Lent Reviews Week 5: Quo Vadis (1951)

     Quo Vadis was released on December 25th, 1951. It is directed by Mervyn LeRoy with a script by S. N. Behrman, Sonya Levien, and John Lee Mahin. Based on the novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz the film follows legate Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor) who falls in love with Lygia (Deborah Kerr), a devout Christian, and becomes intrigued by her faith amid the backdrop of Emperor Nero's (Peter Ustinov) reign.

     Quo Vadis is one of the better biblical epics I've watched though its not among the best. It does a decent job synthesizing a fairly long and complicated event, namely the beginning of the Christian persecution in Rome, into a workable movie. It certainly takes dramatic license at times. Nero may have been responsible for the fire of Rome but he certainly would not have done it with the help and full knowledge of other Roman officials. On the other hand, I quite enjoyed its portrayal of early Christians, who are viewed with suspicion by the Roman people. The film contrasts their piety with the decadence and moral indifference of Roman society and gives the viewer a good understanding of how different the early Christians were from the people around them.

     You may noticed that I haven't mentioned the two main characters. That's because this film, like many Hollywood epics, has focus problems. The subplot, or background plot, involving Nero and the larger impact of the Christian persecution, distracts from main drama. Part of the problem is that not enough time is spent with Marcus and Lygia. But its also true that Peter Ustinov, with his brilliant unhinged, melancholy take on Nero, and Leo Genn, as a wonderfully sardonic Patronius, steal the show. Indeed while Deborah Kerr's performance is solid Robert Taylor is somewhat bland in his role and the two have little chemistry. So their romance is a bit stilted and underdeveloped.

     Quo Vadis features a great score by Miklos Rozsa, anticipating his later work for Ben-Hur and King of Kings. His use of hymns and chant is particularly effective here. Mervyn LeRoy's classical style of composition serves the material well, allowing the story to take center stage but always reinforcing the meaning of a scene through the visuals. Cinematographers Robert Surtees and William Skall provide some striking imagery particularly during the scenes depicting the Great Fire of Rome and the crucifixion of Christians in the arena.

     Quo Vadis is a typically flawed but never-the-less highly entertaining Biblical epic. While the central drama falls a little short, this is more than made up for by Peter Ustinov's performance as Nero and some good old Hollywood spectacle.

Score: 8.5/10