Quo Vadis

The 1951 adaptation of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s religious epic was the fourth full-length adaptation to make it to the screen, not counting a 1901 short film. It has also been adapted several times for television and was remade once again in 2024 as an animated feature. This novel by the Polish Nobel Laureate was a popular source for inspiration amongst Christians because of how it depicts the early believers who faced extermination by Emperor Nero and the people of Rome. It also depicts a time in early Christianity that isn’t often told, the stories of some of the Apostles after the death of Christ and what happened to them during that tumultuous time. 

The film had a long production history dating back to the late 1930s when MGM bought the talking picture rights—at the same time having to buy the 1924 silent screen version—from the heirs of Henryk Sienkiewicz.  The intention was to go into production in Italy right away, but the rising tensions in Europe that led into World War II put an end to that plan. By the time the war was over and production could resume, nearly a decade had passed. Space at the massive Cincitta Studios outside of Rome was leased, and things were able to move forward again. 

After some casting shakeups, a young British actor, Peter Ustinov, was chosen to play the pivotal role of Emperor Nero. Ustinov was 28 at the time of casting and, in his own words, said that he threw everything into his audition with John Huston, director at that time, doing little to hold him back. This choice would translate over to the final product after the helm was handed over to the man who would see the film through its production, Mervyn LeRoy. Whether you like this decision, there is no denying that Ustinov’s Nero is so iconic that others would try and recreate that energy in later productions, including most recently Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II with brother emperors Geta and Caracalla. 

Quo Vadis (Latin for “Where are you going?”) tells the story of Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor), a Roman military commander and the legate of the Legio XIV Gemina. As the film opens, he is just returning from wars in Britain and Gaul and is staying in the house of Aulus Plautius (Felix Aylmer), a retired general. In the general’s care is Lygia (Deborah Kerr), a Lygian hostage of Rome. She, along with Aulus and his household, are devout Christians. Marcus’ uncle, Petronius (Leo Genn), persuades Emperor Nero (Ustinov) to give Lygia to Marcus as a reward for his services on the battlefield. Though she initially resents this arrangement, she eventually falls in love with him. 

Tensions are rising in Rome, though, as Nero’s atrocities become increasingly irrational. This comes to a head when he orders Rome set ablaze and sings before the ruin and destruction he has wrought. When the people begin to rebel against him, he finds a scapegoat in the Christians, blaming them for the fire. To appease the easily swayed citizens, he arranges for the Christians to be killed in the arena by feeding them to lions. But their faith and devotion to God doesn’t waver, and they sing praises to heaven even as they are killed. Burning them, alongside the Apostle Peter, doesn’t achieve better results either. When he puts Marcus and his wife Lygia, secretly married by Peter while imprisoned, in the arena to be killed, Marcus’ men stage a coup.

This is not Cecil B. DeMille, alas. The Ten Commandments is a visually stunning representation of what can be achieved on the screen with the right talent behind it. While not all of the effects still hold up, most do, and it is still jaw-dropping to watch to this day. Quo Vadis feels on a lesser tier than that. So many moments which are supposed to be awe-inspiring fall flat because we can see the seams in nearly every big scene. We can tell that big sweeping vistas are just painted backdrops, and characters are matted into shots that could have easily been achieved in a more practical way. It is distracting and makes the film seem cheap, even though it wasn’t. 

Mervyn LeRoy doesn’t have the same flair for action, either, with a key sequence involving a chariot chase coming across looking artificial rather than having the visceral intensity of the action in Ben-Hur. This is not a bad film, quite the opposite, but some of the filming choices undercut what could have been a visual feast. It was filmed in Italy but there is so much obvious rear projection it might as well have been shot in the studios of Hollywood. 

The odd choices go beyond the filming process, too. One of those choices is Peter Ustinov, himself. His flamboyance is meant to convey just how unhinged he is as a character, and to some degree, it works. But it only works on a surface level. There is little of the darker menace behind that childish character, and that only really shows up when he is feeling cornered. All other times, he is playing this like a spoiled little toddler demanding he get his own way but easily manipulated by those around him. Maybe Nero was really like this, but the portrayal conflicts with the somberness he is being presented as in the opening narration. 

And the opening narration sets a tone that this film only occasionally meets. It speaks of power and corruption, the uncertainty of life, and murder replacing justice. Nero is referred to as the Antichrist. This portrayal of Nero doesn’t live up to that title. He does some awful things, but almost always, he is being goaded into making these bad decisions by those around him, then turning on them when things turn sour. It’s a strange mix of tones that doesn’t always work for this film. Neither do the politics of the day, which are only glossed over in a handful of sequences. 

Faring far better is the romance between Marcus and Lygia. While the method of their relationship is cliché, the two actors handle it well and develop it convincingly. This is especially the case with Deborah Kerr, who has to balance her feelings for Marcus with her convictions towards Christianity. Marcus, on the other hand, is willing to convert to Christianity for her sake, not necessarily because he is converted in his heart. It’s an interesting dynamic that plays out not only in their actions and words but in the very expressions on their faces. Surprisingly, neither would be recognized by the Academy Awards, whereas Ustinov, as hammy as he is much of the time, was. 

Quo Vadis is a good movie searching for greatness. It doesn’t quite make it to the same level as a DeMille epic or something by David Lean, but it does have some great moments. A scene between the giant of a man, Ursus, and a bull is a real highlight, as is the singing of the Christians foiling Nero’s intentions as they are fed to the lions. But there is also a lot of filler, too, making the film feel just a little bloated. Overall, it is worth watching, but it is not quite deserving of the accolades that DeMille’s The Ten Commandments or William Wyler’s Ben-Hur enjoys. 

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Motion Picture: Sam Zimbalist

Best Supporting Actor: Leo Genn

Best Supporting Actor: Peter Ustinov

Best Art Direction - Color: William A. Horning, Cedric Gibbons, Edward Carfagno, and Hugh Hunt

Best Cinematography - Color: Robert Surtees and William V. Skall

Best Costume Design - Color: Herschel McCoy

Best Film Editing: Ralph E. Winters

Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: Miklós Rózsa

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Release Date: November 2, 1951

Running Time: 171 minutes

Not Rated

Starring: Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn, and Peter Ustinov

Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy