Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas in the title role, a slave who leads a rebellion against Rome and the events of the Third Servile War. Adapted by Dalton Trumbo from Howard Fast's 1951 novel of the same title, the film also stars Laurence Olivier as Roman general and politician Marcus Licinius Crassus, Charles Laughton as Sempronius Gracchus, Peter Ustinov as slave trader Lentulus Batiatus, and John Gavin as Julius Caesar. Jean Simmons played Spartacus' wife Varinia, a fictional character, and Tony Curtis played the fictional slave Antoninus.
1961 post-Oscars theatrical poster by Reynold Brown
Stanley Kubrick was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or short stories, spanning a number of genres and gaining recognition for their intense attention to detail, innovative cinematography, extensive set design, and dark humor.
Kubrick c. 1973–74
High school senior portrait of Kubrick, age 16, c. 1944–1945
Portrait of Kubrick with a camera at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, 1949, while a staff photographer for Look
Photo of a Chicago streetscape taken by Kubrick for Look magazine, 1949, from State/Lake station