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Quo Vadis
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Quo Vadis (1951) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 18 | slideshow) Videos (see all 2)
Quo Vadis (1951) -- Returning to Rome after 3 years in the field, General Marcus Vinicius meets Lygia and falls in love with her...
Quo Vadis (1951) -- US Home Video Trailer from MGM

Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   3,452 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 36% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Mervyn LeRoy
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Writers:
S.N. Behrman (screenplay)
Sonya Levien (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Quo Vadis on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 November 1951 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | History | Romance more
Tagline:
Three Years in the Making! Thousands in the Cast! Filmed in Rome! more
Plot:
Returning to Rome after 3 years in the field, General Marcus Vinicius meets Lygia and falls in love with her... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for 8 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
Precursor to Ben-Hur - but also very funny! more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Qvo Vadis (USA) (alternative spelling)
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Runtime:
171 min | UK:166 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
UK:PG (video rating) (1986) | USA:Approved (PCA #15165) | UK:PG (tv rating) | West Germany:12 (f) | Brazil:12 | South Korea:12 | Ireland:PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
One immediate problem they encountered with the lions was that when they were released from their cages, they found the arena so hot, they'd immediately retreat back into their cages. Director Mervyn LeRoy overcame this problem by having several costumes filled with meat. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Nero plays his lyre as Rome burns, the seams and stitching of the night "sky" behind him are clearly visible. more
Quotes:
Vinicius: [as the Christians file into the arena, singing] These people know how to die, Nero. In death you will squeal like a hog! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in An Opera of Violence (2003) (V) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
9 out of 12 people found the following comment useful:-
Precursor to Ben-Hur - but also very funny!, 2 January 2007
8/10
Author: OlLineRebel from Maryland USA

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!

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Christian propaganda, yet fail skygiordana
Longer version? marcin_kukuczka
Just got the DVD!!! keithbryantm
Music lawrence81
DVD release for Nov. 2008!!! Ilovemytruck77
Great stunt work ristowge
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