Spartaco (aka Sins Of Rome) (1953)

Set in Rome 74 B.C.,  a Thracian slave by the name of Spartacus (Massimo Girotti) leads his fellow slaves in open rebellion against the might of Rome. Directed by Riccardo Freda, this sword and sandal peplum was a precursor to Stanley Kubrick's 1960 epic. In fact, the producers of that movie bought the negative and copies to prevent any comparisons to their film. They needn't have bothered. This one is shot in B&W and is pre-wide screen so it's in the 1.37 Academy ratio and at 74 minutes, it's less than half the running time of Kubrick's epic. There's not much historical accuracy in evidence here either. The narrative provides two romantic interests for Girotti, Gianna Maria Canale is the daughter of a Roman general (Carlo Ninchi) and Ludmilla Tcherina (THE RED SHOES) is a slave girl. Since Tcherina was a noted ballerina, she's given a dance number to do. It's harmless but forgettable. With Yves Vincent and Vittorio Sanipoli.