I Am Spartacus!: Making a Film, Breaking the Blacklist

"I Am Spartacus!: Making a Film, Breaking the Blacklist" by Kirk Douglas is a gift. Everybody who wonders about where the United States is going or could be going should read this book.In the opening chapter, Douglas muses, "... When I look back at Spartacus today— more than fifty years after the fact— I’m amazed that it ever happened at all. Everything was against us— the McCarthy-era politics, competition with another picture, everything..."Kirk Douglas begins the book by describing how his career as an actor took off, how he started his production company, and his family, while the McCarthy trials were going on. Though he is appalled by what's going on, he is also happy that he is not affected. Douglas describes the injustice; that screen writer Dalton Trumbo went to jail during for failing to raid on fellow industry professionals.The fear is great. About director Frank Capra regarding "Roman Holiday":"... “Capra passed because he smelled a Red,” replied Willy. “He thinks this story was written by some guy on the blacklist and he wants no part of it.”..."It was of course Dalton Trumbo, who wrote the script.Douglas meets Stanley Kubrik and shoots the famous anti-war movie "Paths of Glory," one of my favorites. Here is how it happened:"... Stanley responded with a question of his own. “Have you ever read a book called Paths of Glory?” I shook my head. He handed me a script with that title. ... I took it home and read it that night. It knocked me out. Stanley was my first call the next morning. “You wrote this?” I asked. “Yes,” he answered, calm as always. “With Jim Thompson and Calder Willingham.” “Stanley, I love this picture! We are going to make it! It will never make a nickel, but we have to make it!” And that was how Stanley Kubrick came into my life. Paths of Glory was set to shoot in the spring of 1957.I feel that it is then that Douglas' mind-set is changing. His mind-set is evolving to, "I can no longer be a bystander." Douglas falls in love with Howard Fast's novel "Spartacus." Fast too was in imprisoned during the McCarthy trials. To me, it is reasonable that helped Fast come up with the concept of "Spartacus."And, Douglas wants to turn it into a movie, never mind what the obstacles. Douglas also wants to hire the finest actors to give the movie the backbone to become a success.Douglas' biggest problem? - Fast is incapable of writing a great script to his own novel.That's where Trumbo comes into play, again. And, slowly but surely the pieces fall together."... There’s always been a certain part of my personality that kicks in when people tell me I can’t do something. “You can’t make Spartacus.” “You can’t trust Sam Norton.” I’d had enough of being told “You can’t.” ..."As the script evolves, seemingly simultaneously, Kirk Douglas "the Rebel" grows to become Kirk Douglas "the Honorable Rebel," the man who will break the Blacklist, more or less alone, against all odds, just like "Spartacus." Thank God, Kirk Douglas' life story has a happier ending.Knowing the movie so well I can't help but think that Douglas put his and his industry professionals friends' thoughts into words when Spartacus says, "I pray for a son who will be born free."The movie industry wanted to be "free", too; this movie, "Spartacus," was their vehicle, in a double sense. All of them grew with the movie's story line and in the end the movie became their vehicle to tell the world, that McCarthyism and Black-listing was over. And, Kirk Douglas/Spartacus was the man who elected to fight for it, against the odds.The book is very personal, in part shocking, in part funny, and sprinkled with hilarious anecdotes.Every chapter starts with a quote from the movie, for me the most significant being“When a free man dies, he loses the pleasure of life; a slave loses its pain. Death is the only freedom a slave knows. That’s why he’s not afraid of it. That’s why we’ll win.” —Kirk Douglas as SpartacusThese days, when we watch the news we see and hear thing which should be shocking to any American. Words of fear and "black-listing" others drive the dialog. I have always believe thatThose who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. - George SantayanaIs a brilliant quote. Thus it makes sense to learn from Kirk Douglas/Spartacus' views."... Fear breeds fear. These men— people like Jack Warner, Louis B. Mayer, and Harry Cohn— were terrified their great power would be taken away from them in a heartbeat if their loyalty to America was ever called into question. So they became superpatriots. And to prove themselves right-minded, they were more than willing to sacrifice the lives of others, even their fellow Jews. They were like the Vichy government in France, collaborators who held on to their influence and position at the expense of their fellow countrymen..."We can't let that happen again! Kirk Douglas' book "I Am Spartacus!: Making a Film, Breaking the Blacklist" is an entertaining reminder, what would have to happen to break a cycle - again.PS: This book is a beautiful homage to Dalton Trumbo, who "... was a man who loved life. He loved living it, he loved describing it, he loved affecting it...."5!* stars, Mr. Douglas, I tip my hat.You are Spartacus, and it is our duty to stand besides you and say "I am Spartacus."Gisela Hausmann, author & Amazon review expert

