Quo Vadis [Blu-ray]

I checked this movie out of the library, watched it once, and immediately ordered my own copy. Like _All About Eve_, _Bringing Up Baby_, _Casablanca_ and _Double Indemnity_, this is a film I will be watching over and over. Excellent actors, consummate attention to historical detail, lavish sets, fine choreography and beautiful costuming all add to the viewing pleasure.Yes, you'll be watching a fabulous spectacle depicting the plight of early Christians during the reign of the Emperor Nero. But it is the script of _Quo Vadis_ that makes the film rank high in my list of perfect movies. Clever and multi-layered, the dialogue encourages us to explore our own attitudes towards madness, faith, and sense of duty by listening in on the conversations of such varied characters as the Apostles Peter and Paul, a cast-off mistress of Nero, a Roman Senator and a Greek soothsayer.But, ultimately, the lion's share (oops, couldn't help that little pun!) of the cast is involved in a discovery of what it is to love and be loved. We encounter a slave desperately in love with her indifferent master; an emperor who longs for the approval of his people, even while despising them; a young foreigner torn between her earthly love for a handsome Roman officer and her spiritual longing for the Word of God; a slave who will kill to protect his mistress even though he believes killing is a sin; and an advisor to the Emperor who finds that he must ultimately cast off his role of peacemaker and nursemaid to Nero if he is ever to gain self-respect.The dialogue is antique without being precious, literate without being pretentious. It does not feel at all self-conscious, as I have found to be the case with some costume dramas. It is not an impediment to enjoying the story; it is an enhancement.Even the most polished script, however, will flounder without actors of the proper calibre and everyone in the cast is more than equal to the task at hand. To my mind, however, Peter Ustinov's performance as the petulant, insecure, outrageous Emperor Nero is nothing short of astonishing. Alarmingly manic one moment, Nero segues into a most royal, self-pitying sulk in a couple of breaths. Ustinov makes it believable, portraying the Emperor as a spoiled and frightened child who can react one moment with pure instinct and, the next, justify inexcusable crimes with clever and convoluted argument.Nero, who rationalizes "a man's acts may be cruel when he himself is not cruel," will eventually burn Rome and kill scores of innocents in the arena. But throughout the first half of the movie, his worst tendencies are held in check by his friend and advisor Petronious, a nobleman who describes himself as "indestructible." Petronious, portrayed with masterful irony by Leo Genn, relies on his quick wits in order to stay alive and prosper in the reign of a madman, and takes a certain pride in his ability to keep Nero under control.Nero is always watching Petronius, seeing how he will react, trying to second-guess him. Petronius is the only person whose opinion Nero cares about, because he is the only one who is not a total sycophant. As a matter of fact, Petronius at times goes out of his way to say the total opposite of what would be politically expedient to say, then, amazingly, turn his comment around to prove that he is being loyal to Nero by being honest and plainspoken. For example, when Nero complains about how much he hates the people, that he wishes they had but a single head that he might chop it off, Petronius doesn't shame him or tell him he's crazy as a bedbug. That would hardly be effective. Instead, Petronius reminds Nero that the mob is necessary, for a ruler needs subjects and an artist needs an audience.Unfortunately for Rome, Nero has decided sing about a burning city, and he has come to the conclusion that he must experience the real thing in order to interpret it. Also unfortunately for Rome, Petronius, who has previously complained of never being able to discover "an honest warmth in any woman," has been surprised by the love of his beautiful slave Eunice and is therefore distracted. There is no-one to talk Nero down, no-one to turn his immediate impulses into something less destructive. And when the stunned Petronius hears the news that Rome is aflame, he comments ironically, "Now, indeed, Nero has his place in history."Indeed, Petronius is able to keep his sense of the