MovieChat Forums > Quo Vadis (1951) Discussion > It made a lot of money.

It made a lot of money.

posted 11 years ago by tseybert
1 reply | jump to latest

I was messing around, looking at the films of 1951, and I came across a list of the top-grossing films of 1951. And #1 was Quo Vadis.

That seems weird to me. I'm not surprised it did well, but I WAS surprised it was #1. Everybody must have gone and seen it.

It is well-made and compelling to watch. Peter Ustinov is incredible.

Was anyone else surprised at this?

I had no idea it was so popular. Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, other epics seemed more popular - like Ten Commandments, Spartacus and Ben Hur - and they were on TV and people talked about them. I don't recall ever hearing about Quo Vadis until years later.

Janet! Donkeys!

[–] oldblackandwhite 11 years ago

I watched Quo Vadis in a packed theater some time during 1952. Because of the picture's late 1951 release date, most of its prime showings were in 1952. Even as a dumb 8-year old, I was impressed by the knock-out Technicolor cinematography, the sound, the fire, the chariots, and everything else that made it the best movie I had ever seen up to that point -- Gone With The Wind was still in the future for me. I watched the Robe a couple years late, and it did not seem nearly so awesome in spite of being the first widescreen movie I had ever seen.

I have seen a huge number of movies since then, but I still think Quo Vadis one of the best. It seems better every time I see it. It certainly doesn't get the respect it deserves. In discussions with other Christian movie lovers about their favorite Bibical/early Christian epics, Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, and the Robe are always foremost. When I name Quo Vadis my favorite, it usually begats blank stares.

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He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good... St. Matthew 5:45