Quo vadis

This movie impressed me greatly. Seeing the grand coliseum scenes, movies like Gladiator feels like cheap imitations.

Excellent acting, pacy, and sensitive, I consider Quo Vadis on par with UNDERGROUND, the Emir Kusturica classic.

Hope a wider audience can catch this in theaters, even a DVD wont pay justice to the wonderful sets, costumes etc. I saw this in the Polish film festival in Chicago.

Inevitably, this film begs comparison to the three other recent Polish historical "super-productions", Ogniem i Mieczem, Pan Tadeusz, and Przedwiosnie. Quo Vadis isn't made with quite the elegance and visual grace of Pan Tadeusz, nor is it quite as dynamic and classy as Przedwiosnie, although it is elegant, visually graceful, and dynamic. It shares similarities, unfortunately, with Ogniem i Mieczem as well: at times it reverts to Hollywood-style kitsch, such as with close-ups that take themselves too seriously, and tacky, forced, over-dramatic music. However, these elements are both less frequent and less pronounced than in Ogniem i Mieczem; and - if you allow yourself to ignore them - are overpowered by many positive elements.

Boguslaw Linda is great as Petroniusz. This is, I think, one of his best roles for years, and he produces the grace and dignity of a Roman gentleman very well. Michal Bajor's characterisation of the naive, vain Nero, at once contemptible and likeable, was for me one of the nice surprises of the film.

The scene where lions tear Christians apart in the circus is shocking and heart-wrenching, and looks almost as realistic as I could imagine is possible. The famous scene where Ursus battles the bull in the circus is, if not as spectacular as the lions, similarly effective.

Not a masterpiece, but a very good film. 8/10

During 63 a.d. Roman , a prefect official named Marco Vinicio returns from war and he get home his uncle Petronio , friend of emperor Nero . Vinicio confesses him he is enamored Ligia , a mysterious and virginal young whom has known in the Aulus Paucius's home . Marcus Vinicius meets Lygia in Rome and falls in love . But she is Christian and doesn't want anything to do with him . In a party Vinicio tries to utilize to Lygia but she is helped by Ursus who carries her at a place of Christ's supporters . Later on , Christians are accused of burning ancient Rome . Vinicio risks his life to save his lover .

The motion picture is a larger than life production upon Nero and the Christians persecutions with lots of crowd scenes . It's realized on a giant scale with moving fighting scenes , dramatic scenes , spectacular sequences and bloody gladiator combats in the arena and lions attacks and Christian martyr . Depraved emperor want to get rid and he orders use like meat for lions and burn them on stakes . The Polish cinema's first great financial success but with unknown actors for general public although allegedly are famous in Poland . The picture is profitable by public tendency for ¨sword and sandals¨ genre re-initiated by ¨Gladiator¨ . The film is a definitive version of the classic novel by the Polish Henryk Sienkiewicz (Nobel prize winner) . Special mention to enjoyable music score by Jan Kaczmarek (Oscar winner for ¨Finding Neverland¨). The movie obtained three ¨Eagle Award¨, the greatest prize of Polish cinema , to the best gowns , production design and support cast. The motion picture was well directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz (Pharaoh) . Rating : Good and entertaining.

I thought this was one of the most beautifully filmed movies I've ever seen. I found it much more visually interesting than the earlier Hollywood version, and a lot more sly maneuvering is shown, making it more than a simple love story. I thought it showed considerable character development and made me want to learn more about that period in early Christianity.

This new Polish version of a Polish novel, written in the 1890's by Henryk Sienkiewicz (who won the Nobel prize), is an excellent movie, gripping, exciting and deeply moving. Unlike the 1951 MGM version, which was a costume epic typical for its time, this new film seems to be about real people caught in the maelstrom that was Nero's Rome, in the struggle between decadent paganism and the emerging new faith of the Christians. The book is a favorite of mine and the screenplay's fidelity to the novel is highly commendable. The actors are vivid in their portrayals. This Nero, for instance, seems like a real madman, not a fine actor hamming it up (as did Ustinov in the 1951 film). The Petronius is excellent, the two leads both young and handsome. The conversion of Vinicius and Chilon are convincing and moving. This nearly-three-hour film moves quickly and covers a lot of ground. The ending gave me pause, and it's a stunner. The movie deserves a much wider audience than it's going to get in the US, because, face it, most people who go see foreign language films are not the same people who go to see religious, historical epics. I hope it gets a video release, at least. Hollywood would have given this film costlier and better special effects - the burning of Rome is a bit anemic - but Hollywood could not have filmed this movie as honestly, truthfully and brilliantly.