Spartacus

Stanley Kubrick's 1960 film covers a slave revolt that begins at a gladiator school. The rising turns into an army. Rome answers. The film joins epic to political argument; the narrative treats the struggle in the senate as seriously as the battlefield. Kirk Douglas was both lead and producer. The screenplay was written by the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, and his name in the credits helped break the list. The director did not count the film among his own works. Who it's for: those who like classic historical epics. Who it's not for: viewers wanting something short; the running time is over three hours.