“He didn’t want to shoot it”: the ‘Spartacus’ scene Stanley Kubrick hated
Sometimes, the most celebrated filmmakers are the ones who are most critical of their movies. After all, to achieve such high levels of greatness, one must be meticulous. Great auteurs must know what to cut out or what to add, even when the task seems daunting. As a result, many directors spend hours contemplating the importance of a specific scene, even a specific line of dialogue.
Stanley Kubrick is widely considered one of cinema’s greatest directors; his films are overarchingly beautiful and complex. No matter the genre, he was able to succeed, releasing masterpieces in everything from horror to sci-fi and black comedy. You might think he was proud of all of his work, which cemented him as a genius and earned him many awards (although he never managed to win ‘Best Director’ or ‘Best Picture’). For the most part, he was, yet there was a now-iconic scene in one of his earlier films that he actually hated.
Kubrick’s over-critical eye seemed to have clouded his judgement because, according to Kirk Douglas, the director hated the “I am Spartacus” scene from Spartacus. Ask anyone to quote the movie, and even if they haven’t seen it, that’ll be the first line that pops into their head. The memorable quote has found itself a comfortable home in popular culture, becoming one of the most well-known movie quotes of all time.
The director couldn’t help but dislike the scene, perhaps finding it cheesy or unnecessary. Douglas wrote in an article for Huffington Post, “‘I am Spartacus’ is the most remembered line of the film and is often parodied. I used it as the title of my 2012 book about the making of the movie. Believe it or not, Stanley Kubrick hated the scene where all of Spartacus’ men claim to be him. He didn’t want to shoot it, but I insisted.”
Douglas, who Kubrick had worked with three years before on Paths of Glory in 1957, now had a more active role in the production of the film. “After all, I was not only the star but also the producer who signed his paycheck.” Thus, Douglas told him that the scene had to stay in the movie. The idea had been conceived by the screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who was on the ‘Hollywood Ten’ blacklist because of his refusal to testify against the House Un-American Activities Committee, an anti-Communist organisation. “What a shameful period that was,” Douglas reflected.
Using a pseudonym, Trumbo penned the script, but when Douglas acknowledged that it was actually Trumbo, he helped to end the blacklist. For some critics, the “I am Spartacus” scene appears to allude to the Hollywood blacklist, representing those who refused to give in to HUAC. Whether that was Trumbo’s intention or not, the scene remains incredibly iconic and beloved.
Spartacus, which also starred Laurence Olivier and Charles Laughton, helped to put Kubrick on the map. From that point on, all of his films received significant acclaim, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon. The movie was a turning point, giving Kubrick his first taste of both commercial and critical success.