Spartacus and Kubrick in Hollywood

Directing Spartacus (1960) had a significant impact on Stanley Kubrick’s career. Although the director wasn’t involved in preproduction, the film clearly shows his stylistic influence. It was his first production for a major studio and he had to work with international stars. Moreover, the film was adapted by Dalton Trumbo from the novel Spartacus by Howard Fast; both had been blacklisted, and Trumbo had to work secretly until Kirk Douglas revealed his identity, so Spartacus is understood to be the film that ‘broke the blacklist’. Now it is a cult movie, widely discussed by fans and admirers but not receiving equal attention from an academic perspective.

This collection of essays explores the film from a wide variety of angles: through its production history and the socio-historical context of its release; through the theme of gender, power, and sexuality; through close analysis in comparison with other epic movies, the literature preceding the film, and the rest of Kubrick’s oeuvre; and through its soundtrack and sonic style. Some chapters draw extensively on primary sources, especially those available at the Stanley Kubrick Archive; others apply a theoretical perspective. The volume’s interdisciplinary approach demonstrates how diverse methods can coexist and support each other to create a deeper knowledge of this important film.