I first saw The Robe when I was about eight years old, at a showing by a local film society. I remember the man who introduced the film telling us that the movie we were about to see was the first film released in CinemaScope. That meant nothing to me then but I would later learn that although The Robe was the first film to use the CinemaScope logo, it did not use the famous Alfred Newman opening fanfare heard on all 20th Century-Fox films, but rather a mixed choir chanting a religious theme over the logo. The theme was used in the next CinemaScope production, How to Marry a Millionaire. Though CinemaScope hasn’t been used since 1967, the theme continues to be used on all 20th Century Fox films today, including Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Based on the bestselling novel by former minister Lloyd C. Douglas, The Robe chronicles the transformation of Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton), an arrogant Roman tribune who is banished to Palestine for his bad-boy behavior. His childhood sweetheart Diana (Jean Simmons), uses her influence to with the Emperor Tiberius (Ernest Thesiger) to arrange a transfer to Capri, but not before Pontius Pilate (Richard Boone) orders Marcellus to oversee the crucifixion of a treasonous individual known as Jesus of Nazareth. Marcellus does what he’s asked to do and wins Christ’s robe at a crap game at the foot of the cross. However, winning the garment coupled with his guilt over his role in Jesus’ execution drives Marcellus to the brink of suicide. Believing the robe is cursed, he convinces Tiberius to let him find and destroy the robe and to discover everyone who became followers of Jesus.
The great Richard Burton is far from his best here. An actor known for playing dramatic figures, Burton unleashes a series of overwrought outbursts and wild-eyed ravings that make Marcellus seem rather cartoonish. Though he does redeem himself a bit when he is confronting Caligula (Jay Robinson) and in his love scenes with Jean Simmons. Although he certainly didn’t deserve the Best Actor Oscar nomination he received for his portrayal. Jean Simmons does her best to inject some energy into her largely decorative role; one can see shades of the more memorable work she would do in 1960’s Spartacus. Here, the overly preachy script, by Gina Kaus (The Red Danube), Albert Maltz (The House I Live In) and Philip Dunne (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir), was more concerned with promoting Christian themes than developing characters. The best performance is turned in by hunky Victor Mature as Demetrius. His amazingly expressive eyes convey a lot of sensitivity to what’s going on around him. Mature reportedly said, he was successful in Biblical epics because he could “make with the holy look”.
I recently watched and reviewed Quo Vadis on Blu-ray and it’s difficult not to compare the two films. Both detail a Roman soldier’s Christian awakening, his love for a woman and his issues with an unstable ruler. While The Robe may be the better known film, Quo Vadis tells a similar story much more effectively. If you’re a fan of biblical epics, you’ll likely want to add both Quo Vadis and The Robe to your Blu-ray collections this Easter season.
The folks at Lowry Digital have done an extraordinary job restoring this film, and though the 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC presentation will impress anyone who lays eyes on it, it will absolutely dazzle those who have suffered through the movie’s previous home video releases. The first straight cut of the picture suddenly threatens to pop right off the screen, revealing an incredible level of sharpness and detail that belies the extreme limitations of the first Henri Chrétien CinemaScope lenses. Large crowd scenes, with their unusually well-directed background extras (especially in this 2.55:1 presentation), come off best but also the marble columns, walls and floors of the Roman buildings have a wonderful weight and texture; while the armor worn by the Roman centurions is similarly striking. Several of the matte shots (particularly one of Capri and a later one of Rome) are breathtaking.
This is all the more amazing when one considers that The Robe was a victim of its own great success: the negative was so over-printed that it basically fell apart. What’s been used is a composite of negatives of various qualities with scant pieces of the original camera negative.
The Dolby Digital 4.0 track from the previous DVD release has been ported over, but Fox also includes a clean, full-bodied 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that really showcases Alfred Newman’s highly regarded score There’s some nice separation across the front channels, but the surrounds are almost entirely inactive, even during crowd and storm sequences. Bass frequencies don’t get much of a workout either, but a horse chase late in the film provides some good rumbles.
Dialogue, however, is always easy to understand, and often emanates from both the right and left speakers to amplify the impact of the widescreen format. Technicians have also scrubbed this track clean, eliminating any age-related defects, such as pops, crackles, static, and hiss.
