The Robe (1953)

In the Roman province of Judea during the 1st century, Roman tribune Marcellus Gallio is ordered to crucify Jesus of Nazareth but is tormented by his guilty conscience afterwards.

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:

palestine | robe | biblical epic | biblical | based on historical novel | 

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Taglines:

The first motion picture in CinemaScope--the modern miracle you see without glasses!

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Harry Shearer appears uncredited in the role of David, the disabled friend of Jonathan, the boy to whom Marcellus gives the donkey.

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Goofs

In the opening scene in the Roman Forum there is a statue of the Roman poet, Antinuous, who was not born until 80 years or so after Christ's death.

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Quotes

Diana: Then all the tales I've heard of you are true.
Marcellus Gallio: Every man makes enemies.
Diana: All your enemies seem to be women.

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Alternate Versions

In the two versions of the film, different takes of Richard Burton's off-screen narration are used. In the widescreen version, he delivers the last line of the narration (referring to Caligula) as "He probably will not be pleased to see me", and in the other, "standard" version, he delivers it as "He probably will not be pleased to see ME".

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Connections

Featured in The Movies: The Golden Age (2019)

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 December 1953 (France)

Also Known As:

The Robe

Filming Locations:

La Pedriza, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$36,000,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$36,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (5.0) (L-R)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1