Nero Burns Rome! The '50 was the "Sword & Sandal Movies" decade. Uncountable films of the genre were released. The most notable were: "The Ten Commandments" (1956) and "The Robe" (1958). Also in a very good supporting second line "The Egyptian" (1954), "Land of Pharaohs" (1955) and "Helen of Troy" (1956). "Quo Vadis?" (1951) was in the middle, arguably not as good as the two first but better than the others.
The story starts with the return of victorious General Marcus Vinicius to Rome, where he is received by his uncle Petronius, a very important Counselor at Nero's court. Marcus is suddenly enamored of Lygia, a Christian slave at his uncle's service. Lygia due to her beliefs reject the attractive General who tries to forget her in Nero's orgiastic nights, but to no avail. Nero in his folly starts a sanguinary Christian persecution, after blaming them of burning Rome. Lygia and her faithful bodyguard Ursus are captured and thrown into dungeon to await their martyrdom. Marcus Vinicius try to rescue them against all odds. The movie shows Christian personalities as St. Peter and St. Paul and life in the catacombs.
The main characters were given to Robert Taylor as Marcus Vinicius and Deborah Kerr as Lygia whom performed in standard mode. Leo Genn as Petronius is a step above them, but the real outstanding performance was done by Peter Ustinov as the Emperor. This kind of acting was Peter's specialty, similar good performing may be seen in "The Egyptian" and "Spartacus". Buddy Baer as a precursor of Stallone and Schwarzenegger was great in his fight against the bull at the Circus.
The movie was credited with seven Oscar Nominations yet won no one! Significantly Ustinov and Genn were candidates for Best Actor in Supportive role. Musical score authored by Budapest born Miklos Rozsa was also nominated for an Oscar.
It is a very entertaining "Sword and Sandal", if you like this kind of movies do not miss this one! Reviewed by Max Yofre.
Magnificence This film is a statemen of magnificence, the pomp, the casting, the marvelous acting, and the gracefully written script, all bear witness to the creativity of mid 20th century Hollywood. This movie is simply delightful, the viewer should be prepeared for depth of dialogue, spectacle, lengthiness, and creative character interaction. This film is highly thought provoking, and therefore not light fair.
THE J. LUNDBERG REVIEW IS BULL! J.LUNBERG IS FULL OF SH*&^(#@*! HIS REVIEW IS BULL! THIS IS A VERY GOOD AND TOUCHING MOVIE.
Restored DVD On The Way I too have been waiting a long time for a restored DVD of this classic and inspiring film. The wait is finally over and expect a fully restored Ultra-Resolution DVD set 4th Qtr 2008. The reason for the delay has been the poor quality of the source film that has required extensive work.
Outstanding Film, Poor DVD Quality Quo Vadis is one of the best films of the 1950s and arguably among the greatest released to date. The verbal sparring among Petronius (Leo Glenn), Nero (Peter Ustinov) and Tigellinus (Ralph Truman) would by itself be the backbone of a great movie. Unfortunately, the world currently lacks a quality copy of the film available to the general public. The Korean copy has several problems with loosing audio sync.
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