I'm a huge fan of the Sword and Sandal picture. When I was a kid, beside the wonderful Italian Peplums, my Saturday and Sunday afternoon fare consisted mainly of some of the fantastic Hollywood historical classics; such legendary movies as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, BEN HUR, EL CID, and CLEOPATRA. The biblical epic was major part of my cinematic stock and trade.
QUO VADIS may be the ultimate biblical historical story. Written in 1896 by Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, it won him one of the first Nobel prizes in Literature, for his "outstanding merits as an epic writer". Incidentally, corresponding to my current obsession with Cossack films(see those reviews HERE), Sienkiewicz wrote the three Polish Cossack classics, WITH FIRE AND SWORD (Ogniem i mieczem), THE DELUGE (Potop), and FIRE IN THE STEPPE (Pan Wołodyjowski).
QUO VADIS may be the ultimate biblical historical story. Written in 1896 by Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, it won him one of the first Nobel prizes in Literature, for his "outstanding merits as an epic writer". Incidentally, corresponding to my current obsession with Cossack films(see those reviews HERE), Sienkiewicz wrote the three Polish Cossack classics, WITH FIRE AND SWORD (Ogniem i mieczem), THE DELUGE (Potop), and FIRE IN THE STEPPE (Pan Wołodyjowski).
QUO VADIS was the godfather of all of the biblical epics. First filmed in 1913, according to the nice documentary on the DVD, it inspired the grandiosity of a great many historical epics, including the massive scale of the D. W. Griffith classic INTOLERANCE. In any case, it's a brilliant story, for which Sienkiewicz travelled to all of the relevant locations during his research, as well as studying with prominent scholars on the various related subjects.
To anyone with even a passing knowledge of history and/or the New Testament, the story has familiar key points, as well as an interesting original plotline. The core of QUO VADIS revolves around the Military tribune and patrician Marcus Vinicius, masterfully played by Robert Taylor, and his development of a romantic fixation on the beautiful Ligia, played by Deborah Kerr. Vinicius has been away on a three-year campaign with his legions; on his return to Rome, he receives word that he must make camp outside the city on the strict orders of Emperor Nero, played by the wonderful Peter Ustinov. Angered, Vinicius drives his chariot wildly into the core of the city to demand the reason for the delay.
Once in the palace of the Emperor, Vinicius is calmed by his uncle Petronius, played by the charming, Leo Genn. The Emperor assures Venicius that his patience will be rewarded when another legion arrives, as a massive triumph is planned in his honour. This placates our hardened warrior, and he sets about the long-awaited task of relaxation. Uncle Petronius has arranged a temporary lodging in the villa of the retired general Aulus Plautius, until his own house is put in order. Once there, Vinicius spies the lovely Calina, called Ligia, in the care of Plautius and his wife. Calina is legally considered a hostage of Rome, being the daughter of the king of the conquered Ligians; her use of Ligia as her name is in recognition of her people, to which her only connection is the giant tribesman Ursus*, her servant and sworn protector. Unknown to Vinicus, Ligia, her adopted mother, and Ursus are converts to the new religion of Christianity.
Vinicius is consumed with a desire to possess Ligia. He's a hard, determined man, entirely of the Roman way of being; what is wanted can be had, whether bought, stolen, litigated or killed for...he sets about acquiring Ligia by any means. Though Ligia is immediately attracted to Vinicius, his brutish, paternal attitude and lack of the Christian faith drive her into internal conflict. When set upon by Vinicius to join in a lustful pagan-blessed bond, she denies her powerful desires and declines.
To anyone with even a passing knowledge of history and/or the New Testament, the story has familiar key points, as well as an interesting original plotline. The core of QUO VADIS revolves around the Military tribune and patrician Marcus Vinicius, masterfully played by Robert Taylor, and his development of a romantic fixation on the beautiful Ligia, played by Deborah Kerr. Vinicius has been away on a three-year campaign with his legions; on his return to Rome, he receives word that he must make camp outside the city on the strict orders of Emperor Nero, played by the wonderful Peter Ustinov. Angered, Vinicius drives his chariot wildly into the core of the city to demand the reason for the delay.
Once in the palace of the Emperor, Vinicius is calmed by his uncle Petronius, played by the charming, Leo Genn. The Emperor assures Venicius that his patience will be rewarded when another legion arrives, as a massive triumph is planned in his honour. This placates our hardened warrior, and he sets about the long-awaited task of relaxation. Uncle Petronius has arranged a temporary lodging in the villa of the retired general Aulus Plautius, until his own house is put in order. Once there, Vinicius spies the lovely Calina, called Ligia, in the care of Plautius and his wife. Calina is legally considered a hostage of Rome, being the daughter of the king of the conquered Ligians; her use of Ligia as her name is in recognition of her people, to which her only connection is the giant tribesman Ursus*, her servant and sworn protector. Unknown to Vinicus, Ligia, her adopted mother, and Ursus are converts to the new religion of Christianity.
