THE BLOOD RUNS FREELY IN FINE, UPDATED 'SPARTACUS'.Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer More than 2,000 years ago, the Roman empire was the cradle of Western civilization, a place for art, architecture, poetry, competitive athletics, music and even the outlines of modern democracy to thrive. At the same time, it was a prime example of man's inhumanity to man - and the nature of absolute power corrupting absolutely. It is the latter that is depicted in ``Spartacus,'' a new four-hour miniseries adaptation of Howard Fast's novel of the 71 B.C. slave revolt, memorably brought to the big screen by Stanley Kubrick in 1960 with Kirk Douglas in the title role. Blood and sweat run more freely in the USA update, and torturous crucifixion crucifixion, hanging on a cross, in ancient times a method of capital punishment. It was practiced widely in the Middle East but not by the Greeks. The Romans, who may have borrowed it from Carthage, reserved it for slaves and despised malefactors. They used it frequently, as in the civil wars and in putting down the Jewish opposition. to deter crime and rebellion is shown as a very common practice decades before Jesus endured it. Here Goran Visnjic, best-known as Dr. Luka Kovac on ``ER,'' plays Spartacus Spartacus (spär`təkəs), d. 71 B.C., leader in an ancient Italian slave revolt, b. Thrace. He broke out (73 B.C.) of a gladiators' school at Capua and fled to Mt. Vesuvius, where many fugitives joined him., a slave trained as a gladiator to fight for the amusement of the privileged classes. One day, he and another slave, Draba (Henry Simmons of ``NYPD Blue'') are ordered to fight to the death at the behest of Crassus Lucius Licinius Crassus, d. 91 B.C., a noted orator and lawyer (much admired by Cicero). He was a strict follower of constitutional forms, and he and Scaevola as consuls in 95 B.C. proposed a law—called the Licinian Law, the Lex Licinia, or the Lex Licinia Mucia—to banish from Rome Latins who had gained Roman citizenship by illegal means (or what the law set as illegal means). (Angus MacFadyen), a guest of their owner. After knocking down Spartacus, Draba is poised to slay him but instead defiantly turns on his owner. Draba's choice of dying as a man rather than living as an animal inspires Spartacus to trigger a slave revolt. Initially, Roman politicians such as Agrippa Agrippa (əgrĭp`ə), in Palestinian history: see Herod. (the late Alan Bates) and Crassus believe the uprising can be quelled quickly and easily, but they soon are proved wrong. Spartacus and his lieutenants are wilier and better equipped than their Roman oppressors expected, and they are being joined in the countryside by throngs of slaves and peasants. Spartacus' wife, Varinia (Rhona Mitra of ``The Practice''), is his most trusted ally as he plans battle after battle and his toughest critic when he resorts to the reviled practice of crucifixion to send a message to the Romans. Director Robert Dornhelm (``Anne Frank'') has conveyed the brutality of hand-to-hand combat with less gore than Mel Gibson's ``Braveheart'' but no less fervor. Spartacus' charge into his final battle begins with a bellow of ``Freedom!'' - where have we heard that before? - reminding us of the courage and commitment of those on front lines everywhere throughout history. Fast, a past member of the American Communist Party who served three months in prison for refusing to identify other members to the House Un-American Activities Committee, died shortly before shooting began on this film. He might have enjoyed some of the contemporary political allusions in Robert Schenkkan's screenplay, such as Agrippa's anticipation that the ``tree lovers'' would be upset about the forests mowed down for the construction of 6,000 crosses. Valerie Kuklenski, (818) 713-3750 valerie.kuklenski(at)dailynews.com SPARTACUS - Three stars What: Four-hour miniseries about the 71 B.C. slave revolt in Rome, adapted from Howard Fast's novel. Where: USA Network. When: 8 tonight and Monday. In a nutshell: A grittier, more painful depiction than Stanley Kubrick's 1960 epic starring Kirk Douglas. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: ``ER'' star Goran Visnjic plays Spartacus, a slave trained as a gladiator to fight for the amusement of the privileged classes. |
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