After seeing again Mervyn LeRoy 1951's version of the novel, still memorable in many respects, I venture to watch Kawalerowicz's more recent and supposedly expensive polish film last night. Well man... the movie cannot be more horrible. It's in fact no more than a "TV quality ancient story film", maybe a little worse (oh) thanks to the bad acting ("special" mention to Michal Bajor as Nero), indifferent scenario and horrid direction (could this man be the same who directed long ago the pretentious, but interesting Pharaoh?). A truly waste of money, theirs and mine. And yet, all this said, the movie is redeemed and still watchable mainly for one reason: Rafal Kubacki, proud of showing us the power of a beard and an hairy chest… Not an actor, but a very fine specimen indeed.

Filmed in 2001, the latest version of Quo Vadis is finally being released in a region 1 version with English subtitles. I waited SO long for the opportunity to see this film and it does not disappoint. While I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a "must see," I found it to be very well made on most levels and I recommend it without any reservations.The costumes, sets, and special effects are very realistic and believable and the film makes a sincere attempt to stay true to the historical events and people on whom the story is based.Although the burning of Rome could have been improved upon, the scene of the Christians being torn to pieces by the lions makes up for it. This scene is not over-the-top gruesome, yet remains horrifying to watch. The terror of the Christians is clearly felt,likewise, the scene of Christians being burned alive.While every actor/actress in this film did an admirable job, the part of Petronius (played by the great Boguslaw Linda) is outstanding. In fact, Linda may have been just a little too good. Although the character of Petronius is an integral part of the storyline, the character is still that of a supporting role, however, Linda's portrayal is so powerful that in every scene in which he appears, the attention of the viewer remains riveted on Linda. This can at times make the acting of everyone else seem a little less convincing. Linda does not intentionally upstage, but rather he is so good that he can't help but stand out.This is one one of Boguslaw Linda's best performances and I would love to see him cast in more dramas.Although this film is not preachy, it is about the early days of Christianity and the final scene of the film does leave a Christ centered message.This message can be interpreted several different ways, but to me, the message was that faith in Christ as well as obedience to his teachings is still imperative in the modern world and a necessity in order to achieve salvation. Hence the title of the film, Quo Vadis?; where are you going?

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 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.