Spartacus: Life or Legend
The Ancients22 Mai 2024

Spartacus: Life or Legend

‘I am Spartacus!’ In the field of epic film making, the 1960 historical drama ‘Spartacus’ is legendary. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, and starring Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier, it is undoubtedly a classic. But how much of the plot has emerged from the true story of a Thracian gladiator and slave who escaped his Roman captors and led an unsuccessful but impressive rebellion against their oppressors? And how much of the film’s message was formed by the personalities involved in its creation, and the context in which it was made?


In her own words, Dr Fiona Radford devoted years of her life to the man with the most memorable chin cleft in the world - Kirk Douglas, specifically as Spartacus. Her thesis traced the production history of this film, examining in particular the effect that the turbulent process had on the portrayal of female characters. Having taught at Macquarie University, ANU and the University of Sydney, she currently teaches history at secondary school level, and her conversation with Tristan in this episode is an eye-opener to 1950s film making as well as the legend of Spartacus.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(605)

Battle of Artemisium

Battle of Artemisium

Around this time 2,499 years ago the famous Battle of Thermopylae was raging. But it is important to remember that this clash was not happening on its own. At the same time, to the east of Leonidas' d...

23 Aug 202052min

Battle of Thermopylae

Battle of Thermopylae

2,499 years ago the Persian 'Great King' Xerxes launched history's largest amphibious invasion of Europe before D-Day. Accompanied by a huge army and navy he crossed the Hellespont (modern day Dardane...

20 Aug 202058min

War Elephants

War Elephants

Move over Hannibal. More over Carthage. This podcast is all about a much BIGGER elephant power in antiquity. A power that, at its height, stretched from modern day Bulgaria to the Hindu Kush: the Sele...

16 Aug 202052min

'Killing for the Roman Republic'

'Killing for the Roman Republic'

In 281/280 BC, the Hellenistic King Pyrrhus ventured to southern Italy to aid the Italiote-Greek city of Tarentum against a rising power based in central Italy. This enemy was the Romans. Over the nex...

13 Aug 202059min

Combat Trauma

Combat Trauma

From the 2000 historical blockbuster 'Gladiator' to the Total War series, brutal hand to hand warfare is something we commonly associate with antiquity. But do we have any ancient cases of psychologic...

9 Aug 202048min

Stone Circles

Stone Circles

From Cornwall to Orkney, stone circles are scattered throughout the length and breadth of the British Isles. Their history stretches more than 2 millennia, varying from the earlier huge stone circles ...

2 Aug 202033min

Agrippina the Younger

Agrippina the Younger

Agrippina the Younger (AD 15 - 59) was one of the most prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Born during a time of radical political change in the Roman Empire, she had a very powerful pedigr...

26 Jul 202056min

Horse Archery

Horse Archery

The horse archer was one of the most feared warriors of antiquity. Triumphing mobility and fluidity, these swift skirmishers came to epitomise a feared ‘eastern’ style of warfare. Renowned historical ...

19 Jul 202058min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
henrettelsespodden
rss-katastrofe
historier-som-endret-verden
historier-som-endret-norge
rss-benadet
sektledere
aftenposten-historie
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
rss-frontkjemperne
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
med-egne-oyne
rss-gamle-greier
historiepodden
vare-historier
liberal-halvtime
rss-historiepodden-ww2
rss-politisk-preik
rss-historiske-romanser-svik-drap-og-kjarlighet
sannhet-eller-konspirasjon