The Film
Eight years before the widescreen remake of Ben-Hur, MGM made another grandiose epic based on an acclaimed literary work, namely Quo Vadis, which relates the conflict between imperial Rome and the early Christian converts in the first century AD.
The film’s plot involves Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor), a Roman commander whose military conquests earn him the admiration of Emperor Nero (Peter Ustinov). But when Marcus becomes infatuated with a Christian woman named Lygia (Deborah Kerr), he risks his position as a Roman soldier by attempting to rescue her and her family from the fire that Nero has capriciously ordered so that he can carry out his architectural plan for a new Rome. The burning of the city leads to the persecution of the Christians, who have been made scapegoats for Nero’s deadly conflagration. Ultimately, Marcus must choose between his loyalty to Rome and his love for a woman whose faith is totally foreign to his pagan beliefs.
The Music
Rózsa’s score is a skillful combination of musical styles. According to the writer of the film’s souvenir booklet, Rózsa used music with a Greek influence for scenes with Nero, while old Hebraic melodies inspired the chanting heard in the Christian rituals. Music based on Greek and Sicilian sources was also used in creating the melodic ideas for the film’s military processions.
To create a musical spectrum that would reflect the film’s ancient setting, Rózsa chose to set his principal thematic ideas in old church modes, especially the Dorian mode (equivalent to the scale of D minor with the all-natural pitches of D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D). Rózsa also used parallelism in the harmony to reflect the story’s ancient setting.
Roman commander Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor) has fallen in love with Lygia (Deborah Kerr), a devout Christian. MGM / Photofest © MGM
The first Dorian idea appears in the opening credits, where a trumpet fanfare is followed by a dramatic sounding of a five-note motif that is associated with the Romans. This is soon followed by the choral singing of the words “Quo vadis, Domine,” which is based on a six-note motif that reflects the Christian element in the film.
The Roman motif is heard in one of the film’s first scenes when an angered Marcus rides in his chariot to the royal palace to protest Nero’s edict that Marcus’s soldiers must remain encamped outside the city until the other armies arrive.
These two motifs are incorporated into a score that also includes a love theme that is introduced when Marcus first meets Lygia, the daughter of an enslaved king, who lives with a retired Roman general’s family that offers hospitality to Marcus while he awaits a formal military entry into Rome. At Marcus’s first sighting of Lygia the strings play a lyrical melody based on four ascending tones. This melodic idea recurs whenever this handsome couple is seen together.
This love theme is heard during their second meeting, when Marcus observes Lygia drawing a fish (a secret symbol used among the early Christians). As they talk, a solo violin adds a lilting quality to this theme, especially when she admits her attraction for Marcus, despite her strong rejection of Rome’s policy of military conquest.
Music of a celebratory nature is heard in several scenes, including a moment when the vestal virgins sing a song of praise to Nero. This is soon followed by a rousing minor-key march theme that accompanies Marcus and his legion of soldiers. At the high point of the procession the Roman motif is sounded by brass.
A second love theme in the score is associated with Nero’s loyal adviser Petronius, whose servant, Eunice, proclaims her love for him and stays loyally by his side as his relationship with Nero deteriorates over the emperor’s plan to rebuild Rome. The strings add a lyrical sound to this theme whenever it occurs.
When Marcus hears that Rome is ablaze, the Roman motif dramatically recurs as he speeds off in a chariot to find Lygia. During the subsequent chase, when two charioteers are ordered to stop Marcus from going into Rome, the music becomes very turbulent, with brass sounding the Roman motif while drums and swirling woodwinds add to the excitement.
The fire scene, while a truly spectacular segment of the film, is devoid of music due to the screaming of victims and the sounds of the fire and the destruction that it causes.
Scenes set in a Roman arena include singing by Christian prisoners who seem to joyfully accept their impending deaths. This vocal music, which is devoid of orchestral accompaniment, is melodically consistent with the modal instrumental motifs in the film.
One further theme is heard when Nero realizes the Roman citizens have turned against him. Built on a variation of the Roman motif, the horns sound a dramatic idea in a march-like style that leads to the moment when he strangles his wife. This is followed by a melody for strings built in melodic thirds that occurs when Nero’s faithful slave Acte assists him in plunging a dagger into his heart.
In addition to the music heard in the film, Rózsa created an overture and exit music for the film. The overture includes a dynamic version of the Roman motif, while the exit music features a soaring version of the Marcus and Lygia love theme.
Coming early in Rózsa’s career at MGM, the score of Quo Vadis helped to establish him as the leading composer for films set in the past, including such epics as Ivanhoe and Knights of the Round Table. Rózsa’s painstaking research into ancient musical idioms ultimately led to the Oscar-winning music of Ben-Hur (also discussed in this book). With its inspired pageantry and drama, the music of Quo Vadis clearly stands as one of Rózsa’s finest achievements.
Recognition
Eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Original Score.
Highest-grossing film of 1951.
Score included on the AFI list of 100 years of film scores.
Recordings
Miklós Rózsa, Quo Vadis, Decca, 1977, Studio Recording with Rózsa conducting the Royal Philharmonic, issued on CD in 1985. Excellent sound. ****
Miklós Rózsa, Quo Vadis, Silva Screen. 2012. Recording by Nic Raine and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. Excellent sound. ****
Bibliography
Quo Vadis Souvenir Booklet. New York: Al Greenstone, 1951.