SPARTACUS: THE TELEVISION MINISERIES

Much more historically authentic than the 1960 Stanley Kubrick classic staring Kirk Douglas, this made for television miniseries is excellent! Make no mistake, despite its small screen origins this drama has been lavishly produced and this is visible onscreen from the costumes and sweeping sets to the highly acclaimed cast.

Goran Visnjic stars as the Thracian slave turned gladiator of the title, who defies his Roman masters by leading a rebellion of slaves at the very heart of their Empire.

Visnjic's performance reveals a complex character, at times brutal and bloodthirsty, then cautious and sincere - a man who has leadership thrust upon him and walks a fine line between turning the slave rabble into an organized fighting force and maintaining a fragile (and turbulent) alliance with the powerful Gaul leader, Crixus.

The whole cast is outstanding and of special note are the late Alan Bates and Angus Macfadyen. Bates… more »

SPARTACUS: THE TELEVISION MINISERIES

Much more historically authentic than the 1960 Stanley Kubrick classic staring Kirk Douglas, this made for television miniseries is excellent! Make no mistake, despite its small screen origins this drama has been lavishly produced and this is visible onscreen from the costumes and sweeping sets to the highly acclaimed cast.

Goran Visnjic stars as the Thracian slave turned gladiator of the title, who defies his Roman masters by leading a rebellion of slaves at the very heart of their Empire.

Visnjic's performance reveals a complex character, at times brutal and bloodthirsty, then cautious and sincere - a man who has leadership thrust upon him and walks a fine line between turning the slave rabble into an organized fighting force and maintaining a fragile (and turbulent) alliance with the powerful Gaul leader, Crixus.

The whole cast is outstanding and of special note are the late Alan Bates and Angus Macfadyen. Bates plays the wily Senator Agrippa, who loves Rome with all his heart but fears that she will become a dictatorship, while Macfadyen is Marcus Crassus, the richest man in the capital who is desperate to prove himself as a military commander. Crassus wishes to lead the army which will defeat Spartacus before renowned Roman general Pompey can be recalled to Italy and therefore steal his would-be glory. Agrippa believes Rome itself could be overrun by the slaves if unchecked but will not grant support to the demands which Crassus implores upon his fellow Senators. Their political bickering and back-stabbing takes up much of their screen time and is an interesting contrast to the plight of the slaves. While Rome should be united but is falling apart due to political rivalries and jealousies, the multi-national slaves successfully bond with a common goal - at least primarily.

Several battles are featured throughout the story, both gladiatorial bouts and massive military confrontations, all of which contain strong violence. Throats are cut and bodies run through in graphic detail. Rather than merely showing violence for its own sake, though, these scenes add realism and authenticity to the proceedings and these combat set pieces are directed with flair and skill. We also see the initial inability of the Roman military system to adapt to a new type of warfare where the slaves use hit and run tactics to draw their adversaries into deadly traps.

The closing credits begin with a rather touching "In Memory" screen for the late Alan Bates and (author) Howard Fast. Bizarrely for a drama based upon a true story, there is also text saying the characters and situations are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental!

Extras wise, the DVD is extremely thin on the ground with just English subtitles and scene selection available. Although this miniseries was made for the small screen, I would at least have expected some television spots or original trailers, even possibly a "Making Of..." featurette, too.

Still, all in all this DVD is immensely enjoyable and at a running time of almost three hours is great value for money - just don't expect any "I'm Spartacus!" shouts from the slaves!