Quo Vadis, Hottie?
Jul. 14th, 2006 06:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieI confess, I have a weakness. That weakness is for sword-and-sandal epics. I can't help it. Wrap a bad actor in a long white crumpled sheet, and pretend he is a Roman in a toga (btw, who invented that garment? It seems cumbersome and with no utility whatsoever) and I will eat it up.
True, some of those S&S movies are better than the others (I think something like Spartacus or Ben-Hur are just good epicy movies period), but in some of them, I am all about the hot men with names ending in 'us,' sword-fights, chariot races, excess and directors drunk on a huge budget and going crazy with it. And some of the epics are flawed but with moments of insane brilliance (Mankiewitz's notorious Cleopatra is part over the top campiness of 3000 costumes and part dialogue of almost Shakespearean resonance).
I confess, this post was going to be about C.B. DeMille's campy and delicious Cleopatra starring Claudette Colbert. I had pictures ready and everything. But it's going to have to wait, because while googling I found out that the Poles did a miniseries of one of my Top 5 books of all time, book I devoured like a maniac, refusing to do anything, even eat, while it was in my grasp: Henryk Sienkewitz's Quo Vadis. It's a complex, complicated, gorgeous, and well-researched story set in the reign of Nero, and involves Vincius, a young Roman nobleman and his love for Lygia, an adopted daughter of another family, and a Christian.
Sounds cliche, right? Well, Sienkewitz is a Nobel Prize winner for literature, so it's far from the case. For one, the secondary characters such as the brilliant, weary Petronius, Arbiter Elegantarum, Nero himself, Greek slave girl Eunice, Aulus Plautus and a bunch of others, almost steal the book from the leads. QV's Petronius is actually one of my major literary crushes, and I can discuss him ad nauseam. He's made me laugh and cry (and interestingly, Sienkewitz himself faced criticism that he's made Petronius so magnetic that it gave too glorified a picture of paganism). And I love Vinicius himself, who is majorly a person of his time, arrogant, hot-tempered, not particularly nice. In fact, the book is, more than anything, about his gradual transformation into a good person under the power of love and faith (I should have known I'd develop a thing for h/c when my favorite part of the book involved his lengthy recuperation under Lygia's care). The book is mainly a character study and I love it for it. Sienkewitz makes the transformation of a person who in the beginning orders his slaves whipped for no reason other than he is majorly pissed off and by the end is begging the lowest of the low for help to save the woman he loves utterly gradual and believable. It also has a climax that made me scream at the book, I was so on the edge of my seat. Lygia herself is not as interesting: she is young, and beautiful, and sweet, and I like her, but she is not a complex character. I prefer Eunice (Petronius/Eunice OTP forever! :))
The book has been translated into English repeatedly and Hollywood made a movie version of it in 1951. It's not a bad movie, but the spirit of the book is lost. For one thing, instead of a beautiful, pure young thing that Lygia is supposed to be, Deborah Kerr plays her as a Victorian schoolmarm. And the themes and complexity are gone. But Peter Ustinov as Nero and Leo Genn as Petronius (both oscar nommed for the roles) are brilliant. And while Robert Taylor's Vinicius is not much like the book one, he certainly looks gorgeous:
Well, I found out that the Poles made the miniseries based on the book and the stills look good and it's supposed to be REALLY faithful (OMG, Vinicius, jump into that stadium and pick up your gf's unconscious body. You know you want to) and thus I simply must get my hands on it.
Do me, Pagan Hottie! Yeah, I thought it wasn't what she said, but a girl can hope:
Smooth, Vinicius, smooth:
Lygia. Gotta say, she's pretty:
Vinicius being manly. Or perhaps pondering the fact that he is hot. Take your pick:
Come to our Roman baths. A free debauch with every second purchase:
Awwwww. A baby. Where is Six when you need her?
Petronius and is that Eunice? She is a bit too old, but I'll give it a pass:
Not how I'd like my shower, but to each their own:
Toga party!
Ursus begs clemency for Lygia. In this version she is suitably naked. Definitely not the case in the 1950s flick:
Burn, baby, burn! Disco inferno!
Peter. Or Paul. Or some Polish actor with a fake beard:
I am not even going to touch this one:
Did I mention the 'naked' part?
