Where Are You Going?
(I’m Going To See A Movie)
a movie review
by Keven Newsome
Quo Vadis, the 1951 historical epic released by MGM, may not be a title you are familiar with. Through the wastefulness of Hollywood and the disconnect with the current generation and movies of “antiquity”, it’s no wonder that this film has sunk into underground status with certain history or religious buffs. But with eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and a Golden Globe win for Best Cinematography, Mervin LeRoy’s adaptation of Nero’s persecution of Christians should not be forgotten. Having watched it for the first time recently, Quo Vadis has become a permanent fixture in my video library. Though the media may be inundated with critiques and reviews of various movies including this one, it falls my task to provide my own, such as it may, of LeRoy’s overlooked masterpiece.
Nero is portrayed by Peter Ustinov, who delivers an outstanding and convincing performance as the eccentric and, somewhat, neurotic Emperor. Though his acting credits are bountiful, it is hard to know whether to give the credit of this role to Ustinov or LeRoy. But a better Nero, I do not believe, has ever been filmed. The eccentric tendencies, beats, and nuances come across to the viewer in a way that really puts Nero’s state of mind in perspective. Johnny Depp would be proud.
The criticism that comes from this role, stems from the directing and from the script. Understandably, a work of historical fiction, be it in print or in film, seeks to encompass as many historical events as possible within the target time period. Subsequently, events that are separated by years tend to be squeezed to within months, weeks, or even days of each other. So it is with Quo Vadis.
When the movie opens we see Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor) returning to Rome from Britain, where he led Roman forces against a barbarous uprising. This uprising referred to is the Boudicca’s Revolt. This revolt, expertly expressed in the historical fiction Imperial Legions, by Andrew Seddon, occurred around 60 AD. The burning of Rome did not occur until 64 AD. Nero’s second wife Poppaea (Patricia Laffan) did not die until 65 AD, and Nero died in 68 AD. Even given into account travel time, Quo Vadis funnels all of these events into a matter of weeks, or at most maybe a month or two.
One major inaccuracy on the part of LeRoy, is the fact that Nero was worshiped as a god. Historical records show that though Roman Emperors were worshiped post mortem, it wasn’t until 81 AD that Emperor Domitian demanded to be worshiped while he yet lived.
But perhaps the biggest historical step-out, concerns the burning of Rome. According to LeRoy, the fire was a premeditated and carefully calculated plan to rebuild the city in Nero’s honor. He even shows Nero arriving to Rome while the flames still raged and singing a song with his lyre to commemorate the accomplishment. Though these ideas are wonderful legendary material that add to the villainy of Nero, the historian Tacitus tells us they are not so.
As far as other historical accuracies concerning Nero, it is legendary that he did kill Poppaea but not confirmed, though the acts of killing his mother and first wife are generally considered accurate. According to Tacitus, Nero was actually in Antium at the time of the fire, and he was actually deposed by Galba. Christians were burned, but were rather used as “lighting” for the city instead of being burned in the arena. Nero did die by assisted suicide, though it is reported he stabbed himself in the neck not the chest.
Concerning Christianity and the portrayal thereof, LeRoy paints a sympathetic and accurate, albeit Catholic biased, picture. Christians are shown to be of all walks of life, from Generals to slaves, Romans to Jews to Ligians. There are references to Christians as being a “sect” of Judaism and as having “foul rites”, both of which are confirmed opinions of the Roman people in the first century. The drawing of the Icthus is shown in the movie, and is historically known as an early Christian symbol to secretly reveal oneself to another Christian.
LeRoy, however, shows us the hand gesture of the cross and shows us baptism using the Trinitarian Formula. Both of these are generally considered Catholic in nature, but are they historically accurate? In regards to the hand gesture, some early writing from Tertullian suggests it may have been in practice as early as the second century. But placing it in the religious practices of mid-first century Christians is a stretch at best. In regards to the Trinitarian Formula, Jesus himself set the standard in the Great Commission (Mat 28:16-20) and it has been the standard baptismal formula for most churches ever since. However, Paul’s method of baptism, as shown in the movie, can be a source of long debate that is outside the scope of this evaluation.
An interesting perception of the Christians is that they were decidedly anti-war and completely anti-violence. Though this may be true, similar attitudes in today’s culture are viewed as liberal and anti-American. The question must be asked, did LeRoy put anti-war propaganda into his film? With World War II only six years past and tensions on the rise in Korea, in 1951 he very well could have been pushing the angle. Other movies that year, including The Day the Earth Stood Still, with its overt anti-war message and A Streetcar Named Desire, flouting marital abuse, make Quo Vadis the perfect completion to a “peaceful” trilogy of films.
A few other miscellaneous historical items in Quo Vadis are worthy of note. It must be said that director Mervyn LeRoy took his team to Rome for the filming of this movie, ensuring that the background, scenery, and culture could be as accurately portrayed as possible. The film does an excellent job of showing the overt lascivious morality of the Roman Empire. A brief live depiction of DaVinci’s painting of the Last Supper can be found. And Vinicius and Petronius can be seen playing chess. This last is rather humorous because a simple Google search will yield many results as to the origin of chess… none of which place it any closer to the first century than the mid third century in Persia.
In conclusion, the story of Quo Vadis is an excellent tool for the study of early Christian and Roman interaction, and an excellent portrayal of the Emperor Nero. This story, however, is not just confined to LeRoy’s film. Quo Vadis is the 1895 Nobel Prize winning work of author Henryk Sienkiewicz, in 1925 the first screen version came to life in Finland, in 1985 Quo Vadis was a mini series in Italy, and in 2001 Polish director Jerzy Kawalerowicz brought a new screen adaptation to life that won three awards in Poland. This story will not go away lightly, and is subject to a new American adaptation any day now. Of course, only if secular Hollywood can pull all the Christianity out of it… to which it would destroy the integrity of the movie. So perhaps they shouldn’t. Oh well. Guess we’ll have to enjoy the 1951 version a little while longer.
Bibliography
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Coffman, Elesha. “What is the origin of the Christian fish symbol?” ChristianityToday.com. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/asktheexpert/oct26.html (accessed October 4, 2009).
Gonzalez, Justo. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. Prince Press edition. Peabody, Massachusetts: Prince Press, 1984.
IMDb.com. “Peter Ustinov.” The Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001811/ (accessed October 4, 2009).
IMDb.com. “Quo Vadis (1951).” The Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043949/ (accessed October 4, 2009).
IMDb.com. “Quo Vadis? (2001).” The Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0282108/ (accessed October 4, 2009).
Seddon, Andrew. Imperial Legions. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000.
Thurston, Herbert. “Sign of the Cross.” The Original Catholic Encyclopedia. http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Sign_of_the_Cross (accessed October 4, 2009).
