Spartacus (1960)
History, War, Drama, Adventure • 3h 17m
Overview
The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin, Tony Curtis, Nina Foch, John Ireland, Herbert Lom, John Dall, Woody Strode, Harold J. Stone, Charles McGraw, Joanna Barnes, Peter Brocco, Paul Lambert, Robert J. Wilke, Nick Dennis, John Hoyt, Frederick Worlock, Paul Baxley, Louie Elias, Brad Harris, Hubie Kerns, Gordon Mitchell, Regis Parton, Victor Paul, Jack Perkins, Wally Rose, Aaron Saxon, Tom Steele, Jerry Summers, Shari Lee Bernath, Bill Blackburn, David Bond, Polly Burson, Carol Daniels, Lila Finn, Harold Goodwin, Sol Gorss, Betty Harford, Harry Harvey Jr., Wayne Heffley, Lars Hensen, Charles Horvath, Shep Houghton, Pete Kellett, Joan McKellen, Eddie Parker, Gil Perkins, Chuck Roberson, Frosty Royce, Autumn Russell, Kay Stewart, Helen Thurston, Louise Vincent, Joe Canutt, Bill Catching, Chuck Courtney, Chuck Hayward, Robert F. Hoy, Valley Keene, Cliff Lyons, Bill Raisch, Buddy Van Horn, Jack Williams, Paul E. Burns, Wayne Burson, Dick Crockett, John Daheim, Carey Loftin, Harvey Parry, Ronnie Rondell Jr., Don Turner, Peter Virgo, Fred Zendar, Ted de Corsia, Terence de Marney, Johnny Duncan, Roy Engel, Paul Keast, Kenner G. Kemp, Paul Kruger, Otto Malde, Scott Seaton, Richard Farnsworth, Logan Field, John Stephenson, Robert Fuller, Jeanne Gerson, Seamon Glass, Preston Peterson, George Robotham, James Griffith, Jack Grinnage, Anthony Jochim, Joe Haworth, Vinton Hayworth, Loren Janes, Jil Jarmyn, Aron Kincaid, Dayton Lummis, Bob Morgan, Tracy Olsen, Leonard Penn, Vic Perrin, Larry Thor, Dale Van Sickel, Carleton Young, Duke Fishman, Robert Stevenson, John Barton, Jerry Brown, John Benson, Arthur Batanides, Rudy Germane
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: John McTiernan
Director: John McTiernan
Director: John Ford
Director: John Ford
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
Director: Alfred E. Green
Director: Alfred E. Green
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Criterion 4K
UK Warner Bros Steelbook 4K Blu-ray
Uncensored: Cinema DTS
Censored: Criterion
Comparison
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Criterion 4K
UK Warner Bros Steelbook 4K Blu-ray
Uncensored: Cinema DTS
Censored: Criterion
Comparison
Director: Stanley Kubrick
WB 4K 5.1: a remix but has higher fidelity
Mono: 4K Blu-ray/1999 DVD
Director: Stanley Kubrick
WB 4K 5.1: a remix but has higher fidelity
Mono: 4K Blu-ray/1999 DVD
Director: Stanley Kubrick
US Criterion 4K Blu-ray > International WB 4K Blu-ray see caps. While WB has better highlights, Criterion resolves grains better and is believed to have a more accurate color grading.
For Criterion 4K Blu-ray: The better resolution and the subtly adjusted grading paired with HDR makes for a more rounded, fine-tuned experience. The encoding is a leap forward from the Blu-ray as darker shots are no longer a macroblocking mess on the 4K.
Source:
Director: Stanley Kubrick
US Criterion 4K Blu-ray > International WB 4K Blu-ray see caps. While WB has better highlights, Criterion resolves grains better and is believed to have a more accurate color grading.
For Criterion 4K Blu-ray: The better resolution and the subtly adjusted grading paired with HDR makes for a more rounded, fine-tuned experience. The encoding is a leap forward from the Blu-ray as darker shots are no longer a macroblocking mess on the 4K.
Source:
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray worse than Blu-ray with poor encoding (review)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray worse than Blu-ray with poor encoding (review)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
UK MoC 4K Blu-ray better encoding
Original mix: 1999 R1 MGM DVD
Restored remix: UK MoC 4K Blu-ray
From cbc: "I'm personally quite fond of the restored track on Eureka's 4K Blu-ray. It does have spots with objectively worse fidelity, but for the most part, it sounds a lot more natural and less shrill, particularly dialogue. It seems to be a new mixdown of stems. Technically a remix, so not everyone's cup of tea, but it's not revisionist like most new movie mixes tend to be"
Director: Stanley Kubrick
UK MoC 4K Blu-ray better encoding
Original mix: 1999 R1 MGM DVD
Restored remix: UK MoC 4K Blu-ray
From cbc: "I'm personally quite fond of the restored track on Eureka's 4K Blu-ray. It does have spots with objectively worse fidelity, but for the most part, it sounds a lot more natural and less shrill, particularly dialogue. It seems to be a new mixdown of stems. Technically a remix, so not everyone's cup of tea, but it's not revisionist like most new movie mixes tend to be"
WB 4K Blu-ray (early pressing has errors of a shot, later pressings fixed)
WB 4K Blu-ray (early pressing has errors of a shot, later pressings fixed)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
Director: Stanley Kubrick
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Kino Lorber Fear and Desire Blu-ray extra
4k resto included in Kino Lorber Fear and Desire, better than Blu-ray https://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=812039#p812039
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Kino Lorber Fear and Desire Blu-ray extra
4k resto included in Kino Lorber Fear and Desire, better than Blu-ray https://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=812039#p812039
Director: Stanley Kubrick
2024 Kino Lorber Fear and Desire Blu-ray extra
4k resto included in Kino Lorber Fear and Desire, worse on 4k than Blu-ray https://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=812039#p812039
See caps: The Seafarers 2012 Blu-ray vs 2024 Blu-ray vs 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/AQhszlGn
Director: Stanley Kubrick
2024 Kino Lorber Fear and Desire Blu-ray extra
4k resto included in Kino Lorber Fear and Desire, worse on 4k than Blu-ray https://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=812039#p812039
See caps: The Seafarers 2012 Blu-ray vs 2024 Blu-ray vs 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/AQhszlGn
Director: Jean Renoir
The Criterion 4K Blu-ray has marginally better detail and grain structure than ESC 4K Blu-ray
The ESC France 4K Blu-ray is an SDR grade erroneously presented in HDR, but if your player can force the HDR into SDR it looks very good.
Director: Jean Renoir
The Criterion 4K Blu-ray has marginally better detail and grain structure than ESC 4K Blu-ray
The ESC France 4K Blu-ray is an SDR grade erroneously presented in HDR, but if your player can force the HDR into SDR it looks very good.
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD
Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD
Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL
Director: Ridley Scott
Capelight 4K Blu-ray has better encode than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Director: Ridley Scott
Capelight 4K Blu-ray has better encode than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Director: Jean Vigo
Director: Jean Vigo
Director: Chen Kaige
Director: Chen Kaige
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1954 version: Criterion Blu-ray
Cut info: https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=31209
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1954 version: Criterion Blu-ray
Cut info: https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=31209
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
Edit History
12/3/2025
Best English-Friendly Release
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Universal BD
From
Universal BD
Additional Info
Added
Criterion DVD has additional features not found on the 4K Blu-ray
Added
Criterion DVD has additional features not found on the 4K Blu-ray
7/27/2025
Best Audio Release
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To
4K Blu-ray DTS:X mix most closely approximates original surround mix
From
To
4K Blu-ray DTS:X mix most closely approximates original surround mix
