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== Episode list == |
== Episode list == |
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+ | *[[List of Episodes in Prequel|Episode list for Spartacus: Gods of the Arena]] |
== Reception == |
== Reception == |
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Revision as of 19:49, 22 January 2011
| This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors). |
Spartacus: Blood and Sand is a Starz television series that premiered on January 22, 2010. The series focuses on the historical figure of Spartacus (played by Andy Whitfield), a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BC led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Executive producers Steven S. DeKnight and Robert Tapert focused on structuring the events of Spartacus' obscure early life leading to the records of history.[1] The show has been rated TV-MA for graphic violence, strong sexual content, and coarse language.
On December 22, 2009, it was announced that the show was renewed for a second season before even premiering.[2] However, on March 9, 2010, IGN.com reported that the production of Season 2 has been delayed due to star Andy Whitfield being diagnosed with early-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[3] According to the weekly New York magazine, due to the delay, Starz is developing a six-episode prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand.[4]
Synopsis
The story begins with an unnamed Thracian’s involvement in the war against the Getae in Roman auxiliary under the command of the Legatus, Gaius Claudius Glaber. Glaber, persuaded by his wife Ilithyia to seek greater glory, instead decides to confront the forces of Mithradates. The Thracian, feeling betrayed, leads a mutiny against Glaber, and returns to find his village destroyed. The Thracian and his wife Sura are captured by Glaber the next day; the Thracian is condemned to die in the arena for inciting mass desertion of the auxiliary, and Sura is condemned to slavery. The Thracian is sentenced to death, and is forced to fight four gladiators. However, he manages to kill the gladiators, and Senator Albinius commutes the prisoner's punishment to slavery. Since the prisoner's true name is unknown, Batiatus suggests to Albinius to name him "Spartacus", because he fought like the ferocious Thracian king of that name.
Seeing the Thracian's skill and popularity with the crowd, Lentulus Batiatus purchases him for training in his ludus' in Capua. Spartacus joins Batiatus’ gladiators under the tutelage of Doctore, a former gladiator but fellow slave. He is befriended by Varro, a Roman who sold himself into slavery in order to pay his debts and support his family. However, he is harassed by more senior gladiators, notably Crixus, an undefeated Gaul, and Barca, a Carthaginian. Soon, Spartacus learns that Sura was sold to a Syrian slave trader. Batiatus, who has been unable to control Spartacus during his first days of training, discovers the instrument of his taming, and persuades Spartacus to fight for his and Sura's freedom.
Spartacus' gladiatorial career is soaring but he is heartbroken when Sura is delivered to him mortally wounded, which is unbeknownst to him a power play by Batiatus in order to keep his loyalty. Crixus awakens from his wounds during the same fight which brought Spartacus stardom to find his status as champion of Capua stolen by Spartacus. Spartacus casts off his history as a Thracian, and forgets his dream of freedom, becoming content with life as champion. The turning point is when he is forced to kill his only friend in the ludus, Varro, when Ilithyia seduces the editor of an exhibition match in order to hurt Spartacus. While suffering from his wound in this match, he has fever dreams that lead him to discover Batiatus arranged Sura's death. Knowing that it is all or nothing when it comes to resistance of his enslavement, he resolves to "kill them all" and lead a revolt against the ruling house he once fought for.
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Andy Whitfield as Spartacus – a Thracian who becomes a gladiator in the ludus of Lentulus Batiatus.[5] Producer Rob Tapert said that crew wanted an unknown actor to portray the role; while Whitfield has appeared in Australian television and film, Spartacus marked his United States debut.[6]
- Erin Cummings as Sura – the wife of Spartacus. She is enslaved after her husband rebels against the Romans.[7]
- John Hannah as Quintus Lentulus Batiatus – a lanista and Spartacus' master.[8]
- Lucy Lawless as Lucretia – Batiatus' wife.[9]
- Peter Mensah as Doctore/Oenomaus – Batiatus' trainer of gladiators.[10]
- Manu Bennett as Crixus – a Gaul, he is Batiatus' top gladiator and the former "Champion of Capua", to whom he lost the title to Spartacus.[11]
- Jai Courtney as Varro – a Roman citizen who sold himself to the ludus to support his family.[12] He and Spartacus form a close friendship.
- Nick Tarabay as Ashur – a Syrian and former gladiator. His leg was crippled by Crixus in the arena so he now serves Batiatus as a bookkeeper and henchman.[13]
- Antonio Te Maioha as Barca – nicknamed the "Beast of Carthage", he is one of Batiatus' most successful gladiators, serves as bodyguard and hit man for his master.[14]
- Lesley-Ann Brandt as Naevia – Lucretia's personal and loyal slave and love interest of Crixus.[15]
- Craig Parker as Gaius Claudius Glaber – a Roman army legatus who is responsible for Spartacus' enslavement as a gladiator.[16]
- Viva Bianca as Ilithyia – the daughter of senator Albinius and wife of Glaber.[17]
Supporting cast
- David Austin as Medicus – responsible for treating the gladiators' injuries.
- John Bach as Titus Calavius – magistrate of Capua, the father of Numerius.
- Matthew Chamberlain as Ovidius – a business rival of Batiatus.
