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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 675

Quo Vadis

1913120 minItaly
DramaAdventure
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
101:49
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Enrico Guazzoni · Public domain

This copy runs shorter than the reference runtime. Editing and playback speed can differ between editions.

Synopsis

In ancient Rome under Emperor Nero, a military officer falls in love with a young Christian woman held as a hostage. Their relationship is threatened by the imperial court and by persecution after a fire devastates the city. The lovers face a society in which political power can turn imprisonment and the arena into instruments of punishment.

Cast

DirectorsEnrico Guazzoni

Inspirations

Enrico Guazzoni adapted Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel, combining its fictional romance with an imagined reconstruction of ancient Rome. The events are presented through the novel's dramatic framework.

Behind the scenes

Large sets, massed extras and a long running time helped establish the film as an early international screen spectacle. Its scale belongs to the development of feature-length cinema in Italy.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

  • Amleto Novelli — RamblerBiondo at the Italian Wikipedia project.; transferred from Italian Wikipedia , http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Amleto_Novelli_1920.jpg · Public domain
  • Gustavo Serena — Original uploader was Pakdooik at it.wikipedia; Transferred from it.wikipedia to Commons by Alfaveyron . · Public domain
  • Bruto Castellani — Traldi, Milano; https://filmstarpostcards.blogspot.com/2013/04/bruto-castellani.html · Public domain

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