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History and Film: Spartacus

Hollywood in particular has made numerous attempts at retelling history, and even though their films may be entertaining, the historical facts are often modified to appeal to a larger audience. This is true for Stanley Kubrick’s film titled Spartacus--a film about the famous gladiator who led the most successful slave revolt against Rome. Ancient historians Appian and Plutarch are some of our most reliable sources that we have concerning Spartacus, and they would definitely be surprised to see Kubrick’s take on this famous gladiator which embellishes the emotional and political aspects of his life purely for dramatic effect. Kubrick’s main goal in his film was to please his audience, and to do so, he recreated Spartacus to fit within our modern ideals of what it means to be a hero in the 20th century. 

There is little information about the early life of the real Spartacus. Appian speculated that Spartacus was born as a free Thracian who served in the Roman army, while other accounts believe him to be a Thracian fighting against the Roman army (UNRV History). Alan Baker’s book The Gladiator: The Secret History of Rome’s Warrior suggests that Appian was most likely correct--Spartacus was probably involved in the Roman army, but deserted his post to become part of a wandering gang who robbed and terrorized villages (61). Spartacus was eventually captured by the Roman forces and sold to Lentulus Batiatus, the owner of a gladiator school in Capua, Italy where he began his training. 

In 73 B.C., Spartacus and his fellow gladiators suffered brutal treatment from their masters at the training school. Unable to deal with such horrible treatment, Spartacus and a group of slaves planned for an escape. Spartacus, along with about 70 to 80 gladiators, raided the cook’s shop and were able to over power their masters (The Real Spartacus). After their escape, Spartacus and his men made their way to Mount Vesuvius (which was believed to be extinct at the time) and made camp within the crater (Baker 62). The Roman Senate sent Claudius Glaber with an army of 3,000 men to capture the slaves, hoping to surround Spartacus and his army in the crater. Glaber and his men were easily outwitted by the clever and resourceful Spartacus:

“The top of the hill, however, was covered with wild vines and from these they cut off all the branches that they needed, and then twisted them into strong ladders which were long enough to reach the top...They all got down safely by means of these ladders...The Romans knew nothing of this, and so the gladiators were able to get round behind them and to throw them into confusion (Plutarch on Spartacus).”

After several victories against Roman forces, Spartacus began to attract new recruits by the thousands. The Senate finally began to take notice that the rebellion was not just a mere collection of fugitive slaves, but a cohesive unit that posed a serious threat to Rome (UNRV History). The Senators placed the wealthy and experienced military leader Marcus Licinius Crassus in charge in 72 B.C., and recognized the rebellion as “The Third Servile War.”  

In the film Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire, David S. Potter notes that Spartacus did not seem to have a definite plan for him or his men. Spartacus most likely wanted to head towards the Alps to attain freedom, but for some reason not entirely clear, they decided to stay in the empire and head to the southern tip of Italy. The decision to head south proved to be a fatal mistake and Spartacus and his men found themselves encircled by Crassus’ army. With very few options, Spartacus hoped to strike a deal with a group of Cilician pirates near the sea. He not only hoped to gain more men in the fight against Rome, but he also desired safe passage out of Italy. The Cilicians, after agreeing to Spartacus’ proposals, and receiving gifts from him, failed to keep their promises and sailed off (Plutarch on Spartacus). At this point, Spartacus knew he would not be able to avoid the Roman army and headed straight into Crassus’ trap. Appian captures the scene in the last battle between Spartacus and Crassus:

“The fight was long, and bitterly contested, since so many tens of thousands of men had no other hope. Spartacus himself was wounded by a spear-thrust in the thigh, but went down on one knee, held his shield in front of him, and fought off his attackers until he and a great number of his followers were encircled and fell...Spartacus’ body was never found (Appian on Spartacus).”

Most of what has been explained before and during The Third Servile War can be found in Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 film version of Spartacus. The brutality towards slaves, the life and deaths of the gladiators, and the power of the Roman army are all captured convincingly in the film. In addition, many of the specific events around Spartacus’ rise and fall are also captured i.e. Spartacus’ escape from the gladiatorial school and his run in with the Cilicians pirates. It is clear that Kubrick intended to do the story justice; however, there are significant distortions and additions made for the film. For example, the film depicts Spartacus (played by Kirk Douglas)being crucified outside the gates of Rome after the last battle with Crassus. While hanging from the cross, Spartacus gives a heart-wrenching fair-well to his lover Varinia (a fictional character played by Jean Simmons), and their new born son. Appian’s true account of Spartacus’ demise is not nearly as eventful as the one portrayed by Kubrick. Kubrick likens Spartacus to Jesus Christ, or perhaps a christian martyr, which is much more dramatic than the ending told to us by Appian. Spartacus’ crucifixion, and the extensive love story with Varinia, are added to perfect the story of Spartacus. Hollywood intends to attract the largest audience possible, and these additions to the story of Spartacus helps appeal to the masses. 

Perhaps the most inaccurate part of the film is the way Spartacus himself is depicted. In Roman People, Robert Kebric explains: “Unlike the naive, virginal innocent portrayed by Kirk Douglas in the film, the real Spartacus was experienced in life, reputed to be very intelligent and cultured (53).” Not only was Spartacus’ characteristics modified, but his intentions as leader were modified as well. In the film, Kubrick depicts Spartacus as an anti-slave hero who initiated a social revolution against slavery; however, it is more than likely that Spartacus and his men were not revolting against Rome’s slavery institution, but simply towards the ill treatment they received at the gladiatorial school in Capua. In addition, we know that the real Spartacus was a thief on a grand scale, and it is more than likely that he never intended to be anything else (Baker 64). The reality of Spartacus’ true nature would definitely not appeal to the mass audiences. As a film maker, it behooved Kubrick to portray his version of Spartacus as a true hero of great ethics that overcame (even if for a short while) the oppressing power of the Romans. 

Film-makers and historians have two entirely different goals in mind: Film-makers intend to entertain their audience, while historians aim to retell past events as accurately as possible. It is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that Hollywood has altered an historical account for the sake of entertainment value. Not only did Kubrick add events and characters for dramatic effect, but we also see the desire to mold Spartacus into a figure that the audience can easily relate and aspire to. Kubrick’s version of Spartacus is a hero fit for the 20th century that fights the injustices between the elite and the underclass. In the film, Spartacus is portrayed as a hero of great morals who brought thousands of people together to revolt against their oppressors, however the real Spartacus, who may have been an intelligent and cunning leader, was not nearly this ideal. Even though we cannot be entirely sure of how Spartacus was in real life, we can positively say that the representation of his character in the film is mostly inaccurate from the accounts on historical record. Even though we can enjoy new variations on the legend of Spartacus, we should always keep in mind that film industry have their own agendas in mind. These agendas can potentially misguide many viewers who may not realize that the film industry embellishes many historical figures like Spartacus.