I hope he has nothing in his teeth.
The Robe (1953) is the predecessor to the previously reviewed Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) and dramatizes the plight of the Roman tribune responsible for executing Jesus, the fictional Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton). Troubled by the unexpected guilt caused by the crucifixion, he suffers a breakdown. His emperor, Tiberius, chooses to send him in search of the robe of Jesus, to destroy it and thus his guilt. Instead of destroying it, it cleanses him of his guilt, and he transitions to Christianity, a choice which has its own price.
The decision to follow Marcellus is a smart choice, as it permits insight into the Roman court, which begins with the Emperor Tiberius and later transitions to the terrible Caligula. The primary lesson we learn is the preoccupation with personal advancement and catering to one’s personal desires will lead to strife as no one is considering how to really preserve the State, not least this nasty bit of work, Caligula. Marcellus himself is a sot and a gambler with little regard for anyone besides his future wife, Diana.
In contrast, the Christian sect comes across as humble. No one is scrambling for power, glory, or even wine. Marcellus impulsively gives a little boy his donkey; the little boy then gives the donkey to a crippled boy, no prompting needed. A crippled woman glows with happiness, despite her condition, at the word of Jesus. A reprimand of the villagers by the leader for taking advantage of Marcellus for his ignorance concerning the price of cloth is not delivered with a whip or even a raised voice, but simply a reminder of how their teacher, Jesus, would have requested merely a fair price for any clothe he would have sold. Thus we gain a vivid lesson in how the film makers (or, more likely, the author of the novel on which this is based, Lloyd C. Douglas) see the advantages of the philosophy espoused by Jesus, and the self-destructiveness of the Roman state.
In mitigation of the above, the fact that the Christian village must rely on the sword of Marcellus himself when the Romans unexpectedly attack is a suggestion, specious as it might be in a movie, that the philosophy of Jesus may be lacking in the all-important department of self-sustainment. But is it fair to criticize a philosophy based on the message of a fictional story that’s been run through the Holllywood ringer?
Probably not.
OK, for all that, this flick is a bit of a clunker. Burton’s performance is a trifle brittle. If it had changed as he converted to Christianity, it might have been more convincing, but the changes were … minor. I was unconvinced. Then the use of violence to rescue Demetrius from the torture chamber of Caligula once again throws doubt upon the philosophy of Christianity. It’s a long movie, 135 minutes in an era that didn’t make long movies. Most of the other acting performances are highly competent, but not particularly moving, with the exception of Jay Robinson, whose Caligula is madcap genius. I can still hear his shrill, evil voice in my head.
Is this a movie to be Recommended? No, for it didn’t pick me up and swirl me about. The story is truly predictable, and it drags on and on. But there are plenty of facets to enjoy, from the vistas (I would have liked to see this on the big screen) to Michael Rennie as Peter (perfect casting) to Caligula to the actual crucifixion scene, when the Romans are playing dice as the men on their crosses are dying. If you have some time to burn and don’t mind a predictable story, then this may be worth your attention.
