Screenwriter: Dalton Trumbo from the novel by Howard Fast

Producer: Edward Lewis

With a special introduction by Getty curators Sara E. Cole and Jens Daehner.

In this iconic film starring Kirk Douglas and directed by Stanley Kubrick, Spartacus is a Thracian slave-turned-gladiator who leads a rebellion against the Roman Republic. Join us to watch the “definitive cut” of Spartacus in its 2015 4K restoration with scenes that were cut from the original 1960 classic. Getty antiquities curators Sara Cole and Jens Daehner introduce and share insights into the Thracians, drawing from the exhibition Ancient Thrace and the Classical World: Treasures from Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece. This exhibition, on view at the Getty Villa Museum through March 3, 2025, showcases stunning gold, silver, and bronze works that illuminate the rich cultural heritage of the Thracian people.

You may also be interested in the talk Reel to Real “Spartacus:” Thracian, Gladiator, Freedom Fighter at the Getty Villa Museum on Saturday, December 7, at 3pm.

Sara E. Cole

Sara E. Cole is associate curator in the Antiquities Department at the J. Paul Getty Museum. She holds a PhD from Yale University and is the managing curator of the Getty’s program The Classical World in Context. At the Getty she has curated or co-curated exhibitions exploring the ancient cultures of Egypt, Nubia, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Thrace. She has co-curated the current Getty Villa exhibition Ancient Thrace and the Classical World: Treasures from Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece, and co-edited the accompanying publication.