Spartacus

Spartacus (1913)

*** (out of 4)

The second adaptation of Raffaello Giovagnoli's novel comes at a time when Italy really started pumping out their epic films with the longer running times, expensive sets and lavish production values. This film really doesn't stray too far from the source as we have our hero Spartacus being sold as a slave only to rise up and battle the evil Crassus. These Italian movies are certainly a far cry from the American ones coming out at the same time and this one here has so much going for it that I'm sure even the most jaded silent-hater would have to respect what's on display here. For starters, the set design here is incredibly well-done and I couldn't help but lose focus of the story at certain parts of the film while I just looked in great detail at the buildings. I thought all of the sets looked extremely real and they really made you feel as if you were in ancient Rome. Another major plus were the costumes, which yet again add a touch of realism to the film as they all look and feel as if they're in a real setting. The movie runs just over an hour and there's really not a dry or slow moment to be had. The movie has some terrific action scenes and we also get some nice drama. This can easily be seen towards the end when Spartacus is in jail accused of killing a man. The way director Vidali builds up the suspense was very impressive and the actors all fit their roles quite nicely. I'm not sure what the budget to this thing was but the realistic, mammoth sets make this a must-see for fans of classic cinema. The one minor problem with the film is that the editing could have been done a lot better and one can't help but thing that a "Griffith" touch would have cleaned up some of the minor technical issues.

Come with me, you whose pulse beats faster than the magic name of freedom...". If your appreciation of this acclaimed rebel comes courtesy of Stanley Kubrick and Kirk Douglas, then you might not readily recognise this far earlier telling of his story. Not least because the characterisation of Crassus from Enrico Bracci far more closely resembles Charles Laughton than Sir Laurence! This version establishes our hero as a defeated Thracian chief brought home by Crassus after his successful foray into Asia Minor. Initially, he is well enough treated and trains to be a gladiator whilst his wife "Idamis" (Cristina Ruspoli) becomes a confidante of the powerful "Narona" (Maria Gandini). That all goes a bit pear-shaped when Spartacus is accused of killing a man, and his resultant treatment opens his eyes to the ghastly treatment of thousands of slaves at the hands of their Roman masters. Thereafter, we see something more familiar as these slaves realise their gladiatorial skills prove to be more than a match for their guards and their silver-armoured commanders. What is really quite striking here is the quality of the production. Not just the costumes and sets, but the location photography and the naturally choreographed combat scenes with swords, daggers, lions and nets used adeptly by actors and stuntmen alike. It's also quite noticeable that we don't have too many of the cast looking adoringly at the camera nor do we get that sense of "performance" that's often got with historical silent features. After a few introductory scenes, the film gets it self into top gear and cruises along entertainingly.

This appears to be the same film issued the following year in the United States as SPARTACUS (the database offers no other potential films within a decade of SPARTICO). One of the joys of the silent era was that film could more easily be a truly international medium merely by the insertion of new title cards of an alternate language, and these were literate and interesting - if at strange variance with the story as usually understood from history and later films.

Unfortunately, the surviving print I have seen was severely truncated to only about an hour and with no credits. The plot refers to Crassus (the brutal Roman Consul who put down the slave revolt led by Spartacus and crucified the survivors as a warning to future slave rebellions), but has no mention either of slave rebellion (other than a bit of adultery) or crucifixion ('though there is much use of throwing prisoners and revealed "bad guys" to the lions in the Colloseum). It is presented as more of a "sword and sandal" telling of a standard domestic intrigue romance and possible murder.

In the print viewed, the use of the title would seem to be merely one of box office convenience, but who knows what might have been in the missing half hour? The production values are relatively high with excellent period sets and costumes for 1913, but fast cuts away from actual action which might have been difficult or dangerous to film - falls from walls or confrontations with actual beasts - disappoint.

To modern eyes, the set pieces of massed groups trooping in and out don't excite, but the one-on-one interactions of Spartacus and his lover are, for all the period emoting, are involving. A complete print should he interesting.