Quo Vadis (1951)

A nominee for Best Picture of 1951, Quo Vadis is the story of a Roman general (played by Robert Taylor) who falls in love with a Christian girl (played by Deborah Kerr). The general, Marcus Vinicius, gets the Emperor Nero (played by Peter Ustinov) to "give" him Lygia, who is not technically a slave but is held "captive" under Roman rule. Much of the movie is less about the romance between Marcus Vinicius and Lygia than about Nero's increasingly bizarre ideas for Rome and his own glorification, one of which includes burning much of the city to the ground so that he can rebuild it to his even higher standards. When his plans go awry, Nero blames the Christians for the fire and begins a reign of terror over them.

Quo Vadis was filmed at Cinecitta Studios of Rome, and the film makes good use of the stages and costumes of the fabled studio. Production design is one of the hallmarks of this film, and it is gorgeous to look at. The special effects are also worthy of attention. The burning of Rome, in particular, involves hundreds of extras and conveys a real sense of the panic that the Romans must have felt while their homes turned to ashes and flames around them. The sequences at the Colosseum where Nero and the assembled Romans watch as lions attack and feed upon the Christians are also well done, adding to the tension that a viewer feels.

I wish the rest of the story lived up to those moments. Many of the cast members are somewhat wooden in their roles, perhaps an indication of their lack of enthusiasm for the project. Taylor, one of the most handsome of leading men, is especially stiff for much of the film. Kerr, one of my favorite actresses, was better in her later film roles, but she acquits herself nicely here. Ustinov, in one of his earliest featured roles, is way too over-the-top for my tastes, a far cry from the subtle nature of his later performances. Only Leo Genn as Petronius, the one person in Rome who seems capable of setting Nero on the right path, truly fits the part he plays. He has a sly sense of humor that he puts to good use here.

I was never a huge fan of Biblical epics, and Quo Vadis is a good example of why. The spectacle you might expect is certainly there, but the humanity seems lost. In an attempt, perhaps, to ensure a balanced representation of the conflict between the Romans and the Christians, the film is often too dull as characters make pronouncements about their faith. Finlay Currie's sermons as Peter, in particular, last far too long. If you want religion, you should probably go to a church. If you ask me, the movie theater is a poor place to get in touch with your faith. It's a palace of entertainment, not a temple.