The Robe
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Actor: Jay Robinson, Jean Simmons, Michael Rennie, Richard Burton, Victor MatureBrand: BURTON,RICHARD
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.55:1
Running Time: 135 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-10-16
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of The Robe
DVD Review: Lavish, And Sensitively Handled Hollywood Religious Epic
Summary: 4 Stars
Of all the many stories and film efforts centred around the crucifixion of Jesus "The Robe",based on the famous novel of the same name by Llyod C. Douglas would probably be still the best known. Often accused now of being extremely dated and theatrical in its approach by critics who also target Richard Burton's performance in particular as an example of one that has not aged well, that I believe is too harsh an assessment. A recent viewing of this great biblical classic reaffirmed in my belief that to the contrary "The Robe", is a wonderfully inspiring piece of cinema still with a message about loving your fellow man regardless of their differences that is just as timely today as it was when the novel was written. The great joy of watching "The Robe", is that it can be appreciated on a number of different levels, in that it can be appreciated for its strong story telling and sound message of tolerance to all people that you dont have to be religious to be able to absorb, and secondly as a grandiose piece of old Hollywood movie making on a lavish scale filmed in beautiful colour with breathtaking sets and costumes, plenty of sword play action, and filmed in the then ground breaking process called Cinemascope that was designed to give large scale epics such as this a stunning appearance in the cinemas that people could not see on their television screens at home.
Richard Burton really had his ground breaking Hollywood role in "The Robe", where he plays Roman Tribune Marcellus Gallio who falls foul of the rage of the heir to the Roman Empire's throne Caligula (Jay Robinson), and as punishment is sent to the hellish back water of the Roman garrison at Jerusalem. Seperated from his love Diana (Jean Simmons), who has been promised to Caligula Marcellus sets out for the east with his Greek man servant Demetrius (Victor Mature). They arrive in Jerusalem just as the now famous messiah called Jesus arrives and immediately Demetrius is struck by the power of both the presence and teachings of the one they call Jesus, the Son of God. However as the restless next few days Marcellus finds himself recalled to Rome but not before his duty is carried out which is to oversee the crucifixtion of Jesus on Calvary. Winning the robe of Jesus in a dice match with the other soldiers Marcellus finds that the robe seems to possess strange powers which affect his mind and which he firstly believes is a curse placed on him by the robe's mysterious former owner who he has executed. Demetrius flees with the robe as a rememberance of Jesus and Marcellus sets out to find the robe and destroy it and its supposed evil influence. However Marcellus finds more than he bargained for in his search as he not only finds Demetrius but is introduced to the Lord's Disciple Peter (Michael Rennie), and through both him and the simple good influence of a villager Justus (Dean Jagger) begins to see the beliefs of Christ's followers in a different light. Upon returning to Rome Marcellus embraces fully the Christian teachings much to the dismay of both Diana and his father (Torin Thatcher). Once Demetrius is captured and tortured by Caligula who is now Emperor, Marcellus with the aid of other Christians stages a rescue mission which frees Demetrius but which finds Marcellus allowing himself to be captured so that his former slave and now friend may escape to safety. Put on trial before the whole court Marcellus is steadfast in holding on to his new beliefs and delivers a blistering verbal attack on Caligula and his corrupt ways which causes the Emperor to pass the death sentence on Marcellus as a supposed traitor to the Roman State. Diana however knowing that she loves Marcellus with all her heart decides to defy Caligula and in the poignant last scene joins him in his march to the archery field where both will be executed.
Good old fashioned story telling at its best is how best to describe "The Robe". It manages the often difficult task of weaving in fictional characters and occurences into a well known true story with ease. Director Henry Koster had a major task on his hands here driving such a sprawling story while keeping the narrative intact and entertaining. He succeeds very well here and has managed to extract some memorable performances from the leads. Richard Burton uses every ounce of his acting ability to make believable the transformation of the disbelieving tribune into a believer of Christ and his teachings, and even if in a couple of instances his performance could possibly be seen as a bit theatrical for the most part it is a marvellously controlled performance that is the heart and soul of this story. He very deservedly won an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor of 1953 for his efforts. Victor Mature as Demetrius, although never a critics favourite, is an actor I always enjoy watching and in "The Robe", once again proves how totally suited he is to these biblical productions which he won his greatest fame in during the 1950's decade. He continued on in this role in the highly entertaining sequel "Demetrius and the Gladiators", the following year. Jean Simmons, given the confines of her role as Marcellus' love interest does the best job possible with what she has to work with and her love scenes with Richard Burton and when she locks horns against the insane Caligula are especially note worthy. Other stand out performances that need to be noted are the always excellent Michael Rennie as Peter, Dean Jagger in a very different type of role than usual as the simple villager Justus who influences Marcellus to embrace Christianity, and of course Jay Robinson in a wildly entertaining turn in the first of his two outings as the deranged Emperor Caligula. Nominated for 5 Academy Awards in 1953 including one for Best Picture, "The Robe", has first class production values in all areas from superb set and costume design recreating the look of the early Roman Empire to perfection, a stirring Alfred Newman score which is one of his best, and vivid colour photography by Leon Shamroy.
Rather sadly nowadays alot of these 1950's Biblical Epics are often dismissed as "old hat", or "out moded", however I happen to admire them greatly and am still after repeated viewings amazed by the great attention to detail and also by the sheer sincerity that goes into the performances in these efforts. "The Robe", is no exception and is a treasured part of my Easter viewing each year. I enjoy it both as sheer entertainment as well as for the strong affirming message it conveys to its audience. They certainly dont make epics such as this one nowdays mores the pity and for that reason among many I highly recommend a viewing of a young Richard Burton in his prime in Twentieth Century Fox's classic biblical story "The Robe". It should be in every Epic Film lovers collection without a doubt.
Description of The Robe
Burton plays Gallio, the Roman put in charge of the execution of Christ, whose life is changed when he comes in contact with Christ's robe.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: NR
Release Date: 11-MAR-2003
Media Type: DVD
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