That's what I do for fun, too:
I have no idea, but it looks angsty:
Didn't stike me as a type for bondage, but you never know:
h/c, baby!
And we end on an awwwwww:
I MUST get this.
For those of you, who like me can read Russian, there is an extra treat. Someone has the beginning text of the book 'illustrated' with the mini photos in the appropriate scenes.
True, some of those S&S movies are better than the others (I think something like Spartacus or Ben-Hur are just good epicy movies period), but in some of them, I am all about the hot men with names ending in 'us,' sword-fights, chariot races, excess and directors drunk on a huge budget and going crazy with it. And some of the epics are flawed but with moments of insane brilliance (Mankiewitz's notorious Cleopatra is part over the top campiness of 3000 costumes and part dialogue of almost Shakespearean resonance).
I confess, this post was going to be about C.B. DeMille's campy and delicious Cleopatra starring Claudette Colbert. I had pictures ready and everything. But it's going to have to wait, because while googling I found out that the Poles did a miniseries of one of my Top 5 books of all time, book I devoured like a maniac, refusing to do anything, even eat, while it was in my grasp: Henryk Sienkewitz's Quo Vadis. It's a complex, complicated, gorgeous, and well-researched story set in the reign of Nero, and involves Vincius, a young Roman nobleman and his love for Lygia, an adopted daughter of another family, and a Christian.
Sounds cliche, right? Well, Sienkewitz is a Nobel Prize winner for literature, so it's far from the case. For one, the secondary characters such as the brilliant, weary Petronius, Arbiter Elegantarum, Nero himself, Greek slave girl Eunice, Aulus Plautus and a bunch of others, almost steal the book from the leads. QV's Petronius is actually one of my major literary crushes, and I can discuss him ad nauseam. He's made me laugh and cry (and interestingly, Sienkewitz himself faced criticism that he's made Petronius so magnetic that it gave too glorified a picture of paganism). And I love Vinicius himself, who is majorly a person of his time, arrogant, hot-tempered, not particularly nice. In fact, the book is, more than anything, about his gradual transformation into a good person under the power of love and faith (I should have known I'd develop a thing for h/c when my favorite part of the book involved his lengthy recuperation under Lygia's care). The book is mainly a character study and I love it for it. Sienkewitz makes the transformation of a person who in the beginning orders his slaves whipped for no reason other than he is majorly pissed off and by the end is begging the lowest of the low for help to save the woman he loves utterly gradual and believable. It also has a climax that made me scream at the book, I was so on the edge of my seat. Lygia herself is not as interesting: she is young, and beautiful, and sweet, and I like her, but she is not a complex character. I prefer Eunice (Petronius/Eunice OTP forever! :))
The book has been translated into English repeatedly and Hollywood made a movie version of it in 1951. It's not a bad movie, but the spirit of the book is lost. For one thing, instead of a beautiful, pure young thing that Lygia is supposed to be, Deborah Kerr plays her as a Victorian schoolmarm. And the themes and complexity are gone. But Peter Ustinov as Nero and Leo Genn as Petronius (both oscar nommed for the roles) are brilliant. And while Robert Taylor's Vinicius is not much like the book one, he certainly looks gorgeous:
Well, I found out that the Poles made the miniseries based on the book and the stills look good and it's supposed to be REALLY faithful (OMG, Vinicius, jump into that stadium and pick up your gf's unconscious body. You know you want to) and thus I simply must get my hands on it.
Do me, Pagan Hottie! Yeah, I thought it wasn't what she said, but a girl can hope:
Smooth, Vinicius, smooth:
Lygia. Gotta say, she's pretty:
Vinicius being manly. Or perhaps pondering the fact that he is hot. Take your pick:
Come to our Roman baths. A free debauch with every second purchase:
Awwwww. A baby. Where is Six when you need her?
Petronius and is that Eunice? She is a bit too old, but I'll give it a pass:
Not how I'd like my shower, but to each their own:
Toga party!
Ursus begs clemency for Lygia. In this version she is suitably naked. Definitely not the case in the 1950s flick:
Burn, baby, burn! Disco inferno!
