Dialogue: Talkback following Saturday, September 27 screening led by Michael Phillips.
“The most courageous thing about it, from today's standards, is that it closes without an obligatory happy ending, and an audience that has watched for 187 minutes doesn't get a tidy, mindless conclusion.” - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“A surprisingly apt companion piece to PATHS OF GLORY in its consideration of the mechanisms of power.” - Derek Adams, Time Out
Monday, September 1, 1:00 p.m. & Saturday, September 27, 7:00 p.m. | In ancient Rome, the slave Spartacus (Kirk Douglas, all chin and chiseled) is sold as a gladiator, to fight and die as entertainment for the rich and powerful. When Spartacus ignites a slave uprising, he threatens the very foundation of the Roman Empire. The protagonist’s brave rebellion was paralleled off screen: SPARTACUS screenwriter Dalton Trumbo had been blacklisted for refusing to disavow Communism under oath and name names to the House Un-American Activities Committee. When Douglas and Universal Pictures announced Trumbo as the film’s screenwriter, the blacklist began to disintegrate, proving together, we are stronger. If you’d like to join in on the powerful “I am Spartacus” scene, we get it. Dialogue: Talkback following Saturday, September 27 screening led by Michael Phillips.
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Peter Ustinov), Best Cinematography Winner Oscar, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Academy Awards
Nominee - Best Editing, Best Score, Academy Awards
Cinema of Resistance | September 1–28, 2025
In Cinema of Resistance, we present eight films that expose the lowest moments of humanity, both real and imagined: war, corruption, cowardice, authoritarianism, and then raise high displays of bravery from movements that changed the course of history and individuals that put themselves on the line for the greater good. Join the fight from your cinema seat.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu