There are some movies that remain Hollywood classics, and Kirk Douglas’ 1960 film Spartacus is undoubtedly among them. Stanley Kubrick delivered a sensational movie, and even today, many fans watch it from time to time.
While the released version of the movie was great, it could have been even better. If it wasn’t for issues with censorship, the movie would have been a lot more bloody than it ended up being at the time of its release.
Stanley Kubrick’s Grand Idea for Spartacus Was Ruined Due to Things Beyond his Control
Creating a classic movie isn’t as easy as Stanley Kubrick did during his famed directorial career. The legendary director was known for his obsession with perfectionism, which was evident in several movies under his direction.
Sure, Spartacus featured some of the best visuals at the time, including some gore scenes. As per an article by Collider, Universal Studios was forced to make a plethora of cuts to the film’s original runtime.
A significant amount of dialogue, numerous battle scenes such as ‘The battle of Luceria’, and a lengthier ‘Battle of Metapontum.’ Protests from the Catholic Church’s Legion of Decency also had a hand in Universal’s removal of significant sequences of gore and blood, Marcellus drowned in a pot of soup, blood spurting unto Crassus’ face upon his killing of Draba, and a subtly bisexual scene of Crassus seducing Antoninus.
All things considered, the film suffered a lot due to censorship. If the film’s original version was released in theaters, it could have wreaked havoc among the audience.
On top of censorship, Kubrick’s final product also differed due to a plethora of different political ideologies forcibly involved in the movie. A key person behind the troubles was Dalton Trumbo as the screenwriter.
Trumbo did a commendable job of adapting the movie from Howard Fast’s novel, but he mixed his political views amidst the possibility of a second Red Scare in America at the time.
Spartacus Was a Commercial Success
Despite facing a plethora of troubles while filming, Spartacus ended up being a huge success at the box office. In fact, the movie was the highest grossing movie of 1960.
Considering the final cut of the movie was nowhere close to what Kubrick wanted it to be and it was still a huge success is more than enough to prove his natural talent for the art of direction.
Although the movie was released more than six decades ago, it has received several re-releases on the big screen. Moreover, a miniseries of the same name was also released in 2004 based on Stanley Kubrick’s blockbuster film.
In 2023, fans can watch the Spartacus by renting it out. The classic film is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
Also Read: Successful Films That Survived Switching Directors Mid-Production
