Quo Vadis
by Jerzy Kawalerowicz
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Agnieszka Wagner, Boguslaw Linda, Franciszek Pieczka, Jerzy Trela, Krzysztof MajchrzakDirector: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Brand: Polish DVDs
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Polish (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Polish (Original Language)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Import, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 270 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-04-28
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: MGE
Movie Reviews of Quo Vadis
Movie Review: pure imperial Rome
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the only film version of the novel which is true to its time; some of the scenes seem to be Pompeian frescoes come to life. Early Imperial Rome had been reconstructed down to the most minute details, such as jewelry or colors of the clothing (other films, devoted to antique, too often have everybody wear marble whites). I also marveled at the music, which does not follow the convention based on the tunes of mountainous regions of the Balkans and Near East. Kaczmarek wrote incredibly beautiful music for the instruments used by the Romans, fitting melodies to the scenes; whenever needed, the music is solemn, at other times playful, or menacing, or joyous. Somehow, this music strikes me as being more like the one the ancients did play, than the monotonous drone of the Anatolian flute.
Speaking of historical veracity, I must make a special mention of Seneca, who, however marginal, seems to be a real Seneca resurrected from the dead. I don't know if this actor looks so naturally, or had been somehow made up - a mask perhaps? - but he could pose for the picture in a history manual. To show off this look better, his is photographed mainly in profile, just as real Seneca is shown in his surviving portraits.
Acting is good, with the exception of the female lead, who is an amateur and perhaps that's why she seems very often quite stiff. But, what Miss Mielcarz may lack in her acting skills, is more than compensated by her looks, and let's face it - Ligia is first a beauty, than a Christian, and a person last, and even in the book her character is not very well drawn. So it is not such a major flaw, and doesn't show too much against all other performances. I enjoyed in particular Poppea, who, in interpretation of Agnieszka Wagner, is a vile, self-serving, street-smart schemer, capable of manipulating the emperor, but at the same time a stupid woman, so fully convinced of her feminine power that she cannot see an impending death sentence on herself. In the circus scenes she affords us a glimpse into what is probably the most incomprehensible today aspect of the Roman psyche - enjoyment of the physical suffering of other people. Another spectacular performer is Trela, as a lowlife hoping to survive by deceiving the rich and powerful. These two - the empress and the beggar - convey the message that no life condition can prevent the person from foul acting, when the person lacks ethical standards.
I have been amazed to find comments of other reviewers concerning nudity and "family values". For once, nudity is necessary, because in some scenes full clothing would look outright false. Secondarily, the film is not intended for the puerile audience and parents seeking entertaining material for their offspring should turn to proper sources, such as Disney. There would be very little real art if all artistic endeavors were to defer to perceptions of children, and the deplorable state of art today is caused in large degree by the pressure to make all works kiddie-friendly. I bet the same persons must be deeply offended by paintings of Rubens' and the famous, much quoted in books and magazines, Michelangelo fresco on the Sistine ceiling with a totally naked Adam being freshly created. Those comments reminded me of a debate from many years before, when some political prudes were demanding to outlaw all representations of nudity as pornography. The proposed law has not been passed, precisely for the reason I mention - too much art of the greatest rank contains a lot of nudity. Therefore, I view those comments as expression of prudishness, and can only regret that the film did not attract more open-minded viewers.
The ending is different in the film than in the book, because the film is not a literal translation of the book into picture. I don't see there any "logic of the events" - Christians were persecuted whether Nero was dead or alive, because their religion directly opposed the imperial dogma, which cast the emperor in the role of god. Therefore, the death of St. Peter is not an outcome of some personal hostilities between him and Nero, but one more stage in the struggle against the evil. And the image of modern city serves as a memento that this struggle is not an affair of the past, but continues to be relevant also in our time.
This film is not just a visually great picture, it is also a statement about ethics, Christian values, morality. My only regret is that it does not lasts longer
Summary of Quo Vadis
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