The ultimate gladiator action blockbuster, SPARTACUS returns in an all-new fully restored Blu-ray™ with Digital HD on October 6, 2015, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Starring film legend Kirk Douglasas the defiant slave-turned-revolutionary, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey) and written by Oscar-winner Dalton Trumbo (Roman Holiday, The Brave One), SPARTACUS: RESTORED EDITION celebrates the film’s 55th anniversary with a new extensive restoration of the 1991 reconstructed version of the film which features 12 additional minutes of footage.
The highly anticipated Blu-ray also includes two all-new bonus featurettes including a brand new interview with screen legend Kirk Douglas plus 7.1 audio for the first time ever.
The genre-defining epic from director Stanley Kubrick is the legendary tale of a bold gladiator (Kirk Douglas) who led a triumphant Roman slave revolt. Newly restored from large format 35mm original film elements, the action-packed spectacle won four Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Picture.
Featuring a cast of screen legends such as Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, Jean Simmons, John Gavin and Tony Curtis, this uncut and fully restored masterpiece is an inspirational true account of man’s eternal struggle for freedom
BONUS FEATURES ON BLU-RAY™
I Am Spartacus: A Conversation with Kirk Douglas: An interview with the 98-year-old screen legend. –New!
Restoring Spartacus: An inside look at the intricate process of the film’s 2015 restoration. –New!
Deleted Scenes
Archival Interviews with Peter Ustinov & Jean Simmons
FILMMAKERS Cast:Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, Jean Simmons, John Gavin, Tony Curtis Directed By: Stanley Kubrick Written By:Dalton Trumbo Based on the Novel By:Howard Fast Produced By:Edward Lewis Executive Produced By:Kirk Douglas Director of Photography:Russell Metty Production Designer: Alexander Golitzen, Roger Forse Edited By:Robert Lawrence, Irving Lerner Costume Design By: Valles Music By:Alex North
TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAY™: Street Date:October 6, 2015 Copyright: 2015 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Selection Number: 61167037 (US)/ 61172734 (CDN) Layers: BD-50 Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1 Rating: PG-13 Languages: English DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO 7.1; French DTS Digital Surround 5.1 Subtitles: English, Spanish and French Run Time: 3 Hours 17 Minutes
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has landed four film restorations set to make their world premieres during the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival, taking place March 26-29, 2015, in Hollywood. The movies, each from a different era in cinema history, including Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 (1995), Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus (1960), William Dieterle’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) and Charles Reisner and Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928). The Keaton comedy will be accompanied by legendary silent film composer Carl Davis conducting the world premiere performance of his new score for the film.
Earlier this month, TCM announced that the theme for the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival will be History According to Hollywood:
The Old West. Medieval England. Ancient Rome. Hollywood has found endless inspiration in re-creating historical moments and bringing to life the heroes and villains of the past, creating a form of time travel for audiences through the ages and around the world. These films, however, are not always true to the historical record. Filmmakers have often created works about the past that are a reflection of the period in which they were made, or change facts to suit a particular storyline. The 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival will explore how cinema has shaped how we view – and remember – history.
Additional screenings and events for the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival will be announced over the coming months.
2015 TCM Classic Film Festival – Initial Slate
Apollo 13 (1995) – 20th Anniversary – World premiere restoration presented in collaboration with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Ron Howard’s extraordinary film chronicles the mechanical mishaps aboard the Apollo 13lunar spacecraft and the diligent efforts to bring the astronauts home safely. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton star as the astronauts, with Gary Sinise and Ed Harris as their counterparts in Mission Control and Kathleen Quinlan as Hanks’ wife. The screenplay is based on the book Lost Moon by astronaut Jim Lovell, played by Hanks in the film, and Jeffrey Kluger. Apollo 13 earned Oscars for its taut film editing and exceptional sound design.
