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The Real Spartacus
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Books
Spartacus
by Howard Fast (Ibooks, 2006; originally published 1951)
Fast was blacklisted as a Communist when he first published this novel,
which launched the heroic – and politically radical – image of Spartacus.
It was the main source for Stanley Kubrick's 1960 film.
Projecting
the Past: Ancient Rome, cinema and history by Maria Wyke (Routledge, 1957)
Fascinating study of cinematic representations of ancient Rome, analysing
the ways in which the Hollywood and Italian film industries have resurrected
ancient Rome to address present concerns. Through case studies, the book
explores cinema's use of the past to excavate present issues of nationhood,
colonialism, gender and cinema itself.
Spartacus and the Slave Wars by Brent Shaw (Palgrave Macmillan, 2001)
In 73 BC, in the heart of Rome's Mediterranean empire, a slave named Spartacus
ignited one of the most violent episodes of slave resistance in the history
of the Roman Empire. Using Greek and Latin sources this book takes a look
at the daily lives of slaves trained as gladiators and those who laboured
on farms in Italy and Sicily.
Slavery
and Rebellion in the Roman World 140-70BC by K R Bradley (Batsford, 1990)
Indispensable account of Spartacus's rebellion and the slave wars that
preceded it
Conquerors and Slaves by Keith Hopkins (Cambridge University Press,
1978)
Important analysis of the relationship between Rome's imperial expansion
and its dependence on slavery.
The Gladiators by Arthur Koestler (Jonathan Cape, 1939)
A darker and more nuanced account of Spartacus's doomed revolt. It was
a source for Stanley Kubrick's 1960 film.
Films
Gladiator (2000)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Violent drama set in Roman times where Maximus (Russell Crowe) finds himself
caught up in the battle for the throne when the Emperor chooses him over
his son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). The unexpected return of the sword-and-sandals
blockbuster.
Spartacus (1960)
Directed by Anthony Mann and Stanley Kubrick
1960 classic that tells the story of a slave, trained as a gladiator who
held Rome's legions at bay for four years with an army of battle-trained
slaves. This film includes the restored scenes that were originally cut.
Websites
History in Film: Spartacus
www.historyinfilm.com/spart/
Educational site using Kubrick's 1960 film as a starting point for investigating
the history of the period.
Rome: Chronology
http://eawc.evansville.edu/chronology/ropage.htm
A summary of the history of Rome.
Duncan Cooper on Spartacus
www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/cooperdex.html
Three essays on the political messages of Spartacus. Cooper distinguishes
the different contributions made by Kubrick as director, Kirk Douglas
as producer and the film's scriptwriter, Dalton Trumbo, who, like Fast,
was one of the blacklisted Hollywood Ten.
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