All historical films share the danger that their costumes and hairstyles will age badly. “Spartacus” stands at a divide between earlier epics, where the female characters tended to look like models for hairdressing salons, and later epics that placed more emphasis on historical accuracy. But the hairstyles of the visiting Roman women at the gladiatorial school are laughable, and even Jean Simmons looks too made up and coiffed at times.
Balancing against those dated elements are some that were ahead of their times, including a muted but sophisticated understanding of sexual motivation. Olivier’s character becomes more complex in this revival than it was at the time, because of the restoration of a key scene, cut by censors, in which he and Tony Curtis share a bath together, and he confesses, “I like both oysters and snails,” leaving little doubt where either is to be found as far as he is concerned. That brings his desire for Jean Simmons into focus: He wants her not merely to possess her, but as a form of victory over Spartacus.
The film has been restored by Robert A. Harris, the man who brought “Lawrence of Arabia” back to its original glory, and Harris has done a good job. The full 187 minutes of screen time has been pieced together from various shorter release versions; 10 minutes of opening, intermission and closing music is supplied; the color has been renewed by going back to the original materials and restoring them; the sound track is in six-track Dolby (although many theaters are equipped with only four tracks), and the 70mm wide screen picture reminds us of when movies filled our entire field of vision.
One aspect of the soundtrack is distracting: In the early days of stereo, movies such as “Spartacus” used the left track for characters on the left side of the screen, and the right track for those on the right, and then switched for the reverse shot - a disorienting auditory experience for the audience. Today’s approach in surround sound puts the voices on the center channel and the effects on the side, a better approach.
Perhaps the most interesting element of “Spartacus” is its buried political assumptions. The movie is about revolution, and clearly reflects the decadence of the parasitical upper classes and the superior moral fiber of the slaves. But at the end, Spartacus, like Jesus, dies on the cross. In the final scene, his wife stands beneath him and holds up their child, saying “He will live as a free man, Spartacus.” Yes, but the baby’s freedom was granted him not as its right, but because of the benevolence of the soft-hearted old Gracchus. Today, that wouldn’t be good enough.
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