Amazon.com: "Welcome to Nero's House of Women" greets a concubine to a slave girl, Lygia (Deborah Kerr). Later this self-same greeter reveals that she, too, like Lygia, is really a fellow Christian neophyte. And it's that mixture of tawdry Hollywood sex and a strong Christian message that makes this film an enjoyable "gentiles and gladiators" flick. Marcus Vinicius returns home after conquering the Britons to find that Rome is infected with a crazy new sect called Christians and that his beloved emperor Nero (Peter Ustinov, roly-poly and wicked) has become increasingly wacky. Marcus tries his centurion wiles on Lygia, and she's smitten, but she's also a Christian convert and begs Marcus not to force her to choose between him and her god. The Christians have a tough go of it, with martyrdom in the Coliseum as punishment for belonging to the new religion in town. Though three hours long, director Mervyn LeRoy's film always has something going on. It could help you enjoyably kill any rainy Sunday afternoon. --Keith Simanton
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Wonderful spectacle, but way too short for what the story tries to tell
A beautiful print of this good film. The film is not quite as good as the original book though. But decent, considering that Mervyn Leroy was behind the wheel of this super-production, so it could hardly fail. The best is the crisp and beautiful cinematography, the real sets, the colors, the whole spectacle of it. The weakest is the shortage of running time: the story has been shortened way to much from the original. There is no time for transitions, no character development. The heroine meets the hero and in no time he's become a Christian and they are married. It makes no sense. For the story ... Read More
Rating: - Finally - An Official 2 Disc Release Of A Classic Epic -
"Nothing do I see that is not perfection".
At last one of the great classic Hollywood blockbuster epics of the early fifties has finally found its rightful DVD home with this exceptional release from Warner Home Video!
Produced by MGM in 1951 "Quo Vadis" was Hollywood's first wallop in the fight against the onslaught of television. Available at first and for many years only on VHS tape it then began to appear on a plethora of foreign DVDs and with varying quality - it has to be said. One such unfortunate issue, which originated in Korea, was released without any opening ... Read More
Rating: - Great Film But the Dvd is a Rip-Off
Quo Vadis is one of those large scale biblical epics that has withstood
the test of time. and as they did with special edition dvds of Ryan's
Daughter, Dr. Zhivago, Mutiny on the Bounty, Grand Prix, Ben-Hur and How
The West Was Won Warner Brothers Home Video has done a splendid job of
restoring and remastering the film. but why the break??? a 2hr.52min.film
can easily fit on one side of one disc.
Rating: - NOT A WIDESCREEN FILM
It bares repeating that this film was made before the invention of Cinemascope or any widescreen process. So, I don't want to hear anyone complaining about this being a "Full Screen Version". That is the only way it can be viewed. Also, even though Miklos Rozza's score is not as dramatic as Ben Hur, or any others he composed during this time period, there is obvious similarities to Ben Hur. Close to the end of the film, the march he used at the end of the Chariot Race of Ben Hur is exactly duplicated note for note. Also, throughout the film, those with a good ear will notice other similarities ... Read More
Rating: - Big disappointment
I have been waiting for "Quo Vadis " on DVD for years to complete the " Ben Hur" , " King of Kings " trilogy. Considereing the stunning
presentation of "King of Kings " I was sure "Quo Vadis was going to be on an equal par especially since it was remastered in an ultraresolution.
What a disappointment. Image appeared flat and the technicolor was pale and lackluster. A far cry from the "King of Kings" presentation.
I hope the blu ray disc due out for Easter is an improvement.
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