ironic until he witnesses the terrified Romans fleeing in desperation into the hitherto forbidden neighbourhoods of the wealthy. Nero exclaims in disgust, "Is it possible that human beings can produce such a sound?""Yes," relies Petronius, doubtless speaking for himself as well as the terrified mob, "when they have been driven too far." And, when Nero eyes the nobleman askance, it is clear that Petronius has lost major brownie points by going too far himself. Sensing a hated rival's almost instantaneous loss of status, Nero's empress suggests that perhaps Petronius himself is one of the despised Christians. To Nero's point-blank question, Petronius responds levelly, "I am not. I have heard that the Christians teach you to love your neighbour. And, as I see what men are, I cannot for the life of me love my fellow men."After the destruction of Rome, Petronius finds it hard to harbour any affection even for himself. Ashamed that he did not address the frightened citizens and urge them to depose Nero, the Emperor's erstwhile advisor berates himself as nothing more than "an amused cynic, a selfish onlooker."But this amused cynic will ultimately redeem himself, by signing "with humility" a letter which is being sent to General Galba, asking him to return to Rome and depose Nero. Then Petronius calls for his servant Alexander, saying "I will give him the names of those few I love." Petronius has planned a banquet, "an evening of farewell." With his few true friends as witness, Petronius reads aloud a letter he has written to Nero, in which he advises in closing, "Brutalize the people, but do not bore them, as you have bored to death your friend, the late Gaius Petronius." His friends gasp. Petronius assures them, "it is not enough to live well; one must die well," adding, "The Christians say that death is but a transition to a better life. It will be interesting to discover." His physician has slit Petronius' wrist. He will die with honour, escaping execution at the hands of Nero, prompting one of his guests to eulogize, "With you perishes the best of our Roman world."When Nero hears of the death of his former friend, he dissolves in melodramatic weeping. Yet even in his grief, he must perform, shedding tears into his weeping vial (one for Petronius and one for himself) and wailing for his audience, "How I have loved you, Petronius." He opens the letter, eager to read the last words addressed to him by his departed friend. But, as he scans the insulting, honest words, Nero comes to hate Petronius and everything associated with him, including Petronius' nephew Marcus and the Christian girl he loves and, consequently launch what he gloatingly describes as "a spectacle of terror." Nero always has someone else to blame for his misdeeds.But the slaughter of the Christians brings no satisfaction to the Emperor. The Christians sing as they go to their slaughter, inspiring the reluctantly impressed Marcus to snap, "These people know how to die, Nero. You will squeal like a hog." Nero cannot understand how the Christians can sing as they are being killed. After the slaughter, he goes at night into the arena and is appalled to find that they are all smiling.All too soon, Marcus' predictions concerning Nero come true. The Empress has arranged for Ursus, the gigantic servant of Marcus' Lygia, to fight a fierce black bull. The mob turns ugly and the military revolts when the Emperor is foolish enough to give the thumbs-down to the victorious giant. Nero will meet his end dishonourably, and a new ruler will come to power, a sane one who has no need of either scapegoats or audiences.Satisfying from beginning to end, from the first viewing to the twentieth and beyond, _Quo Vadis_ is a treasure. And if you want to appreciate it (and films of its ilk) even more, check out Jon Solomon's _The Ancient World in the Cinema_.A bit of trivia from the web: While a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, Leo Genn was one of the Prosecuting Officers at the British-mounted 1945 Belsen War Crimes trial. Belsen, like the other concentration camps was established to hold what were considered, by the Nazi regime, as undesirable people, ranging from Jews to relatives of famous German citizens who had fled overseas. Notable inmates of Belsen include Marlene Dietrich's sister and the Dutch Jewish girl Anne Frank. Genn was awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1945.

