Spartacus (1960)
Themes & Commentary
Tyranny & Resistance
Yet another film that flips an idolized Ancient Rome on its head, Spartacus depicts the rarely talked about side of ancient history that is slavery. Like Quo Vadis, Spartacus does a phenomenal job of depicting the importance of community and resistance against oppression and tyranny as Spartacus and Varinia gain inter-continental support for their revolt against Rome.
Homosexuality
One of the most controversial aspects of Spartacus was its depiction of homosexuality/bisexuality. In one scene, the main villain, Marcus Crassus, bathes with one of his slaves, Antoninus, and then poses a rhetorical question as to why eating oysters (women) is acceptable, but eating snails (men) is not. This is one of the earliest instances of near-explicit queerness in American film, and unsurprisingly, it depicts queerness as something only an antagonist could have.
Power
The idea of power has a great role in Spartacus. Rome is consistently described as a belief or idea that has the capacity to rule the world, and in a sense, the city of Rome itself is depicted as the center of corrupt, unwarranted power as it tries to take over the world. This is further depicted in Crassus, who repeatedly tries to gain power over Spartacus, Varinia, and Antoninus, as he feels threatened by their revolt.
