Synopsis
Ancient Rome, during the time of Emperor Nero. Vinicius, a young patrician, falls in love with the beautiful Lygia, the daughter of a Barbarian commander who was killed in battle, and wants her for his concubine. For Lygia, a Christian, being a pagan's concubine is a severe sin and disgrace. However, when Vinicius is wounded, Lygia cares for him, and starts to reciprocate his feelings. Vinicius, in return, becomes interested in Christian learning and asks Apostle Peter to teach him. In the meantime, Emperor Nero accuses Christians of having started a great fire in Rome. He encourages the imprisonment, torture and murder of his Christian subjects.
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Cast
- Paweł DelągMarcus Vincius
- Magdalena MielcarzLygia
- Bogusław LindaPetronius
- Michal BajorNeron
- Jerzy TrelaChilo Chilonides
- Franciszek PieczkaApostle Peter
- Krzysztof MajchrzakTigellinus
- Rafał KubackiUrsus
- Andrzej TomeckiGlaucus
- Jerzy NowakKrispus
Recommendations
- 90
New Times (L.A.)
A grand, old-fashioned epic, this project is every bit as important as "Gladiator" or a new "Star Wars" episode. - 80
Variety
Bright, glossy, grandly scaled and dramatically stolid, 79-year-old writer-director Jerzy Kawalerowicz's longtime dream project mixes earnest religiosity with the depraved cruelty of Nero's Rome in the classic De Mille tradition. - 50
Los Angeles Times
Kawalerowicz directs with briskness and vigor but cannot keep the first half of his film from slipping into tedium. - 50
L.A. Weekly
The film should also wow fans of Herbert Wise's "I, Claudius" and Franco Zeffirelli's "Jesus of Nazareth" alike.
