‘s daytime exterior locations to the more intimate yet lush lighting schemes for the film‘s interiors including its scenes at night. Editor Robert Lawrence does excellent work with the editing to create rhythmic cuts for some of the action scenes along with more methodical ones in its dramatic moments while utilizing fade-outs for the film‘s transitions. Production designer Alexander Golitzen, along with art director Eric Orbom and set decorators Russell A. Gausman and Julia Heron, does superb work with the set pieces such as the homes of the Romans as well as the Senate room as well as the tents that the slaves live in during their trip towards the sea.
Costume designers Valles and William Ware Theiss do nice work with the costumes from the robes that the Romans wear to the more rugged clothing of the slaves. The sound work of Joe Lapis, Ronald Pierce, Murray Spivack, and Waldon O. Watson is fantastic to capture the intimacy of the Senate meetings as well as the big scenes in the film‘s climatic battle. The film’s music by Alex North is amazing for the bombast that is created in its orchestral presentation as well as more serene and sweeping score pieces to help play out the drama.
The film’s ensemble cast is phenomenal where it features some notable small roles from Woody Strode as the African gladiator Draba, John Ireland as the gladiator Crixus, Herbert Lom as the Cilician envoy Tigranes Levantus, Charles McGraw as the brutish gladiator trainer Marcellus, John Dall as Crassus’ friend and military leader Marcus Glabrus, Nina Foch as Glabrus’ wife Helena, and John Gavin as a young Julius Caesar who tries to deal with the role that he’s set to play. Tony Curtis is brilliant as the young slave Antoninus who provides Spartacus a world outside of violence with stories and songs as he becomes a son of sorts for Spartacus. Peter Ustinov is great as the businessman Batiatus who deals with the rebellion that he unknowingly caused as well as Crassus’ cruelty where he deals with humility but gain something far more valuable.
Charles Laughton is superb as Gracchus who tries to create many political maneuvers to usurp Crassus only to deal with the dark future that lies ahead where he would make moves that would redeem him. Jean Simmons is wonderful as Varinia who would become the woman that would be on Spartacus’ side and broaden his view about a life that could be so much more. Laurence Olivier is fantastic as the villainous Crassus who is cunning in his ambitions but also insecure about the fact that someone like Spartacus could ruin things where Olivier displays a great presence as well as make his character larger than life. Finally, there’s Kirk Douglas in a magnificent performance as the titular character where Douglas displays a lot of charisma to the character as well as something that is larger than life. Douglas also display a sensitivity to the character that balances the kind of man Spartacus is where it’s really one of Douglas’ great performances.
Spartacus is an exquisite yet majestic epic from Stanley Kubrick that features Kirk Douglas in a towering performance as the titular character. Armed with amazing images, Dalton Trumbo’s complex screenplay, thrilling music, and a top-notch supporting cast that includes Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, and Tony Curtis. It’s a film that is definitely carries a lot of strong themes about rebellion and oppression as it is still relevant more than 50 years since it’s release. While it may not be a film that features a lot of visual attributes of Kubrick, it is still a very strong to film to be engrossed by. In the end, Spartacus is an incredible film from Stanley Kubrick.
Stanley Kubrick Films: Fear & Desire - Killer's Kiss - The Killing - Paths of Glory - Lolita - Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - 2001: A Space Odyssey - A Clockwork Orange - Barry Lyndon - The Shining - Full Metal Jacket - Eyes Wide Shut
Related: Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures - The Auteurs #18: Stanley Kubrick
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