ABSTRACT
In 1914, George Kleine distributed throughout the United States an Italian film that portrayed the gladiator Spartacus leading a rebellion against the armies of Rome. The promotional material produced to market Spartaco boasted of the ethical and aesthetic value of the historical film. Above a letter of endorsement from a teacher at Ohio University, who described his pupils’ rapturous reception of the film, Kleine's publicity declares:
The eyes of the greatest men in history have been fixed on the splendid character of this hero of liberty who was the first to dare cry out against the tyrannical force of Rome, the Mistress of the World. Pictures and statues represent the valiant gladiator in the historical moments of his adventurous life, always in the struggle against the power of tyrants and in favor of the weak and oppressed. Such a source has inspired the finest works of art; the French theatre employed the genius of two writers in two powerful tragedies in which the gigantic hero is represented in his dream of love and freedom. Taking our inspiration from the sublime verses of Bernard Joseph Sauria [sic] and of M. H. Marget, we have constructed the plot of this kinematographic tragedy which abounds in profoundly emotional situations, and which is splendidly loyal to the reconstruction of Roman grandeur. We are sure that we have composed a true work of art and we do not hesitate to affirm that “SPARTACUS” is one of the most splendid jewels of the screen.
