The fire in Quo Vadis[]
- The Imagery
- The Meaning
- The Technical Aspects
- The Thematic Aspects
The imagery[]
The Fire of Rome was shown in the movie Quo Vadis. It was shown over the shoulder of the Roman elite of the time. We got a closer look into the fire when Marcus Vinicius braved the flames to go save Lygia. When we get into the closer shots, we can see that the flames have engulfed the entire city.
The meaning[]
Emperor Nero decide to burn Rome for two reasons. The first reason was to build a city in his own image called "Neropolis." The second reason was to get rid of all the people who had questions about his imperial rule. The main group to question his rule were the Christians, so his empress, Poppea, suggested to Nero that he simply blame the fire on the "unpopular, and anti-social," Christians.
The technical aspects[]
The overview shot of the fire was shot using a miniature scale model of the city and set ablaze. The miniature model was made inside a 300-foot long tank by the production company Construction companies also were put to work designing a 4 block long set of inside the city. Using alcohol burners, a team of technical experts set the miniature city on fire. It took Mervin LeRoy and his technicians 24 days to do what Nero did in six. The multiple inner city shots were many smash cuts of a (controlled) burning set.
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The thematic aspects[]
The blaming of the Christians was not entirely Nero's idea. Nero is an exceedingly suggestible guy so he listens to the words of his advisers and his mind, assumes they are his own thoughts. When his adviser suggested (already started) the fire, Nero immediately adopted the idea. This suggestibility made Nero one of the most infamous and gullible leaders in Roman history.
Citations:Big Screen Rome written by Monica Silveira Cyrino
Quo Vadis online article http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/59900%7C0/Quo-Vadis.html
Images: The Fire of Rome found on http://bigerboat.com/indexfx/?p=1770
Nero's Face found on https://hqofk.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/quo-vadis-this-week-at-landmark/
Miniature of "Neropolis" found on http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-patricia-laffan-peter-ustinov-quo-vadis-1951-30951656.html