Richard Burton stars as Marcellus Gallio, the Roman centurion charged with overseeing the crucifixion of Christ. When he wins Christ's robe in a gambling game at the foot of the cross, his life is forever changed.
Directed by
Henry Koster
Written by
Albert Maltz (screenplay) (originally uncredited); Philip Dunne (screenplay); Gina Kaus (adaptation); Lloyd C. Douglas (novel).
Starring
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). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
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They don't make 'em like this anymore - unfortunately
Mark Banks (United Kingdom)
Opinion: Recommended
I liked this film a lot - I had delayed in watching it for quite some time, mainly due to it's age and the fact it hadn't scored overly well on IMDB, but my doubts had been put aside upon finishing watching it. About the same time as watching this I also watched the feature-length television production of Joseph starring Ben Kingsley, produced in 1995, over forty years after The Robe had been produced. I questioned why The Robe had made it into my Top-100 and Joseph hadn't - especially considering the factual basis of the former, and the ficitonal basis of the latter. And ultimately it came down to two things - the quality of the story, in particular the charatcer growth and humility in The Robe, as well as the quality of the acting. Being shot in 35mm also helped. And in many ways I am glad that, for me personally anyway, those factors are able to triumph despite its age. They don't make them like this anymore - but I pray they would do.
