Average Rating: 6.4/10
Reviews Counted: 16
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 1
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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 3,313
Originally advertised as "Colossal Quo Vadis," this opulent MGM production is far and away the most elaborate of the many versions of Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel. The plot, as always, concerns the romance between a beautiful early Christian woman (Deborah Kerr) and the initially agnostic Roman soldier Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor). This love story is laid against the larger intrigues of the debauched emperor Nero (Peter Ustinov), who hopes to gain immortality by destroying Rome with a fire and
Feb 23, 1951 Wide
Nov 11, 2008
MGM Home Entertainment
All Critics (16) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (15) | Rotten (2) | DVD (2)
It was made, we suspect, for those who like grandeur and noise -- and no punctuation. It will probably be a vast success.
For sheer size, opulence and technical razzle-dazzle, Quo Vadis is the year's most impressive cinematic sight-seeing spree.
Top CriticQuo Vadis is a super-spectacle in all its meaning.
MGM's opulent version of ancient Rome circa 1951, with Peter Ustinov at his most whimsical doing honors as the mad Nero.
It does last virtually three hours, and along the way does have stretches of tedium, but LeRoy invests most of it with pace, true spectacle, and not a little imagination.
Enough large-scale spectacle scenes to outweigh the inevitable religiose sludge that creeps in between them.
The epic Quo Vadis offers a spectacular cast to match its overwhelming production.
Thank heaven for Peter Ustinov as the Emperor Nero. He saves the day.... Any time the actor is on screen, the story lights up. (Blu-ray Edition)
It's heavy-handed, to be sure, but it's fun to watch, thanks to its pageantry and color.
By today's standards, Mervyn LeRoy's film is a kitschy spectacle, but in 1951, it was immensely popular and MGM spent its biggest budget to date for a star-driven production that shot for a whole year at Rome's Cinnecitta Studios.
Super MGM spectacular, Roman style, headlining Robert Taylor.
Pretty good, almost despite all the excess.
Taylor is as wooden as usual, but the gaudy spectacle is worth the rental price.
the main reason to watch three hours of Quo Vadis remains Peter Ustinov's striking contribution to Nero lore
Everyone should see Quo Vadis. Once.
Peter Ustinov's delightful over-the-top prissy performance was fun to watch.
Enjoyable biblical epic, gargantuan in scope and eye poppingly colorful. Professionally acted by Taylor and Deborah Kerr this is stolen by the florid Peter Ustinov and Leo Genn who gives the film's best performance. Unlike many of these types of films this one while quite long at least keeps moving at a decent clip.
April 25, 2010
Super Reviewer
Despite the swords and sandals, the core of this film is a stodgy and stiff-backed romantic melodrama combined with a preachy christian message. Peter Ustinov's Nero is fun, portraying him as an affable maniac but Robert Taylor is acting like he's reading off cue cards and as a whole, it's an overlong and crushing
May 7, 2007
Super Reviewer
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