How historically accurate is the tv series spartacus. In kubricks spartacus 1960 you can see the scar of the appendage surgery of duoglas. Spartacus is an american historical drama television franchise created by steven s. The retarius are there, although interesting some do have helmets. The real spartacus was a soldier in the roman army before being made a prisoner. Vengeance creator lists the 5 biggest misconceptions of the time period from waxed chests to homosexuality, steven deknight reveals the facts on the era depicted on the starz series. The hoplomachii with their long spear and small shields and faux greek style helmets. Its been a long stretch waiting for black sails to return, and all this idle time has led to a few intense sessions of over. Whilst the historical accuracy may be a bit vague this still remains gripping entertainment, capturing the spirit of. Lets see what lessons are waiting to be gleaned from this historical work.
The rebellion is known as the third servile war and was the last of three major slave revolts which rome suppressed. Well let me first start with what was probably accurate. After defeating two roman forces in succession, the rebels overran most of southern italy. The story of the roman empires rise and fall has has gripped the popular imagination. The movie was not only a commercial success it was a critical success, and it received several academy awards. Spartacus was the leader of a slave revolt against the roman republic in 73bc. Browse other questions tagged historical accuracy spartacus tv. This series sees spartacus hitting the road so we now get a chance to see a bit of scenery other than the usual babes and hunks. I am not equipped to comment on the historical or cultural accuracy of the starz series spartacus. The rebellion is interpreted as an example of oppressed people fighting for their freedom against a slaveowning. In the series, spartacus and the gladiators used training weapons when historical accounts state they orchestrated their escape, not with weapons, but kitchen utensils baldwin 290.
Little is known about him beyond the events of the war, and surviving historical accounts are sometimes contradictory. This may surprise many, but the violence, sex and nudity were probably accurate depictions of ancient roman life. The series is a cinematic retelling of this historical event, and while much of the details remain unknown, and there are few first hand period sources to tell the story, the series creators freely admit they took great liberties with the actual history. In the end, both the film and the series have their qualities but serve more as historical documents of how the film and television industries portray heroes, rather than a biography of spartacus s actual life. Another aspect embellished by the creators of the tv series. With about 70 fellow gladiators he escaped a gladiatorial training school at capua in 73 and took refuge on mount vesuvius, where other runaway slaves joined the band. It caused a sensation on its release and was one of the most successful. Compared to shows like spartacus or game of thrones, the borgias takes its time to get going. Also it should be noted that if you havent finished the series there are some spoilers for sure. Initially the warrior, whose name is not given, agrees to fight alongside the roman army to help defeat barbarians from a rival tribe, but. Spartacus was a thracian gladiator who, along with crixus, gannicus, castus, and oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the third servile war, a major slave uprising against the roman republic.
Spartacus is a historical depiction of ancient romes society and culture. Spartacus was a thracian slave who led a revolt against the roman. Thoughts and historical accuracy on spartacus series. Although crassus would ultimately defeat the spartacus rebellion, pompey would claim credit for the act, fueling his own rise to the apex of roman politics.
Just as an example, spartacus and crixus were splitup and fighting on different fronts by now while in the series they remain together. Here we are sharing 5 best and accurate historical tv shows ever. Released in 1960, it won four oscars for best art direction, best cinematography, best costume design, and best supporting actors. Six months after the battle of vesuvius and killing glaber countlesss other. Blood and sand, it occurred to me that, while the series may take some liberties with historical fact, it does seem to capture at least a measure of the ethos of ancient rome, i. Spartacus was never designed to even remotely resemble rome. When crassus defeated spartacus, pompey was in spain fighting sertorius and caesar was in the east under the general lucullus hence the rumor by his enemies that he prostituted himself to the king of nicomedes for a fleet of ships. The series was inspired by the historical legend of spartacus, a thracian gladiator, who from 7371 b. For something passing itself off as a documentary, there is not much historical accuracy in this wannabe docudrama. Did the hollywood epic stay true to the facts or did it distort the. Jul 24, 2015 in this video i examine a famous tv series from a historical point of view, in particular the fighting scene between spartacus and 4 gladiators. Even though it is over forty years old, the film tells us more of the present day than it does of the past.
Spartacus was a historical figure who led a slave revolt in the first century bc. The story of spartacus has served as inspiration for books, movies and a television series. Is the spartacus series a realistic portray of life in ancient rome. Dont forget spartacus was based on a real person and event so the series came to a logical end and dont forget the homosexuality, paedophilia and the sort of society the romans had created, it hasnt warped my view on the actual historical event, just made it more interesting. The historical epic spartacus 1960 is one of the bestknown movies in cinema history. Spartacus was a thracian slave in italy who escaped and became. Most films made about the romans lack historical accuracy, but they more than make up for it in pure entertainment value. Not knowing a whole lot about the society and culture of ancient rome, this seems like a great opportunity to expand my horizons. Historically accurate spartacus movie on the way written by the guy who penned 300 obviously. Roman empire tv series 2016 roman empire tv series. First of all im not talking about the tv series which, what little i have seen of it, is a load of hocus pocus but thats only to be expected.