First of all, the blu-ray is exceptional in every way. Though I've seen this film many times, I've never seen it with such beautiful clarity and dazzling colors. It shows all that MGM put into it. Recommended without hesitation.In 1946 there were 6,000 television sets in America; in 1950 there were 6,000,000. Movie attendance fell by 50%. By this point Hollywood realized that they could not fight television and the consensus was to let television tell small stories but let movies become something bigger and grander than anything television could offer.And it worked. Wide-screen processes like Cinemascope, stereo sound, gigantic sets with thousands of extras brought millions back to the theaters, at least for really big pictures. The first thing you notice about “Quo Vadis” is that it was shot in standard ratio (wide-screen processes would not start until 1953’s “The Robe”) but the film is so visually splendid that after a short time, you hardly notice it. It’s true that many epics devolved into second-rate sword and sandal pictures, but “Quo Vadis” is not of that sort. It was one of the earliest epics, one of the most successful and one of the best.Spectacle was a big part of the draw here and MGM delivered it on a scale that the movies had never before seen. It was an enormous undertaking and financial risk for the studio. They rebuilt the 99 acre Cinecitta Studios outside Rome,, bombed during World War II when the site had been used as a barracks for Nazi soldiers and it became“Hollywood On the Tiber” where thousands of movies were made in later years, from “Ben-Hur” and “La Dolce Vita” to “Gangs of New York” and “Conclave”. With Europe still recovering after the war, the studio had to send over 200 tons of lighting and electrical equipment. Grandiose sets were constructed, including the Palace of Nero and its exterior that could hold the thousands of extras, all of whom are real, as there was no other way to do it. The first shot of this, in a celebration of a triumph, with the Royal Court, violet-clad dancers, Praetorians and vast crowd must have stunned audiences in 1950. It continues with the party inside the palace with its vast, vaulted ceilings, riotous colors of the costumes and gold everywhere; the film is a feast for the eyes. These sets were reused for many future films.In typical fashion, the film was originally to be produced by Arthur Hornblow Jr,. directed by John Huston, and starring Gregory Peck and Elizabeth Taylor and ended up produced by Sam Zimbalist, directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starred Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr. Director LeRoy, had directed the large scale “Anthony Adverse” for Warner Brothers” and had produced “The Wizard of Oz” for MGM after convincing them to film it in the first place. He was well versed in MGM’s high gloss style and brought films in within budget (and the budget here was seven million, almost inconceivable at the time). The important thing was that he could keep large projects together and handle all the departments, actors and inevitable problems without it becoming a mess. He had no identifiable style for theorists to discuss besides a generally leisurely pace. I do notice here that in really big scenes like the burning of Rome and the Christians in the Circus of Nero, the characters are grouped in balanced tableaux as in a painting, much like Cecil B. DeMille.The actors were well chosen and are not overwhelmed by the epic proportions of the film. Except for Robert Taylor, all the cast members are British. Taylor is convincing as tough Roman General Marcus Vinicius, far from his early days when he was considered a “pretty boy” in pictures like “Camille”. He manages this despite making no effort to act any way but American. Deborah Kerr commands your attention at once when she enters and plays Lygia as a demure Christian woman being thrust into the decadent world of Nero with great sincerity. Much of the film is about a clash of cultures with Rome’s triumphalism and sense of human nature at odds with Early Christian pacifism and idealism. It’s almost humorous when she says Rome should conquer with love, but she convinces you she really believes it. Leo Genn, a British actor known for his velvet voice, plays Nero’s confidant and I’ve arbiter of elegance with a wry sense of humor and sophistication and is also the narrator of the film. His repartee with Nero is the best dialogue in the film. One of the highlights of the film is Patricia Laffan’s Poppaea, Nero’s second wife, who is not just decadent, but vengeful and cruel as well. She’s dazzlingly dressed and commands attention in every scene with her elaborate hair style and two pet cheetahs.Peter Ustinov received his first Academy Award nomination as Nero, and we first see him in a purple and gold tunic being attended by his barber while composing a song with a lyre as the intimates of his court cluster around him. He physically resembles busts of Nero and at 28 was around the same age. At first I though his performance was delightfully over the top comedy, but on subsequent viewings it’s a much more nuanced interpretation of narcissism, pathos and madness. It’s important to watch his face shift from one ephemeral mood to another, especially as he reads a letter from Petronius. It’s one of the most memorable characterizationsIt’s a Hollywood film, so take the history lightly. It is fairly accurate on the larger events going on but the details are rather fuzzy. The events of 64 to 68 are condensed into what seems like a few weeks on screen. Many of the characters were already dead by the time the film begins but they all really existed in Nero’s court. Poppaea was actually from a respectable family and had been the wife of Nero’s friend (later Emperor) Otho, but it probably sounded better on screen to make her of low origin. Acte, the freedwoman who loves Nero actually existed and likely was a secret Christian; Nero wanted to marry her but her station was too low. Croton was actually a famous Greek wrestler, but he lived 500 years earlier. The Great Fire really happened and began on July 18, 64 A.D. Depending mostly on Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio, all of whom are unreliable, historians are inconclusive about its origin and Nero’s involvement and response. His end came in June of 68 A.D. and is shown with some accuracy except that he was already outside Rome. But in the overall sense, the film gets the times, the attitudes and the period fairly well.MGM’s bet paid off. People would come back to movie theaters if they offered something television couldn’t. “Quo Vadis” was the #1 movie of 1951, grossing over four times its cost. Its three hour run time goes by rather quickly. As epics go, it’s entertaining, not too stodgy and reverent, and whenever it starts to get dull, Nero pops up to entertain you.