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Quo Vadis
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Quo Vadis (1951) More at IMDbPro »

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Quo Vadis (1951) -- Returning to Rome after 3 years in the field, General Marcus Vinicius meets Lygia and falls in love with her...
Quo Vadis (1951) -- US Home Video Trailer from MGM

Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   3,739 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
S.N. Behrman (screenplay)
Sonya Levien (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Quo Vadis on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 November 1951 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Three Years in the Making! Thousands in the Cast! Filmed in Rome! more
Plot:
Returning to Rome after 3 years in the field, General Marcus Vinicius meets Lygia and falls in love with her... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 8 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(10 articles)
User Reviews:
Most enjoyable three hours more (66 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Robert Taylor ... Marcus Vinicius

Deborah Kerr ... Lygia
Leo Genn ... Petronius

Peter Ustinov ... Nero
Patricia Laffan ... Poppaea
Finlay Currie ... Peter
Abraham Sofaer ... Paul
Marina Berti ... Eunice
Buddy Baer ... Ursus
Felix Aylmer ... Plautius
Nora Swinburne ... Pomponia
Ralph Truman ... Tigellinus
Norman Wooland ... Nerva
Peter Miles ... Nazarius
Geoffrey Dunn ... Terpnos
Nicholas Hannen ... Seneca
D.A. Clarke-Smith ... Phaon
Rosalie Crutchley ... Acte
John Ruddock ... Chilo
Arthur Walge ... Croton
Elspeth March ... Miriam
Strelsa Brown ... Rufia
Alfredo Varelli ... Lucan
Roberto Ottaviano ... Flavius
William Tubbs ... Anaxander
Pietro Tordi ... Galba
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marika Aba ... Dancer (Assyrian dance at Nero's banquet) (uncredited)
Adriano Ambrogi ... Wine Bibber (uncredited)
Anna Arena ... Bit part (uncredited)
Alfred Baillou ... Christian prisoner in arena (uncredited)
Giacomo Barnas ... Senator (uncredited)
Scott R. Beal ... Fisherman (uncredited)
Francesca Biondi ... Slave Girl (uncredited)
Carlo Borelli ... Noble (uncredited)
Leslie Bradley ... Hasta - 2nd Praetorian (uncredited)
Alfred Brown ... Bit part (uncredited)
Valentino Bruchi ... Mirmillon (uncredited)
Dante Ciriaci ... Wine Bibber (uncredited)
Frank Colson ... Bit part (uncredited)
Adrienne Corri ... Young Christian Girl (uncredited)
Luca Cortese ... Old Man (uncredited)
Daniel De Jonghe ... Apostle (uncredited)
Liana Del Balzo ... Bit part (uncredited)
Jack del Rio ... Apostle (uncredited)
Lia Di Leo ... Pedicurist (uncredited)
Franco Fantasia ... Bit part (uncredited)
Cesare Fasulo ... Noble (uncredited)
Al Ferguson ... Apostle (uncredited)
Enzo Fiermonte ... Mounted Captain (uncredited)
Enrico Formichi ... Man with Wine Cup (uncredited)
John Fostini ... Young Unbaptized Man (uncredited)
Dino Galvani ... Senator (uncredited)
Richard Garrick ... Slave (uncredited)
Jack George ... Fisherman (uncredited)
Carlo Ghisini ... Guard (uncredited)
Trudy Glassford ... Bit Part (uncredited)
Joan Griffiths ... Bit part (uncredited)
Robin Hughes ... Christ (voice) (uncredited)
Adam Jennette ... Bit part (uncredited)
Philip Kieffer ... Apostle (uncredited)
Gipsy Kiss ... Slave Girl (uncredited)
Lee Kresel ... Bit part (uncredited)
Richard Larke ... Guard (uncredited)

Sophia Loren ... Lygia's slave (uncredited)
Giovanni Lovatelli ... Banquet Man (uncredited)
Helena Makowska ... Older Woman (uncredited)
Anna Mancini ... Nubian Slave Girl (uncredited)
Michael Mark ... Fisherman (uncredited)
Clelia Matania ... Parmenida (uncredited)
Richard McNamara ... Legionnaire (uncredited)
Harriet Medin ... Bit part (uncredited)
Dario Michaelis ... Lydia Guard (uncredited)
Ernesto Morelli ... Fisherman (uncredited)
John Myhers ... Guard (uncredited)
Vincent Neptune ... Apostle (uncredited)
Anna Maria Padoan ... Young Unbaptized Woman (uncredited)
Louis Payne ... Apostle (uncredited)
Walter Pidgeon ... Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Aldo Pini ... Headkeeper (uncredited)
Alberto Plebani ... Steward (uncredited)
Dino Raffaelli ... Bit part (uncredited)
George Restive ... Apostle (uncredited)
Leonardo Scavino ... Bit part (uncredited)
Alessandro Serbaroli ... Officer (uncredited)
Bud Spencer ... Imperial Guard (uncredited)
Jane Sprague ... Banquet Lady (uncredited)
Raffaele Tana ... Bit part (uncredited)

