Grab your sandals and sword and get philosophical with Jason, Tony, and our guest Paul Klein, as we unpack the wonders of Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus (1960). The film was adapted from Howard Fast's novel of the same title by Dalton Trumbo, and it is considered a major step in the end of the notorious Hollywood blacklist. The film is also read as an allegory for civil rights stuggles, the HUAC hearings, and "Third World" struggles. All of this and more is discussed in the episode.

Books and articles mentioned:

• Who Paid the Piper: The CIA and the Cultural Cold War by Frances Stonor Saunders
• The Final Victim of the Blacklist: John Howard Lawson, Dean of the Hollywood Ten by Gerald Horne
• Aesthetic Theory by Theodor Adorno
• “Fascinating Fascism” by Susan Sontag

As always, please suscribe to the podcast, and don't forget to leave a review! And follow Jason on Twitter (X) at @JasonAChristian, Anthony at @tonyjballas, and Paul at @ptklein, and the same handles at BlueSky. Paul's handle on Letterboxd is https://letterboxd.com/ptklein/; Jason's is https://letterboxd.com/exilemagic/.

Our logo is by Jason Christian

The theme music for this episode and all forthcoming episodes is by DYAD (Charles Ballas and Jeremy Averitt).

Please drop us a line at coldwarcinemapod@gmail.com.

Happy listening!