Quo Vadis
(1951) The action takes place in ancient Rome from AD 64–68, a period after Emperor Claudius' illustrious and powerful reign, during which the new corrupt and destructive Emperor Nero ascends to power and eventually threatens to destroy Rome's previous peaceful order. The main subject is the conflict between Christianity and the corruption of the Roman Empire, especially in the last period of the Julio-Claudian line. The characters and events depicted are a mixture of actual historical figures and situations and fictionalized ones.

The film tells the story of a Roman military commander, Marcus Vinicius, who is also the legate of the XIV Gemina, returning from the wars, who falls in love with a devo... read more...ut Christian, Lygia, and slowly becomes intrigued by her religion. Their love story is told against the broader historical background of early Christianity and its persecution by Nero. Though she grew up Roman as the adopted daughter of a retired general, Aulus Plautius, Lygia is technically a hostage of Rome. Marcus persuades Nero to give her to him for services rendered. Lygia resents this, but still falls in love with Marcus.

Meanwhile, Nero's atrocities become increasingly more outrageous and his acts more insane. When he burns Rome and blames the Christians, Marcus goes off to save Lygia and her family. Nero captures them and all the Christians, and condemns them to be killed in the arena. However, Marcus's uncle, Petronius, Nero's most trusted advisor, warns that the Christians will be made martyrs and, tired of Nero's insanity and suspecting that he might become a victim of his antics too, commits suicide by slitting his wrist artery, sending Nero a farewell letter in which he finally communicates his derisive opinions he had never been able to tell the emperor in fear of his own life. Marcus is arrested for trying to save Lygia. In prison, Saint Peter, who has also been arrested after returning to Rome upon a sign of the Lord, marries the couple; eventually, he is crucified upside-down as an ironic twist at the whim of Nero's guard.

Poppaea, Nero's wife, who lusts after Marcus, devises a diabolical revenge for his rejection of her. Lygia is tied to a wooden stake in the arena. A wild bull is also placed there, and Lygia's bodyguard giant, Ursus must try to kill it with his bare hands, otherwise Lygia will be gored to death. Marcus is tied to the spectator's box and forced to watch, much to the horror of his officers, who also attend the spectacle. When all seems hopeless, Ursus is able to break the bull's neck. Hugely impressed by Ursus's courage, the crowd exhorts Nero to spare them, which the emperor is not willing to do. However, Nero's four other retainers Seneca, architect Phaon, Lucan, and Terpnos vouch for the mob's demands by putting their thumbs up as well. Marcus then breaks free of his bonds, leaps into the arena, frees Lygia with the help of his loyal troops from his legion, and announces that General Galba is at that moment marching on Rome, intent on replacing Nero.

The crowd, now firmly believing that Nero, and not the Christians, is responsible for the burning of Rome, revolts. Nero flees to his palace, where he strangles Poppaea to death, blaming her for attempting to scapegoat the Christians. Then Acte, a palace slave who was once in unrequited love with Nero, appears and offers to aid him in ending his own life before the mob storms the palace. The cowardly Nero cannot bring himself to do it, so Acte drives the dagger into his chest, weeping over his demise.

