Watched this for Stanley Kubrick, following his filmography for a while and his ambiguous portrayal amused me.

While Kubrick directed Spartacus, Kubrick himself did not consider it was a Kubrick Movie.

He did not control the script. He had no control over the production or the final cut. The original director was fired from the production and Kubrick was brought in on the suggestion of Kirk Douglas as they had worked together three years before on Paths of Glory.

While the finished product is excellent. IIRC Kubrick hated being a gun for hire and the studio meddling in the production was a big reason that he never worked on another film without having full control of the production.