QVO VADIS

The grandeur that was Rome courtesy of MGM

QVO VADIS (aka Quo Vadis/1951). Director: Mervyn LeRoy.

Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor) fights for the glory of Rome and its emperor, Nero (Peter Ustinov). He meets a woman named Lygia (Deborah Kerr) and the attraction is instant. Unfortunately, Lygia is a Christian and can't forget Vinicius' cruel soldier ways. Marcus then decides to enact an old Roman law that has Lygia forcibly taken away from her adoptive parents and brought to Nero's harem, where Marcus knows Nero has agreed to make a gift of her for him. But when Nero decides to blame the Christians for the burning of Rome, Marcus must decide on whose side he is really on, and if love will out. You can certainly quibble about certain aspects of Qvo Vadis, but as simple good story-telling and adept movie making, the picture is really a wonder to behold. Robert Surtees' cinematography is excellent, as are the scenic design, costuming, and matte paintings that make Rome seem even larger than it is. Miklos Rozsa also contributed an evocative score. As for the acting, Peter Ustinov gets the highest honors for his fascinating portrait of the petulant and often child-like, highly neurotic Nero. Kerr comes next, with her usual sensitive thesping, and even Robert Taylor, although certainly not on the level of those two, gives a good performance as Marcus. Leo Genn is fine as Marcus' uncle, although he is too perfunctory during his suicide scene. There are other notable performances from Patricia Laffan [Devil Girl from Mars] as Nero's nasty wife, Poppaea; Abraham Sofaer [Captain Sindbad] as Paul; Rosalie Crutchley [Blood from the Mummy's Tomb] as Acte, who loves Nero and runs his harem for him; Marina Berti as Eunice, a slave who adores her master, Marcus' uncle (the two have a moving death scene together); little Peter Miles [Roseanna McCoy] as young Nazarius, whose mother is killed when Rome burns to the ground; among others. Highlights of the well-directed film are the aforementioned burning of Rome; and the horrifying scenes of Christians being fed to the lions. There is a pre-Ben-Hur chariot battle, as well. Historians are still arguing over how accurate the assessments of Nero have been, so this picture must be taken with a grain of salt on that score.

Verdict: Almost as magnificent as Rome itself, and with its flaws as well, but this is splendid movie-making. ****.

BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB

BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB (1971). Director: Seth Holt.

An maltreated Egyptian Princess named Tera (Valerie Leon) takes over the mind of a young woman, Margaret Fuchs (also Leon), who was born at the exact moment her tomb was discovered twenty or so years before. Her corpse is remarkably well preserved, and drips blood from the wound where her hand was cut off centuries before. Various people who were on the expedition to her tomb are killed, their throats torn out. The bloodletting doesn't help a bit in making this slow, dull and somewhat inept film more entertaining. The tomb doesn't look as if it's older than the few days it took to put up the set, and the story is confusing. Holt's uninspired direction is absolutely no help at all. Andrew Kier plays Margaret's father, but his part is under-written. Mark Edwards is Margaret's boyfriend, named "Tod Browning." There's a lot of rushing around to little effect. Many people consider this one of the better Hammer horror films, but it's really quite forgettable. Based on Bram Stoker's novel The Jewel of the 7 Stars. Rosalie Crutchley, who plays another victim of the curse, was memorable as creepy old Mrs. Dudley, the caretaker's wife, in The Haunting. George Coulouris from Citizen Kane plays an aged professor, and James Villiers adds some zest as Corbeck. This film was remade as The Awakening in 1980.

Verdict: Nothing to shout about. *1/2.