Rating: NR
Genre:
Epic
Release Date: 02/19/2002
SubTitles: English/Espanol
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD1/DD2
Run Time: 135 Minutes
Flags: Suitable for Children
Distributor/Studio: 20th Century Fox
Historically important as the first CinemaScope feature film,
20th Century-Fox's
The Robe is fine dramatic entertainment in its own right. Based on the best-selling novel by
Lloyd C. Douglas, the film stars
Richard Burton as the wastrelly Roman tribune who is assigned by a weary Pontius Pilate (
Richard Boone, who spends the whole of his single scene washing his hands) to supervise the crucifixion of
Christ. After the Seven Last Words, the jaded
Burton wins Christ's robe in a dice game. Gradually, the mystical influence of the holy garment transforms
Burton from a roistering cynic into a True Believer--at the cost of his own life, which he willingly gives up in the service of his Lord. Also starring in
The Robe are
Jean Simmons as
Burton's pious childhood sweetheart,
Victor Mature as his Christian-convert slave Demetrius (an excellent performance--in fact,
Mature is more believable than
Burton!),
Michael Rennie as the disciple Peter, and
Jay Robinson as the raving Emperor
Caligula.
Mature,
Rennie and
Robinson would appear in the 1954 sequel to
The Robe, the hurriedly assembled
Demetrius and the Gladiators. Watch and listen for the unbilled contributions of
Michael Ansara as Judas and
Cameron Mitchell as the voice of
Jesus. The film won three Academy Awards, and a special Oscar bestowed upon
Fox for the development of CinemaScope. For many years, the TV prints of the
Robe were struck from the "flat," standard-ratio version shot simultaneously with the widescreen version. Only recently has the CinemaScope
The Robe been made available to cable TV (shown in "letterbox" format to allow home viewers the full picture).
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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