Vinicius is consumed with a desire to possess Ligia. He's a hard, determined man, entirely of the Roman way of being; what is wanted can be had, whether bought, stolen, litigated or killed for...he sets about acquiring Ligia by any means. Though Ligia is immediately attracted to Vinicius, his brutish, paternal attitude and lack of the Christian faith drive her into internal conflict. When set upon by Vinicius to join in a lustful pagan-blessed bond, she denies her powerful desires and declines.
 Marcus Vinicius |  Calina/Ligia |  Gaius Petronius |  Chess game |  Ursus |
 Nero - 100% whack-a-doodle | Of course, that doesn't stop Vinicius. Through his uncle's close connection with the solipsistic sociopath Nero, he works the laws concerning hostages to his benefit; Nero gives Ligia to him as a gift. Of course, Ligia is mortified by this ethical breach, and very strongly expresses her distaste for Vinicius' methods. Her fellow Christians are upset as well, and during the night-time delivery of Ligia to Vinicius, the pacifistic Ursus leaps from the dark, accidentally killing the soldier accompanying the party...he and Ligia escape into the dark, into the waiting company of her friends. |
The Apostle Peter testifies Vinicius is angered and pursues his perceived property; he follows her trail to a gathering of Christians, where he hears the stirring and captivating words of the Apostle Peter, recounting his personal associations with Jesus Christ, including the tale of his death and resurrection. Vinicius is moved by these powerful words, and the change within his heart has begun.
I thought this was an incredible movie. Whether you are a Christian or not, it's powerful stuff; the concepts of love and forgiveness, of loyalty and friendship, of possession, obsession and madness are dealt with in a deeply compelling way. The history was given a fun treatment, and though many fans of the novel have panned the adaptation for gross oversimplification, there seems to be a grudging acceptance of this as good, big-screen stuff. In fact, I'm inspired to read the novel, which I found for free on the internet...I look forward to experiencing the story as originally written.
The title QUO VADIS, by the way, refers to the tale of Peter, who, while escaping from persecution in Rome, meets the resurrected Jesus on the road, heading into the city. Peter asks his saviour, "Quo Vadis, domine?" (Latin: "Where are you going, Lord?"), to which Jesus replies, "I am returning to be crucified again". This inspires Peter to return to the city himself, an act which will lead to his own martyrdom. In a show of extreme piety, Peter requests of the Romans that he be crucified upside down, so his death might not be compared with the execution of his Lord. These scenes are played out in the film, and I thought they were handled extremely well. The portrayal of Christianity here is a more gentle, old school, pre-1960's approach; the genuine love and peace of the true Christian message conflicting sharply with the more battle-hardened current take on the subject.
I thought this was an incredible movie. Whether you are a Christian or not, it's powerful stuff; the concepts of love and forgiveness, of loyalty and friendship, of possession, obsession and madness are dealt with in a deeply compelling way. The history was given a fun treatment, and though many fans of the novel have panned the adaptation for gross oversimplification, there seems to be a grudging acceptance of this as good, big-screen stuff. In fact, I'm inspired to read the novel, which I found for free on the internet...I look forward to experiencing the story as originally written.
The title QUO VADIS, by the way, refers to the tale of Peter, who, while escaping from persecution in Rome, meets the resurrected Jesus on the road, heading into the city. Peter asks his saviour, "Quo Vadis, domine?" (Latin: "Where are you going, Lord?"), to which Jesus replies, "I am returning to be crucified again". This inspires Peter to return to the city himself, an act which will lead to his own martyrdom. In a show of extreme piety, Peter requests of the Romans that he be crucified upside down, so his death might not be compared with the execution of his Lord. These scenes are played out in the film, and I thought they were handled extremely well. The portrayal of Christianity here is a more gentle, old school, pre-1960's approach; the genuine love and peace of the true Christian message conflicting sharply with the more battle-hardened current take on the subject.
 The Apostle Paul |  The Last Supper |  Jesus addresses Peter |  Resurrected |  Peter's Crucifiction |
Nero croons while Rome burns... To me, the real star of the show (no offence to Robert Taylor intended), was the fabulously over-the-top Peter Ustinov. His Nero is a wild-eyed, narcissistic, sadist, but there's a gleeful, almost childlike naivete here that almost (but not quite)makes you forgive him his monstrous excesses. He burns Rome, he sets the Christians on fire and feeds them to the Lions, but it's almost as if he doesn't understand why it's a problem to others. It really is very near to mental incapacity in a way...Ustinov's Nero would almost certainly be in a rubber room today, drugged-up, with streams of spittle dripping from his slackened lips. There's a movie in there somewhere!
So, whether you care for biblical stories or not, I hope you'll give QUO VADIS a look; it's on par with the legendary Hollywood blockbusters.
So, whether you care for biblical stories or not, I hope you'll give QUO VADIS a look; it's on par with the legendary Hollywood blockbusters.
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Ursus, by the way, was used as a character in a great many of the Italian Peplum movies of the 1960's, in such titles as Ursus, Ursus e la regazza tartara (Ursus and the Tatar girl), Ursus nella terra di fuoco (Ursus in the land of fire), Ursus il gladiatore rebelle (Ursus the Rebel Gladiator), and Ursus il terrore dei kirghisi (Ursus, the terror of the Kirghiz). All incredible films!
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