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Quo Vadis (Latin for “Where are you going?”) is an American historical epic drama film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in Technicolor and theatrically released on November 8, 1951. The film was set in the year 64 A. D. in Ancient Rome, was produced by Sam Zimbalist, directed by Mervyn LeRoy and is based on the novel of the same name by Henryk Sienkiewicz. This film actually saved MGM Studios from bankruptcy. Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor), Commander of the 14th Roman Legion, returns from Britain and Gaul and falls in love with a Lygian hostage (although according to the theatrical trailer, she was called a slave girl, which is wrong!) named Lygia (Deborah Kerr). Marcus must face multiple challenges such as Nero (Peter Ustinov) as Emperor of Rome, the city bursting into flames, and man-eating lions. Before some of the Christian subjects get thrown to the lions, Marcus’ uncle Gaius Petronius (Leo Genn) and Spanish Christian slave girl Eunice (Marina Berti) commit suicide, despite Eunice being freed. After the lions have had their meals, other Christian subjects such as General Aulus Plautius (Felix Aylmer) get burned/crucified on crosses! Later, Lygia gets tied up in the arena, and Ursus (Buddy Baer) must face a bull in a fight against death, but he kills the bull, Marcus and his tribune, Fabius Nerva (Norman Wooland) free Lygia, and Marcus does a short speech about Nero’s antics and General Galba (Pietro Tordi) taking Nero’s place as Emperor of Rome. Tigellinus (Ralph Truman), Prefect of the Praetorian Guard, gets stabbed to death by a sword. Back at the palace, Nero kills his second wife, the Empress Poppaea (Patricia Laffan) by strangling her. After Poppaea dies, Nero must die by stabbing himself in the chest with a dagger, but he can’t do it without help from Acte (Rosalie Crutchley). With General Galba as new Emperor of Rome, Marcus, Lygia, Ursus and Nazarius (Peter Miles) head to Sicily. The film ends with the words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”. CREDITED CAST: Robert Taylor as Marcus Vinicius Deborah Kerr as Lygia Leo Genn as Petronius Peter Ustinov as Nero Patricia Laffan as Poppaea Finlay Currie as Peter Abraham Sofaer as Paul Marina Berti as Eunice Buddy Baer as Ursus Felix Aylmer as Plautius Nora Swinburne as Pomponia Ralph Truman as Tigellinus Norman Wooland as Nerva Peter Miles as Nazarius Geoffrey Dunn as Terpnos Nicholas Hannen as Seneca D. A. Clarke-Smith as Phaon Rosalie Crutchley as Acte John Ruddock as Chilo Arthur Walge as Croton Elspeth March as Miriam Strelsa Brown as Rufia Alfredo Varelli as Lucan Roberto Ottaviano as Flavius William Tubbs as Anaxander Pietro Tordi as Galba UNCREDITED CAST: Richard Garrick as Public slave with Marcus at triumph Sophia Loren as Lygia’s slave Clelia Matania as Parmenida, women’s hairdresser at Nero’s palace Bud Spencer as Imperial Guard Elizabeth Taylor as Christian prisoner in arena Marika Aba as Assyrian Dancer at Nero’s banquet Giuseppe Tosi as Wrestler at Nero’s banquet Robin Hughes as Jesus of Nazareth in flashback tableaux Adrienne Corri as Christian girl in Circus prison and arena Walter Pidgeon as The Narrator Tanner the Lion as Leo (MGM’s mascot) I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! ALL RIGHTS GO TO METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER AND WARNER BROS.!
