Quo vadis (movie, 1951)

Synopsis

This three-hour work describes the emergence of Christianity in Rome under Nero , through a love story between a Roman officer, Marcus Vinicius, nephew of the epicurean patron Petronius , and Lygia, a young Lygian hostage , became a Christian, adopted daughter of a retired general, whom he will take as wife after escaping the massacre of Christians in the imperial arenas.

Technical sheet

• Original title: Quo vadis
• French title: Quo vadis
• Director: Mervyn LeRoy
• Realization second team: Anthony Mann
• Scenario: SN Behrman , Sonya Levien , John Lee Mahin , based on Henryk Sienkiewicz’s eponym
• Artistic direction: William A. Horning , Cedric Gibbons and Edward C. Carfagno
• Sets: Hugh Hunt
• Costumes: Herschel McCoy
• Photography: Robert Surtees and William V. Skall
• Editing: Ralph E. Winters
• Music: Miklós Rózsa
• Production: Sam Zimbalist
• Production company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Distribution Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Budget: 7,000,000 $ (est.)
• Country of origin: United States
• Language: English
• Format: Colors ( Technicolor ) – 35 mm – 1.37: 1 – mono sound

Reformatted at a ratio of 1.75: 1 in 1971 for the 20 years of the film

• Genre: Peplum , Historical Movie
• Duration: 171 minutes
• Release dates:
  •  United States : November 8 , 1951( New York )
  •  United States : November 29 , 1951( Los Angeles )
  •  United States : December 25 , 1951
  •  United Kingdom : January 25 , 1952
  •  Canada :1 ^st February 1952
  •  Belgium : November 7 , 1952
  •  France :1 ^st October 1953

Distribution

• Robert Taylor ( VF : Jean Davy ) : Marcus Vinicius
• Deborah Kerr (VF: Jacqueline Porel ) : Lygia
• Leo Genn (VF: Jacques Dacqmine ) : Petronius
• Peter Ustinov (VF: Jean Marchat ) : Nero
• Patricia Laffan (VF: Louise Conte ) : Poppée
• Buddy Baer (VF: Pierre Morin ) : Ursus
• Finlay Currie (VF: Fernand Fabre ) : Pierre
• Abraham Sofaer : Paul
• Nora Swinburne (VF: Hélène Tossy ) : Pomponia
• Felix Aylmer (VF: John of Yd ) : Plautius
• Marina Berti : Eunice
• Ralph Truman (VF: Louis Arbessier ) : Tigellin
• Norman Wooland (VF: Marc Cassot ) : Nerva
• Nicholas Hannen  ( VF: Paul Villé ) : Seneca
• Rosalie Crutchley ( Actor Claire Guibert ) : Acté
• Arthur Walge (VF: René Arrieu ) : Croton
• DA Clarke-Smith  (in) : Phaon
• Peter Miles : Nazarius
• Alfredo Varelli : Lucan

And, among the uncredited actors:

• Leslie Bradley : Hasta
• Adrienne Corri : a Christian girl
• Richard Garrick : a slave
• Sophia Loren : a girl who applauds Vinicius
• Walter Pidgeon : the narrator (voice)
• Bud Spencer : an imperial guard
• Elizabeth Taylor : a Christian prisoner in the arena

Awards and Distinctions

• Golden Globes 1952: Best Supporting Actor for Peter Ustinov

Appointments

• 1952 Oscars :
  • Best film
  • Best Supporting Actor for Leo Genn and Peter Ustinov
  • Best Photography (Color) for Robert Surtees and William V. Skall
  • Best Scenery (color) for William A. Horning , Cedric Gibbons , Edward C. Carfagno and Hugh Hunt
  • Best Costume Design (Color) for Herschel McCoy
  • Best Editing for Ralph E. Winters
  • Best Music for a Drama or Comedy for Miklós Rózsa

Around the film

The original novel has been adapted, among other things, several times on the screen:

• Quo vadis , French film by Lucien Nonguet and Ferdinand Zecca, released in 1901 ;
• Quo vadis , Enrico Guazzoni’s Italian film,released in 1912 ;
• Quo vadis , a Franco Rossi television series broadcast in 1985 ;
• Quo vadis , a film by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, released in 2001 .

During the 1951 film, a chess game pits Marcus against his uncle Petronius. The origins of chess are controversial ² , but the oldest archaeological discoveries chess pieces date from the vii ^th century. The chessboard seen in the film is modern, with carved figurines. Petronius that white wins and said Checkmate , this concept dates back to the vi ^th century. Marcus has the blacks.
In fact, it seems to be a specificity of dubbing in French. In VO we hear “there you are”, and “da bist du” in dubbing in German. It is unlikely that the chess game seen in the film was possible in Nero’s time.

Notes and references