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Business Stationary Mart - Quo Vadis (1951)
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List Price: $24.98
Our Price: $14.27
Your Save: $ 10.71 ( 43% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Starring: Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn, Peter Ustinov, Patricia Laffan
Directed By: Mervyn LeRoy, Anthony Mann
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786301976626
Format: Closed-captioned
ISBN: 6301976622
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Release Date: 1995-02-08
Running Time: 171
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Theatrical Release Date: 1951-11-08
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: ohmygod.
Comment: Why do so many of the reviews I read here,
write of this movie as if it were a church sermon? What is this extraordinary concentration on religion in so many areas. I feel these people would find a sermon in a shopping list!
It's a MOVIE for God's sake [sorry about that], and as a movie I have always had a fondness for it. Silly though it may be, it's a lot of entertaining fun. I can't wait for the release.. I've been waiting for it for years. I remember sneaking along to see it in short pants, somehow I got in, even though I was far to young to do so.At the time I think I was thrilled with epic movies. The scale of this one is huge, they didn't need digital effects to get their ideas on screen, just imagination.The cast is splendid, Ustinov totally over the top, childish yes, but convincingly vicious, Robert Taylor, as wooden as ever, seems to work in the style context of the movie. Leo Genn,always underestimated, is as ellegant as he should be. And Debbie Kerr is all class.
Get a copy of this, and indulge yourself in a truly wonderful example of what Hollywood could do best at this time. I for one can't wait.
John Corcoran.
Scarborough,NSW.
Australia.
Customer Rating:
Summary: After The First View
Comment: Since they made the decision to show Nero as a buffoon, Ustinov certainly delivered those goods. However, on repeat views over the years, I find no interest in watching this dolt. He's performed one-sided, lacking any chilling menace the real Nero must have had.
The best thing on the DVD will be skipping his tedious ego scenes. There's so much spectacle to absorb, which gets better with each view.
Robert Taylor's aloofness made a good fit for the prideful Marcus. Deborah Kerr radiated the refined Lygia. Whoever did her hair was outstanding. The ribbon with flowers entwining down the sides was a work of art unsurpassed in any film.
The photography has a lush look seldom seen anymore. The Christian message is realistc, showing terror at the lions roar, and that only spiritual help subdues it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Quo Vadis is a great epic film! (was never a widescreen movie)
Comment: Quo Vadis was released in 1951 which is two years before the advent of CinemaScope and other widescreen formats of 1953. Quo vadis was released in the aspect ratio of 1.33:1, so do not look for a widescreen version on DVD. The movie is an epic in the true sense of the word. Peter Ustinov steals every scene with his wonderful, self indulgent performance as Nero. Patricia Laffan (Devil Girl From Mars) delivers a deliciously evil performance. Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr star as Roman leader and persecuted Christian, respectively. If you enjoy movies like The Robe, Demetrious and The Gladiators, Samson And Delilah (not yet available on DVD), you will love Quo Vadis. (unknown Sophia Loren is somewhere in the crowd scenes during the burning of Rome).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Extra Features for the Nov. 2008 release are announced
Comment: This biblical epic has Peter Ustinov giving the definitive performance of the emperor Nero, in spite of the motion picture code. But then, it seems they were always relaxing that motion picture code back in the 40's and 50's as long as it was for a biblical epic of some kind. In this case, you see - although from a distance - lions carrying the limbs of dismembered Christians upon which they are feeding, along with all of the other insinuations of decadence present under Nero. Robert Taylor, who was normally a rather wooden actor IMHO, did a very good job in this one as a Roman soldier entranced by a Christian girl. If you didn't know better you might think this film was the work of Cecil B. DeMille, but instead the director was Mervyn Le Roy. Le Roy directed some of Warners fast-paced urban early sound films including Alice White's musicals, Gold Diggers of Broadway, Cagney's "Hard to Handle", Edward G. Robinson's "Little Caesar", and "Three on a Match". He also directed one of Robert Taylor's other great performances in 1942's "Johnny Eager", unbelievably not yet on DVD. In other words, Le Roy directed many crowd-pleasers. This might explain why this film got seven or eight Oscar nominations, but none for the director himself. He just wasn't considered good enough by the Academy to be "in the club" in spite of this excellent individual achievement.
Everyone knows the popular legend. Nero burns Rome to clear the way for the magnificent city he wants to build, but the peasants are revolting - literally. He then blames the odd and unpopular but quickly growing sect of the Christians for the burning, and begins feeding them to the lions for the amusement of the Romans. However, the Christians face death so bravely that Rome turns on Nero. Well, that's the movie.
The facts are much more in argument. In an ancient city such as Rome, accidental fires that destroyed cities were common. In fact Nero did lead a massive relief effort after the fire, and fires just as large broke out in Rome after Nero's death. Some historians do have the Christians confessing to the crime. The fact is that the people did begin to circulate rumors that Nero was at fault, and he was responsible for blaming th Christians for the fire to save himself. He ordered to have them thrown to dogs, though, not lions, as in the film. However, like Showtime's "The Tudors" one can somewhat overlook all of this historical jumping to conclusions and outright inaccuracy in the name of fine entertainment.
Special Features
Disc 1
Commentary by F. X. Feeney -- Filmmaker/writer Feeney explores the genesis of one of M-G-M's most glorious, grand-scale productions
Theatrical trailer
Teaser trailer
Disc 2
Commentary by F. X. Feeney continued from Disc 1
Documentary -- In the Beginning: Quo Vadis and the Genesis of the Biblical Epic - This documentary walks the road as long and complex as the film itself, from its roots as a Nobel Peace Prize-winning bestseller to its various ground-breaking adaptations to its place as the most daring and lavish film that MGM, and Louis B. Mayer, dared to undertake.
Technical notes: Quo Vadis was made prior to the advent of widescreen projection and stereophonic sound. It is presented, as in its original theatrical release, with a 1.37:1 aspect ratio and monophonic soundtrack. Because of its extreme length and detailed photography, WHV has spread the film over two discs in order to maximize bit-rate and insure the highest quality picture presentation.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of my Favorites!
Comment: "Quo Vadis" is one of my favorite films. The whole picture has the feel of a Hollywood epic with thousands of extras and lots of spectacle. The scene where Romes burns and the victory parade of Roman legions were quite memoriable. Deborah Kerr, Finlay Curie (Peter), and Leo Genn give good acting performances. Peter Ustinov's performance as Nero is a little over the top, but is never the less entertaining and memorable. The picture is greatly enhanced in the fact it was filmed around Rome. The scenes of Christians being persecuted are significantly toned down from the book but are still powerful. Overall, while not quite as good as the book, the film is a very entertaining epic dealing with love, faith, persecution, and the madness of an emperor. I hope this film will be released on a high quality DVD soon.
I don't usually like to comment on other reviewers' opinions, but in the name of honesty, I believe a previous reviewer is really blowing Peter and Paul disagreements out of proportion. I don't exactly know where he arrived at his information, but it would appear to be from radical theological persuasions rather than mainstream views.
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Editorial Reviews:
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"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
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