Peter. Or Paul. Or some Polish actor with a fake beard:
I am not even going to touch this one:
Did I mention the 'naked' part?
That's what I do for fun, too:
I have no idea, but it looks angsty:
Didn't stike me as a type for bondage, but you never know:
h/c, baby!
And we end on an awwwwww:
I MUST get this.
For those of you, who like me can read Russian, there is an extra treat. Someone has the beginning text of the book 'illustrated' with the mini photos in the appropriate scenes.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-07-14 11:36 pm (UTC)Mmmm these pictures are pretty. Your picspams are always lovely.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-14 11:43 pm (UTC)Thank you re: picspams. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-07-14 11:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-18 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-15 12:34 am (UTC)I remember watching the 50's version at school (once more, we took a day out to watch it, it wasn't an annual thing though) and we'd always joke about the "tear vase".
Tell me where you can find this if you can.
I always thought it was not only a great love story, but the book is also deep. I like Vinicius. He's a great flawed hero. Thing is, I love Petronius too. The characters are all so vivid it's hard to really dislike any of them (Nero, but then you know).
Also, guy playing Vinicius is hot.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-15 12:52 am (UTC)we'd always joke about the "tear vase".
Heeeee. I am getting a great urge to rewatch this. Shockingly, this movie isn't on DVD. For shame on them!
Tell me where you can find this if you can.
I've found and ordered a copy at http://www.polishdvds.ca/. They have a copy for #19.95, in Polish with English subtitles and in NTSC format. The whole thing is a whopping 270 minutes long! I'll let you know how good the DVD/shop is. It's not shipping till July 30th though. At least their customer service is prompt.
I always thought it was not only a great love story, but the book is also deep.
Definitely. Even if you have no interest in Vinicius and Lygia (and how could one not), there is so much there. I especially love Petronius' final take on Christianity: it's something he knows is most likely true, and yet he choses to not embrase it because it's so wrong for him. And I love him all the more for it, because it is so in character, not some kind of a cleansing magic wand. It's a very complicated look at religion and redemption and everything.
I like Vinicius. He's a great flawed hero.
I love how he never magically decides to give up his slaves or anything of the sort. A person of his times. I think even in the earliest parts of the book I was just won over by how passionate he was. I don't even mean in the *nudge nudge wink wink* sense, just about things in general. It was rather irresistable, especially when contrasted with the jaded lack of interest from so many other characters. Not that Vinicius isn't skilled in the Roman orgy fun or whatever, but he doesn't seem fed up with life, and is really invested in his passions. I don't know if I am phrasing it well. And OMG, the bit where he visits Lygia in jail. Guuuuuh.
Thing is, I love Petronius too.
Oh God, I bawled my eyes out at the end when I first read the book. I think it's an interesting authorial choice to end the story proper with Petronius and Eunice and not Vinicius and Lygia. Interestingly, a lot of that passage is taken from Tacitus (not Eunice of course). But Tacitus makes me horribly mad. If there is a person I like in his narration, they are bound to bite it. It's all the worse for being real.
The characters are all so vivid it's hard to really dislike any of them (Nero, but then you know).
And even with Nero, he's evil but he is so entertaining and somehow boredly real. Ugh.
Also, guy playing Vinicius is hot.
Yum. Definitely.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-15 01:18 am (UTC)I also like that Vinicius isn't really a noble hero getting the young virgin. I mean he IS, but not in the same sense as Will Turner. Vinicius has been around the block. You give him points for not being quite as debauched as everyone else, but compared to Lygia, he's hardly an innocent. I like the fact that the roles sort of reverse when he becomes a Christian. Now it's Lygia who's the wiser of the two, not only in the religion, but in the purity of love thing.
I also like the odd fact that HE isn't really the one who saves his lady love, it's Ursus.
Also, the 50's version has the hilariously awkward bit where Eunice makes out with Petronius's statue. Awkward maily because it was totally out of the blue in the movie. I remember the highschool collectively going "what? eeeeeeeee..."
no subject
Date: 2006-07-15 01:40 am (UTC)In a more 'normal' novel, you'd expect Petronius to see the error of his ways, convert and live HEA. It's not supposed to be 'cool main character does not knuckle down sufficiently to evil tyrant and is ordered to commit suicide.' I have to say that the one scene in the old QV that absolutely rocked was Petronius' death banquet. Leo Genn has this amazing cultured voice and it was just perfect. That's the one time in that fun, but not too emotionally involving movie that I cried.
