Quo Vadis

A large-scale historical film set in Rome under Nero. Marcus Vinicius is a Roman commander returning from a campaign. He sees a woman named Lygia and wants her the way he would want spoils of war. But Lygia is secretly a Christian, and at that time this means death. The film's real strength is Nero. The emperor played by Peter Ustinov is both ridiculous and dangerous: a man who thinks himself an artist, dependent on the praise of those around him, and capable of ordering a death at any moment. The fire of Rome and the blame that follows it are told through this character. It was shot in Italy at Cinecitta and was among the most expensive productions of its period, with enormous sets, thousands of extras and arena sequences. It was a great commercial success and repaired the studio's finances at the time. It received eight Oscar nominations. Robert Taylor plays Marcus, Deborah Kerr plays Lygia and Leo Genn plays Petronius. Mervyn LeRoy directed. One of the founding examples of its genre for anyone who likes classical Hollywood epics and historical productions. For a viewer after historical accuracy, the film is faithful to the novel and to the studio thinking of its day, not to the sources.