''Quo Vadis'' is a
2001 Polish film
The history of cinema in Poland is almost as long as the history of cinematography, and it has universally recognized achievements, even though Polish films tend to be less commercially available than films from several other European nations.
Af ...
directed
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
by
Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Jerzy Franciszek Kawalerowicz (19 January 1922 – 27 December 2007) was a Polish film director and politician, having been a member of Polish United Workers' Party from 1954 until its dissolution in 1990 and a deputy in Polish parliament since ...
based on the 1896
book of the same title by
Henryk Sienkiewicz
Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish writer, novelist, journalist and Nobel Prize laureate. He is best remembered for his historical novels, especi ...
. It was Poland's submission to the
74th Academy Awards
The 74th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 24, 2002, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly ...
for the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
, but was not nominated.
Plot
The central plot in the movie revolves around the love of a Roman patrician, Marcus Vinicius, towards a Christian girl (coming from the territory of modern-day Poland) set against the backdrop of the persecutions against Christians during the reign of
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
.
In the beginning, Lygia, a Christian and hostage of Rome, becomes the object of Vinicius' love but she refuses his advances. Vinicius' friend Petronius tries to manipulate Nero, who has authority over all Roman hostages, to give Lygia to Vinicius, but Lygia is taken into hiding by Christians. Marcus Vinicius decides to find her and force her to be his wife. He goes to a Christian meeting along with Croton, a gladiator, to find her. After following her from the meeting, Marcus tries to take her, but Ursus, a strong man and friend of Lygia, kills Croton. Marcus himself is wounded in the fight, but is taken care of by Lygia and the Christians. Seeing their kindness he begins to convert to Christianity, and Lygia accepts him.
Rome catches fire while the emperor, Nero, is away. Nero returns and sings to the crowd, but they become angry. At the suggestion of Nero's wife, the Christians are blamed for the fire, providing a long series of cruel spectacles to appease the crowd. In one of the spectacles, Ursus faces a bull carrying Lygia on its back. Ursus wins and, with the crowd and guards in approval, Nero lets them live.
Nero kills himself, and Vinicius and Lygia leave Rome.
Cast
*
Paweł Deląg
Paweł Maciej Deląg (born 29 April 1970 in Kraków) is a Polish actor.
Filmography
* ''Schindler's List'' (''Lista Schindlera'', 1993, USA) - Dolek Horowitz
* ''Death In Shallow Water'' (''Halal sekely vizben'', 1994, Hungary) - Peter
* ''Fitn ...
– Marcus Vinicius
*
Magdalena Mielcarz – Lygie Callina
*
Bogusław Linda –
Petronius
Gaius Petronius Arbiter["Gaius Petronius Arbiter"]
Michał Bajor
Michał Bajor (born 13 June 1957 in Głuchołazy, Poland) is a Polish actor and musician. Bajor’s songs are based on texts by Wojciech Młynarski, Jonasz Kofta, Andrzej Ozga, Marcin Sosnowski, and Julian Tuwim. He is a member of the Academy of th ...
–
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
*
Agnieszka Wagner -
Poppaea Sabina
Poppaea Sabina (AD 30 – 65), also known as Ollia, was a Roman empress as the second wife of the Emperor Nero. She had also been wife to the future emperor Otho. The historians of antiquity describe her as a beautiful woman who used intrigues ...
*
Jerzy Trela
Jerzy Józef Trela (14 March 1942 – 15 May 2022) was a Polish actor. In 2003 he starred in the film '' An Ancient Tale: When the Sun Was a God'' under Jerzy Hoffman. He is also known for ''White'' (1994), '' Quo Vadis'' (2001) and '' Ida'' (201 ...
– Chilon Chilonides
*
Danuta Stenka
Danuta Stenka (born 10 October 1961 in Sierakowice, Poland) is a Polish actress. She is one of the leading Polish film and theatre actresses.
Life and career
From 1991, she spent a decade working at Teatr Dramatyczny in Warsaw, then at TR Wars ...
–
Pomponia Graecina
Pomponia Graecina (d. 83 AD) was a noble Roman woman of the 1st century who was related to the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was the wife of Aulus Plautius, the general who led the Roman conquest of Britain in 43 AD, and was renowned as one of the fe ...
*
Franciszek Pieczka
Franciszek Maksymilian Pieczka (18 January 1928 – 23 September 2022) was a Polish actor. A graduate of the National Higher School of Theatre in Warsaw (1954), he first made his debut in the theatre in Jelenia Góra. He won the award for Best ...
–
Saint Peter
Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...
*
Krzysztof Majchrzak
Krzysztof Majchrzak (born 2 March 1948) is a Polish film actor. His first part in a major production was in Andrzej Wajda's '' The Promised Land'' (1975). He has appeared in 30 films since 1975. He was nominated for an award as Best Actor for h ...
–
Tigellinus
Ofonius Tigellinus (c. 10 – 69) was a prefect of the Roman imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard, from 62 until 68, during the reign of emperor Nero. Tigellinus gained imperial favour through his acquaintance wit ...
*
Rafał Kubacki
Rafał Andrzej Kubacki (born 23 March 1967 in Wrocław) is a Polish judoka.
He is known from his role as Ursus (Lygia's huge bodyguard) in '' Quo Vadis'' (2001 film) directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz.
He has also entered politics; ...
– Ursus
Reception
It was the most popular Polish film of the year with 4.2 million admissions.
See also
*
Cinema of Poland
The history of cinema in Poland is almost as long as the history of cinematography, and it has universally recognized achievements, even though Polish films tend to be less commercially available than films from several other European nations.
Af ...
*
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2001 films
2000s Polish-language films
2000s historical drama films
Cultural depictions of Poppaea Sabina
Films based on works by Henryk Sienkiewicz
Films directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Films scored by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek
Films set in classical antiquity
Films set in the Roman Empire
Films set in the 1st century
Polish historical drama films
Depictions of Nero on film
Films about Christianity
2001 drama films
Cultural depictions of Saint Peter