SPARTACUS (1960)

1. Why did Kirk Douglas hire Kubrick to replace the original director on the film?

Douglas fired the original director, Anthony Mann, after only a couple days shooting because of major creative differences. He then hired Kubrick because of the critical success of Paths of Glory, and the fact that he held Kubrick’s talents in high esteem.

2. Was Kubrick able to add any scenes or bring any of his unique vision to the story?

   The primary unique technique that Kubrick brought to the film was to play music during scenes that did not require sound recording, in order to elicit certain moods or actions from the actors. This technique had been common during the days of silent films and helped Kubrick pull some interesting performances from actors such as Woody Strode and Tony Curtis.

   Kubrick kept to his style of shooting many takes and covering scenes (particularly certain stunt sequences) from as many angles as possible. He also spent an amazing nine months on the sound editing, creating a powerful, detailed soundtrack much more elaborate than the typical epic film of the time.

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