Free Listening to Stanley Kubrick by Christine Lee Gengaro Page A

cue begins when Spartacus first sees her. As Henderson explains, the cue’s “basic motif is a simple broken triad which changes the mood between minor and major during the course of the music cue.” 25 The theme is played at first by a solo oboe. The choice of this particular instrument might have had many meanings for North. The oboe, a double reed, has a thin timbre, perhaps illustrating Varinia’s loneliness. The cue is easily recognizable by the initial leap of a fifth, and then the drop of a third. The final note of the first three lands on the downbeat, anchoring the gesture. As Spartacus looks at her in wonder, the theme is taken up by the oboe d’amore, a lower instrument in the same family that has a slightly warmer sound. When Spartacus tells her he’s never had a woman, the cue changes to the major mode, and Varinia turns to face him, removing her tunic. The conclusion of the theme is interrupted by the jeers and laughter of Marcellus and Batiatus. The cue continues after Spartacus tells them to go away and gives Varinia back her tunic.
    Kubrick then juxtaposes scenes of Spartacus and the gladiators training—accompanied by North’s loud and raucous music—and scenes in which Spartacus and Varinia steal glances at each other. In the scene in which Marcellus is showing areas of attack by painting Spartacus’s body with different colors, we hear an echo of Varinia’s theme. Here, the leitmotif shows us that underneath all the training, Spartacus is still thinking of her. And in this scene, she does appear, drawing Spartacus’s attention away from training. Marcellus notices this and he forces Spartacus to look at her. In the next scene, Spartacus is in his cell and the women are being offered to the gladiators. His door opens and Varinia enters, accompanied by a fragment of her cue (the major version) played on the violin, but Marcellus takes her away, leaving Spartacus alone in his cell. To emphasize Spartacus’s loneliness, North gives us just the opening triad of Varinia’s theme in the oboe (and in the minor version).
    At a meal, Spartacus and the other gladiators sit and wait for food. The music tells us that Spartacus is thinking of Varinia, but North has transformed the theme somewhat, as if her feelings are transforming. It’s clear that Spartacus feels strongly for her, but we’re not certain how she feels about him. It’s in this scene that Varinia’s expression seems to change. Spartacus’s genuine concern for her is causing her to fall in love with him. The soft and gentle quality of this theme is followed immediately by the dissonant and rhythmically complex training music. Back in the kitchen, Varinia pours Spartacus water and the loving theme returns. They briefly touch hands and exchange a cautious smile.
    The entrance of Crassus, essentially the film’s villain, is heralded by a cue heavily orchestrated with brass and percussion. Henderson characterizes it as “pompous,” and indeed Crassus fits the description. 26 A scene follows in which Crassus and his friends impose upon Batiatus to arrange two pairs of gladiators to fight to the death, and while this action goes on, soft music can be heard in the background. It is low in the mix because it was likely meant to represent music being played in Batiatus’s house, for his guests. Again, North uses a modal melody, this time for music that is supposed to be contemporary within the narrative. Since Varinia is serving them, it is fitting that the opening leap of the fifth from her cue is echoed in the music. This sourced music—although the source remains unseen—continues in the next scene. Crassus arranges to buy Varinia, and consequently this music becomes significant for their interactions. This theme will appear again, when the two are reunited at Crassus’s house toward the end of the film.
    Slow, serious music plays as Spartacus and fellow gladiator Draba wait their turn to fight. As the fight between Crixus and Galino