Quo Vadis (1951)

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

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

Release Date:

8 November 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

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:

Animal Attack | Princess Heroine | Prison | Persecution | Pacifism

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #15165) | UK:PG (tv rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) | 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:

John Huston was originally supposed to direct this film, but walked out following arguments about the script. He was replaced by Mervyn LeRoy.

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:

Vinicius: [when asked how his army defeated the Gauls and the Britons] We fought them with our bowels! Try it sometime!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Arrebato (1980)

Precursor to Ben-Hur - but also very funny!

Great movie, with only a few minor flaws. Ironically, perhaps the worst about it is the major couple – Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr. Taylor is great in his own way but here often appears too wooden, or should I say stale. Kerr is a bit too…hard to put into words…whining, cloying, strung out (not in "crazy" sense, but in reactionary emotional sense). They aren't bad but could have been better; both can be a bit ponderous (despite the subject matter). And I know Kerr is capable of great things – her "King and I" role is superb.

1 might also point out that sometimes the cinematography (no, I will NOT say "director of photography") isn't so great, notably the blue-green driving backdrop to the chariot chase.

Otherwise, this is a great movie. A movie about early Christians "coming out" in Rome, it has good plot, good emotions, good men of faith (Finlay Curie again as a great and lovable religious man, this time St. Peter), generally good acting, and fantastic humor. This movie should be seen for the comedy of it if nothing else! People always point out Nero by Ustinov, and he IS terrific in this. Great acting in many humorous ways that may seem caricaturish (is that a word?) to the uninitiated, but when you know it's a pompous grandstanding madman he's portraying, it is smoothly fitting and realistic! However, while Ustinov deserves his due as Nero, his foil/friend deserves huge credit. Leo Genn plays 2-faced friend Petronius incredibly masterfully! The man is hilarious in his biting, sarcastic, double-entendre innuendo, and so realistic in the delivery of a witty, clever and duplicitous line. He is fantastic as a man trying to play both sides of the fence, dancing around the dangerous Nero. He should've had an Oscar for this role.

I'll note as have others in discussion that the music is clearly very much similar to Ben-Hur, as are some of the scenes – the chariot chase being amongst them and how it is handled. Never mind that we see Finlay Curie again!