Quo Vadis?

At the dawn of the cinema, it was Italy where actually great spectacles were born. They had the locations at hand. Along the famous CABIRIA made a few years later (which also celebrated its centenary), QUO VADIS by Enrico Guazzoni based faithfully upon Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel, not only stunned the audience of the time being played in many road theaters but also set the standards for the very genre (as many reviewers have stated before me). More to say, Sienkiewicz's novel became one of the top literary sources which inspired so many filmmakers to bring the first century Rome, the decadence and fall of emperor Nero (reigning 54-68 A.D) and the rise of Christianity in the center of the empire to screen. The most famous version enjoying the international renown to this day is, of course, Mervyn LeRoy's (1951). However, great as the ultra popular QUO VADIS is, this one appears to be more faithful to the novel but requires a very special perception. Allegedly, Henryk Sienkiewicz himself saw this motion picture which we can see now after the restoration co-financed by the Lumiere Project.

Amleto Novelli, Carlo Cattaneo, Cesare Moltini, Lea Giunchi, Gustavo Serena...the cast of the time do not make any special impression on us these days. Similarly to stagy silent movies of the 1910s, they may appear as 'phantoms' moving within the frame of the screen without desirable close-ups that would instill some understanding of the characters' feelings. Yet, that is not the strength of the movie.

The major phenomenon of this silent QUO VADIS (there was another silent version with Emil Jannings as Nero which occurred a flop) are the moments of great aesthetic intensity. Mostly operatic in its feeling, it supplies a viewer with an unbelievable 'image' of the novel's content. It is not the novel so to say 'filmed' or pictured but art of a new medium (at the time) which beautifully combines literature and cinema. With no words necessary, the movie does not disturb imagination but rather inspires its unknown spheres. From the banquet at Nero's through the fire of Rome, the shots of the arena and St Peter meeting Christ on the Appian Way (the climax of the story here though not so historically chronological), the scenes may still occur highly entertaining.

We watch a distant past, we have a glimpse of early cinema's vision and both the storytelling and the execution of the content become to us quite 'archaic.' That aspect appears as tremendously involving.

There is not much to say about performances, about music score, about special effects. Yet, there is something inspiring about depriving oneself of all the prefabricated expectations of an 'entertaining' movie, about beating the 'cliches' of 'silent film equals to boring film' and allowing oneself to view it in a fresh manner as if it still had something to offer after more than a century. And believe me, it does.

A lavish spectacle by pre-WW1 standards, Enrico Guazzoni's Quo Vadis tell its story at speed, which means that only scant attention is paid to characterisation, and the intertitles mostly explain what is to follow rather than enhance the action taking place on the screen. It's primitive by modern standards, but Quo Vadis does draw you in and has an important place in the history of cinema.

Probably the first feature film (over 60 min.) ever, this movie has gigantic sets that rival those of movies made years later. All camera shots are stationary, but this doesn't seem to take away from the story much. The story is fairly close to the book with a few liberties--definitely closer than the 1951 version. Obviously the idea of writing a full-length feature film still needed some work. Characters are simply introduced doing things as though the viewer already knows them. St. Peter steals the show in the last half. He's got some great scenes. An important film to watch for anyone who wants to see early breakthroughs in cinema. It's also a good study of early Christianity in cinema.

One of the first blockbuster films in cinema is Italian Cines Company March 1913's "Quo Vadis?" based on Henryk Sienkiewicz's 1896 best-seller. "Quo Vadis?" set the standard for a variety of ancient Roman scenes that inspired future epic movies, including a battle to the death between gladiators in the Coliseum, a strong man wrestling a bull to save a damsel in distress, and lions attacking Christians during their persecution in Emperor Nero's reign.

Enrico Guazzoni directed over 5,000 extras for the two-hour feature film. "Quo Vadis?" opened Berlin, Germany's first all-exclusive cinema theater, Ufa-Pavillon am Nollendorfplatz, on March 13, 1913, complete with live, costumed actors performing while the movie was being projected. A similar performance was given during its English premier at London's Royal Albert Hall, with a number of actors on stage while the movie was playing before King George V.

New York City's spacious Astor Theater, known for its elaborate stage productions, screened "Quo Vidas?" for nine months, from April to December 1913. The film was the first for Broadway, where the Astor Theater was located.

This version was by no means the first feature-length movie by any stretch, but "Quo Vadis?" was one of the original pictures with a plot to clock in over two hours. A 1924 silent version of Sienkiewicz's novel was produced, starring Emil Jannings, while the "Quo Vadis?" edition most people are familiar is the 1951 Technicolor movie with Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr and Finlay Currie. That film that saved MGM Studios from bankruptcy.

"Quo Vadis?" (1913) was a landmark in early Italian historical epic films and certainly Herr Enrico Guazzoni's grand scale masterpiece laid the foundations for what genuine kolossal Italian spectacles should be. It had a great deal of influence on Herr Giovanni Pastrone's "Cabiria" 1914) and D.W. Griffith's "Intolerance" (1916).

It is easy to see why "Quo Vadis?" shocked early silent audiences because even today to watch this astonishing oeuvre is like visiting an archaeological delicatessen and is a pleasure for silent fans. The film is a larger-than-life picture that was based on a Polish historical novel written by Henryk Sienkiewicz. The book was adapted for the silent and talkie screen many times but the story is so complex that it is hard to summarize in film form. There are a lot of Romans, an incendiary Caesar, many Christians and a horde of extras. Sometimes this Herr Graf got a little confused trying to remember who loves who and who is conspiring against whom.

"Quo Vadis?" is typical of Herr Guazzoni with his eye for details and his skill in using his big budget to maximum effect. The film is well paced and of course there are many great set pieces: Rome in flames, a chariot race and a coliseum full of gladiators, helpless Christians and very hungry lions. Besides the grand spectacle, the film includes also more prosaic subjects like morality and faith in reference to the early Christians and the struggle of this new religion and its human values in the face of Roman decadence and barbarism.

In technical aspects, "Quo Vadis?" is a surprising oeuvre for its detailed framing wherein the depth of field works very effectively in focusing the viewer' s attention right where it needs to be when some much is happening on screen.

Unfortunately "Quo Vadis?" hasn't had the well-earned praise of other similar Italian historical epic films; that's what usually happens with the pioneers. These early and innovative masters have their work copied by advanced pupils who end up with the fame and glory. As the German saying goes: "raise crows, and they'll gouge out your eyes"… And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must throw some servants into the Schloss' Coliseum arena.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com