THE ROBE
US, 1953, 132 minutes, Colour.
Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Michael Rennie, Jay Robinson, Dean Jagger, Betta St. John, Torin Thatcher, Jeff Morrow, Richard Boone, Ernest Thesiger, Dawn Adams.
Directed by Henry Koster.
The Robe was the first film made in Cinemascope and this makes it worth watching for historical reasons - the way of the wide screen, the skill of the director in filling the screen well, the clarity of focus and colour with a new style lens. The film is also interesting for a viewing of a youthful Burton performance.
As a religious film, The Robe is in the Hollywood tradition of celestial choirs. This is almost embarrassing in the triumphalistic ending. However, despite the piety and the swordfights, the film is an interesting one for its flavour of the early Christian decades, especially some of the Cana sequences. The early Christians must have been something like this.
1. Was this a religious film? why?
2. Was this a good religious film? Why?
3. This was the first film made in Cinemascope. Did you feel that the film was exploiting the wide screen at any time rather than presenting the story?
4. How authentic did you find the Roman and Palestinian background to the film? Did it create a real impression of the world Christ lived in in some of its day to day details?
5. Was the picture of the Roman Empire sympathetic - consider the opening comments of Marcellus, the portrayal of the slave-market, Caligula, Senator Gallio, Marcellus' behaviour and reputation, Tiberius, Pilate, the Centurion, the barracks at Jerusalem.
6. Was Marcellus a convincing character? What were his good qualities of character? What were his bad? Was Caligula unjust in sending him to Jerusalem?
7. What was the impact of Christ's crucifixion on him? What role did Christ's blood play and the robe itself? How do you explain his madness? Were his return to Cana, his confrontation of the centurion and his conversion credible?
8. Were the sword fight and the prison escape too sensational for this film or did they fit in well?
9. Was Demetrius a credible character? Was his conversion on Palm Sunday believable, his trying to warn Jesus,. his meeting with Judas, the Way of the Cross and Calvary?
10. Comment on the appropriateness of the music and choir for the big religious scenes, also the expression of 'holiness' on victor Mature's face.
11. What role did Diana play in the film? Was her final conversion convincing -and her attack on Caligula?
12. Were the scenes with Christ well done? Do you think they were fairly real portrayals of what actually happened?
13. Do you think Tiberius understood Christianity's threat to the empire when he commissioned Marcellus to seek out the Christians?
14. Do you think that the presentation of the people of Cana as early Christians was fairly authentic - Justus, Miriam and her gospel song, her conversation with Marcellus, Jonathan and the donkey?
15. How well was Peter presented in the film - his physical presence, his confession of his betrayal to reassure Marcellus, the healing of Demetrius?
16. How were miracles and healing presented in the film? - e.g. Miriam.
17. Much was made of Christ's charity as being the basis of a new world, but that the world would never accept it. How true was this?
18. Did this film help you to imagine and visualise how the spread of Christianity was actually possible in the Roman Empire?
19. Marcellus gave his life for his friend - did this convince you he was a true follower of Jesus?
20. How effective was the ending - as cinema? As appropriate to this religious film?