Spartacus (1960) – 55th Anniversary – World premiere restoration presented in collaboration with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Widely regarded as one of the best “sand and sandal” epics that became a staple of Hollywood during the 1950s and ’60s, Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus tells the engrossing tale of a slave who became a gladiator and went on to challenge the might of the Roman Empire. Kirk Douglas plays the title role and served as producer on the film, which also stars Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, John Gavin and Peter Ustinov, in an Oscar®-winning performance. This film helped bring about the end of the Hollywood blacklist when Douglas publicly announced that Dalton Trumbo, one of the “Hollywood Ten,” would be adapting Howard Fast’s bestselling historical novel. In addition to Ustinov’s win, Spartacus took home Oscars for its art direction, costume design and cinematography.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) – World premiere restoration presented in association with Warner Bros. Classics
Charles Laughton plays Quasimodo, Victor Hugo’s tragic hero in this lavish RKO production of the oft-told tale with Maureen O’Hara as Esmeralda under the direction of William Dieterle. The cast also includes Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Thomas Mitchell and Edmond O’Brien. The Paris set, which included a remarkable replica of the famed Notre Dame cathedral, was one of the largest built during the era.
Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) – World premiere restoration presented in collaboration with Cohen Film Collection
Buster Keaton stars as the son of a paddle-steamer captain in love with the daughter of his father’s business rival in this dazzling silent comedy. Despite its box office failure,Steamboat Bill Jr. has since become one of the most cherished Buster Keaton vehicles. Its hurricane sequence required numerous breakaway sets and buildings, including the building façade that just missed crushing Keaton in the movie’s most famous sight gag. The TCM Classic Film Festival’s screening of Steamboat Bill Jr. will feature a live orchestra conducted by legendary silent film composer Carl Davis in a world premiere performance of his new score.
TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne will once again serve as official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival, with TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz introducing various events. The festival’s official hotel and central gathering point for the sixth consecutive year will be The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Academy Awards ceremony. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will also offer special rates for festival attendees. Screenings and events during the festival will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres and the Egyptian Theatre, as well as other Hollywood venues.
Passes for the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival are set to go on sale to the public Thursday, Nov. 13, at noon (ET). Passes can be purchased exclusively through the official festival website: www.tcm.com/festival. A limited number of festival passes will also be available to Citicardmembers via an exclusive online only presale at www.citiprivatepass.com. This exclusive presale begins at 10 a.m. (ET), Tuesday, Nov. 11, and ends at 10 a.m. (ET), Thursday, Nov. 13.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a new 70mm print of the 1960 historical drama “Spartacus” for the final screening in its series “The Last 70mm Film Festival” on Monday, August 13, at 7 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The evening also will welcome actor and producer Kirk Douglas, who played the title character in the film, and Pete Hammond as moderator for the onstage discussion.
Based on the novel by Howard Fast, the film tells the story of the historical figure Spartacus, a slave-turned-gladiator who leads a rebellion against the Romans, going head to head with Crassus, played by Sir Laurence Olivier. The film won four Academy Awards®, including Actor in a Supporting Role (Peter Ustinov), Color Art Direction (Alexander Golitzen, Eric Orbom; Set Decoration: Russell A. Gausman, Julia Heron), Color Cinematography (Russell Metty), and Color Costume Design (Valles, Bill Thomas). It also received nominations for Film Editing (Robert Lawrence) and Music – Music score of a dramatic or comedy picture (Alex North).
Tickets for “Spartacus” are now sold out. A standby line will form on the day of the event, and standby numbers will be assigned starting at approximately 5:30 p.m. Any available tickets will be distributed shortly before the program begins. Ticket holders should plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the event to ensure a seat in the theater. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For the latest pre-show details call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
Celebration of Actor’s Life and Career to Include Conversation with Robert Osborne,
Clips from One-Man Show and Special Screening of Spartacus (1960)
Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas will be a special guest at the 2011 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood. During the festival, which takes place April 28-May 1, the three-time Oscar nominee and honorary Academy Award winner will join TCM host Robert Osborne for an interview on stage, leading into a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s epic film Spartacus (1960), which Douglas also produced. The evening’s festivities will include clips from Douglas’ biographical one-man show, Before I Forget (2009).
