POSSIBLE SPOILERS. This movie, based on the book of the same name, is a fictional account of what might have happened to one of the Roman soldiers who crucified Christ and gambled for his robe. Though yielding on occasion to the Hollywoodisms of the time (e.g., the crack of thunder when Judas reveals his name), it nevertheless still evokes a reverence surrounding the Crucifixion that's never been equaled in any other biblical film, aided in part by the majestic music. The next scene in which Victor Mature, as the slave Demetrius, stands in driving rain and curses Marcellus (Richard Burton) and the Roman Empire, is one of the most powerful scenes in film. The "robe," by the way, is not magical, as another user would tell us, but an ordinary garment that wields "power" only because it is too vivid a reminder of the horror and guilt Marcellus carries for crucifying an innocent man. It is his acknowledgement of this act, and the powerful words of forgiveness from the cross, that change his life. DVD widescreen is magnificent.
Review of The Robe
