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Whither Quo Vadis?

Sienkiewicz's Novel in Film and Television

Ruth Scodel author Anja Bettenworth author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Published:21st Nov '08

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Whither Quo Vadis? cover

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

"Recommended [to] all readers." (CHOICE, March 2010)

“There is much to admire in this book. It has a clear focus and a good set of questions. It knows its way round the five films and around the classical sources, and is prepared to look at broader issues in relation to the close reading of the films.” (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, March 2009)

ISBN: 9781405183857

Dimensions: 236mm x 160mm x 25mm

Weight: 581g

304 pages