Spartacus (Silent) (DVD)

Spartacus is enslaved by General Crassus and forced to become a gladiator. Through his strength and bravery, he becomes the most famed champion in Rome. After defeating the fiercest opponents in the arena known as the Circus Maximus, Spartacus is given the choice between his freedom or becoming captain of the gladiators. Seeing the cruelty of his masters, Spartacus instead decides to lead his fellow gladiators in a revolt against the tyrant.

Spartacus was released during a time in which big-budget historical dramas made in Italy such as The Last Days of Pompeii (1913) and Cabiria (1914) were finding huge success in America. This was thanks to pioneering film producer George Kleine, who began as the distributor for Thomas Edison's Biograph films at the turn of the century. Kleine became a millionaire by being the first to realize that the prestigious productions coming out of Europe could be box office hits in the United States. Star Luciano Albertini had previously been a circus strongman and trapeze artist. His portrayal of Spartacus proved so popular with international audiences that he would be asked to star in both the American serial The Iron Man (1924) and the Russian war film Arsenal (1929).

• silent