Quo Vadis (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn, Patricia Laffan, Peter Ustinov, Robert TaylorBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Original recording remastered, Special Edition
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 171 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-11
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- Rome burns. Nero fiddles. Christianity rises. And moviegoers turned out in throngs for this years-in-the-making film colossus boasting eight Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) and featuring 110 speaking parts, 30,000 participants and a filmed-on-location panoply of marching legions, magisterial pageantry and massive spectacle that includes the martyrdom of Christians thrown to the lions be
Movie Reviews of Quo Vadis (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Movie Review: One of the First - And Best - of the Biblical Epics of the 1950's!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Biblical epic is a fascinating genre in cinematic history, fusing secular and sacred factors of diverse history and religious mythology into a panorama of lush spectacle and hard-hitting emotional impact, always delivering a poignant message about the purest ideals of the human condition triumphing over evil. Considering that World War II had come to a close and a new conflict - the Cold War - with new enemies - the communist USSR - began soon enough, it would be reasonable that American audiences in the 1950's desired to escape into the legends of ancient empires and Biblical times, therefore reclaiming not only a sense of wonder, but a higher degree of faith within themselves.
Although the genre had been established in cinema during the silent era, and was resurrected by Cecil B. Demille with his film SAMSON & DELILAH in 1949, it was with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1951 adaptation of Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel QUO VADIS (produced by Sam Zimbalist) that the enormously successful trend of Hollywood-produced Biblical epics during the 1950's really took off. And even though it's not as faithful to the novel compared to the more recent 2001 Polish version (save for the bare-bones narrative and a number of duplicated scenarios involving Nero and the Imperial Court), and therefore not as historically accurate (Sienkiewicz made a meticulous effort of researching the Roman Empire at the time of the emperor Nero, while fusing it with the religious undertones of the New Testament within his narrative), it has, along with later films of a similar nature like THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and BEN-HUR (also produced by Zimbalist), stood the test of time as one of the most colossal (as billed in the trailers), earnest and emotionally-powerful productions ever forged. Truth be told, it even holds its own when put up against similar, but less-earnest, modern-day epics like GLADIATOR, TROY and KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, films that rely on their visual styles to carry a somewhat emotionally hollow plot line. (The only epic in recent times to really pull off QUO VADIS' style perfectly is the LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy, although the more recent ALEXANDER and 300 DID make admirable attempts to enhance the level of the human condition within such spiritual/mythological/theological territory).
As with the book, the film is set in Rome during the year 64 A.D., about 30 years after the Crucifixion of Christ. Enter Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor in a performance that he has failed to top since), commander of the 14th legion, who returns after three years service against the native tribes in Briton for a full period of relaxation in his estate in Sicily. Upon his return, he is introduced to the Lygian hostage Lygia Callina (talented British rose Deborah Kerr, pre-FROM HERE TO ETERNITY and THE KING & I), whom he desires with an erotic intensity - while being completely unaware of her position as the member of the ever-growing Christian sect within Rome. Through the machinations of his uncle Caius Petronius, Nero's arbiter-of-elegance (Leo Genn giving a dignified Oscar-nominated performance), Marcus intends to have Nero legally assign Lygia to him as his property, but through the aid of her sect she escapes. In tracking her down, Marcus eventually discovers the nature of her sect, and upon finally meeting her, in a fit of humility confesses his true love for her, as she does for him. However, he faces the hard decision of whether he should abandon her in order to uphold Nero's rule and the Roman way of life, or forsake his Roman background and join the sect so that he can remain with her. That decision is made for him when Nero (the scenery-chewing Peter Ustinov, who tied with Leo Genn for a nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category, one he would eventually win in SPARTACUS), chooses to fulfill his dream as the "true artist" by having his Praetorian guard burn Rome so he can rebuild it as part of his "epic", then chooses to pin the blame on the Christians in order to escape being fatally punished by the Roman mob.
QUO VADIS, while it may not be perfect, works on so many different levels that it's Herculean to find something that tops its style (in my book, it surpasses both GONE WITH THE WIND and TITANIC). While those looking for a romance will definitely be smitten by the chemistry between Taylor as Marcus and Kerr as Lygia, the real acting magic lies in the scenes between Genn as the humanly-cynical Petronius and Ustinov as the self-pitying (not to mention matricidal) Nero, particularly those scenes where Petronius is forced to tolerate Nero's ineptitude as a poet in terms of writing and vocal performance. They are aided immeasurably by a strong supporting cast of characters, including Finlay Currie (as Apostle Peter), Ralph Truman (as the corrupt Praetorian commander Tigellinus), Buddy Baer (as Lygia's body-built guardian Arsus), and Patricia Raffan (as the conniving harlot empress Poppoea).
Mervyn LeRoy's direction makes excellent use of bright, saturated Technicolor cinematography within the Academy aspect ratio of 1.33:1 that, when combined with the superb sets, costumes and special effects (the latter factor co-created by Tom Howard of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY fame), result in some of the most overwhelming visuals ever generated on screen, especially during those scenes depicting the burning of Rome and the martyrdom of the Christians thrown to the lions and burned on crosses within the Colosseum. It's a truly breathtaking experience of heightened scale, and proves to be even more authentic given that was all accomplished long before CGI took hold of creating such sequences.
Also notable is the vibrant score by Miklos Rozsa, at the time a former composer of music for film noir and standard dramas (including his Oscar-winning music for SPELLBOUND and A DOUBLE LIFE), which captures in full essence the love between Marcus and Lygia, the march of the legions, the thrilling action scenes and the relentless spiritual faith of the Christians. Rozsa's score was a first - it created the distinctive theme that many people usually associate with epic motion pictures, and one which he would put to further use in other Biblical epics during the decade, climaxing with a third Oscar win for his music in BEN-HUR. Those epics not scored by Rozsa (which curiously did NOT include THE TEN COMMANDMENTS or SPARTACUS), imitated his sound to perfection, and later composers such as John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Basil Poledouris, Hans Zimmer, and Howard Shore have all paid respective homage to Rozsa ever since, in particular Williams within the STAR WARS & INDIANA JONES films, and Shore in the LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy.
Don't miss it, especially if it's released on the big screen. Whether you like it or hate it in the end, QUO VADIS is still a must-see that will remain memorable long after most commercial successes today have faded from memory.
Summary of Quo Vadis (Two-Disc Special Edition)
QUO VADIS SPECIAL EDITION - DVD Movie"Welcome to Nero's House of Women" greets a concubine to a slave girl, Lygia (Deborah Kerr). Later this self-same greeter reveals that she, too, like Lygia, is really a fellow Christian neophyte. And it's that mixture of tawdry Hollywood sex and a strong Christian message that makes this film an enjoyable "gentiles and gladiators" flick. Marcus Vinicius returns home after conquering the Britons to find that Rome is infected with a crazy new sect called Christians and that his beloved emperor Nero (Peter Ustinov, roly-poly and wicked) has become increasingly wacky. Marcus tries his centurion wiles on Lygia, and she's smitten, but she's also a Christian convert and begs Marcus not to force her to choose between him and her god. The Christians have a tough go of it, with martyrdom in the Coliseum as punishment for belonging to the new religion in town. Though three hours long, director Mervyn LeRoy's film always has something going on. It could help you enjoyably kill any rainy Sunday afternoon. --Keith Simanton
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