Based off the novel written by Howard Fast, the movie “Spartacus” is an incredible drama that brings to life the legacy of Spartacus, a slave who rises above the rest, leading his companions in a major uprising against the Roman Republic. This film was released in 1960, right in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement which occurred from 1954 to 1968. Although not extremely obvious at first glance, there were some political influence in the making of this film since author Howard Fast and screen writer, Dalton Trumbo, are both a part of the Hollywood blacklist. Despite being such a minor character in the movie, Draba, the African American gladiator, plays a huge role in the film, sparking Spartacus’ idea of revolting against the Romans,
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In this scene, Draba disarms Spartacus and has the opportunity to kill him on the spot but, rather than killing him, Draba spares his life and sacrifices his own by lashing out and throwing his triton at the Roman audience. There is a scene following the battle where Spartacus descends the stairs where he saw Draba’s upside down, crucified, corpse. Spartacus stops for a moment and stares at the location of where the corpse has been. The audience can conclude that Spartacus may be thinking of how Draba can’t share the moment of freedom that was gained by his heroic sacrifice. Similar to those a part of the Civil Rights Movement, Draba would rather risk his own life fighting for what he believes in than take the life of another just for the amusement of the superior. Spartacus and his army set out on a march to free every slave in every town and village similar to how Martin Luther King Jr and the rest of the Civil Rights activists march through the streets for their freedom and equality. Spartacus and Martin Luther King Jr share similar goals. In Martin Luther King Jr’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, he states “I have a dream that my children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (King). If you replace the color oppression with the slavery oppression, Martin Luther King Jr’s speech states exactly what Spartacus is fighting for, a world where slaves won’t be judged by their title but rather “the content of their
In this scene, Draba disarms Spartacus and has the opportunity to kill him on the spot but, rather than killing him, Draba spares his life and sacrifices his own by lashing out and throwing his triton at the Roman audience. There is a scene following the battle where Spartacus descends the stairs where he saw Draba’s upside down, crucified, corpse. Spartacus stops for a moment and stares at the location of where the corpse has been. The audience can conclude that Spartacus may be thinking of how Draba can’t share the moment of freedom that was gained by his heroic sacrifice. Similar to those a part of the Civil Rights Movement, Draba would rather risk his own life fighting for what he believes in than take the life of another just for the amusement of the superior. Spartacus and his army set out on a march to free every slave in every town and village similar to how Martin Luther King Jr and the rest of the Civil Rights activists march through the streets for their freedom and equality. Spartacus and Martin Luther King Jr share similar goals. In Martin Luther King Jr’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, he states “I have a dream that my children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (King). If you replace the color oppression with the slavery oppression, Martin Luther King Jr’s speech states exactly what Spartacus is fighting for, a world where slaves won’t be judged by their title but rather “the content of their