Whither Quo Vadis? offers an engaging account of how the Roman world and its history are represented in film and the way in which the different adaptations reflect the shifting historical situations and ideological concerns of their own times. Explores five surviving film adaptations Guazzoni's of 1912; D Annunzio/Jacoby of 1925; Mervyn LeRoy's of 1951; the Italian TV mini-series of 1985 by Franco Rossi; and Kawalerowicz s 2001 Polish version Examines how these different versions interpret, select from, and modify the novel and the ancient sources on which it is based Offers an exceptionally clear view of how films have presented ancient Rome and how modern conditions determine its reception Looks at rare and archival material which has not previously received close scholarly attention

Whither Quo Vadis? offers an engaging account of how theRoman world and its history are represented in film and the way inwhich the different adaptations reflect the shifting historicalsituations and ideological concerns of their own times.* * Explores five surviving film adaptations - Guazzoni's of1912; D'Annunzio/Jacoby of 1925; Mervyn LeRoy's of 1951; theItalian TV mini-series of 1985 by Franco Rossi; andKawalerowicz's 2001 Polish version* Examines how these different versions interpret, select fromand modify the novel and the ancient sources on which it isbased* Offers an exceptionally clear view of how films have presentedancient Rome and how modern conditions determine itsreception* Looks at rare and archival material which has not previouslyreceived close scholarly attention

List of Illustrations ixAcknowledgments x1 Novel and Film 12 Adapting the Narrative 16Sienkiewicz's Novel: Adapting the Story 16Focalizers, Judgments, and Petronius 22Petronius as Focal Character 28Seeing and Mapping Rome 423 Gender and Ethnicity 55Marcus and Lygia 55Petronius and Eunice 57Pomponia 61Gender Roles in Public and Private Life 63Ethnicity and Gender Roles in the 1985 Version 70Adaptations in the 2001 Version 804 Political Institutions, Political Subtexts 88Political Implications of the Silent Versions 91Fascists and Communists: The 1951 and 2001 Films 94The Complex Allusions of the 1985 Miniseries 97Foreign Policy in the Films 116The Military in the 1951 Version 118The Arrival of Galba 1245 The Roman People 1396 Religion and Religious Authority in Quo Vadis? 173Paganism 173Judaism 178Christianity: Ritual, Theology, and Confl ict inSienkiewicz's Novel 185Transmitting a Tradition: Sermons in Novel and Film 188The Representation of the Scriptures 190Radicals: Crispus 194Mainstream Christianity: Peter and Paul 200Conclusion 2117 Conclusions 2198 Exkursus: Chilo's Mother 223A Peculiarity of the German Translations of Quo Vadis? 223Description of the Films 227Synopsis of the Novel and the Film Versions of Quo Vadis 230References 266Index of Ancient Sources 275Index of Personal Names 279Index of Things and Places 285