Robe

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Buy This Item Robe by 20th Century Fox  Available from Amazon  $9.98  on 8-28-2008     When Roman tribune Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton) is sent to Jerusalem, one of his assignments is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Marcellus, a cynical and hardened man, wins the robe Jesus wore to the crucifixion while gambling with other Roman soldiers underneath the dying savior. He later becomes convinced that his hallucinations and violent outbursts are the result of a curse received from the robe, which is now in the possession of his escaped slave, Demetrius (Victor Mature), somewhere in the Middle East. He sets out to find Demetrius in order to destroy the robe and the curse and finds faith instead, converting to Christianity. This was the first movie to be filmed in CinemaScope, and won Oscars in 1953 for costume design, art direction, and set decoration. The visual aspects of the film are stunning, and it may be worth viewing for that alone; however, the script and acting leave much to be desired, and you won't find inspiration in these areas if that's what interests you. If, however, you are more interested in this film for its religious matter, the story of the conversion of the hardened Marcellus is inspiring. <I>--James McGrath</I> Reader Reviews THE ROBE is a film that can be called "old fashioned" in a good sense. It was the first feature filmed in Cinemascope, a major development at the time and a grand epic tale such as THE ROBE, set in Rome in its glory days, is well suited for the format. The film tells the story of Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton),a Roman tribune and son of a senator who angers the soon to be emperor Caligula and finds himself stationed in Palestine. His connections get him reassigned to another post, but before leaving he has to do one favor for Pilate--witness an execution and make sure a riot does not begin. The execution turns out to be that of Jesus Christ. When the soldiers draw lots for Jesus' garment, Marcellus wins, but his life is forever changed. At first he cannot forget the execution which makes him believe that the robe is haunted. He then begins a search for the robe so it can be destroyed, encounters followers of Jesus, and begins to reexamine his life. For modern audiences, THE ROBE can seem a bit stiff and far fetched, though when it was released it was considered not only a cinematic feat, it was also a respectful way to retell a religious story and honor a popular literary work. The strength of the film is Marcellus' conversion, the central plot line is well done. It is the classic story of conversion: exposure, resistance, acceptance, and a change of heart. The film includes Jean Simmons as Marcellus' love interest, the young and loyal Diana. Victor Mature plays Demetrius, a Greek slave who is Marcellus' steward and the first to become mesmerized by Jesus. The early Christians, Peter (Michael Rennie) and the fictional Justus (Dean Jagger) are somewhat one dimensional. Jay Robinson's Caligula is a bit over the top in comparison with the other characters in the film which comes across as a bit too dramatic. In a day and age when historical accuracy is so important, some historical aspects of the film are questionable at best. Of course the same can be said for BEN HUR and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS but viewers can't help but love these larger than life tales, whether or not they're accurate historically. It was a product of its time and it is an enjoyable, nostalgic film.

Robe Available from Amazon Price: $9.98 Updated on 8-28-2008.

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