Once was a Slave, Now Turned into a Heroic Leader

Spartacus (1960)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spartacus_sheetA.jpg

• Beginning scene with Spartacus starts off with him in a desert-like scene, and even though he’s a slave, he fights back an official.
• Sent to a school that trains men as gladiators.
• His trainer was instructed to break his spirits.
• Falls for a woman named Varinia.  She was the woman who was sent to his cell to entertain him, and he didn’t take advantage of her.
• Varinia is bought by Crassus
• Crassus has Spartacus and a few others fight for his and his people’s entertainment.
• Spartacus’ opponent spares his life and attacks the audience instead.  Draba is killed by one of the guards and Crassus.
• Varnina is taken away to Crassus’ home.  Marcellus teases Spartacus about this, and their fight turns into a riot.  Spartacus and the other gladiators overrun the guards and make their escape.
• Spartacus becomes their leader.
• More slaves join their group to the point that it is basically an army.
• Varnina escapes from being delivered to Crassus.  She then becomes Spartacus’ wife informally and becomes pregnant with his child.
• In a panic, Crassus is given full power, because of the fear of Spartacus’ army of men.
• Crassus’ army nearly wipes out Spartacus’ men.
• Crassus’ men try to find the “rebel” leader (Spartacus) so he would get the worst punishment.  Instead, the remaining men all stood up and said “I am Spartacus!”  Crassus sentenced them all to death by crucifiction.
• Crassus finds Varinia and Spartacus’ newborn son and takes them as prisoners.
• He then finds Spartacus and forces him to fight Antoninus to the death.  Whoever the survivor is, will be crucified.  Spartacus wins, and is sent to be crucified.
• Varinia and her son are rescued and find Spartacus on the cross.
• She shows him his son and tells him he was born free and will never have to be a slave.

  Honestly, this movie was very difficult to watch due to the acting of that time period.  Everything was very theatrical and very slow moving.

Spartacus

http://www.histoire-fr.com/rome_republique_4.htm

• Little is known about Spartacus outside of the war.
• Thracian by birth, once a Roman soldier, and had been a prisoner and sold for a Gladiator.
• Had trained at a gladiator school near Capua.  This belonged to Lentulus Batiatus.  A group of gladiators and Spartacus plotted an escape.
• Their plot didn’t work but a large group of men ended up fighting their way out of school.  They took as much of the equipment as possible.
• The slaves that escaped recruited more slaves and increased the amount of men in their ranks.
• Spartacus and two other slaves were chosen to be their leaders.
• Spartacus was proving to be an excellent leader and their army of men continuously defeated each of their expeditions.
• Crassus was charged by the Senate to end the rebellion.
• Crassus was on Spartacus’ tail and cut off as many ties Spartacus had.  Crassus had refused a deal with Spartacus, and a portion of Spartacus’ men fled.
• It was claimed that Spartacus died during battle, but it was also said his body was never found.
• The survivors of the revolt were crucified and lined the Appian Way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartacus