3/5 Spartacus- Universal Cut
  by Donald Edwards (USA)
SPARTACUS. A great motion picture. A film whose message is man must live free or die. A film budgeted at twelve million dollars in 1960 (easily one-hundred and twenty million in 2009 dollars). A cast of supreme stars- Kirk Douglas, Lawrence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Jean Simmons and Tony Curtis. A supporting cast of ten thousand human beings. I first viewed this film in the early 1960's and was entirely
engrossed by it. The dramatic music of Alex North paired with duelling gladiators was
unforgettable to this (at the time) ten year old. I remember, too, the very touching love scenes between Douglas and Simmons. Their love was magnificent, real and precious.
Indeed, this epic rates as one of my all time favourite films because of it's huge scope and emotional appeal. There's passion, politics, betrayal. A timeless story that touches the heart and excites the mind.
I won't delve into the plot as other reviewers have given ample time to this. What I wish to say, however, is that this Universal Studios version, while the sound quality is superb, the visual could have been better. Technically, the film displays a sepia or brownish tone. The contrast level is somewhat harsh and there is a grainy texture throughout. Granted the film is vintage, but the restorations of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, NORTH BY NORTHWEST and VERTIGO are of a much higher standard.
I understand CRITERION has published a version of SPARTACUS and this might be a more worthwhile (albeit more expensive) alternative.

5/5 Spartacus
  by John Pyle (Oklahoma)
Kirk Douglas at his best in this period film. Lots of name actors, and lots of action. I recommend to any fan of Douglas. (Like me)

5/5 worthy
  by netstarman (Texas)
A great movie by Stanley Kubrick , please do buy if you have a hd-dvd forthe xbox 360, or a HD-DVD player do buy.

4/5 A Bit Long, But A Solid Epic Which Looks Better Each Time
  by Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA)
This is a solid adventure story that keeps looking better and better with each succeeding DVD. The excellent Criterion version was the last. Next up, I hope, is a solid Blu-Ray version.

*** This comment contains spoilers ***
The story is a no-nonsense dramatic tale of a slave who leads a revolt against Rome, is successful in building the movement from almost nothing to an army of thousands, only to be beaten and literally crucified in the end.....but leaving his mark, to use a cliché, on history.

The prelude to the final battle scene is awesome-looking when you see all the soldiers lined up. I liked the fact they didn't overdo the action scenes, which they could easily have done since they employed a cast of thousands. On the other hand, they could have cut down on the overall length of the movie which was over three hours long. At two-and-a-half hours this would have been a much tighter script and easier to view.

Kirk Douglas, as "Spartacus," the leader of that revolt, was excellent and Peter Ustinov shines, too. The dialog given Ustinov and Charles Laughton was intelligent. This movie also featured the acting talents of Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis and John Gavin. Not bad, eh?




5/5 Truth or fiction?
  by Diane R. Kennedy (Louisville)
I couldn't wait to get this film. The real Spartucus wasn't as nice as Kirk Douglas' character I hear, but for a man to revolt against slavery and the Romans and win is awesome! "We all have good and evil in us, which we act on is who we are."(Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter.)