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Spartacus continues the epic cinematic trend of exposing the naked
male figure to the gaze of the audience, as in the bath scene above where
Antoninus is the object of attempted seduction. Later in the Roman public
baths, the film shows the strapping nude body of Caesar gliding through
the pool to underscore his emergent political power, then juxtaposed to
the softer body of Crassus as the two aristocrats debate the future of Rome
clad only in tiny towels. As in earlier epic films, the nude male body
suggests a visual negotiation between strength and vulnerability. At the
ludus, the body of Spartacus is subjected to the gaze of the other gladiators
during training: “Kirk Douglas’ stance expresses a perfect balance between
proud self-display and humiliating exposure” (Fitzgerald, 37). The pampered
Roman ladies experience an erotic thrill from reviewing the line of
male gladiators prepared to fight to the death, as Lady Claudia purrs:
“Don’t put them in those suffocating tunics. Let them wear just . . . enough
for modesty.” In this episode, women become the active subject of the
gaze, suggesting a transition to the more sexually liberated female of the
1960s. The aroused Roman women even notice the powerful appeal of
the slave girl, Varinia, whose sexuality is highlighted elsewhere in the film.
Varinia’s natural bath scene, where she reveals her nude body in a forest
pool before announcing her pregnancy, associates her fertility with the
life-giving properties of water. Spartacus, like the audience, is overcome
by her erotic allure: “I want to make love to you,” he growls. The scene
becomes an intriguing precursor to the erotic and maternal strategies of
the main character in Cleopatra (1963), in contrast to the cosmetic indoor
luxury of the Egyptian queen’s bath.
CORE ISSUES
1 How does the film represent the moral quality of Roman political power and military
leadership, especially in the character of Crassus?
2 How does the film characterize Spartacus and his army of slaves?
3 How does the film portray the conflict between rule and revolt? Between traditional order
and personal freedom?
4 How do the themes expressed in the film about ancient slaves rebelling against the power
of Rome suggest parallels to contemporary American life in 1960? How are those themes
relevant to us today?
5 Describe the film’s moral and/or political message.
120 SPARTACUS (1960)