The latest re-issued classic film to get the restoration treatment is "Spartacus" — brought to us by the folks who resurrected "Lawrence of Arabia" a couple of years ago.

And you may ask why, since critics over the years have been somewhat disparaging toward "Spartacus," singling it out as a more clunky, less compelling example of the Hollywood sandal-and-sword epic, a genre that prospered during the late '50s and early '60s.

Even the film's director, Stanley Kubrick, has commented that "Spartacus" is perhaps the least of his work — probably because his other films, most prominently "2001 — A Space Odyssey" and "A Clockwork Orange," were singular visions while this one required him to bend somewhat to the will of others (primarily Kirk Douglas, who starred, co-produced and essentially mounted the project himself).

But it should be remembered that "Spartacus" has not been seen on the big screen with an audience for many years. How fair a judgment can it receive when reviewed, in retrospect, on the small screen — or worse, from memory?

Seeing "Spartacus" in this restored version, with its original overture, intermission and a few inserted pieces of footage that had been excised after initial screenings, is nothing short of spectacular.

The first half of the film focuses on the title character (played by Douglas), born a slave in ancient Rome, as he finds himself in a gladiator school run by Batiatus (Peter Ustinov, who won an Oscar as best supporting actor). There he is trained with other slaves to fight in the arena, for the purpose of being sold to Romans who wish to watch, for amusement, combat to the death. He also meets Varinia (Jean Simmons) and falls in love.

But when Roman senator Crassus (Laurence Olivier) drops by and insists on a fight to the death right there at Batiatus' school, it evolves into a riot as the slaves revolt and escape. Spartacus eventually organizes them and they cross the land freeing other slaves and building an army.

After the intermission, the film's second half is somewhat less focused as the action vacillates between Crassus' personal battles in the Roman senate, particularly against his longtime enemy Gracchus (Charles Laughton), and Spartacus' attempt to lead his army south to the sea, where they hope to board ships and escape Italy.

But in the final third, the story comes together very well and the ending is, for its time, surprisingly taut and stark.