If you ever saw or read “Quo Vadis” then you will be familiar with the character of Gaius Petronius. He was one of the emperor Nero’s closest advisors and the credited author of this fantastic story of mythological excess. In this suitably outrageous Neroic drama, two close friends - “Ascito” (Hiram Keller) and “Encolpio” (Martin Potter) get into a strop about their ownership of their toy-boy “Gitone” (Max Born). Unable to reconcile, they determine to go their separate ways. The young lad chooses to go with the former man and so distraught, the latter considers suicide - but luckily an earthquake intervenes. The aftermath of the chaos sees the men separated and now we follow some of their escapades as they lurch from one debauched scenario to another equally sexually charged environment, with loads of erotic dancing, debauchery and hedonism. In due course, the three are reunited and embark on a wheeze to borrow a demigod from a sacred temple. Now that’s not a good move as he’s only a “demi” so promptly dies and that earns poor old Encolpio the enmity of the gods. Given the context of the whole film, his punishment is especially cruel but with his friend beside him, he hopes that perhaps they can travel to a far away land where there might be a glimmer that things could look up again! Some of the adventures do resemble more familiar fables. Theseus and the Minotaur, for example,…

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