Spartacus (1960): Rome’s Last Slave Revolt
Spartacus (1960) follows the story of a Thracian slave named Spartacus as he is traded to the owner of a gladiator school before leading an initially successful, but ultimately doomed slave revolt against Rome. The movie opens with Spartacus getting punished for helping another slave and biting a Roman guard in the ankle before being sold to Batiutus, the owner of a gladiator school. Here, Spartacus trains with other slaves before, upon the request of Crassus’ guests, being forced to fight to the death with three other gladiators. His opponent, Draba, refuses to kill him and unsuccessfully attacks Crassus instead. Following this, the gladiators revolt as Batiutus flees the school with Spartacus’ love interest, Varinia. Spartacus leads them as they loot Roman properties, slowly gaining followers and growing their army before eventually reuniting with Varinia. The Senate initially underestimates the revolt, as Glabrus, commanding the garrison of Rome, is surprised and defeated. In a political battle with senator Gracchus in Rome, Crassus initially takes responsibility for recommending Glabrus’ command before he is requested to crush the revolt himself. Crassus, bribing the pirates Spartacus has paid to escape the Italian peninsula with, beats Spartacus’ army in a final battle. Crassus, unable to remember Spartacus from the gladiator school, asks the remaining survivors to identify their commander, leading to the famous “I am Spartacus” scene. Eventually, Crassus is able to identify Spartacus and his former slave, Antoninus, who has become Spartacus’ friend. Upon Crassus’ request, the two fight to the death, with Spartacus killing Antoninus to spare him the fate of crucifixion. In Rome, Gracchus buys Varinia from Batiutus before freeing her, getting revenge on Crassus. Leaving Rome, Varinia and Batiutus see a near-death Spartacus crucified by the Appian Way. The movie ends with Spartacus meeting his son, as the gladiator dies with the knowledge that he and Varinia are free.
While watching this movie, I was constantly reminded of the Roman conception of friendship. When Crassus summons Batiutus to help him understand and identify Spartacus, Batiutus seems to expect compensation for this gesture. This is reflective of the transactional nature of friendship in Rome. This traditional sense of friendship is also present in the relationship between the pirate and Spartacus, as their friendliness is driven by trust and their relationship as business partners. Gracchus also appears friendly, although it becomes apparent that this friendship is motivated by alliances that he hopes will further his political goals. The movie, while fiction, is based on the events of the Third Servile War from 73-71 BCE largely told from the perspective of Spartacus as it follows his life as a slave and then leader of the revolting army. While there were a lot of historical inaccuracies, like Crassus’ appointment to consul before the end of the war, and emphasis on minor or unmentioned characters, like Glabrus, Julius Caesar, and Gracchus, the movie still used an event we don’t know many details about to tell an interesting story.
