Quo Vadis (1951) on Netflix
NR19512h 51mBiographyDramaHistoryRomance
Roman commander Marcus Vinicius returns to Rome and lodges with the retired general Aulus Plautius, whose household holds Lygia, a Lygian hostage. His uncle Petronius wants her given to him.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.1/1018,715 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes84%
Trailer
Plot summary
Marcus Vinicius, a legate of the XIV Gemina, comes back to Rome after campaigns in Britain and Gaul and lodges with Aulus Plautius, a general no longer in service. There he meets Lygia, a Lygian held in Rome as a hostage and living under Aulus's care. The household follows the Christian faith, and Paul the Apostle is their guest that night, which Marcus does not know. He becomes smitten with Lygia, and his uncle Petronius seeks the emperor's consent to give her to his nephew as a reward.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Quo Vadis (1951)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Peter Ustinov was cast as Nero after a screen test, but the production was postponed for a year. When he cabled that Nero died at 31, MGM replied: "Historical Research Has Proved You Correct Stop The Part Is Yours."
- The film was first cast in 1949 with Elizabeth Taylor as Lygia and Gregory Peck as Marcus Vinicius. After production changed hands the next year, Deborah Kerr and Robert Taylor took those roles, and Taylor had an uncredited cameo as a Christian in the Circus prisons.
- Audrey Hepburn was considered for the part of Lygia, and director Mervyn LeRoy wanted to cast her, but the role went to MGM contract star Deborah Kerr. Wardrobe stills of Hepburn in costume for the film still exist.
- Because Italy lacked equipment, MGM reportedly brought in two hundred tons of generators, lights and other electrical gear from Culver City.
- During a record heatwave in Rome in the summer of 1950, the lions were reluctant to enter the arena because of the heat.
- Anthony Mann worked as an uncredited second-unit director, spending 24 nights on the Cinecitta backlot shooting scenes for the Burning of Rome sequence, while Mervyn LeRoy directed the soundstage scenes for the same sequence.
- The last part of the chariot chase was shot along the 2000-year-old Viale dei Cipressi, also called the Avenue of Cypresses, near the village of Bolgheri. This landmark sits in Livorno Province, Tuscany.
