Spartacus (film) eclipse him. Gracchus, having seen Rome fall into tyranny, commits suicide. Before doing so, he bribes his friend Batiatus to rescue Spartacus's family from Crassus and carry them away to freedom. On the way out of Rome, the group passes under Spartacus's cross. Varinia is able to comfort him in his dying moments by showing him his little son, who will grow up free and knowing who his father was. The development of "Spartacus" was partly instigated by Kirk Douglas's failure to win the title role in William Wyler's "Ben-Hur". Douglas had worked with Wyler before on "Detective Story", and
Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators is unsuccessful in capturing the elusive Spartacus who Varro claims is behind various raids and depredations in the area, though in reality it is Chimbro leading men of Varro's private army disguised as bandits who are responsible. Rocca and his men offer to capture Spartacus and bring him to justice, with Varro believing that the ten have the capability that Chimbro and his 50 soldiers did not. A reconnaissance and raid on Spartacus' camp lead to the entire camp defending Spartacus who is revealed to be the gladiator who stopped the son from killing his father, threatened the Emperor, and