Spartacus.
The first thing to mention about Spartacus is the cast and crew. Kirk Douglas. Laurence Olivier. Jean Simmons. Charles Laughton. Peter Ustinov. Tony Curtis. Stanley Kubrick. Dalton Trumbo. When a group of individuals as talented as that is assembled something great is destined to happen: Spartacus doesn’t disappoint. Spartacus (Douglas) is a defiant slave purchased by Batiatus (Ustinov) in order to be trained as a gladiator in the circuses of Rome. The slaves are ocassionaly rewarded with female companionship, whereupon Spartacus meets Varinia (Simmons), initially refusing to engage her physically, they allow their relationship blossom over time. Senator Crassus (Olivier) visits the gladiatorial school and requests a fight to the death for his own personal amusement, later taking Varinia with him back to Rome. Upon learning this, Spartacus leads a revolt that will echo throughout Italy as slaves rebel against their rulers and form an army against the Roman Empire. Spartacus is one man’s ability to ascend to the status of hero, a god amongst his peers, and the eternal fight for freedom and equality, but with a simple love story at it’s heart. Exceptional costume and set design, an amazing script, possibly the greatest director to have ever lived and an incredible cast, work together to create one of the classics of cinema.
Ben-Hur.
Three hour long films about slaves in the Roman Empire are like buses. You wait forever to see one, and then two of them turn up at once. While Spartacus’ tale was one of a man born into slavery, Ben-Hur’s is arguably more tragic. Judah Ben-Hur, a prince of Judea, entertains his old school friend, Messala, a commander in the Roman Empire. Their relationship remains amiable until the conversation turns to a rebellion rising in Judea. Messala demands the names of those responsible while Judah refuses to surrender his people to the Romans; the two argue, causing their friendship to sour somewhat. During a parade in Judah’s hometown, the Roman governor is accidentally killed and Judah is subsequently arrested. Messala, knowing Judah is innocent, condemns him to slavery, setting a precedent to other Jews in Judea who seek to defy Roman rule. The remainder of Ben-Hur centres on Judah’s quest for retribution, culminating in a thrilling finale that has been endlessly parodied and imitated. Ben-Hur is a beautiful film. The costume and sets and vibrant and authentic, the cinematography is amazing, the whole experience is breathtaking. Charlton Heston is excellent as Judah, in a classic story on the perseverance of the human spirit. Worth a watch.
Breathless.
A deplorable, arrogant, bordering on sociopathic man living in Paris frequently commits petty crimes for no apparent reason other than boredom. After stealing a car he is pursued by the police and, once cornered, he murders one of the officers before escaping. The plot of Breathless then follows this man, Michel, as he continues his daily life, seemingly unaware of the manhunt that is closing in on him. The majority of the film revolves around Michel obsessively pursuing an American girl he met several weeks earlier, and his attempts to convince her to move to Rome with him. This film is not one for the casual viewer, if your idea of cinema is whatever new superhero Marvel are forcing on you, give this a miss. Very little actually happens throughout Breathless, it is more an inspection of the characters and experimental, for the time, camerawork and editing, that have become commonplace in the film industry. A mould-shattering, innovative piece of French cinema.
La Dolce Vita.
The third film chosen from 1960 that is three hours long; much like Breathless, La Dolce Vita is not a film for the casual viewer. It is a story about tabloid journalist Marcello split into vignettes, each is independent yet are linked thematically. The episodes tell of Marcello’s relationships with people, be they his fiancee, Swedish actresses or his own father. Marcello himself is an egotistical intellectual who willingly becomes involved in “la dolce vita” – the sweet life, of decadence and debauchery. Writer and director Federico Fellini creates vacuous, self-invoved characters who, despite not changing for the entire run time, are still intriguing and hold the audience’s attention throughout. The film serves as a satire on Fellini’s view of modern society and he accomplishes it masterfully.
The Apartment.
An insurance worker in New York lets his superiors use his apartment for their extramarital affairs in order to rise in the company hierachy. The plot is simple, but when a film is executed well the plot doesn’t need to be overly complicated and The Apartment’s execution is faultless. The fantastic Jack Lemmon is mild-mannered C.C. Baxter who’s apartment is the one that is often frequented. His mannerisms are hilarious and when combined with Billy Wilder’s excellent screenplay make a truly funny film. The humour isn’t found in cheap one-liners, but in the natural dialogue between the characters themselves, as is the drama, romance and tragedy that ensues. The cinematography also, even by today’s standards, is exhuisite; I could continue with everything that is right about this film but that would simply be an exhaustive list of everybody that contributed to it’s production. This film is perfect, movie-wise, in every way. Do yourself a favour and watch it.
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