... is when he says to Leo Genn: when I'm finished with these Christians, Petronius, history will not be sure that they EVER existed. How Ustinov managed to deliver such an obviously absurd line with such a perfectly straight face is beyond me. You acting students reading this board: could YOU have managed it?
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Perhaps a better word would be "ironic" instead of "absurd." Though the absurdity lies in the way Nero has no clue that he's being "played" by his queen and by the head of the Praetorian Guard; the irony here lies between Petronius' ultimately correct prediction of the future while Nero's foolish retort project his fate upon the Christians.
Beautiful movie, and Ustinov is brilliant in it.
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Well he meant that Ustinov played that particular moment very well. He was so sure that after he finishes with the Christians they will never be rememberd of afterwards... But as history obviously showed us, Nero was so very wrong, in spite of his confidence. Christians still live today...:) Did you get it now?:)
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