BEVERLY HILLS – There is only one Spartacus.
But at Monday night's screening of this 1960 historical epic, the entire sold-out Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences audience jumped to its feet as the film's star and executive producer, Kirk Douglas, took the stage.
Many raised their fists in the air, shouting the iconic line from the film: "I am Spartacus."
Douglas, 95, who played the slave who led a revolt against the corrupt Roman Empire in the Oscar-winning film, said he had never seen a greeting like that before. "But I like it," he said, beaming.
The academy event, part of "The Last 70mm Film Festival," was centered on a new print of the Stanley Kubrick-directed film, which also starred Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis and Peter Ustinov.
But when Douglas sauntered onto the stage under his own power wearing a casual suit and Vans sneakers, the event turned into a tribute to the legendary actor.