This book is like having Kirk Douglas in the room speaking directly to you. The writing is amazingly crisp, warm, amusing and clear. It is drenched with honesty which is sadly absent in this world. This is not the standard paperback. It is larger, and has a durable, illustrated hardcover. It also contains great photos from the film, and some behind the scenes pictures.The film and the book are about love in its many forms. Spartacus is punished because he tries to help another slave in the mine. His first encounter with Virinia is like a marooned man seeing a mirage he is afraid to touch, lest it dissolve. It is interesting to hear that Douglas was brave enough to leave this unexpected and unusual scene in the film, and that Trumbo strongly encouraged him to keep it because it illustrated an important aspect of his characterization. The account of how Jean Simmons joined the cast is priceless! What a great actress! The death of Draba (played intensely by Woody Strode) triggers the slave revolt. This film came during the height of the civil rights revolution and the theme of slavery strongly reverberated throughout. Strode doesn't have a lot of dialog but his personal screen gravitas speaks volumes. Spartacus invokes Draba's sacrifice to refocus the men when they retake the gladiator school. Spartacus loved Antoninus. Sing Antoninus sing! Spartacus loved what Antoninus knew and could do because he didn't have any education. In the end, the two men profess their love for one another. This was true fraternity. It was also their shared humanity. I had never seen anything like this from male actors when I saw this in the 60s. It is amazing to find out how Tony Curtis became part of the film. It wouldn't be nearly as complete nor as powerful without him.I had heard stories about the script and how it was used to get this incredible cast to sign on to the project. It was extremely complex due to the strong personalities of the actors and the constant rewriting which angered Trumbo. Dalton Trumbo rescued the project at its inception and at several key moments. He helped Douglas develop a large characterization and craft a great film. The later is honestly discussed in the book. The scene that switches back and forth between Spartacus and Crassus exhorting their armies is remarkable. His witty script shaped the core of the movie and prevented it from becoming preachy. Like Shakespeare, Trumbo realized the importance of humor in a drama. Dalton Trumbo had been blacklisted as had Howard Fast who wrote the historical novel from which the screenplay by Trumbo was created. Both went to jail!The final battle scene is one of my favorites because you can see the massive Roman legions forming their maniples and advancing like a killing machine. The opposing gladiator army looks ragged in comparison. However, their determination for battle was undaunted. While the film was vastly over-budget, this final and costly part of the film was worth every penny. Think of all the spaghetti gladiator films you have seen (excluding "Gladiator" with Russell Crowe). I laughed as Kirk described how he intimidated Stanley Kubrick to get the "I am Spartacus" segment shot. It is one of the greatest scenes in cinema and goes back to the theme of love and the title of this book.The real Spartacus achieved far more than what is shown in the film. This is novel as Hollywood usually exaggerates the exploits of its film heros. It would have been great to reassemble all of the cuts that were made to this film. The entire film was almost lost, and the restoration was done from various segments of surviving footage. I can't imagine anyone else as Spartacus or as Vincent van Gogh! I haven't read any other books by Kirk but I am going to remedy that immediately. Kirk has a great sense of humor and I laughed out loud many times as I read this book. He played some comedic roles in his career, and his amusing side comes to the fore in his one man show "Before I Forget" which is part of TCM-Greatest-Classic-Legends-Kirk Douglas  TCM Greatest Classic Legends: Kirk Douglas (Lust for Life / The Bad and the Beautiful / Young Man with a Horn / Before I Forget) . This includes "Lust for Life" and is a great bargain! The Devil's Disciple is one of my all time favorites, and Kirk displays his wit and impeccable timing in this masterpiece. I could go on about this true star, but he speaks incredibly well for himself. He credits his wife's contributions with the success of Spartacus and his production company which he named for his mother. His love for his mother is an important aspect of this book as it helps complete a picture of this incredible man.This book contains insights into anti semitism, the red scare and the heinous blacklist. It resonates with the politics of yesterday, today and tomorrow. It is all too easy to scare people and control them by fear. That's the way it is usually done! Thanks Kirk!