Starz incredibly popular spartacus series which depicted the gladiators journey from freedom to slavery and then rebellion sadly came to its conclusion on friday with undoubtedly one of the greatest finales in tv history. Why was spartacus an important part of roman history. All historical films share the danger that their costumes and hairstyles will age badly. Spartacus is a film that exchanges strict historical accuracy for more classical themes, such as the love between spartacus and varinia, the battle between good and evil fought by spartacus and crassus respectively, and elements of tragedy, as spartacus, our tragic hero, is crucified at the end of the film. Spartacus film inaccuracies spartacus is a historical.
Spartacus was a gladiator who leads the rebellion against the romans. Just when you think the villainsand there are many villainscant get any more devious, they do. Starzs spartacus series has reached its moving end. Also, gladiator fights, bloody and violent as they were, were seldom fights to death, although deaths could and did occur. Although it took liberties with the historical facts, the finale was loyal to spartacuss legend and its great theme freedom.
Upon recently watching the starz original series spartacus. Spartacus is a 1960 american epic historical drama film directed by stanley kubrick. While rome is a drama about politics and conspiracies, spartacus is one mans journey. It may not be accurate to the letter of roman history, but this. For a better sense of spartacus the man, appian and plutarch are the best things weve got. A perennial eastertime favourite, william wylers benhur won 11 oscars.
I would to point out that my question its not about the historical figure spartacus and his story, but the roman society and his habits as it was presented in the show. Spartacus is a tv series that aired from 2010 through 20 for a total of three seasons on starz. Netflix has a number of historical dramas, from the tudors and the crown to outlander and peaky blinders. Those who already have the single series releases of the show may find that this new reissue of spartacus. Try spartacus tv series wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The final battle at the end of season 2 where spartacus uses vines to escape off mt. Spartacus is a great movie and still a favorite but how accurate was it. So yes, spartacus is based on historical events and characters, but we arent talking about documentary accuracy here. Heres eight of them that wed never throw to the lions. The fans of spartacus series will feel right at home as sex, violence, and gore become a common theme. Jul 21, 2016 spartacus is a 1960 american epic historical drama film directed by stanley kubrick. Jan 30, 2010 spartacus is a historical depiction of ancient romes society and culture. If you are still looking for historical series filled with blood and flesh and you dont expect a perfect history lesson from an entertaining tv show, you definitely should check out the four seasons of spartacus.
How accurate is the movie spartacus as an historical biogr. In the series, spartacus and other gladiators fight scores of fights. The television series spartacus, starring andy whitfield and later liam. Little is known about him beyond the events of the war, and surviving historical accounts are. A thracian by birth, spartacus served in the roman army, perhaps deserted, led bandit raids, and was caught and sold as a slave. Whatever kubrick might lose with historical inaccuracies, he gains far more in his ability to convey the story to the viewer. Spartacus film inaccuracies spartacus is a historical epic. I cant comment on the historical accuracy or otherwise of the book, but it provides a different approach to the recent tv series rip andy whitfield which at times went well over the top in what it felt necessary to show the viewer. We spoke with the shows historical consultant, robert lacey about whether the netflix show is accurate about queen. While the starz show spartacus was praise for its historical accuracy, that. The majority were not killed off like cheap entertainment. It is the final season of the series, concluding the end of the third servile war.
The depicted characters of spartacus and varinia in particular, have been enhanced in the film. Free how accurate is the movie spartacus as an historical. Apr 12, 20 starzs spartacus series has reached its moving end. War of the damned is the fourth installment in the spartacus series, and the official third season after its prequel, spartacus. Spartacus was a thracian slave who led a revolt against the roman republic from 7371bc, known as the. Spartacus franchise has three complete seasons and one additional miniseries gods of the arena, taken for one of the main seasons by many tv viewers. However, i feel completely comfortable recommending it for its entertainment value. Spartacus the movie is a genuinely inspiring story that is well told, apart from the fact that historical details are lacking almost completely, and what details there are being somewhat vague, hollywoo. For example, very little is known in historical fact about spartacus wife. Death on the arena was usually for criminals to be executed. Although it took liberties with the historical facts, the finale was loyal to spartacus s legend and its great theme freedom. Rome was a violent and militaristic culture, even by the standards of the an. Historical inaccuracies in spartacus spartacus, the 1960. Richard and saladin compare swords in the crusades the symbolism is blatant and the gender politics iffy in this fanciful version of the christians campaign, but it has a decent.
