The shock of dining with Olivier and Vivien Leigh, when she suddenly interrupted a charming dinner with "Larry, why don't you f*ck me anymore?" (Leigh's mental health was in steep decline at this point). What juicy fun is found in Kirk's memories of trying to pin down his cast, the various adventures and trials each put him through. Kirk, of course, was Spartacus, the rebellious slave/gladiator who actually made Rome tremble for a year or two. The movie would star Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, Tony Curtis and the ravishing Jean Simmons. He concludes her contributions to this project with " Anne was 'Spartacus.") (Anne, by the way, is a constant source of Kirk's inspiration, a calming influence, a strong woman with the patience of Penelope, loving but not naïve. Douglas includes everything we'd want to know, including the fact that he really needed "Spartacus" to be a hit, because he'd just found out-through the wise investigating of his wife, Anne Buydens-that his longtime manager and friend had swindled him big-time. Anthony Mann accepted the job, his work was deemed not up to snuff and he was ousted in favor of Kubrick, whose "confidence bordered on arrogance" admits Kirk. For one thing, Kubrick was not the film's first director. Making movies can be profitable, but mostly not much fun. But "I Am Sparactus" covers every aspect of the epic from its gestation to premiere. THIS WOULD have been enough, the tale of Trumbo.
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