“Quo Vadis” Now On Blu-ray™ Hi-Def March 17 From Warner Home Video
(November 24, 2008 – Burbank, CA) – The epic “Quo Vadis,” one of the most lavish and spectacular films ever to be released, will make its Blu-ray Hi-Def debut on March 17 just in time for the Easter season.
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy and based on the Nobel Prize-winning novel by Henry Siekiewicz,
“Quo Vadis” was filmed on location in Rome and starred Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn and Peter Ustinov, who was nominated for an Oscar® and won a Golden Globe® for his definitive performance as the Roman Emperor, Nero. Elizabeth Taylor, originally cast in a larger role but then replaced, made an uncredited cameo appearance as a slave, as did the relatively unknown Sophia Loren, who was appearing in her first American film.
“Quo Vadis” won two Golden Globes® (aforementioned Best Supporting Actor and Best Cinematography) and was nominated for a total of eight Academy Awards,® including Best Picture, but surprisingly took home none. Despite that fact, it was a huge hit, out-grossing to date every other theatrical release, other than “Gone With the Wind.” It has continued to maintain its popularity throughout the world for nearly six decades.
“Quo Vadis Blu-ray Hi-Def” will sell for $28.99 SRP. Orders are due February 10.
About The Film & Special Features
“Quo Vadis” takes place in ancient Rome from 64 – 68 AD during the reign of Emperor Nero (Ustinov). General Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor) returns home from war after three years to a city rife with conflict between the new Christianity and the corrupt Roman Empire. He finds himself falling in love with Lygia (Deborah Kerr), a devout follower of the new religion, and his loyalty to the megalomaniacal Nero is shattered. The characters and events depicted are a mixture of actual historical figures and situations and fictionalized ones.
Special features include:
• Behind the Story
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- "Commentary by F. X. Feeney" - Filmmaker/Writer Feeney explores the genesis of one of MGM's most glorious, grand-scale productions, a movie that took nearly twenty years to make and the one that helped launch the age of the 50’s Hollywood epic blockbusters.
“In the Beginning: Quo Vadis and the Genesis of the Biblical Epic” - Although filmmakers have always found inspiration in the Bible, no one ever quite made a movie like Quo Vadis, the definitive Roman spectacle and the production that launched the 50’s into an arena of mega-blockbuster epics. This documentary walks the road as long and complex as the film itself, from its roots as a Nobel Peace Prize-winning bestseller to its various ground-breaking adaptations to its place as the most daring and lavish film that MGM, and Louis B. Mayer, dared to undertake.