Spartacus stands at a divide between earlier epics, where the female characters tended to look like models for hairdressing salons, and later epics that placed more emphasis on historical accuracy. The accuracy of the movie spartacus as an historical biography is mostly fiction with some facts. Deknight is one of the most pioneering shows of all time of starz existence. The thracians had been persuaded by claudius glaber to serve as auxiliaries in the roman legions in a campaign against the getae, who had often plundered thracian lands.
He has often been made into a symbol for oppressed people rebelling to overturn their society, but in point of fact he tried to lead his army to safety and freedom for themselves outside romes reach and never attempted to overthrow roman society. By making fun of the historical inaccuracies it actually reveals more about the accuracy per total bbog jun 22 12 at 8. The blacklisted oscarwinning screenwriter dalton trumbo also scripted the movie. Another aspect embellished by the creators of the tv series is the actual gladiator battles themselves. Spartacus waged a brilliant guerrilla campaign against a strong and wellorganized enemy, but he could not prevail against a fully mobilized rome. But it seems the writers seem to believe they cant tell a good story within the confines of known historical narratives. Here are my main notices of historical innaccuracey. May 25, 2019 still the gladiators portrayed in the starz tv series spartacus do tend to fall within recognized historical types and be reasonably well portrayed. Spartacus is an american television series produced in new zealand that premiered on starz on january 22, 2010, and concluded on april 12, 20. Jun 14, 20 in the series, spartacus and the gladiators used training weapons when historical accounts state they orchestrated their escape, not with weapons, but kitchen utensils baldwin 290.
Deknight, who served as an executive producer alongside sam raimi and rob tapert. However, those with an interest in the series who havent yet plunked down for those past releases should. War of the damned premiered on january 25, 20 and concluded on april 12, 20. Still the gladiators portrayed in the starz tv series spartacus do tend to fall within recognized historical types and be reasonably well portrayed.
Best historical dramas to watch on netflix tv guide. For the most part the events of the slave revolt are accurate, although the presentation of the characters is somewhat fictional. The revolt of the gladiator spartacus in 7371 bce remains the most successful slave revolt in the history of rome. Spartacus used the vines to rappel down and outflank the militia. Sep 24, 2009 period and historical films spartacus.
Spartacus vs 4 gladiators are the gladiators historically. The first few episodes lay the groundwork for the fireworks to come. Blood and sand may be a sexandsandal series but it is worth watching. Historical dramas seem to be the thing, with shows like marco polo and vikings achieving great popularity, but just how historically accurate are they. The series is inspired by the story of the gladiator spartacus, who led the gladiators rebellion and who died in their last stand in southern italy. In the series, each battle ends with the death of a gladiator. It caused a sensation on its release and was one of the most successful pictures of the 1960s. The inspiration behind this series is the thracian gladiator spartacus, who led a slave uprising against the roman republic.
Spartacus, the 1960 film directed by stanley kubrick, is based on the life of a real man by the same name who lived from 111 bc to 71 bc. Little is known about spartacus beyond the events of the war, and. It would be unfair to compare the series to hbos rome, since the producers clearly intended to emphasize entertainment, not historical accuracy. I would to point out that my question its not about the historical figure spartacus and his story, but the roman society and his habits as it was. Sometimes factchecking the crown is more complicated than rehashing history. I am going to watch rome in a couple of days but i want to be sure that it is the same person in both tv series or they are different. Historical inaccuracies in spartacus spartacus, the 1960 film. Initially the warrior, whose name is not given, agrees to fight alongside the roman army to help. To be truly accurate, the cast would be delivering their lines in latin and ancient greek, with english subtitles.
Spartacus, the grecian slave warrior who threatened rome. What are your thoughts on the spartacus series on starz. Jan 29, 2019 so yes, spartacus is based on historical events and characters, but we arent talking about documentary accuracy here. I understand gracchus actually lived a bit before spartacus rebellion, but is this. With all the sex and drinking on black sails, its a wonder pirates got anything accomplished. The series tells the story of a thracian warrior who leads a rebellion against the roman republic.
It is televised by television network starz, premiering on january 22, 2010, and concluding on april 12, 20. Is the spartacus s julius caesar the same character as rome tv series s julius caesar. The series is set during the 1st century bc and follows the life of the thracian gladiator by the same name. Spartacus is a historical epic film starring kirk douglas, laurence olivier, charles laughton and a host of other stars. Starz tv spartacus series, were the fight scenes accurate. The fiction series was inspired by the historical figure of spartacus, a thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 bc led a major slave uprising against the roman republic departing from capua. Stanley kubricks 1960 epic has a slightly spurious icon of freedom. Given that the series is an actionpacked period drama, viewers may be wondering if frontier is based on a real story. Leading his army of runaway slaves, which has been estimated to have reached 100,000 men, spartacus defeated a series of roman attacks using tactics. The complete series isnt quite worth the double dip for three new commentary tracks and less than half an hour of new featurettes. Spartacus is an american historical epic series created by steven s.
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