Spartacus: Restored Edition

The ultimate gladiator action film, Spartacus returns in an all-new fully restored 55th anniversary Blu-ray extended edition of the 1991 reconstructed version of the film, with 12 additional minutes of footage. The story centers on the defiant and bold slave-turned revolutionary (Douglas) who leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic. Spartacus and other slaves are sold to an owner of a school for gladiators. Spartacus excels and is rewarded with a slave women, Varinia, for his pleasure in which he demurs. However they eventually fall for each other before a death match for a corrupt Roman senator, Marcus Crassus. After the brutal spectacle, Spartacus is enraged by the death of his friends and the loss of his love. He leads a revolt and bolts. Marching across the countryside to escape over the sea to their homelands, he is elated to find Varinia. Their quest becomes entwined with the political aspirations of Crassus and sets the fate of all three. The film won four Academy Awards®, including Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Picture. (Gary Reber)

Special features include I Am Spartacus: A Conversation With Kirk Douglas (HD 09:39), the featurette Restoring Spartacus (HD 09:00), four deleted scenes (HD 07:41), archival interviews with Peter Ustinov (SD 02:57) and Jean Simmons (SD 03:43), behind-the-scenes footage (SD 05:10), five vintage newsreels (SD 04:59), five image galleries (production stills, concept art, costume designs, Saul Bass Storyboards, poster and print ads), the theatrical trailer, and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 2.20:1 1080p AVC picture is a fully restored version originated from the original large format anamorphic 35-mm Technicolor® negative scanned at 6K, with output at 4K, with color correction and digital restoration. The picture quality is amazingly wonderful, especially considering the age of the negative elements and the deterioration over time. For a tutorial on the restoration, view the featurette Restoring Spartacus, which shows the process. The end result of the massive effort on the part of the artisans is nothing short of spectacular. The imagery exhibits a clean, pristine appearance with light film grain. Resolution is impressive, as detail is finely resolved throughout, especially in the innately complex and nuanced detail in clothing and object texture, such as in nature. The vastness and complexity of the Roman legends and their armor and the slave army in tattered garments are hugely scaled. The color palette, derived from the Technicolor process and telecine hue restoration is vibrant, rich, and warm. Fleshtones are realistically rendered, whether groomed or sweaty, with dirt and grime. Every frame is absolutely engaging. This is the definitive version of Spartacus and a must own for any serious film collection. The restoration team at Universal Studios and Robert Harris, who was the consultant on the restoration, are to be commended for their excellent work on this classic. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 7.1-channel soundtrack is dominated by the spectacularly powerful orchestral score of Alex North. The music spreads wide and deep across the frontal soundstage and extends in quadraphonic-processed surround derived from the singular original surround channel. The result is that the music impressively fills the entire soundfield. The surrounds are nearly as dominant as the frontal soundstage. Bass extension, such as the orchestral percussion, is often powerful, yet naturally rendered. And instrumentation is effectively articulate. Battle scenes are sonically chaotic and energized. Dialogue is articulate and directionalized across the soundstage with good spatial integration. This is a remarkable soundtrack restoration and re-mastering that impressively enhances the experience of viewing this classic film. (Gary Reber)