Marcus, Lygia and Ursus are now free and leave Rome. By the roadside, Peter's crook, which he had left behind when he returned to Rome, has miraculously sprouted flowers. The radiant light intones, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
International titles
Кво вадис
bulgarian
¿Quo vadis?
spanish
Камо грядеши?
russian
Ko Vadis
turkish
DirectorMervyn LeRoy
ScreenplayS.N. Behrman
ScreenplayJohn Lee Mahin
ScreenplaySonya Levien
Trailer:
english
Bud Spencer Official Shop
B.Joe Photo Booth
Watch Out, We're Mad
BUDDY
Old School Heroes
Flatfoot
Bulldozer 63
Cast
Marcus Vinicius
Robert Taylor
Lygia
Deborah Kerr
Petronius
Leo Genn
Nero
Peter Ustinov
Poppaea
Patricia Laffan
Peter
Finlay Currie
Paul
Abraham Sofaer
Eunice
Marina Berti
Ursus
Buddy Baer
Plautius
Felix Aylmer
Pomponia
Nora Swinburne
Tigellinus
Ralph Truman
Nerva
Norman Wooland
Nazarius
Peter Miles
Terpnos
Geoffrey Dunn
Seneca
Nicholas Hannen
Phaon
D.A. Clarke-Smith
Acte
Rosalie Crutchley
Chilo
John Ruddock
Croton
Arthur Walge
Miriam
Elspeth March
Rufia
Strelsa Brown
Lucan
Alfredo Varelli
Flavius
Roberto Ottaviano
Anaxander
William Tubbs
Galba
Pietro Tordi
Dancer - Assyrian Dance at Nero's Banquet
Marika Aba
Wine Bibber
Adriano Ambrogi
Undetermined Role
Anna Arena
Christian Prisoner in Arena
Alfred Baillou
Senator
Giacomo Barnas
Fisherman
Scott R. Beal
Officer
John Binns
Slave Girl
Francesca Biondi
Serving Woman
Alice Bishop
Noble
Carlo Borelli
Hasta - 2nd Praetorian
Leslie Bradley
Undetermined Role
Alfred Brown
Undetermined Role
Phyllis Brown
Mirmillon
Valentino Bruchi
Banquet Lady
Rosemary Burt
Wine Bibber
Dante Ciriaci
Undetermined Role
Frank Colson
Young Christian Girl
Adrienne Corri
Old Man
Luca Cortese
Little Boy
David Craig
Undetermined Role
Maurice De Bosardi
Apostle
Daniel De Jonghe
Banquet Man
Michael De Krasny
Undetermined Role
Liana Del Balzo
Apostle
Jack Del Rio
Pedicurist
Lia Di Leo
Undetermined Role
Eduardo Di Persis
Girl
Mildred Dudzik
Child
Gabriella Fabrizio
Undetermined Role
Franco Fantasia
Noble
Cesare Fasulo
Apostle
Al Ferguson
Mounted Captain
Enzo Fiermonte
Man with Wine Cup
Enrico Formichi
Young Unbaptized Man
John Fostini
Undetermined Role
Lydia Fostini
Senator
Dino Galvani
Slave
Richard Garrick
Lydia Guard
Gianni Gazzoti
Fisherman
Jack George
Guard
Carlo Ghisini
Undetermined Role
Trudy Glassford
Undetermined Role
Joan Griffiths
Girl
Evelyn Guignard
Christ (voice)
Robin Hughes
Undetermined Role
Adam Jennette
Apostle
Philip Kieffer
Slave Girl
Gipsy Kiss
Undetermined Role
Lee Kresel
Guard
Richard Larke
Lygia's Slave
Sophia Loren
Banquet Man
Giovanni Lovatelli
Older Woman
Helena Makowska
Nubian Slave Girl
Anna Mancini
Fisherman
Michael Mark
Parmenida
Clelia Matania
Legionnaire
Richard McNamara
Undetermined Role
Harriet Medin
Lydia Guard
Dario Michaelis
Fisherman
Ernesto Molinari
Guard
John Myhers
Apostle
Vincent Neptune
Servant
Attillio Olivo
Banquet Lady
Riette Osborne
Young Unbaptized Woman
Anna Maria Padoan
Guard
Riccardo Pantellini
Apostle
Louis Payne
Narrator (voice)
Walter Pidgeon
Headkeeper
Aldo Pini
Steward
Alberto Plebani
Undetermined Role
Michael Proben
Undetermined Role
Dino Raffaelli
Apostle
George Restivo
Guard
Kenneth Richards
Hairdresser
Alfredo Rizzo
Schipio
Giuseppe Rodi
Undetermined Role
Leonardo Scavino
Marcus Guard
Joseph Sebaroli
Officer
Alessandro Serbaroli
Faun
Jurek Shabelewski
Undetermined Role
John Sleeter
Charon
Lujo Sostarich
Guard
Armando Spaccarelli
Imperial Guard
Bud Spencer
Banquet Lady
Jane Sprague
Undetermined Role
Raffaele Tana
Christian Prisoner in Arena
Elizabeth Taylor
Guard Captain / Marcus Guard
William Taylor
Centurian
Michael Tor
Wrestler
Giuseppe Tosi
Apostle
Carlo Tricoli
Guard
Renato Valente
White Slave Girl
Scilla Vannucci
Hairdresser
Giuseppe Varni
Slave Girl
Dianora Veiga
Fisherman
Harry J. Vejar
Slave Girl
Romilda Villani
Undetermined Role
Benjamin Wilkes
Undetermined Role
Maria Zanoli
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