It is a fine film in its own right and an utter miracle that it works considering the writer, director, and leading man never once could openly agree on what the theme of the movie was ultimately about. Spartacus is based on the true story of a revolt lead from a gladiatorial school that spread across ancient Rome, nearly bringing down the empire. He wanted his own Swords and Sandals epic, and with his behind the scenes politicking he got it. The star Kirk Douglas, fought to make Spartacus after he lost the title role in Ben Hur. His lack of autonomy from the studio and squabbles with its leading man, were more than he signed on for. Director Stanley Kubrick had not yet cemented himself as the perfectionist auteur we know him as today and after the film’s release, chose to completely disown it. Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, was at the time blacklisted as a communist and ironically welcomed back into the mainstream with this work about slaves uniting to over throw their government. The super-team that worked to bring this story to life are legends in their own right and show that talent doesn’t need to like each other to achieve success. We also get the classic Gods of Olympus watching and interfering from above in this multifaceted yet simple tale of the ancient Greeks. Monsters aside, it strikes all the right mythological chords, featuring a great ensemble cast with seer Medea, the cunning Jason, and a much depleted version of Hercules. The audience is treated to multiple battles with Harpies, an enormous statue brought to life, Hydras, and a very memorable Skeleton Army. This film was a vehicle for Ray in his prime, to flex his muscle. This formula applies to dozens of other titles of the era, sure but the ones that still hold up, all have Harryhausen’s fingerprints on them. Shot on location in Italy in the 60’s, it tackles the classic hero’s quest to attain a powerful artifact and woo a princess, while encountering supernatural creatures across the sea. If not for the genius creature creation of Ray Harryhausen, Jason and the Argonauts would be a boiler plate Swords and Sandals movie. In this spirit, we have complied the 17 definitive films that embrace the ethos of defeating an enemy at short distances while often having ones toes dangerously exposed. It’s mythos, sex appeal, political intrigue, gritty battles, attitude, empires, and wardrobe that shows off those perfectly toned legs. The contemporary spirt of Swords and Sandals is more than bronze and iron age history. With the emergence of modern muscle worship, love of face to face battle sequences, and quality CGI, we are seeing more popular movies fuse into period pieces. It encompasses much more than that specific sub-genre. Today, Swords and Sandals has a different meaning. The sets were large, the characters larger than life, the only thing small was the budget. Historically speaking, the term refers to a set of movies largely produced in Italy in the fifties and sixties, trying to recreate the magic of popular American blockbusters like Ben Hur and Cleopatra. Most of these films revolved around biblical or mythological themes while many depicted lavish lifestyles of regional Empires, long past. Swords and Sandals two words that bring about a ubiquitous visualization of well bronzed men clashing in battle, under the beating Mediterranean sun.
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