“Kirk Douglas is an American icon whose performances have struck an indelible chord with moviegoers for more than 60 years,” Osborne said. “At the age of 94, he retains the great vitality and enthusiasm which has always been the Douglas trademark. We couldn’t be more pleased that Spartacus himself will be joining us at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood in April.”
Prior to the festival’s screening of Spartacus, Douglas and Osborne will sit down for a conversation about the actor’s life and career. They will present fascinating clips from Douglas’ Before I Forget, which premiered at the Center Theater Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, Calif., in May 2009.
Douglas’ powerful and intense performance in Spartacus is considered among the actor’s finest. Based on a historical novel by Howard Fast, the film centers on Douglas as a famed gladiator who leads a massive slave revolt against Roman authorities. Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton and Oscar winner Peter Ustinov co-star. Spartacus earned Oscars for its art direction-set decoration, cinematography and costume design, with additional nominations for film editing and Alex North’s score.
Although Spartacus is now considered one of the best examples of the epic genre, its reception in 1960 was not quite so welcoming, in large part because screenwriter Dalton Trumbo had been blacklisted as a communist sympathizer. Douglas insisted on giving Trumbo on-screen credit, which drew the ire of powerful columnists like Hedda Hopper and organizations such as the American Legion. Despite the naysayers, Spartacus effectively ended the blacklist, allowing banned filmmakers to work openly once again.
The archetypal Hollywood movie star of the post-war era, Douglas built a career with virile, masculine and often-intense performances in more than 80 films. He earned Oscar nominations for performances in Stanley Kramer’s Champion (1949) and Vincente Minnelli’s The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and Lust for Life (1957). Among his other film credits are The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), Mourning Becomes Electra (1947), Out of the Past (1947), I Walk Alone (1948), Ace in the Hole (1951), Detective Story (1951), Big Sky (1952), The Story of Three Loves (1953), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Paths of Glory (1957), Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957), The Devil’s Disciple (1959), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), The List of Adrian Messenger (1963), Seven Days in May (1964), Is Paris Burning? (1966), The Arrangement (1969), The Fury (1978), The Man from Snowy River (1983), Tough Guys (1986), Greedy (1994), Diamonds (1999) and It Runs in the Family (2003), the latter co-starring his eldest son, Michael. Douglas earned his first of three Emmy nominations for the television film Amos (1985), which led him to become active in the cause of elderly abuse.
Throughout his career, Douglas has been an innovator and a rebel. In addition to challenging the Hollywood blacklist, he was one of the first A-list talents to wrest control of his career by founding an independent production company. And in the 1970s, he began a second career as a writer, while also focusing his energies on the philanthropic efforts of The Douglas Foundation. Today, at the age of 94, Douglas remains extremely active. He is a regular blogger with more than 12,000 followers on his MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/kirkdouglas). In 2007, the social networking service named Douglas their oldest celebrity blogger.
The TCM Classic Film Festival’s tribute to Kirk Douglas is the latest major event to be added to the ever-expanding lineup. Other film luminaries scheduled to take part in the festival include Peter O’Toole, Leslie Caron, Mickey Rooney, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, Warren Beatty, Alec Baldwin, Hayley Mills, Richard Roundtree and Roger Corman.
About the TCM Classic Film Festival The multi-faceted TCM Classic Film Festival – which runs from April 28 – May 1, 2011, in Hollywood – will be packed with more than 70 screenings, as well as special introductions, guest appearances, panel discussions and more. Time Warner Cable joins as an official partner, and Vanity Fair once again joins TCM as a festival partner. The magazine will produce the exclusive, opening-night after-party that will follow the red-carpet gala screening of An American in Paris. TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne will serve as official host of the festival.
Throughout the festival, TCM will celebrate movie music, with multi-film tributes to George and Ira Gershwin, composer Bernard Herrmann and singing cowboy Roy Rogers. In collaboration with D23, The Official Disney Fan Club, the festival will also celebrate the musical legacy of Walt Disney, including his Silly Symphonies and Laugh-O-Gram shorts.