Portuguese and French mono tracks are also available, along with optional subtitles in Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Korean.
The Robe has an impressive set of special features:
• Introduction by Martin Scorsese (HD, 1 minute) – The Oscar-winning director recalls his own awestruck experience watching the first CinemaScope film, and briefly describes the restoration of The Robe.
• Audio Commentary – This track features film composer David Newman (son of Academy Award-winning Fox composer Alfred Newman) and film historians Jon Burlingame, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman, all of whom enjoy a comfortable rapport and impart plenty of interesting information in an enthusiastic manner. The quartet talks about the history of CinemaScope, and addresses its clunky aspects and early challenges; discusses Burton’s unhappy experience making the movie; looks at the challenges of shooting two versions of the same film simultaneously; chronicles the picture’s decade-long production history and “hands-on” attitude of studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck; and fairly evaluates The Robe as a whole.
• Isolated Score: The Music of The Robe: – Alfred Newman’s passionate score unencumbered by dialogue or audio effects is an impressive symphonic work, and this isolated treatment allows us to fully absorb and reflect on its power and beauty.
• Documentary: The Making of The Robe (HD, 31 minutes) – This high quality documentary covers all aspects of the film’s production through interviews, clips, stills, and archival footage. We learn about Lloyd C. Douglas’ original novel, producer Frank Ross’ decade-long obsession with bringing it to the screen, how the property found its way from RKO to Fox, and the background of both director Koster and producer Zanuck.
• Still Gallery (HD) – Approximately 60 production stills in both color and black-and-white.
• Interactive Press Book (HD) – The original 20-page press book, featuring bios of the cast and crew, a plot synopsis, and articles on author Douglas and the CinemaScope process, along with color and black-and-white photos, can be perused via the remote. Text blocks can be enlarged for easier reading with a simple click.
• Featurette: The CinemaScope Story (HD, 19 minutes) – True to its title, this info-packed featurette chronicles the development of the revolutionary widescreen process, which dates all the way back to the late 1920s.
• Featurette: From Scripture to Script: The Bible and Hollywood (HD, 25 minutes) – A team of religious experts and film historians discuss why Hollywood was attracted to Bible stories, and how the studios molded the subject matter to fit current mores and attitudes. Questions of historical accuracy are addressed, as well as different interpretations of Christ’s crucifixion.
• Audio Interview with Screenwriter Philip Dunne (1969) – It’s always enlightening to hear the reminiscences and perspective of primary sources, and this 22-minute interview contains some marvelous insights into the film itself, as well as the writer’s mind and scripting process.
• Bonus View (Profile 1.1) Picture-in-Picture: The Robe Times Two: A Comparison of Widescreen and Standard Versions – This is what Bonus View is all about. While watching the main feature in widescreen, the never-before-seen flat version plays in a small window at the lower corner of your TV. On-camera comments from historians Aubrey Solomon and Rudy Behlmer periodically flesh out some key differences between the two versions and analyze the reasoning behind them.
• Bonus View (Profile 1.1) Picture-in-Picture: A Seamless Faith – The Real-Life Search for The Robe – Composed of 10 featurettes examining the religious aspects of The Robe and the myths and legends surrounding the actual garment, this Bonus View installment can either be watched along with the movie – the featurettes pop up periodically – or on their own. A number of religious experts chime in and provide a wealth of excellent information on the following topics: Inspiration; The Clothes of Christ; Clothing in Biblical Times; Clothes of a King; A Seamless Garment; The Robe on Page and Screen; The Robe and Politics; The Robe in Our World; The Robe in France and Russia; and History vs. Drama.
• Celebrity Introductions (HD, 2 minutes) – A collection of brief snippets of various Fox stars promoting The Robe in 15-second ads. Susan Hayward, Dan Dailey, Richard Widmark, Robert Wagner, and Clifton Webb appear.
• Movietone News clips (HD, 6 minutes) – Several archival newsreel segments herald the development of CinemaScope, document the premiere of The Robe, honor the film’s millionth patron, and recap the 1953 Academy Awards, among other things.
• Theatrical Trailers (HD, 5 minutes) – Two trailers hype both the film and its newfangled widescreen presentation.
• Poster Gallery (HD) – Five posters in color and black-and-white.
• Lobby Card Gallery (HD) – Seven full-color lobby cards.
