One of my Favorites!
"Quo Vadis" is one of my favorite films. The whole picture has the feel of a Hollywood epic with thousands of extras and lots of spectacle. The scene where Romes burns and the victory parade of Roman legions were quite memoriable. Deborah Kerr, Finlay Curie (Peter), and Leo Genn give good acting performances. Peter Ustinov's performance as Nero is a little over the top, but is never the less entertaining and memorable. The picture is greatly enhanced in the fact it was filmed around Rome. The scenes of Christians being persecuted are significantly toned down from the book but are still powerful. Overall, while not quite as good as the book, the film is a very entertaining epic dealing with love, faith, persecution, and the madness of an emperor. I hope this film will be released on a high quality DVD soon.

I don't usually like to comment on other reviewers' opinions, but in the name of honesty, I believe a previous reviewer is really blowing Peter and Paul disagreements out of proportion. I don't exactly know where he arrived at his information, but it would appear to be from radical theological persuasions rather than mainstream views.

Ridiculous
There is so much ridiculous nonsense in this movie. Paul is shown repeatedly as believing and preaching of a physical historical Jesus. He performs baptisms and talks over and over again about an earthly physical Jesus. Paul is even shown at the foot of Peter in this movie while Peters goes on and on during a very long sermon about the physical man of Jesus.

Paul's Jesus was a purely spiritual one that he preached to the Gentiles and Peter preached to the Jews in Jerusalem. In all of Paul's letters, he never talks about a historical living physical man Jesus and he never mentions anything of a physical man Jesus as being a preacher on earth and performing miracles. Paul was part of the son of god movement. His Jesus was a spiritual channel to God. In Jerusalem, Jews would never have associated god powers to a physical man living on earth. Also, the benevolent association between Paul and Peter was only an invention of the church. These men never joined up as a preaching duo.

In the bible, Paul's Jesus is purely a spiritual one preaching the "christ within" and he never mentions anything about a virgin birth, any miracles of Jesus, any teachings of Jesus, any details of his death, and he never tries to establish a lineage to David. His teachings were also studied by the gnostics. Some of his writings were altered in the bible and Acts is not considered historical by any means. Any biblical scholar should know this.

Paul created his own converts to his own religion, warning them to reject others as "pre-eminent apostles," whom he calls "false prophets, deceitful workers, and ministers of Satan", who came among them to preach "another Jesus" whom he did not preach, and a different gospel from that which they had received from him. To the Galatians he says: "If any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be damned;" or let him be cursed.

At one point in this movie, Paul says "Jesus wishes no man to be in bondage" in reference to slavery. What?? In the bible, Jesus mentions NOTHING about the institution of slavery. In fact, he never condemns it at all. He even refers to slaves but never says that it is wrong. Then Paul says that God says that we can't buy human beings. Huh? It is a well known fact that the God in the bible supports slavery over and over again.

EXOD 21:2 "If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve"
EXOD 21"20 "If a man smite his servant with a rod and die under his hand, he shall surely be punished. If he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished for he is his money"

COLOSS 3:22 "servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh"

1PETER 2:18: "servants, be subject to your masters with all fear"

There, of course, is much much more than just these versus in the bible on slavery.

My point is that what is shown in this movie with Paul and Peter is just plain wrong. But, the real problem is that this is what most Christians believe. It is pure delusion. The whole Quo Vadis movie is very, very pro-Christian with even the main Roman general converting to Christianity.

Among the other ludicrous things in this movie is the fact that the people place crosses in their houses! Keep in mind that this was the 60's AD. It is a well known fact that the cross was NOT used as a Christian symbol until much, much later. At one point in Quo Vadis, the Roman general takes the cross that is hanging on the wall and smashes it over his knee. Completely ridiculous.

As far as the actual movie, it is almost three hours long and it is really a love story. Robert Taylor is so obnoxious and dominating that he basically brings the whole thing down. The romance is so ridiculous. Deborah Kerr hates him for so long until she completely makes an about face on a whim and immediately falls in love with him. It really is strange to watch. As I have already mentioned, the movie completely stops down for a very long period for a ridiculous sermon by Peter while Paul sits right at his feet. If you REALLY know the bible and the history of Christianity, this movie becomes a total and complete fantasy. As long as this frame of mind is maintained, then maybe some people could find it entertaining in parts. Yes, Peter Ustinov is wonderful as Nero. It's too bad that the script was so awful. He's a truly talented actor who is basically the only thing holding the whole movie together.

One of my favorite movies
This was one of my favorite movies from childhood. I also read the book and would have to say this movie captures the spirit of the book in a very PG way, which makes it a good family movie. The story pervades with conflicting desire and duty. The questions of faith and morality. As well as political intrigue, the events within Neros court are based on the writings of Roman historians. I thought that the movie did a very good job in creating a conflict between Nero and Christianity. On one hand there is Nero who believe himself a god and demands worship. On the other hand there are the Christians who believe in a Kingdom in Heavan and that Christ is their king. I really enjoy this movie when I was a child, and continue into adulthood.

Another Inexplicably Passed Over Film For DVD Release
Many on this site have commented on the mystery of why certain sure fire hits have been unjustly neglected when it comes to DVD release. William Wyler's "The Heiress" is a prime example, what with the added bonus of Olivia De Haviland's still being alive and probably available for commentary on her Oscar winning role. Even more to the point, the marvelous "Quo Vadis," perhaps the best spectacle film post WW2 Hollywood has so far made , languishes somewhere in vaults while third rate epics get almost weekly releases in regular and then special editions.
"Quo Vadis" is marked by amazing, pre-digital (i.e. REAL) crowd scenes amid gigantic sets, and these still take the breath away. What is even more distinctive, though, is the dialogue given to two of the supporting characters, Nero and Petronius. Peter Ustinov as the nutty emperor and Leo Genn as his arbiter of elegance, both Oscar nominees for their work in these roles, in equal measure steal the picture. They are so witty and enjoyable, they're enough to make one overlook the largely wooden acting of Robert Taylor or the familiar near-hysterical virgin's intonations of the pre-"From Here To Eternity" Deborah Kerr.
All in all, this film deserves at least one competent DVD release before another commemorative version of something like "Gladiator: 5th Anniversary" appears.

Quo Vadis
The best movie I have ever seen! They do not make them like this anymore. I recommend it to the religious and non-religious, alike. Inspiring to the former; outstanding story for the latter.