- Eka Darvilla as Pietros – slave to Batiatus and love interest of Barca.[18]
- Karl Drinkwater as Kerza – a fugitive who becomes a trainee gladiator.
- Brooke Harmon as Licinia – cousin of Marcus Licinius Crassus and friend of Lucretia.
- Katrina Law as Mira – a slave in the house of Batiatus, later a lover to Spartacus.
- Mark Mitchinson as Aulus – a henchman who serves Batiatus.
- Tania Nolan as Caecilia and Mia Pistorius as Aemilia – friends of Lucretia and Ilithyia.
- Lliam Powell as Numerius Calavius – magistrate Calavius' son.
- Craig Walsh-Wrightson as Marcus Decius Solonius – lanista of a rival ludus to that of Batiatus.
- Brooke Williams as Aurelia – the wife of Varro.
- Kevin J. Wilson as senator Albinius – Ilithyia's father.
- Danial Feuerriegel as Agron and Ande Cunningham as Duro – trainee gladiators, known as "the German Brothers".
- Tim Foley as Hector - a guard in Batiatus' villa.
- Siaosi Fonua as Hamilcar - one of Batiatus' gladiators.
- Raicho Vasilev as Gnaeus - gladiator, later killed by Spartacus for his violent interest in Pietros.
- Ioane King as Rhaskos - gladiator.
- Mike Edward as Segovax - gladiator trainee under Ilithyia's patronage.
- Reuben De Jong as Theokoles - legendary gladiator who fought Crixus and Spartacus.
- Andrew Laing as Sextus - Roman magistrate and husband of Aemilia.
Episode list
Reception
The premiere episode of the series set a record for Starz, with 553,000 viewers on their network, and another 460,000 on Encore, where the show was available only that weekend.[19] Critical reception of the first episode was varied; the review aggregate website Metacritic gave the show a score of 54 out of 100.[20] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave it the grade B+, saying it "might prove to be the not-at-all-guilty pleasure of the season."[21] Barry Garron of the Hollywood Reporter suggested that with "such thin stories...it's small wonder that sex and violence are used to take up the slack."[22] Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times wrote that John Hannah as Batiatus "keeps the show grounded with a persuasive portrait of a man engaged in a stressful daily business" and called Whitfield as Spartacus "handsome and buff and smart and beastly."[23]
Historical accuracy
Template:Trivia Template:Prose The show opens with a disclaimer regarding the show's representation of the historical Roman society: "Spartacus depicts extreme sensuality, brutality and language that some viewers may find objectionable. The show is a historical portrayal of ancient Roman society and the intensity of the content is to suggest an authentic representation of that period." Producers Steven S. DeKnight and Robert Tapert have stated they use two historical consultants, with whom they exchanged scripts.[1]
- Most gladiators were not killed in the arena, but kept alive due to the high cost of slaves.
- Roman legionaries are portrayed wearing lorica segmentata. However, the first attested use of this type of armor dates to around 9 BC,[24] six decades after Spartacus' revolt.
- Ilythia's father is still alive, and she is depicted as able to purchase a slave. Patria potestas meant that a son or daughter could only own property once their father had died.[25] Also, Ilythia has an allowance from her husband. Historically, the law prevented gifts from a man to his wife, including allowances. Regardless, anything in the possession of a woman with a living father would have belonged to him.[26]
In the show 6 slaves are purchased by Batiatus for 100 denarii. The average price for a slave was 960-4000 denarii (with the cheapest known costing 75 denarii).[27]
- Historically, the revolt of Spartacus began with the rebels seizing kitchen utensils and using these as weapons.
- Spartacus calls himself a Thracian with obvious national pride, although that was a Greek term used for his people, and there is no evidence they used it for themselves. [28]
- Although Spartacus Blood and Sand depicts Getae as clearly distinct from and enemies of "Thrace" historically Getae are Thracians [29]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Interview: Steven S. DeKnight and Robert Tapert from Spartacus: Blood And Sand
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- ↑ http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/01/spartacus-premiere-ratings-starz-/comments/
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- ↑ M.C. Bishop (2002) Lorica Segmentata Volume I: A Handbook of Articulated Roman Plate Armour p.23 http://www.scribd.com/doc/3961788/Lorica-Segmentata-Volume-I-A-Handbook-of-Articulated-Roman-Plate-Armour
- ↑ Fier and McGinn, A Casebook on Roman Family Law, pg. 240, Owning and Possessing Nothing
- ↑ Fier and McGinn, A Casebook on Roman Family Law, pg. 130, No Gifts
- ↑ Harris, W.V (1980) Towards a study of the Roman slave trade. Memoirs of the American Academy at Rome 36: 136 n.46
- ↑ The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 3, Part 2: The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and Other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries BC by John Boardman, I. E. S. Edwards, E. Sollberger, and N. G. L. Hammond ,ISBN 0521227178,1992,page 597: "We have no way of knowing what the Thracians called themselves and if indeed they had a common name...Thus the name of Thracians and that of their country were given by the Greeks to a group of tribes occupying the territory..."
- ↑ Herodotus. Histories, 4.93
External links
- Template:Official
- Spartacus Blood And Sand
- Template:Tv.com
- Template:Imdb title