Original artwork, not a still
The captured rebels, one after another, Spartacus (1960)
I'm Spartacus!
— Spartacus • 1960
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Slaves who have lost the war claim the leader's name and go to the cross together, so the Romans cannot single him out. It is solidarity at its starkest: each man chooses to share the punishment rather than save himself. The scene has been copied and parodied for decades, in comedies, sitcoms and ads, and I'm Spartacus is still what people say when a whole room refuses to name one person.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for SpartacusShow the scene
In Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus (1960), the slave army has been crushed in a last battle with Crassus's legions. The Romans offer the survivors a pardon, a return to slavery, if they will point out Spartacus or his body. Instead, man after man answers with the same cry, claiming to be Spartacus, and Crassus sentences them all to crucifixion along the Appian Way where the revolt began. For the crowd scenes, Kubrick's crew recorded about 76,000 spectators at a college football game shouting the cry and "Hail, Crassus!".
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: Spartacus (film)Plot section and Production sectionReference checked
- Wikiquote: Spartacus (film)Spartacus sectionReference checked
Context reviewed