The Time: 74 BC.
The Place: Thrace. Then Rome.
The Person: Spartacus.
Occupation: Slave. Gladiator. Warrior. Hero.
Shot in brown and bronze hues, with a musical accompaniment of chanting choirs, and with key words thrown onto the screen- this short but dramatic video evokes passion for the glory that was Rome, and the seeming never-ending interest in a man who lived over 2000 years ago.
The legend that is Spartacus has come down to us through the centuries – the story of a man who took on the might of Rome and nearly brought her down. Now Ben Kane, the author of The Forgotten Legion and Hannibal:Enemy of Rome, brings to life the first part of the Spartacus story.
Stanley Kubrick’s film, Spartacus, starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis, first brought the man, and his slave revolt, to a wider audience. In more recent times, the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand has kept the name very much alive, although at the price of an almost complete departure from what little hard facts are known of Spartacus. The action scenes from the video certainly get the blood racing and promise action and drama on a grand scale.
Recalling the infamous scene in the original Spartacus movie, where those left in the defeated slave army all claim to be the man the Romans seek by standing and shouting “I’m Spartacus!”, it will be for author Ben Kane to carve out his own legend, and claim Spartacus as his own.
There is an undoubted appetite for both film and written word in the “sword and sandal” genre. Look at how well the film “Gladiator” did at the box office. Even on history and national geographic channels you will find almost endless programmes on the myths and the truth about ancient Roman games, the Coliseum, and gladiatorial combat. Consequently, the idea of having a film-like video trailer for a novel is a good one. You might even expect the video to end with “coming soon to a screen near you” rather than an illustration of a book cover. But that’s not a complaint- why can’t epic books be heralded with epic trailers?
The second part of the story will be published soon as Spartacus: Rebellion. Hopefully this too will be unveiled with a video trailer as engaging as this one!
See the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-rY76RcoZw
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