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Kirk's autobiography, The Ragman's Son, it was clear that as well as being a superb actor Douglas is highly skilled as a writer, too. Anyone who has seen the excellent movie Trumbo, starring Brian Cranston, should read this terrific book. If you're interested in the inner workings of Hollywood in the mid 20th century then all you need to know is here. In every old fashioned sense, this is a true 'page turner'. I loved the descriptions of giants like Laurence Olivier and Charles Laughton, and among the many scenarios in the book which set my imagination on fire was the story of Kirk Douglas and his close friend Burt Lancaster filming in England with Olivier; after a meeting Kirk and Burt say 'let's go to the pub'. I often wonder which pub that might have been; imagine having a quiet pint and these two cinematic giants come up to the bar. I wish I'd been there - I'd have got a round in.. The story of the making of Spartacus is a story of brave determination, stubborn diplomacy and well-aimed active disgust against the nastiest anti-creative Philistines - Nixon, McCarthy, John Wayne, Ronald Reagan and others. Sadly, their foul stench has never gone away; it now runs the USA from the White House. And one more thing - Kirk was 95 when he wrote this book. That itself deserves a medal. Read this and then we can all say 'I am Spartacus!' with confidence. Thanks, Mr.Douglas, for all the joy you've given the world.

Kirk Douglas penned a number of books including his autobiography ad several novels before his death. 'I am Sparatus',is his very entertaining recollections that deals with the Hollywood machinations surrounding the making of the movie. The main thrust of the book is Mr Douglas's bold venture to employ the blacklisted Dalton Trumo as screenwriter amid the hostile and toxic atmosphere of 'Red Baiting and Hating' that sadly existed in America in the 1950s and beyond. Mr Douglas recalls the events from over sixty years ago with a great deal of insight and humour.This is one of the best books of its kind I've come across in recent years. If you are interested in such matters son't delay! A very highly recommended read.

Other reviewers have described at length the content of this short book, and so I repeat what has been admirably noted. The book proceeds at a rapid clip, telling an interesting story. I harbour slight doubts about whether Kirk Douglas was single-handedly responsible for "breaking the blacklist" but this isn't really relevant. If I have a real cavil it's that after the scene has been set everything tails off rather. The interesting triumvirate of Olivier, Laughton and Ustinov stand out, and it would be interesting to read more about them, but the subtitle of the book suggests, fairly enough, that the book isn't about them. There are some rare photos (although reproduction is poor). One page that particluarly amused me included four photos of Charles Laughton wearing slightly different expressions of boredom in each. The page is titled "The Many Faces of Charles Laughton" The foreword by George Clooney doesn't seem to have been proof-read very carefully, and on the back cover Henry Kissinger delivers a quote which suggests he thinks that the film was actually called I Am Spartacus, but none of this really matters. The book is an interesting insight into an interesting footnote in Hollywood history, from someone who was there. You can't ask for much more than that.

I've been a Kirk Douglas fan since 1949 after seeing Champion, Spartacus has been my favourite movie since 1960, I also love to read about the making of movies, and every movie has a a story on it, so naturally I was going to love this book. I first saw Spartacus as a road show movie in Newcastle, then many years later I saw the restored version in London at a cinema with the largest screen in Europe, certainly my best night ever at the movies. I was lucky enough to meet Mr Douglas in NYC some years back. He did give the making of Spartacus an entire chapter, but this goes into much more, and I enjoyed every page.

Books about the making of films proliferate today.This has to be one of the best particularly,unlike most of the others,it is written by the film's producer and star.It is an important film on a number of levels.Obviously the most important is the breaking of the blacklist.Then there is the emergence of Stanley Kubrick as a top rank director.Interestingly enough in years to come he would not acknowledge the fact that he directed this film as he was too much of a perfectionist to be satisfied with it.It is still one of the best of the epics made in that period.Douglas is a fine writer and it is clear that he still feels as passionately about the film as he did when he made it over 50 years ago.Although not a long book in terms of text it is nevertheless an absorbing read and well worth the effort.