The Many Masks of Spartacus (1960)
Spartacus (1960) follows the titular character on his journey from slavery to rebellion leader to his tragic defeat. The movie opens with Spartacus, a slave whose mind and body are unbreakable, being sold into gladiator school. While he is initially targeted by the owner for his rebellious nature, tensions quickly boil over when Spartacus is forced to duel an Ethiopian slave, Draba, for the entertainment of Crassus and his two guests. Draba defeats Spartacus, but he refuses to kill him, instead trying to kill Crassus. Though he fails, he inspires Spartacus to kill the slave master, Marcellus, which inspires an impromptu slave uprising.
The slave uprising initially begins just as a taking of land and recruitment of fellow slaves, but eventually the movement attracts the attention of the Romans, as well as their fear. Meanwhile, Spartacus rejoins with Varinia, a fellow former slave who had been sold to Crassus when he visited the gladiatorial school. The two are married and guide the slave army with courage and benevolence. Determined to put a stop to this, Crassus is put in charge of the Roman army, made consul, and hunts down Spartacus and corners him at the edge of Italy. Spartacus, who was abandoned by pirates he had made a deal with for transportation, rouses his companions with a moving speech, and leads them into battle. Unfortunately, however, he is still defeated despite his excellent leadership and inspiring words. Spartacus is captured, and after spitting on Crassus in contempt, kills his friend Antoninus to save him from crucifixion. Spartacus himself is crucified along the Appian Way, and gets to see his beloved wife and newborn son one last time as they depart for newfound freedom.
Spartacus, though laden with historical inaccuracies which definitely caught my attention, created a lot of thought of what a Roman hero should entail. In our class, we’ve discussed both legendary and historic heroes. From Mucius Scaevola to Scipio Africanus, heroes have used military prowess and ingenuity to prove their devotion to Rome. Spartacus’ portrayal as an eloquent orator who naturally commands respect and admiration from his peers is honestly not one that I felt fit the character well. The movie attempts to introduce him as a kind person from the start, as he asks for a fellow gladiator’s name while they wash themselves. His compassion is further on display when he refuses to have sex with Varinia for the entertainment of Batiatus.
This creates an interesting contrast between Spartacus as the leader of the brutal revolution and the kind friend to his army. I feel like this depiction is not fitting for Spartacus’ role in the revolution, and I at times felt confused by his portrayal as a reincarnation of the Roman hero’s spirit, compared to his persona of a kind man. However, as we discussed in class, Romans often believed life was performance, it makes sense to consider that Spartacus was simply switching between his masks, even though he wasn’t technically Roman.
Word Count: 496
