I loved this movie from the beginning. I was in high school in 1987 and soon entered university. During the four years, the school theater was shown twice, and I bought a ticket to see it. In the school’s reading room, I accidentally found a Chinese translation of the original novel by American writer Howard Fast. Unfortunately, I was busy with my studies and didn’t have a leisurely mind to read through it. I just flipped through it casually. I only remembered that the author called this work in his dedication. It is written for their children and encourages them to fight for human dignity. I never saw this novel by Faster again. What is now displayed in the bookstore is the novel by the 19th-century Italian writer Giovanniori.
This film about freedom, together with other novels I was reading at the time, nurtured my original simple love for freedom. I also admire the warriors who fight for freedom in the film with a simple feeling. At the same time, because I was informed by the textbooks at that time and sincerely believed at that time: the society in the film is called the slave society, and I live in a society several levels higher than it. So I sincerely feel fortunate for myself.
Life and more reading have gradually made me no longer look at history and society in this way, no longer believe in the concepts and dogma that I used to be, and of course I no longer have that kind of fortune. I was amused by the ideas I had, but I also felt proud and unrepentant for my sincerity at the time. In the process of getting rid of all kinds of dogma and fallacies, I also have a deeper understanding and comprehension of freedom and this film.
There is a line about "hope" in "Shawshank's Redemption", which can also be appropriately applied to "freedom", which is the theme of this movie:
freedom is a beautiful thing, perhaps the best; but it is also a dangerous one. thing.
Freedom is inevitably associated with joy, reconciliation, peace, dignity, conscience, and life itself. All of these are undoubtedly beautiful. Some complement each other and together constitute a normal, happy and complete life; some are mutually cause and effect; and many times, freedom is full of hardships and dangers, and these same good things seem to be contradictory. In order to be free, we have to lose other good things. It even includes the cost of life and freedom itself, as in the movie.
What impressed me most in the film were these two speeches:
"If I could leave here alive (referring to the slave gladiator school), I would rather die than see people fighting again."
"As long as we live, we must
Be loyal to yourself." Although neither of these two passages mentions freedom, they are an extremely deep understanding and interpretation of freedom.
Some works, whether they are books or movies, are simple, clear and great. After reading them, there will not be many thoughts and reflections, but they have a power to shock the soul, which makes us involuntarily and firmly identify with, support and even believe in them. Preached.
For me, this movie has this power.
Later, I contacted the Gospels and found Christ, or in other words, I was found by Christ. This makes me more stubbornly support human freedom, and pay special attention to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. When reviewing this film once, I heard a line that was once ignored: The protagonist prays for a god who protects slaves. I think of Christ, because in my mind, Christ is the one who protects the suffering. God. At this moment, I feel fortunate for myself again, this time not only sincere, but also lasting and true: it is impossible for those slaves to find such a god, because it is more than 70 years before his birth (Historical Records, This slave uprising occurred in about 70 BC), and I, perhaps lucky, or providence, in short, found this god.
I saw a new version of "Spartacus" in 2004. From the dedication at the end of the film, I learned that this is a remake of the 1960 version, produced in memory of Howard Fast, who died in March 2003. Although the film is not comparable to the classics of the 1960s, there are no brilliant stars, and it has not attracted the attention of film critics, but it is well-made, and there are some wonderful scenes and touching lines. I was particularly impressed by one sentence:
"Being the same as your enemy is a failure."
Although my life and concepts have changed a lot since 1987, there are also some precious and important emotions and concepts. Twenty years have passed, and I am still the same.
I still love this movie.
I still admire Spartacus and his friends in the film, these free and fearless spokespersons.
I still love freedom.
"As long as the sun continues to move according to its current orbit", may God allow me to keep this admiration and love forever.
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