I saw only the last part of this movie when it first aired and was blown away. Genevieve Bujold was fantastic - perhaps it's because I grew up in Quebec but I identified with her Joan immediately - her French temper shown at the trial spoke to me. I've seen other versions but none were as realistic as hers. I gave it an 8/10 because I was so young when I saw it and had missed the start.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Poor Imitation of Quo Vadis
20 April 2019
Despite the title, most of the movie focuses on the love interest between a Roman soldier and a slave in Nero's household - in other words, the same plot as in Quo Vadis.
Unfortunately, that leads to a lot of comparisons between the two movies and this one falls flat each time. Baldwin's Nero is wooden, one dimensional - the polar opposite of Peter Ustinov's brilliant portrayal of an unhinged Caesar. The Roman soldiers are not convincing as soldiers who had conquered much of Europe and the Middle; Susanna, as the young slave girl is OK but never comes across as someone with the strength of character to challenge a centurion. The only interesting character is Caesar's wife, Poppaea.
Watch it if you must - and then watch Quo Vadis and see what this movie could have been.
Unfortunately, that leads to a lot of comparisons between the two movies and this one falls flat each time. Baldwin's Nero is wooden, one dimensional - the polar opposite of Peter Ustinov's brilliant portrayal of an unhinged Caesar. The Roman soldiers are not convincing as soldiers who had conquered much of Europe and the Middle; Susanna, as the young slave girl is OK but never comes across as someone with the strength of character to challenge a centurion. The only interesting character is Caesar's wife, Poppaea.
Watch it if you must - and then watch Quo Vadis and see what this movie could have been.
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