Films \"Spartacus\" Directed by Stanley

¶ … films "Spartacus" directed by Stanley Kubrick and "King Arthur" directed by Antoine Fuqua. Specifically it will contain reviews of the films and their relevance to history. Both of these films look at specific times in ancient history, and attempt to portray them as accurately as possible.

Spartacus" is an epic film starring Kirk Douglas as the legendary slave turned soldier who leads a revolt against the Roman Empire. For two years, the slaves fight and usually win against small Roman armies, but in the end, they are surrounded and slaughtered by three large Roman divisions. Spartacus survives, only to die crucified on the cross. His only reward is that his lover gives him a son, and he sees the son before he dies, knowing he is a free Roman citizen who will never serve as a slave.

This is an epic film because of the thousands of people it took to make it, and how it portrays the Romans, who were decadent and unlikable. They are arrogant, and do not care about the welfare of the people they enslave, and it is sad that they triumph at the end. It is a good historical film because it portrays the time period accurately, with costuming and weaponry that would have been used at the time and it portrays the violence of the time, as well. There are some details in the film that may not be accurate, but Spartacus was based on a real Roman, and much of what happens in the film really did occur, and I would recommend the film to anyone who was interested in this time period, especially about the practice of keeping slaves, how they were mistreated, and how arrogant the Roman aristocracy was about the people they ruled and took advantage of.

King Arthur" is a real departure from most of the films about Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The film believes that new evidence shows that Arthur was not a medieval knight, but a Roman soldier sent to Britain to guard the famous Hadrian's Wall, and that there were a series of Arthur's who all guarded the wall throughout time. Lancelot and the other "knights" were soldier like Arthur, under his command. Many of the other characters of the legend, such as Guinevere and Merlin are present in this film, as is the Sword in the Stone legend of Excalibur, Arthur's weapon (it was his father who removed it from the stone.

Ultimately, Arthur denounces his Roman citizenship when he is disillusioned by the Roman leaders and their activities, especially Bishop Germanius, and he joins the Woads to fight the Saxon Army that is attempting to gain control of Britain. In the end, many of his knights are killed in a ferocious battle, including Lancelot, and when the battle is over; Arthur has won and is declared king, with Guinevere by his side.