MovieChat Forums > Quo vadis (2001) Discussion > which version?

which version?

posted 18 years ago by w_christopher13
11 replies | jump to latest

sorry for this other topic but i'll try to make more sence of what my dilema is.first off know that i do realize that this is the movie Quo Vadis? 2001 by Jerzy Kawalerowicz but theirs just something with the nstc mge dvd releases that i can't figure out.
i checked mge site and seen Quo Vadis? 2001 by Jerzy Kawalerowicz in nstc and with english subtitles as well as ebay.however on the cover it says its a 6 part tv minseries and 270mins and has a man and women and at the bottom a man and bull fighting? then i seen another mge dvd nstc eng sub Quo Vadis? 2001 by Jerzy Kawalerowicz with the same man and women on the cover just different pose and the same man and bull at the bottom.however this on is listed as being 172min.i thought the one with Jerzy Kawalerowicz
was a movie?there is infact a 6 part miniseries from 1985 of the same title but directed by someone else(imdb has it listed as 350 min).
is the mge dvd i first mentiond wong in its description on the cover and is infact the 172min or165min 2001 movie release? or is this movie a tv series that is infact 270mins>very confusing.please if someone can explain.

[–] mesadallas 18 years ago

I'm not Polish, but I did buy the new NSTC version with English subtitles from mge.tv and I was wondering the same thing. I know this has to be the same movie.

By the way, the version from mge is great. I was really happy to get an extra hour of footage. Boguslaw Linda is fantastic!

[–] trojden 18 years ago

Hi, it is the SAME movie but there are two version of it, the first one that lasts about 170 minutes and was relased in the theaters around the world and the other one wich is about 270 minutes long and contains of six episodes. This is a television version wich was first aired in December 2003 in Poland as a Christmas blockbuster. It's very ususal for Polish producers to make two version: one for cinemas, and another one for television. Television versions are usually screened about year and a half after a premiere of a theatrical version.

[–] w_christopher13 18 years ago

thanks so much for clearing that up.i was finally able to see the 170min version and i really enjoyed it.now since its the same movie/tv series what type of changes are there just more scenes for the tv version and is is more censored or uncensored then the theater version?

[–] trojden 18 years ago

There are definitely more scenes and some scenes, included in the theatrical version are longer. I'd say it is more uncensored but you might be suprised because Polish movies (versions sreened in Polish cinemas) are hardly ever censored for their language, violence or nudity. For exaple, in the television version of "Quo Vadis?" there's a scene where Malgorzata Foremniak (Chryzostemis) and Pawel Delag (Winicjusz) talk after they've had sex. There are both naked, Foremniak shows her breast and Delag fans must have been happy to see his butt and even a short flick of his penis. Well, that's not the most important but the fact is that the television version is definitely better than the theatrical edition. I'm not sure if it's available on DVD. It's been repeated twice since its premiere by Polish TV, once even with English subtitles. Try to catch it, it's good.

[–] w_christopher13 18 years ago

definetly going to try and get the tv version.i do believe there is one.i seen a few on ebay by mge company .i thank you so much for the info.

[–] w_christopher13 18 years ago

what about scenes in the arena?are there anymore of those with more scenes with lions and other animals?in the tv version im mean.

[–] trojden 18 years ago

I think there is. I watched it more than two years ago but as I said above-my impression after watching the TV version was better than after leaving my local cinema after I'd seen the theatrical release.

[–] w_christopher13 18 years ago

just got the tv version in the mail today so im gonna check it out later and try to compare with the theatrical version.i have that one on my computer but its in Polish with no subtitles.the tv version has english subs tho.
the tv version must have played here in Canada because the whole reason from me seeking this movie out was due to the fact that i caught the last 10 minutes of it on a french channel that i get here and there was no mistaking that emporer portrayed was Nero.so finnaly a couple of months ago when i remembered this film i checked up on it and found it listed here and have gotten greta info from a few people about it.

[–] mcvorkov 16 years ago

TRy to read the book, if you haven't. In the film everything seems to be in a fast forward mood. You get the picture.

[–] avalhon 14 years ago

I read the book (many times, since it's one of my favorites), I saw the movies and so far I like the polish version of 2001 best.

[–] kaream 10 years ago

The 2003 MGE release contains both versions, in region 1 NTSC format, in Polish with English subtitles.

The start menu is deceptive. It asks you to choose between "Play All", which actually plays the 225'30" theatrical version as disc title 2, or "Select Episode". This second choice then takes you to a submenu for choosing episodes I through VI. These episodes are only separate chapters lumped together in the disc's title 1, which has a total run time of 276 minutes. (The box info incorrectly says 270 minutes.)

All of this fits onto a single disc, because the shortened "Play All" title 2 theatrical version simply excerpts from the longer title 1, omitting the repetitive TV episode introductions and credits, and some scenes. I'd guess the TV episode information probably totals around 5 minutes altogether, so this means that roughly 45 minutes of scenes are cut from the theatrical version. (Assuming roughly 5-6 minutes total for the TV episode intros and credits, this may be where their stated 270 minutes comes from.)

In other words, to access the full original film you have to play the episodes. Otherwise you're losing about 45 minutes of it.

I don't know how easy it may be to get a copy of this MGE release; I found it at my local public library today.