Quo Vadis (Import All Regions)
by Mervyn LeRoy
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn, Patricia Laffan, Peter Ustinov, Robert TaylorDirector: Mervyn LeRoy
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, Full Screen, Import, Mono, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 171 minutes
Studio: Sky Cinema
Movie Reviews of Quo Vadis (Import All Regions)
Movie Review: The Best Movie That Never Won an Academy Award
Summary: 5 Stars
Quo Vadis is the absolute best movie that never won an Academy Award. At the time of its release in 1951, it was the 2nd highest box office of any movie in history (Gone With the Wind was the highest). It was the first of the many historical epics of the 1950's and early 1960's. It is also the best.
Robert Taylor plays Roman general Marcus Vinicius, commander of the 14th Legion, and Deborah Kerr portrays a Christian lady, Lygia, that he falls in love with. Lygia is a hostage of Rome and Vinicius arranges with the mad Emperor Nero (Peter Ustinov) to have her reassigned to him. She runs away to the shelter provided by other Christians for fugitives from "Roman justice."
Meanwhile, Nero wants to go down in history as being the greatest artist of all time. He is assisted in trying to come up with both ideas and proper wording by Petronius (Leo Genn). These scenes are great fun as Petronius does a wonderful job as the emperors' faithful counselor, and with his great wit manipulates the pompous and vicious Nero. By doing so, he helps protect the Roman populace from the evil emperor.
Also going on at this time is the growth of Christianity in Rome. Both Saint Paul (Abraham Sofaer) and Saint Peter (Finlay Currie) are present in Rome. The 2 saints hold services in the Roman catacombs. Christianity is a secretive religion since the adherents of Christ are under constant threat of persecution.
Eventually, Nero gets the idea that for him to create an artistic masterpiece, then suffering on a colossal scale must first take place. He orders his chief yes man, Tigellinus (Ralph Truman), the commander of the Praetorian Guard, to set fire to Rome and also to block the escape of the Roman population across the bridge to achieve maximum slaughter. Tigellinus carries out Nero's cruel decree and one of the greatest fires in history resulted. After Nero announces both his decision and also his plans to rebuild Rome under the name "Neropolis," Vinicius bolts and goes to Rome in his chariot and succeeds in overcoming the Praetorians at the bridge to save multitudes from death.
The Roman people quickly figure out that Nero was the "incendiary" resposible for the burining of their beloved city. However, Nero decides with the help of his slutty Empress Poppaea (Patricia Laffan) that in order to deflect the blame from him, a victim needs to be scapegoated. From there, he decides that the Christians, who refuse to engage in worshiping the emperor as a god, make the best victims. Nero then decrees that it was the Christians who burned Rome and as such, they are to be all rounded up and fed to the lions in the colisseum as public entertainment.
Quo Vadis is a magnificent major motion picture. It has beautiful scenery, wonderful costumes and fantastic cinematography, and is as accurate a capture of ancient Rome as was possible with 1951 technology. The set designs are sheer artistry. Quo Vadis is a stunning spectacle with an excellent script, fine performances and holds up very well today.
The best part of this movie is Peter Ustinov's performance as the mad Emperor Nero. Ustinov is totally focused on the role so much so that he captures the screen in the scenes that he is in. Ustinov's performance is the absolute best portrayal of Nero yet given by an actor in a movie. Ustinov plays the role instead of converting the character into a reflection of himself. Ustinov should have won the Academy Award for his performance. He did, however, win the Golden Globe.
Thus far, Quo Vadis is the absolute best Roman epic ever made. The decor, costumes, and art direction certainly have not been matched by anything that followed, including Spartacus, Ben Hur and Gladiator. Quo Vadis is an excellent movie that is certainly well worth your time.
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