I Am Spartacus!

Kirk Douglas, who starred in Spartacus and produced the film, has written a memoir titled I Am Spartacus!: Making A Film, Breaking The Blacklist. The book expands on the account Douglas previously gave in his autobiography The Ragman's Son.

"Egos clashed like swords" during the making of the film, according to Douglas: "Stanley Kubrick vs. Dalton Trumbo. Charles Laughton vs. Laurence Olivier. Kubrick vs. his cinematographer, Russell Metty". And, of course, Douglas versus Kubrick: "Stanley looked a little intimidated. I hadn't wanted to do this in front of the entire crew, but perhaps it was a good thing".

Though directed by Kubrick, Spartacus was conceived as a Kirk Douglas production. It's notable as one of the few historical epics without an overtly religious theme, though its real significance was that it gave a screen credit to Dalton Trumbo. Trumbo was one of the 'Hollywood Ten', blacklisted as Communists after they were investigated by Joseph McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee.