Quo Vadis (1951)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

S.N. Behrman (screenplay)
Sonya Levien (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 November 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

Three Years in the Making! Thousands in the Cast! Filmed in Rome!

Plot:

Returning to Rome after 3 years in the field, General Marcus Vinicius meets Lygia and falls in love with her...

Plot Keywords:

Henchman | Gladiator | Singer | Nero | Song

Awards:

Nominated for 8 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Robert Taylor	...	Marcus Vinicius
Deborah Kerr	...	Lygia
Leo Genn	...	Petronius
Peter Ustinov	...	Nero
Patricia Laffan	...	Poppaea
Finlay Currie	...	Peter
Abraham Sofaer	...	Paul
Marina Berti	...	Eunice
Buddy Baer	...	Ursus
Felix Aylmer	...	Plautius
Nora Swinburne	...	Pomponia
Ralph Truman	...	Tigellinus
Norman Wooland	...	Nerva
Peter Miles	...	Nazarius
Geoffrey Dunn	...	Terpnos

Also Known As:

Qvo Vadis (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

171 min | UK:166 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:PG (video rating) (1986) | USA:Approved (PCA #15165) | UK:PG (tv rating) | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The film represented a hollow victory for MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer, since it turned out to be his final big-budget production. Produced for $7 million, it was MGM's largest grosser since Gone with the Wind (1939), but Mayer was forced out of his job prior to its release.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Nero holds out his arm to recognize Marcus' triumph, his arm is obviously straight. But, in the next shot, from above, his arm is bent.

Quotes:

Emperor Nero: [as the Christians enter the arena to die] They're singing!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in An Opera of Violence (2003) (V)

Most enjoyable three hours

In my opinion Mervyn LeRoy's fantastic version of "Quo Vadis?" is definitely one of the very finest epics about Roman empire ever filmed. Fact that it didn't won a single Oscar was a shameful disgrace. Eight years later MGM released a movie that was supposed to be bigger, longer and better than "Quo Vadis?". It was of course "Ben-Hur", motion picture that collected record-breaking amount of Academy Awards and respect. Certainly it was a bigger and longer spectacle but I still like this one even more.

I find "Quo Vadis?" just somehow more entertaining and appealing. Sir Peter Ustinov's magnificent performance is just about half of the whole film. I loved his brilliant Oscar awarded supporting role in Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus" and I have to say that he's just as irresistible as the insane Emperor Nero. It's one of the greatest roles of his career and just another proof that he really is a true genius among actors. I have no choice but to give "Quo Vadis?" 10 out of 10 and I guess I even have to end my review with a worn-out cliché: they don't make movies like this anymore.