MovieChat Forums > Spartacus (1960) Discussion > Hard to watch after Spartacus the series

Hard to watch after Spartacus the series

posted 11 years ago by miausquirrel
74 replies | jump to latest

I had never seen this before, and I recently watched the whole new Spartacus series. Maybe I should have done it the other way around, because after getting used the imagery and pacing of the show, this just felt really slow and "tame" in comparison. I could only watch it for about 1 hour, then I had to stop. Perhaps I will continue one day, but I don't know.

Maybe I am just too spoiled by the spectacular fights and tons of blood in the show :)

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] b7625676552 11 years ago

i agree the original movie is slow and if it came to cinemas now it would get a 3,5. The music is annoying too. I did like the series but the last season wasnt that good.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] sinsemilla420071 10 years ago

That's because you got used to watching a soft-core porn TV show over an actual film.

[–] nbreyfogle-1 10 years ago

The 1960 film is only about a billion times better than the TV show.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] cwente2 10 years ago

"... most of them suck, the acting from those days is like watching a high school Shakespeare production over the top and the underling gayness of male stars ..."

Of course, it could be just the reverse(!): a high school student watching a classic picture expecting an under the top performance (aka, boring) and fantasizing about the "gayness of the male stars"? (Btw, ever see a Shakespeare production?)

And, ah, five 'ill get ya ten that that worn-out, old casting couch is busier than ever today.

[–] RadiatedPenguin 10 years ago

The movie is *beep* and anyone who likes it has to be old as *beep*.

[–] cwente2 10 years ago

Hmmm . . . Guess I'm guilty on both counts. 'Course it could be said that anyone who doesn't like it has to be young as "beep" and, therefore, dumber than "beep". 'Course I wouldn't say that -- people who are "old as beep" aren't known for such "beeping" eloquence.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] alex-simmons-843-329258 10 years ago

and it is entirely possible to be stupid.

Every single one of these tv shows or miniseries that are remade out of classic films are *beep* and their audiences should be put six feet deep.

Psycho, Hannibal, Rosemary's Baby, Twelve Monkeys, Spartacus, whatever. Any person involved should take a cold hard look in the mirror and ask why.

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[–] alex-simmons-843-329258 10 years ago

you got me

[–] vicky_lc2001-1 9 years ago

It was the opposit with me, I got excited when I heard about the new Spartacus series but couldn't even finish an ep. It was like watching a B grade daytime soap with skins, yuck, lol! If you loved the tv series, I doubt you'd like this.

Global Warming, it's a personal decision innit? - Nigel Tufnel

[–] ravi02 9 years ago

It was like watching a B grade daytime soap with skins, yuck, lol!

So the thought of seeing naked people offends you?

Yeah, it has a lot of sex and nudity, but they serve a purpose. As I explained in another post, Spartacus tells the story of slavery in Ancient Rome and how people's bodies are used; be it for love, deception or to celebrate debauchery. If you can get past the first few uneven episodes, it becomes a truly great show.

Ad by the way, I have seen the 1960 Spartacus film starring Kirk Douglas. In fact, my interest in that film (and all things Ancient Rome) is what made me check out the show.

[–] vicky_lc2001-1 9 years ago

Yeah sure it was the thought of naked people that offended me, critics and everyone with taste in films or shows.

Just this show though of course, better shows with nudity are exempted. It is this single show alone that offends everyone due to nudity, nothing else, like story/plot, characterization, acting, direction, etc.

Global Warming, it's a personal decision innit? - Nigel Tufnel

[–] eliel77 9 years ago

I watched the movie yesterday and I had a hard time to do it. I have to respect its and old movie, and all of its limitations because of it, but man, the story, the plot, it was all lacking and mediocre. The Plot development was just to jump from a major happening to another. The fight scenes were lame, maybe in 1960 it was cool, but those fights today give no excitment or thrill.

Spartacus the series is almost a masterpiece. Nudity ? Yes ,and a lot of it, its a show aimed to adult people. And the nudity does not detract the show. Its just a plus. Violence and gore ? more than you can imagine. And the fight scenes are amazingly done. You got to be pretty stupid if you think it was gratuitous violence. There is a great plot goin on behind every fight and behind every nudity.

Jacarutu!
http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=20186983

[–] dannieboy20906 9 years ago

I am an amateur historian. Consequently, I just relax and enjoy the ride. It is easier for me with "Spartacus," the 1960 movie than with a cable channel that ran multiple seasons.

Everything we know about Spartacus fits into a single, reasonably short paragraph. I don't mean to knock slaves, but the more interesting part to speculate on is the political competition in Rome to see who gets the honor of crushing the rebellion. Spartacus will lose. After all, it is a fact of history, unless your speculation runs to the level of thinking the Romans conspired to lie. Who among the Roman elite will win.

If we want a mini-series about lower strata of Romans, let's speculate on the average free Roman who labors at artifice or toils in the ground to make bread for himself and his family.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

[–] Degree7 9 years ago

The TV show is really disposable, like television fast food. Over the top violence with slow motion effects that seem to be catering to videogamers, and a cast that looks like GQ models. Not that ther s anything wrong with that if you like it, but it's not cinematic nor does it have much depth.

The film is entirely different. It's not about m how flashy the action scenes are or how "fast paced" it feels. It's about the power and emotion behind a slave's journey of defiance.

~ I'm a 21st century man and I don't wanna be here.

[–] ravi02 9 years ago

but it's not cinematic nor does it have much depth.

Oh yes, it does. Did you even watch the entire show? I've found that most of the people who dismiss Spartacus only watched the first 3-4 episodes (which are admittedly uneven, but it becomes a great show after that).

Spartacus was a great series that offered much more than its surface of comic-style violence and sex. It was a show about how slavery is damaging to the human psyche, power class struggles between the slaves and the rich Romans and the way sex is used to demonstrate love, deception and debauchery between the characters. It was a show that boasted great acting, memorable characters, quotable dialogue, exciting action and plenty of heart to keep one compelled from start to finish.

[–] Degree7 9 years ago

Actually, I just watched a few short clips of it on YouTube before I wrote that comment. Ah, the fallacy of composition!

~ I'm a 21st century man and I don't wanna be here.

[–] ravi02 9 years ago

If you have the time, I would recommend watching the first season.