Spartacus!

"Spartacus" was on yesterday.  And you can bet that I was in for that one!  I totally dig that movie.  I'm kind of a sucker for sword and sandal epics anyway - something about men in skirts and togas I guess - but there's just something about "Spartacus" that gets me every time.  It's violent, it's romantic, it's totally corny, and it's got a cast that's to die for: Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Peter Ustinov, Charles Laughton, and Olivier the Great.  I bought on VHS years ago, and until recently, watched it regularly.  It never gets old for me - I get tense and bite my nails every time Spartacus fights Draba in the ring, I sigh when Spartacus and Varinia are falling in love, I get creeped out when Crassus tries to  convince Antoninus to eat snails, and I'm totally in tears every time the captured slaves all jump up shouting "I am Spartacus!"

There's all sorts of stories about the making of "Spartacus".  About how it contributed to breaking the Hollywood Blacklist, about how long it took to shoot - something like 180 days - about how Kirk Douglas and Stanley Kubrick couldn't stand each other afterward, and about how by the time they were done, everyone else involved was totally sick of it, too.  It's also gone down in history as one of those movies people like to parody.  But it also won 4 Academy Awards, including one for Peter Ustinov (who is absolutely hysterical in it).  For some reason, it's one of those pictures that despite all it's trials ends up being not just a quality work, but also providing a magical and thrilling movie experience.  Long live "Spartacus"!