Today is the anniversary of the release of one of my favorite movies. I have seen it possibly more than any other movie because I showed it in my Western Civ classes for years.
1. The Catholic Legion of Decency put pressure on Universal to cut shot of severing of limbs. drowning in soup, blood spurting on Crassus when he kills Draba, and hints of homosexuality (“oysters and snails”)
2. Scenes that were cut and lost included several scenes of Gracchus and Ceasar. So much of his performance was cut that the irascible Laughton sued.
3. Kubrick disavowed the film because he felt he did not have enough control over the story. However, he did insist on the final battle scene.
4. Douglas insisted the theme be “a slave whose vision of freedom almost overthrew the Roman Empire”. He also bumped up the love story.
5. The original plan was for an expanded battle with Glabrus, a battle montage of the subsequent battles, and a small version of the final battle.
6. After Trumbo’s critique of the first rough cut, scenes were added including: the first meeting with Tigranes, Spartacus’ speech at the gladiator school, Spartacus’ speech on the beach, the duel with Antoninus.
7. Universal cut the Battle of Metapontum, leaving only a reference made to the loss at the public bath.
8. Kubrick wanted the cause of defeat to be moral weakness of the slave class and the Crixus split. Douglas overruled him, thankfully.
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