Pope attends Quo Vadis première

The Pope was joined by other clergymen

Pope John Paul II has attended the première of the remake of the biblical epic Quo Vadis.

Oscar-nominated director Jerzy Kawalerowicz has made a version of the 1905 Nobel prize winning novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz.

A number of cardinals and other clergyman were invited to the screening at the Vatican, which the pope hailed as a "major work".

Kawalerowicz: Made his directorial debut in 1951

The first talking Quo Vadis was made in 1951 and starred Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr and Peter Ustinov.

Kawalerowicz had a budget of £7.5m to make the film, the largest in Polish history.

The film tells the tale of a Roman soldier who falls in love with a Christian slave, highlighting the struggle between the early Christians and Roman Emperor Nero.

The title refers to a question said to be uttered by Peter as he crossed paths with Christ as he fled persecution.

He asked "Domine, quo vadis?" or Lord, where are you going? and Jesus replied he was heading back to Rome to be crucified again.

Martyr

The audience hall where the latest Quo Vadis premièred was built at the site of an ancient arena where many Christians including the apostle Peter are believed to have become martyrs.

The Lumiere brothers made the first film version of the book, which was just a few seconds long, entitled Nero Trying Poison on Slaves.

There have more than 10 international versions made since then.

The pope is a known film buff and even acted when he was a student in Cracow.

Last year he watched Pan Tadeusz by Polish director Andrzej Wajda and more recently attended a screening of La Porta del Cielo - The Gate to Heaven - by Italian director Vitorrio de Sica.

He has also seen the Oscar-winning movie Life is Beautiful, directed and starring Roberto Benigni.