Among the numerous films slated for the 2011 TCM Classic Film Festival are Reds (1981), Becket (1964), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), West Side Story (1961), The Parent Trap (1961), Whistle Down the Wind (1961), The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), La Dolce Vita (1960), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Cabin in the Sky (1943), Went the Day Well? (1942), Citizen Kane (1941), Fantasia (1940), Dodsworth (1936), Hoop-La (1933), The Cameraman (1928) and The Merry Widow (1925), to name a few. TCM is dedicated to showcasing the best possible projection, including digital, 35mm and 70mm prints. Most of the films presented during the TCM Classic Film Festival have been digitally restored and remastered.
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Academy Awards ceremony, will once again serve as the official hotel for the festival, as well as home to Club TCM, a central gathering point for attendees. The Hollywood Roosevelt will also offer special rates for festival goers. Screenings and events will be held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Multiplex and the Egyptian Theatre. Delta is the official airline partner.
About TCM Turner Classic Movies is a Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world. Currently seen in more than 85 million homes, TCM features the insights of veteran primetime host Robert Osborne and weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include The Essentials, 31 Days of Oscar and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also stages special events and screenings, such as the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood; produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs; and hosts a wealth of materials at its Web site, www.tcm.com. TCM is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
Beverly Hills, CA: The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will celebrate the career of Alex North (1910-1991), the 15-time Oscar®-nominated composer, with a centennial salute featuring a screening of THE MISFITS (1961) on Friday, September 24, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The event also will include film clips and an onstage discussion hosted by journalist and film-music historian Jon Burlingame, with Oscar-nominated composer Laurence Rosenthal, producer Steven North (Alex’s son), and North’s biographer Sanya Henderson.
Between 1951 and 1984, North received 14 Academy Award® nominations for Original Score and 1 for Song. He finally took home an Oscar statuette in 1985 when he was presented with an Honorary Award “in recognition of his brilliant artistry in the creation of memorable music for a host of distinguished motion pictures.”
David Newman conducts “Main Title” from Alex North’s 1963 score CLEOPATRA. Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, September 5, 2010
North’s “brilliant artistry”included his work for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), which was the first major score to draw heavily from jazz influences, DEATH OF A SALESMAN (1951) and WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966). His ability to handle epic subject matter led to such assignments as VIVA ZAPATA! (1952), SPARTACUS (1960), CLEOPATRA (1963) and THE AGONYÂ AND THEÂ ECSTASY (1965). In 1955 he wrote the now-classic music that was recorded as “Unchained Melody” for the prison movie UNCHAINED.
Here’s a look at John Williams as he conducts “Forest Meeting” and “Main Title” from Alex North’s 1960 score SPARTACUS. Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, August 28, 2010
North’s musical background was unique; born in Pennsylvania, he studied in New York, Moscow and Mexico. He composed music for the New York stage and for such dancers and choreographers as Anna Sokolow, Martha Graham and Agnes de Mille. North was one of the first composers in Hollywood to incorporate contemporary music styles in his film scores. He demonstrated a particular affinity for specifically American subjects, and his music provided the themes for the film adaptations of numerous literary classics by such writers as Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner. Highly respected by his peers, North was an active mentor to the next generation of composers, including Jerry Goldsmith.
Featuring a jazzy and dramatic score by North, John Huston’s complex film THE MISFITSwas the last screen appearance for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. The film follows a sexy divorcee and three aging cowboys who make a living capturing wild horses in the Nevada desert.
The movie also stars Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter and Eli Wallach, one of the Academy’s 2010 Honorary Award recipients. THE MISFITS was directed by Huston and produced by Frank E. Taylor, with a screenplay by Arthur Miller.
Tickets to “A Centennial Salute to Composer Alex North” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets are available for purchase by mail, at the Academy box office (8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved.
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at the 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills or call (310) 247-3600.
For more on this and other Academy events, visit their official website at Oscars.org as well as their Facebook page here, or see their YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/oscars.
