Quo Vadis (1951 film)
Quo Vadis (the title is Latin, meaning
Who goes there?), is a
1951 Biblical epic film that tells the story of a
Roman soldier, returning from the wars, who falls in love with a
Christian and becomes intrigued by her religion. It stars
Robert Taylor as Marcus Vinicius (the soldier),
Deborah Kerr as Lygia (the Christian),
Leo Genn as Petronius,
Peter Ustinov as
Nero and
Finlay Currie as
Saint PeterThe movie was adapted by
S. N. Behrman,
Sonya Levien, and
John Lee Mahin from
the novel by
Henryk Sienkiewicz. It was directed by
Mervyn LeRoy.
It was nominated for
Academy Awards twice for
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (
Leo Genn as Petronius and
Peter Ustinov as Nero), and also for
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color,
Best Cinematography, Color,
Best Costume Design, Color,
Best Film Editing,
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and
Best Picture. However, the movie did not won a single Academy Award. The movie holds a record for the most
costumes used in one movie; 32,000.
Sophia Loren has an extra's role as a slave girl. It was her first film role.
Elizabeth Taylor also has a cameo.
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