2 hrs & 15 min, color, 1953
When I was twenty years old
and in college, I was thrust into the life of the ancient world. The fact that I was an ancient language major
had much to do with that. All throughout
high school I had been exposed to the study of the Latin language and had
become at least academically familiar with some Roman writings. I had strolled with Julius Caesar through his
Gallic Wars and had made my first acquaintance with Shakespeare’s depiction of
the man’s fateful assassination on the Ides of March. I had plowed page by page through Virgil’s
Aeneid and gasped a bit when on the farthest rim of my sophomoric imagination
the details of the bloody Trojan War were traced. Then in college I took up Greek and was soon
awash in the life and works of Plato, in the tragedy of Euripides and the
comedy of Aristophanes. It is no
surprise that when the motion picture adaptation of Lloyd C. Douglas’ novel
“The Robe” – about the Christian conversion of the Roman tribune Marcellus who
is ordered to conduct Jesus’ crucifixion – descended upon the country, both my
ancient language professors were keen in their praise of it and strongly urged
it upon us students.
It turned out to be a movie
that opened up uncharted territory in my historical perceptions as well as my
capacity to experience at a visceral level something of the draconian broil and
fury of those Bible times. It also
happened to be the first movie ever shot in Cinemascope. When that gigantic image with its
stereophonic soundtrack thrust itself upon my eyes and ears, I had a moment of
fearful unreality and disbelief, but one that soon gave way to a degree of excitement
that as a pre-ministerial student I found irresistible. Of course we have far exceeded the rudiments
of that production – on screens that have grown even wider and sound systems
that dwarf all that has preceded them.
But I was in store for more than a matinee treat. “The Robe,” though flawed in some glaring
respects, has proven to be a film I have liked to occasionally revisit, and
what better time than the Easter season.
One thing that particularly
impressed me was Richard Burton in the lead role of Marcellus. It was the first time I ever laid eyes on
him, and it amazed me that this tribune as Burton portrayed him was not some
sensitive, discontented, searching soul just waiting for Jesus to fill some
empty place in his life. He brought a
three-dimensional hardness and a depth of passion to the role such as I had
never encountered in other Biblical epics on screen. In his hands Marcellus is a tough-as-nails,
thoroughly corrupt and self serving man of the aristocracy perfectly content to
(sort of) serve the many gods of his forebears, with a cluck of the
tongue. I knew this actor was a very
special find, though I was not yet educated to the point that I could put into
words exactly how and why. I just knew
he was captivating. There is not a hint
of pretense in his work, nor has there been in any of the multitude of movies
and stage works that have followed.
Marcellus is sent to
Palestine by an aggrieved Caligula (Jay Robinson) and he comes face to face
with the gruesome task of execution as the Romans practiced it. There have been many movie depictions of
Christ’s crucifixion, but I still regard the one in this 1953 film as the most
stirring and potent. One thing unique
about it is its portrayal of the event from the point of view of the
crucifiers. We walk the walk to Calvary
and visit the grim Golgotha scene in the shoes of Marcellus and his soldiers
and his Greek slave Demetrius (Victor Mature).
We experience the horror and pain of it as they do. We view it in close-up; the visuals and the
powerful throbbing music (created by veteran composer Alfred Newman) that
accompany them are almost overpowering.
I can almost smell the stench of death.
When I first saw it that half a century ago, it nearly knocked me out of
my seat. The Scripture I had been
studying came alive for me far beyond anything I had expected. The depiction is concise, only about ten
minutes in length, but it leaves me feeling as if I have been drenched in blood
and tears and the fury of hell itself.
It leads understandably to Marcellus’ mental and emotional
collapse.
He is seized with fits of
insanity, not knowing why until he is sent by Emperor Tiberius to track down
and destroy the Galilean carpenter’s robe that he has won in a crap shoot next
to the cross and which his slave has run away with. His search for sanity and release from the
guilt he feels over the murder he has committed leads him to the town of Cana,
where he comes under the influence of a community devoutly loyal to Jesus. There he is reunited with Demetrius who has
joined the traveling company of the Apostle Peter (Michael Rennie). When he touches the feared robe again, he
loses all fear and is drawn into the believing and loving sect. All this time he is adored back home by a
Roman maiden Diana (Jean Simmons) whom he loves, though he fears that she will
not be receptive to his new found and outlawed faith. Burton makes the whole trajectory utterly
watchable.
Much of the film’s narrative
is quite well composed, with very touching and sometimes insightfully dramatic
moments. But we also have to endure some
blatant historical errors; much that happened in Palestine and Eastern Asia
over many decades following the life of Christ as the Christian movement spread
is compressed into an unbelievable year or so.
Peter did not reach Rome in anywhere near that short a time. The most historically misleading of all has
to do with the responsibility for Jesus’ death.
It appears to be solely a Roman plot; the Jews are by inference
completely exonerated. There is no
mention of the Sanhedrin, or the Pharisaical hierarchy that had schemed to
destroy him. Pilate simply considers him
a troublemaker and wants him arrested and out of the way.
There is also some sword play
such as you look in vain to find in the novel.
One instance of it is quite pertinent.
Marcellus defends the village of Cana from annihilation by local Roman
legions, a victory he manages to win without bloodshed or bodily injury, the
first sign of his transformation into a man of peace. But a second instance of the sword is pure
Hollywood, a commando style rescue that anyone familiar with the New Testament
would regard as entirely out of character and unlikely for Christ’s followers
at that point in time.
These failings aside, there
is much to value. One beautifully
melodic treat is furnished by a young woman named Miriam (Bella St. John); she
sings of the empty tomb and the journey that was made to it that Easter
morning. It is vocalizing of a very high
inspirational order, and it does much to capture Marcellus’ heart when he
happens to hear it. And the life in Cana
as portrayed in detail is unmistakably an expression of pure Christian living
and sharing – the genuine article, nurtured by a local weaver named Justus
(Dean Jagger). A humble though quaint
contrast to the turbulent life among the Romans previously depicted!
A
most fitting climax is the tribune’s trial before the new Emperor Caligula
(Tiberius having died) after his capture upon returning to Rome, accused of
treachery against the Empire. “Do you
not call this Jesus whom you serve a king?”
Marcellus’ reply to his sovereign is classic material, and once again
Burton serves it up brilliantly. Diana,
caught between her ruler and the man she loves, is positioned to make a
life-or-death decision. A momentous
scene, except for the few hokey minutes that follow it and with which the film
is concluded!
“The
Robe,” produced by Fox, is not a masterpiece, but its shortcomings are greatly
exceeded by its virtues. Henry Koster
provided substantial direction and care in its movement, and all the casting,
even beside Burton’s, is inspired. It
has always over the fifty intervening years been available for private showing
and can now be rented from Netflix. I
see nothing in it that should be offensive to anybody, Christian or
otherwise. Lovers of justice and charity
for all can relate to it.
To read other entries in my
blog, please consult its website:
enspiritus.blogspot.com. To learn
about me consult on the website the blog entry for August 9, 2013.