Elizabeth Taylor ... Christian prisoner in arena (uncredited)
William Taylor ... Guard Captain / Marcus Guard (uncredited)
Michael Tor ... Centurian (uncredited)
Giuseppe Tosi ... Wrestler (uncredited)
Carlo Tricoli ... Apostle (uncredited)
Renato Valente ... Guard (uncredited)
Giuseppe Varni ... Hairdresser (uncredited)
Dianora Veiga ... Slave Girl (uncredited)
Harry J. Vejar ... Fisherman (uncredited)
Maria Zanoli ... Bit part (uncredited)
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Directed by
Mervyn LeRoy 
Anthony Mann (uncredited)
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
S.N. Behrman  screenplay
Sonya Levien  screenplay
John Lee Mahin  screenplay
Henryk Sienkiewicz  novel

Produced by
Sam Zimbalist .... producer
 
Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa  (as Miklos Rozsa)
 
Cinematography by
William V. Skall (director of photography)
Robert Surtees 
 
Film Editing by
Ralph E. Winters 
 
Casting by
Irene Howard (uncredited)
 
Art Direction by
Edward C. Carfagno  (as Edward Carfagno)
Cedric Gibbons 
William A. Horning 
 
Set Decoration by
Hugh Hunt 
Elso Valentini (uncredited)
 
Costume Design by
Herschel McCoy (costumes: recreated by)
 
Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff .... hair stylist recreator
Joan Johnstone .... hair stylist recreator
Charles E. Parker .... makeup supervisor
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sergio Leone .... second unit director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Mentor Huebner .... storyboard artist (uncredited)
Italo Tomassi .... set designer (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Douglas Shearer .... recording supervisor
 
Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie .... special effects
Tom Howard .... special effects (as Thomas Howard)
Donald Jahraus .... special effects
 
Visual Effects by
Peter Ellenshaw .... matte artist (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
George Pink .... camera operator (uncredited)
John Schmitz .... camera operator (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Eugene Zador .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 
Transportation Department
Eddie Frewin .... unit driver (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Hugh Gray .... historical advisor
Henri Jaffa .... technicolor color consultant
Auriel Millos .... choreographer
Marta Obolensky .... choreographer
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Qvo Vadis (USA) (alternative spelling)
more
Runtime:
171 min | UK:166 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
UK:PG (video rating) (1986) | USA:Approved (PCA #15165) | UK:PG (tv rating) | West Germany:12 (f) | Brazil:12 | South Korea:12 | Ireland:PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film represented a hollow victory for MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer, since it turned out to be his final big-budget production. Produced for $7 million, it was MGM's largest grosser since Gone with the Wind (1939), but Mayer was forced out of his job prior to its release. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Nero holds out his arm to recognize Marcus' triumph, his arm is obviously straight. But, in the next shot, from above, his arm is bent. more
Quotes:
Petronius: [after seeing Rome consumed by flames] Now indeed, Nero has his place in history. more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
26 out of 36 people found the following review useful.
Most enjoyable three hours, 28 April 2002
Author: Mika Pykäläaho (bygis80@hotmail.com) from Järvenpää, Finland

In my opinion Mervyn LeRoy's fantastic version of "Quo Vadis?" is definitely one of the very finest epics about Roman empire ever filmed. Fact that it didn't won a single Oscar was a shameful disgrace. Eight years later MGM released a movie that was supposed to be bigger, longer and better than "Quo Vadis?". It was of course "Ben-Hur", motion picture that collected record-breaking amount of Academy Awards and respect. Certainly it was a bigger and longer spectacle but I still like this one even more.

I find "Quo Vadis?" just somehow more entertaining and appealing. Sir Peter Ustinov's magnificent performance is just about half of the whole film. I loved his brilliant Oscar awarded supporting role in Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus" and I have to say that he's just as irresistible as the insane Emperor Nero. It's one of the greatest roles of his career and just another proof that he really is a true genius among actors. I have no choice but to give "Quo Vadis?" 10 out of 10 and I guess I even have to end my review with a worn-out cliché: they don't make movies like this anymore.

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