|
Post by pimpinainteasy on May 19, 2017 14:26:26 GMT
pretty good costume drama about life under nero's rome.
the film is a love story between a roman soldier and a captive christian woman. it is about the conflict between the pagans and the christians and the persecution of christians under nero's rule. it is about nero and his relationship with his sister and relationship with petronius (who wrote satyricon). there are some sub plots as well - one involving petronius' intense love affair with a slave (played by martina berti).
the christians in rome look down on the debauchery of the pagan rulers while the pagans look at the christians with a certain amount of fear. in a prolonged scene, a christian priest conducts a secret meeting with some underground christians. parallels can be drawn to today's world where muslims look down on the debauchery of the west while the west consider muslims to be weirdos.
the action is limited to a chariot chase sequence and then the bloody finale in the coliseum. it is more of a drama than an action film like BENHUR or GLADIATOR. but the coliseum scene is pretty spectacular. QUO VADIS is not as opulent as CLEOPATRA. but there are many epic scenes and long shots involving thousands of extras.
i watched it in two sittings. i was impressed by leo glenn as petronius. deborah kerr was very erotic even when she played a tame but devout christian woman. peter ustinov nailed the role of the boorish nero physically. but his dialog delivery was too theatrical. marina berti was nice eye candy.
i bet martin scorsese loves this film.
(7/10)
|
|
|
Post by TheOriginalPinky on May 19, 2017 15:43:35 GMT
It was a lovely film, wonderful to view from an aesthetic point, and I did like Kerr and Ustinov. Otherwise, it didn't impress. And the ending . . . while trying to be enlightening, I felt it was a bit too cliche. But still, an enjoyable film.
|
|
|
Post by teleadm on May 19, 2017 17:02:35 GMT
|
|
|
Post by claudius on May 19, 2017 18:49:08 GMT
I remember seeing this one after my first (pretty much) full watching of BEN-HUR on TNT.
Eh, Nero is supposed to be a theatrical character. Love Petronius' F U letter to Nero.
Patricia Jessel would play Senex's shrew of a wife in A FUNNY THING HAPPENED TO THE WAY TO THE FORUM. She died in her late forties.
The film also sports an early role for Rosalie Crutchley as Acte; twenty years later she would be Katherine Parr in THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII.
Miklos Rosza would later reuse several music takes for BEN-HUR (The piece for Galba's triumphant parade at the end would become 'The Parade of the Charioteers')
Martina Berti appeared in MGM's two Roman Epics QUO VADIS? and BEN-HUR, and also appeared in the two major Biblical TV mini-series of the 1970s: MOSES THE LAWGIVER (as Aaron's wife) and JESUS OF NAZARETH (as Elizabeth)
|
|
|
Post by outrider127 on May 19, 2017 21:06:58 GMT
Its a good film, as I remember
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on May 19, 2017 23:41:26 GMT
I saw it only once but it was good.
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on May 21, 2017 3:07:52 GMT
Henryk Sienkiewicz won the Nobel Prize for Literature; he received honorary doctorates in Poland and France where he retained popularity.
|
|