Day of Triumph (1954)

Directors:

John T. Coyle
Irving Pichel

Writer:

Arthur T. Horman (writer)

Release Date:

25 December 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Inspiring...Dramatic Motion Picture of Christ...A Rich Experience!

Cast

Lee J. Cobb	...	Zadok
Joanne Dru	...	Mary Magdalene
Robert Wilson	...	Jesus Christ
Ralph Freud	...	Caiaphas
Tyler McVey	...	Peter
Mike Connors	...	Andrew (as Touch Connors)
Toni Gerry	...	Cloas
James Griffith	...	Judas Iscariot
Everett Glass	...	Annas
Lowell Gilmore	...	Pontius Pilate
Anthony Warde	...	Barabbas
Peter Whitney	...	Nikator
John Stevenson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lawrence Dobkin	...	Disciple
I. Stanford Jolley
Richard Reeves	...	Gestas

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #17322, General Audience)

Company:

Century Films Inc.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)

A cut above your average biblical film

It is an irritation to read reviews of films about the life of Christ, whether on IMDb or anywhere else: most of the reviewers are ignoring everything distinctive about the film, focusing on an opportunity to deliver clever put-downs of "biblical extravaganzas." Or they're getting this film mixed up in their minds with other films on the same theme (e.g., one IMDb reviewer compliments the film for never showing Christ's face, showing that he has it confused with Ben Hur). A few realize the merits of Day of Triumph: its take on Judas is a very interesting one indeed, and the parts of Judas, Nicator and Zadok are not only brilliantly acted but brilliantly written. This film's Pontius Pilate is rather interesting too, in fact this is the second-best Pilate I have seen (after Telly Savalas in The Greatest Story Ever Told); he actually talks and acts like the racist colonial administrator Pilate was: "Sabbaths! Passovers! These Jews waste more time on one god than we do on a hundred!", he exclaims after being told that the Jewish priests want to talk to him but refuse to pollute themselves by entering a pagan's house during a holy time, so he has to come to the door to see them instead!). Exactly as in the case of Greatest Story Ever Told, there are some deftly dramatic and original touches; and also as in that case, there are loads of clichés to excite the derisive hoots of folk who are all set up to trash a "biblical spectacular". Yes, I too found the Jesus of this film rather bland and conventional, but (despite some of the comments posted on this site) Judas was certainly not "melodramatic". Indeed, I wish we could have a film combining this Judas with Max von Sydow's earthy Jesus. Altogother, an uneven film--but then, villains are always easier to make interesting than heroes are.