Petronius is older, wiser, more sophisticated. I think that's both his weakness and his strength. He is not capable of losing it as much as Vinicius does, going to extremes of rage. But he is also not capable of losing himself so totally in love, in living for another person to that degree. I find it so telling that when Vinicius brings Lygia to his house near the end and takes care of her, Petronius is a bit puzzled as to why Vinicius is so in love with her because time in prison has made her less pretty. He is kind and caring, but there is a certain detachment to him. It's probably partially natural inclination, but partially something he's had to develop to survive in the madhouse.
I think the fate of Petronius is the biggest tragedy in the book. This is this intelligent (not to say brilliant), good person and yet the most he can achieve is to last not too short a time under Nero's reign. His brain and his heart are, in a sense, wasted.
You give him points for not being quite as debauched as everyone else, but compared to Lygia, he's hardly an innocent. I like the fact that the roles sort of reverse when he becomes a Christian. Now it's Lygia who's the wiser of the two, not only in the religion, but in the purity of love thing.
I just love how in the beginning their worlds are really not comparable. He genuinely doesn't understand where she is coming from and vice versa. And yes, it's a really neat reversal. But I love that he really never changes unrecognizably. The Vinicius at the end is a progression of the one at the beginning: only something who's discovered something spiritual (both in religion and in love) and thus has been (to use a cliche word) purified. But not in a saccharine sappy way.
Vinicius has been around the block.
I love how it's appropriate for the period. He has basically the average background for a young nobleman who is not some monster of depravity *coughNerocough* but is not some sort of person briming over with virtu.
I also like the odd fact that HE isn't really the one who saves his lady love, it's Ursus.
I also love that he is a well born Roman of decent army rank, but he is not some supreme General or something (of course, 1950s movie 'remedied' that). He is a young nobleman. And yes, some kind of wrestler giant is a lot more equipped to deal with the bull thingie. I do love the bit where he jumps into the arena and begs for Lygia's life. I can't imagine Vinicius of the beginning of the novel doing that and yet all the beginnings of that are there.
hilariously awkward bit where Eunice makes out with Petronius's statue
Heeee. It's one little throwaway sentence in the book and it works better there (most things work better in books). But yes, it was pretty bizarre in the movie...
no subject
Date: 2006-07-15 02:08 am (UTC)And it's completely unrealistic to have him as some "I never went to an orgy because I was always away in the military" type person that happens so often in romances. It's not that he was a BAD guy, just no innocent by any means.
Any it's Vinicius you'd rather have in the long run (at least I rather would). Taking the age difference aside, brilliant, dignified thinkers like Petronius are all well and good, but the detachment isn't something you're going to thrill over in a relationship. Petronius's don't jump in bull rings to try to save you. While Petronius types are nice to have as friends, give me a Vinicius in the long run (same argument I use for Will Turner or Jack Sparrow. Jack's nice to visit on weekends, but you're not going to want to set up house with him).
He genuinely doesn't understand where she is coming from and vice versa.
And I love how that shows in the love story. It's not some magical "they are soul mates" sort of thing with glitter and bubbles. He's initially only physically attracted to her and it builds into a love that he'd be willing to die for her.
On a side note, Lygia and Vinicius in the movie appear to be the Polish versions of Jim Caviezel and Kate Bosworth.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-15 05:35 am (UTC)And his love grows the more he knows her, not just that she is pretty, and the harder he works for her, the more she is worth it.
Jim Caviezel and Kate Bosworth
I didn't think about it, but you are right...
it's Vinicius you'd rather have in the long run (at least I rather would).
Agreed. Because he really gets dedicated to the woman in his life, and he really gets involved and invested. You want to be important to your SO and I can't imagine Petronius being desperate or passionate about anything in that way.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-15 01:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-15 01:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-15 09:50 am (UTC)I just love epical films!!!
no subject
Date: 2006-07-15 04:12 pm (UTC)I love Kerr, but in this movie she played the role all wrong, IMO. Well, can't win them all :)