Quo Vadis? (1951)

[RCMerchant]

I watched this on TCM just now (early Sunday morn').
This is a BIG movie. Great cinematography,vast in scope,an epic. A religious epic. Despite the Christian propaganda lean,it's very entertaining. Peter Ustinov is a total scumbag as Nero,Debrah Kerr is a beauty, and Buddy Baer is the giant Ursus. The scene where Ursus fights a bull in the arena to save Kerr is superb. BAD MOVIE trivia time: Buddy Baer played the giant Spainard zombie in the film GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN and is uncle to Max Baer Jr. aka Jethro Bodine!



Heres Buddy fighting the Bull!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m7SuiyWdBc

Even if you don't like religion themed films...this one is a winner!
EDIT:
BAD MOVIE UPDATE!

Partrica Laffin,who plays Nero's old lady,is the DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS!!!! These kind of things make me happy.

I was rewatching the clip-"gee-she looks familiar-" and did an imdb search-! Wonderful! Yup-I'm a B-movie freak.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqEdvxawEHo

Two BAD MOVIE icons in a religious epic? I guess there really IS a God!  

[Neville]

I think I first saw this one at school, on my early teen days. It was a catholic school, so I guees this was their idea of "educainment". The movie is inmensely popular here in spain. Together with "Ben Hur" it is a staple of TV programming on Easter.

I liked it a lot even then. The religious angle is quite naive, but there lots of things to like, such as Deborah Kerr (even in my early teens I could notice she was a knockout) and the banter between Petronius and Nero. The scene when Nero reads his suicide note is easily the funniest I've ever seen in a peplum.

[RCMerchant]

Dam. Yer lucky When I was in school we had to watch drug scare films...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSmu_JDtzVM

America-whatta great place! This kinda sh!t was mandatory viewing. Disinforfation is the USA's middle name.LSD is not a good thing....but cripes-the US goverment invented it....f#ckin' hypocrytes.

[Rev. Powell]

QUO VADIS is an above-average Roman epic... I prefer SPARTACUS or THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, but Ustinov is great!

OT:  RC, the US government didn't invent LSD (Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman did, while working for Sandoz pharmaceuticals).  But the CIA apparently did do secrets experiments with it on unwilling participants: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKULTRA.

[Neville]

I like "Spartacus" and, specially, "The fall of the Roman empire" a lot, but they were produced a decade later. It's natural we found them better, they are more complex and more dynamic. But that doesn't mean "Quo Vadis" is just "above average".

If the average is crap like "The robe", "Quo Vadis" is a zillion times better.

[Rev. Powell]

I like "Spartacus" and, specially, "The fall of the Roman empire" a lot, but they were produced a decade later. It's natural we found them better, they are more complex and more dynamic. But that doesn't mean "Quo Vadis" is just "above average".

If the average is crap like "The robe", "Quo Vadis" is a zillion times better.

I didn't mean "above average" as an insult.  I just meant it distinguishes itself from the pack, but I wouldn't rank it among the top classics in the genre. 

[Neville]

No ofense taken, really. I just don't think "Quo Vadis" is comparable with those later peplums. It has a much simpler plot and is far less spectacular.

I do think it belongs to the elite of Hollywood peplums, right there with "Ben-Hur". I do have far less patience with most of the others, such as "The ten commandments" or "The robe". This last one I hate with special emphasis.

[Hammock Rider]

Henryk Sienkiewicz wrote Quo Vadis and alot of other good books. He also wrote a great trilogy about 17th century Poland which was made into a movie called With Fire and Sword, the name of the first book of the trilogy. If you liked Quo Vadis make a point to check it out. It's really a sweeping epic.

[frank]

USTINOV!!!!!

great guy.



Sorry, this is not as sophisticated as the posts before, but it had to be said.

[BoyScoutKevin]

If you enjoyed "Quo Vadis," then you might enjoy Cecil B. DeMille's "The Sign of the Cross" from 1932. Very similiar to "Quo Vadis," even if Henryk Sienkiewicz doesn't get any credit for it. But, be sure to get the 1930's version, which has all the cool fights, and not the altered 1940's version.

Amazons vs. pygmys. Impalement. Man vs. man w/ knuckle studs. Decapitation. Man vs. bull. Woman vs. crocodiles. Man vs. elephant. Woman vs. gorilla. Lions vs. Christians. Lions 8. Chirstians 0.

[Rev. Powell]

If you enjoyed "Quo Vadis," then you might enjoy Cecil B. DeMille's "The Sign of the Cross" from 1932. Very similiar to "Quo Vadis," even if Henryk Sienkiewicz doesn't get any credit for it. But, be sure to get the 1930's version, which has all the cool fights, and not the altered 1940's version.

Amazons vs. pygmys. Impalement. Man vs. man w/ knuckle studs. Decapitation. Man vs. bull. Woman vs. crocodiles. Man vs. elephant. Woman vs. gorilla. Lions vs. Christians. Lions 8. Chirstians 0.

SIGN OF THE CROSS was much more fun than QUO VADIS!  I love SIGN OF THE CROSS!

[ghouck]

Dam. Yer lucky When I was in school we had to watch drug scare films...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSmu_JDtzVM

Was that a clip to PROMOTE the use of LSD, or DETER the use of LSD? I really couldn't tell. . .

[RCMerchant]

If you enjoyed "Quo Vadis," then you might enjoy Cecil B. DeMille's "The Sign of the Cross" from 1932. Very similiar to "Quo Vadis," even if Henryk Sienkiewicz doesn't get any credit for it. But, be sure to get the 1930's version, which has all the cool fights, and not the altered 1940's version.

Amazons vs. pygmys. Impalement. Man vs. man w/ knuckle studs. Decapitation. Man vs. bull. Woman vs. crocodiles. Man vs. elephant. Woman vs. gorilla. Lions vs. Christians. Lions 8. Chirstians 0.

SIGN OF THE CROSS was much more fun than QUO VADIS!  I love SIGN OF THE CROSS!

OO! OO! You can almost see Claudette Colbert's nipples! OO! OO! 

[Allhallowsday]

THE SIGN OF THE CROSS was just on TCM, but late I think; I'd like to see that one!    

I really enjoy QUO VADIS despite ROBERT TAYLOR ().  PETER USTINOV is always fun to watch, and DEBORAH KERR.  So, PETER USTINOV, major plus, ROBERT TAYLOR, major minus. 

I kind of like THE ROBE.  JAY ROBINSON is wonderful chewing scenery. 

[The Burgomaster]

OO! OO! You can almost see Claudette Colbert's nipples! OO! OO! 

Not bad, I must say . . .