I Am Spartacus!: Making a Film, Breaking the Blacklist [NOOK Book]

( 5 )

Overview

From Kirk Douglas, Hollywood royalty and bestselling author of The Ragman’s Son and My Stroke of Luck, comes the candid story of the making of Spartacus, the blockbuster film that broke the blacklist
One of the world’s most iconic movie stars, Kirk Douglas has distinguished himself as a producer, philanthropist, and author of ten works of fiction and memoir. Now, more than fifty years after the release of his enduring epic Spartacus, Douglas ...
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I Am Spartacus!: Making a Film, Breaking the Blacklist

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Overview

From Kirk Douglas, Hollywood royalty and bestselling author of The Ragman’s Son and My Stroke of Luck, comes the candid story of the making of Spartacus, the blockbuster film that broke the blacklist
One of the world’s most iconic movie stars, Kirk Douglas has distinguished himself as a producer, philanthropist, and author of ten works of fiction and memoir. Now, more than fifty years after the release of his enduring epic Spartacus, Douglas reveals the riveting drama behind the making of the legendary gladiator film. Douglas began producing the movie in the midst of the politically charged era when Hollywood’s moguls refused to hire anyone accused of Communist sympathies. In a risky move, Douglas chose Dalton Trumbo, a blacklisted screenwriter, to write Spartacus. Trumbo was one of the “Unfriendly Ten,” men who had gone to prison rather than testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee about their political affiliations. Douglas’s source material was already a hot property, as the novel Spartacus was written by Howard Fast while he was in jail for defying HUAC. With the financial future of his young family at stake, Douglas plunged into a tumultuous production both on- and off-screen. As both producer and star of the film, he faced explosive moments with young director Stanley Kubrick, struggles with a leading lady, and negotiations with giant personalities, including Sir Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, and Lew Wasserman. Writing from his heart and from his own meticulously researched archives, Kirk Douglas, at ninety-five, looks back at his audacious decisions. He made the most expensive film of its era—but more importantly, his moral courage in giving public credit to Trumbo effectively ended the notorious Hollywood blacklist. A master storyteller, Douglas paints a vivid and often humorous portrait in I Am Spartacus! The book is enhanced by newly discovered period photography of the stars and filmmakers both on and off the set.

Kirk Douglas is a renowned actor whose work on and off the screen has been rewarded by three Academy Award nominations, an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, and the Medal of Freedom. Through his production company, Bryna, Douglas has produced acclaimed films such as The Vikings, Lonely Are the Brave, Paths of Glory, and Seven Days in May. He has penned ten novels and memoirs, including The Ragman’s Son (1988). His 1960 epic, Spartacus, based on the Howard Fast novel of the same name, is credited with helping to end the practice of blacklisting film professionals who had refused to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee. Douglas appeared in almost ninety movies before retiring from film acting in 2004.   In 2009, he starred in an autobiographical one-man show called Before I Forget at the Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles. Douglas maintains an active life in Beverly Hills and Montecito, where he resides with his beloved wife Anne.

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Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews
He is Spartacus…and here's how it happened. Douglas (Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning, 2008, etc.) famously helped break the Hollywood blacklist when he insisted Dalton Trumbo--previously jailed for contempt of Congress and made an unemployable industry pariah due to his membership in the "Hollywood Ten"--be given sole screenwriting credit under his own name for Spartacus, rather than employ a pseudonym, as was common practice at the time. That act of courage is at the heart of this memoir about the creation of the epic film. The author's evident pride in the matter is wholly justified, but the book's true appeal lies in the off-camera antics of the storied cast and the candidly described aggravation and terror the production's many complications engendered in Douglas, who, as the producer, had staked his reputation and financial well-being on the results. Among Douglas' many headaches were the childish rivalry between stars Laurence Olivier and Charles Laughton, who regarded each other with a curious combination of respect and utter hatred; the scene-stealing machinations of Peter Ustinov, whose efforts would net him an Academy Award; a scheduling standoff with a similarly themed sand-and-sandals epic starring Yul Brynner; and, most fascinatingly, Douglas' frustration with director Stanley Kubrick, a replacement for Anthony Mann who alienated Douglas and much of the cast and crew with his high-handedness and lack of social skills, while ultimately delivering a technically accomplished and viscerally emotional masterpiece. Douglas is a fine natural storyteller, unafraid to portray his quick temper and nasty outbursts when the going got rough. An entertaining and informative look at the troubled gestation of a film of both artistic and social significance.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781453239377
  • Publisher: Open Road Publishing
  • Publication date: 6/12/2012
  • Sold by: Barnes & Noble
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 218
  • Sales rank: 231,527
  • File size: 7 MB

Meet the Author

Kirk Douglas is a renowned actor whose work on and off the screen has been rewarded by three Academy Award nominations, an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, and the Medal of Freedom. Through his production company, Bryna, Douglas has produced acclaimed films such as The Vikings, Lonely Are the Brave, Paths of Glory, and Seven Days in May. He has penned ten novels and memoirs, including The Ragman’s Son (1988). His 1960 epic, Spartacus, based on the Howard Fast novel of the same name, is credited with helping to end the practice of blacklisting film professionals who had refused to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee. Douglas appeared in some ninety movies before retiring from film acting in 2004.   In 2009, he starred in an autobiographical one-man show called Before I Forget at the Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles. Douglas maintains an active life in Beverly Hills and Montecito, where he resides with his beloved wife Anne.
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 5 )
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Sort by: Showing all of 5 Customer Reviews

  • Posted June 18, 2012

    Highly Recommended

    When I ordered this book I just saw the title I AM SPARTACUS! and expected it to be just about the making of one of my favorite movies. However, Kirk Douglas also gives a good portion of the book to talking about the infamous Hollywood Blacklist of writers and pperformers in the 1950's, and how SPARTACUS openly broke that balcklist. The book is fast reading and consistently entertaining and informative about the era and this film. A must for film buffs and those interetested in how McCarthyism affected the entertainment industry.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 8, 2013

    This is a fascinating, very entertaining account of the making o

    This is a fascinating, very entertaining account of the making of a great film. There are two rather jarring misquotes (at least in the paperback edition). On page 87 there's a quote attributed to Laurence Olivier that was actually spoken by Charles Laughton, and on page 103 there's a quote attributed to Charles McGraw that was actually spoken in the film by Peter Ustinov.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 30, 2012

    I give it five stars

    If you like Kirk Douglas you will love reading this book ,

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted July 25, 2012

    Great read- fast and fun

    Kirk Douglas writes in a wonderfully honest and easy way about his recollections of the people and time of the blacklist and brings back the Hollywood of my childhood.
    A really good book.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 23, 2012

    Excellent book about one of my favorite films.

    Kirk Douglad gives us an incredible look back aone of the greatest films ever made and trials that went on behind the scenes. In many ways, the story of the making of the film is as grand as the film itself and would make a good movie like "RKO 281"?

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
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