One of the first blockbuster films in cinema is Italian Cines Company March 1913's "Quo Vadis?" based on Henryk Sienkiewicz's 1896 best-seller. "Quo Vadis?" set the standard for a variety of ancient Roman scenes that inspired future epic movies, including a battle to the death between gladiators in the Coliseum, a strong man wrestling a bull to save a damsel in distress, and lions attacking Christians during their persecution in Emperor Nero's reign.
Enrico Guazzoni directed over 5,000 extras for the two-hour feature film. "Quo Vadis?" opened Berlin, Germany's first all-exclusive cinema theater, Ufa-Pavillon am Nollendorfplatz, on March 13, 1913, complete with live, costumed actors performing while the movie was being projected. A similar performance was given during its English premier at London's Royal Albert Hall, with a number of actors on stage while the movie was playing before King George V.
New York City's spacious Astor Theater, known for its elaborate stage productions, screened "Quo Vidas?" for nine months, from April to December 1913. The film was the first for Broadway, where the Astor Theater was located.
This version was by no means the first feature-length movie by any stretch, but "Quo Vadis?" was one of the original pictures with a plot to clock in over two hours. A 1924 silent version of Sienkiewicz's novel was produced, starring Emil Jannings, while the "Quo Vadis?" edition most people are familiar is the 1951 Technicolor movie with Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr and Finlay Currie. That film that saved MGM Studios from bankruptcy.
