Book excerpt: Whither Quo Vadis? offers an engaging account of how theRoman world and its history are represented in film and the way inwhich the different adaptations reflect the shifting historicalsituations and ideological concerns of their own times. Explores five surviving film adaptations – Guazzoni's of1912; D’Annunzio/Jacoby of 1925; Mervyn LeRoy's of 1951; theItalian TV mini-series of 1985 by Franco Rossi; andKawalerowicz’s 2001 Polish version Examines how these different versions interpret, select from,and modify the novel and the ancient sources on which it isbased Offers an exceptionally clear view of how films have presentedancient Rome and how modern conditions determine itsreception Looks at rare and archival material which has not previouslyreceived close scholarly attention