The Robe (1953)

Marcellus is a tribune in the time of Christ. He is in charge of the group that is assigned to crucify Jesus. Drunk, he wins Jesus' homespun robe after the crucifixion. He is tormented by ... See full summary »

Director:

Henry Koster

Writers:

Philip Dunne (screenplay), Gina Kaus (adaptation),

Stars:

Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Burton	...	Marcellus Gallio
Jean Simmons	...	Diana
Victor Mature	...	Demetrius
Michael Rennie	...	Peter
Jay Robinson	...	Caligula
Dean Jagger	...	Justus
Torin Thatcher	...	Sen. Gallio
Richard Boone	...	Pontius Pilate
Betta St. John	...	Miriam
Jeff Morrow	...	Paulus
Ernest Thesiger	...	Emperor Tiberius
Dawn Addams	...	Junia
Leon Askin	...	Abidor

Storyline

Marcellus is a tribune in the time of Christ. He is in charge of the group that is assigned to crucify Jesus. Drunk, he wins Jesus' homespun robe after the crucifixion. He is tormented by nightmares and delusions after the event. Hoping to find a way to live with what he has done, and still not believing in Jesus, he returns to Palestine to try and learn what he can of the man he killed.

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Plot Keywords:

nightmare | palestine | robe | crucifixion | famous score | 

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Taglines:

The First Picture on the New Miracle Curved Screen !

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Details

Official Sites:

20th Century-Fox - DVD [UK] 20th Century-Fox Studio Classics [UK]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 December 1953 (France)

Also Known As:

Das Gewand

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$36,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

3 Channel Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (5.0) (L-R)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Until the recent DVD versions, the black-listed writer Albert Maltz was credited as John B. Sherry.

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Goofs

The characters constantly refer to the province Jerusalem is located in as "Palestine". At the time the film is set (AD 30's), Jerusalem was located in the province of "Judea". Judea would not be called Palestine until Emperor Hadrian renamed it ("Syria Palaestina") in 135 AD at the end of the Jewish Revolt.

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Quotes

Caligula: You put him to death? Then why are you risking your life for him?
Marcellus Gallio: I owe Him more than my life.

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Connections

Followed by Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)

User Reviews

A half-forgotten landmark

There seems to be little interest in this movie today but when originally released in 1953, it created a sensation and threatened, for a while, to replace "Gone With the Wind" as the highest-grossing film in history. And it was the first movie in CinemaScope -- "The Modern Entertainment Miracle You See Without the Use of Glasses!" Its opening half still plays well, even some 50 years later, but the second half tries to convincingly present the religious conversion of Marcellus -- a tricky proposition since it deals with an internal process -- and the result plays like a well-intentioned but rather simplistic Sunday sermon. Richard Burton was Oscar-nominated for his work but is clearly outshone by, of all people, Victor Mature as the slave, Demetrius. The scene of a sweaty, nearly naked Demetrius groaning and writhing under torture in a Roman dungeon helped establish Mature as "the back that launched a thousand whips." (The book "Lash! The Hundred Great Scenes of Men Being Whipped in the Movies" is dedicated to him.) Mature played Demetrius again in one of the rare big-budget sequels of the 1950s, "Demetrius and the Gladiators," which wasn't very good but which was livelier and more "fun" than its pious predecessor.