The Robe [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Historically important as the first CinemaScope feature film, 20th Century-Fox's The Robe is fine dramatic entertainment in its own right. Based on the best-selling novel by Lloyd C. Douglas, the film stars Richard Burton as the wastrelly Roman tribune who is assigned by a weary Pontius Pilate (Richard Boone, who spends the whole of his single scene washing his hands) to supervise the crucifixion of Christ. After the Seven Last Words, the jaded Burton wins Christ's robe in a dice game. Gradually, the mystical influence of the holy garment transforms Burton from a roistering cynic into a True Believer--at the cost of his own life, which he willingly gives up in the service of his Lord. Also starring in The Robe are Jean Simmons as Burton's pious childhood sweetheart, Victor Mature as his Christian-convert slave Demetrius (an excellent performance--in fact, Mature is more believable than Burton!), Michael Rennie as the disciple Peter, and Jay Robinson as the raving Emperor Caligula. Mature, Rennie and Robinson would appear in the 1954 sequel to The Robe, the hurriedly assembled Demetrius and the Gladiators. Watch and listen for the unbilled contributions of Michael Ansara as Judas and Cameron Mitchell as the voice of Jesus. The film won three Academy Awards, and a special Oscar bestowed upon Fox for the development of CinemaScope. For many years, the TV prints of the Robe were struck from the "flat," standard-ratio version shot simultaneously with the widescreen version. Only recently has the CinemaScope The Robe been made available to cable TV (shown in "letterbox" format to allow home viewers the full picture). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Eng/Spa/Por/Th/Cantonese/Ma
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Features:
  • Introduction by Martin Scorsese
  • Commentary with film composer David Newman and film historians Jon Burlingame, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman
  • Isolated Score: The Music of the Robe - Alfred Newman's score
  • The Making of the Robe featurette
  • The Cinemascope Story featurette
  • From Scripture to Script: The Bible and Hollywood featurette
  • Audio interview with Philip Dunne (1969)
  • Bonusview Picture-in-Picture - The Robe Times Two: A Comparision of Widescreen and Standard Versions
  • Bonusview Picture-in-Picture - A Seamless Faith - The Real-Life Search for the Robe featurette
  • Fox Movietonews
  • Still galleries
  • Interactive pressbook

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Color Art Direction - 1953 (George W. Davis, Paul S. Fox, Walter Scott, Lyle Wheeler)
•     Won Best Color Costume Design - 1953 (Charles LeMaire, Emile Santiago)
•     Nominated Best Actor - 1953 (Richard Burton)
•     Nominated Best Color Cinematography - 1953 (Leon Shamroy)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1953 (Frank Ross)

• Directors Guild of America

•     Nominated Best Director - 1953 (Henry Koster)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Picture - 1953

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Actress - 1953 (Jean Simmons)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1953

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       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 - Pilate
       Jeff Morrow - Paulus
       Ernst Thesiger - Tiberius
       Dawn Addams - Junia
       Leon Askin - Abidor
       Helen Beverly - Rebecca
       Frank Pulaski - Quintus
       David Leonard - Marcipor
       Michael Ansara - Judas
       Jay Novello - Tiro
       Nicholas Koster - Jonathan
       Frank de Kova - Slave Dealer
       Harry Shearer - David
       Francis Pierlot - Dodinius
       Thomas Brown Henry - Marius
       Sally Corner - Cornelia
       Rosalind Ivan - Julia
       Anthony Eustrel - Sarpedon
       Marc Snow - Auctioneer
       George Robotham
       Roy Gordon - Chamberlain
       Van Des Autels
       Mae Marsh - Woman
       Bella St. John
       George Keymas - Slave
       Alex Pope
       George E. Stone - Gracchus
       Ed Mundy
       Emmett Lynn - Nathan
       Ben A. Astar - Cleander
       Anne Bancroft
       Virginia Lee - Specialty Dancer
       Cameron Mitchell - Christ
       Gloria Saunders - Slave Girl
       Jean Corbett
       George Melford
       Anthony Jochim
       Betta St. John - Miriam
       John Doucette - Ship's Mate
       Leo Curley - Shalum
       Ford Rainey
       Percy Helton - Caleb
       Dan Ferniel
       Hayden Rorke
       Sam Gilman - Ship's Captain

• Director:

  Henry Koster

• Producer:

  Frank Ross

• Screenwriter:

  Philip Dunne, Gina Kaus, Albert Maltz

• Book Author:

  Lloyd C. Douglas

• Cinematographer:

  Leon Shamroy

• Composer (Music Score):

  Alfred Newman

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Edward B. Powell

• Editor:

  Barbara McLean

• Art Director:

  George W. Davis, Lyle Wheeler

• Set Designer:

  Paul S. Fox, Walter Scott

• Costume Designer:

  Charles LeMaire, Emile Santiago

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Bernard Freericks, Roger Heman

• Makeup:

  Ben Nye, Sr.

• Special Effects:

  Ray Kellogg

REVIEW:

• The Robe is best remembered as the first movie shot in CinemaScope, the wide-screen format designed to lure audiences away from the new medium of TV by exaggerating the contrast between the big movie screen and the small TV screen. Even today, the film seems grand and sweeping; the mere spectacle is enough to make it worth seeing. Some of the performances may seem dated today -- particularly Richard Burton's Oscar-nominated turn as the centurion -- but they don't detract from the film's intriguing premise. Best-known for helming 1950's Harvey, the dependable Henry Koster keeps the material in check. The success of The Robe, as well as Quo Vadis? (1951) and Samson and Delilah (1949) before it, helped usher in more than a decade's worth of lavish Biblical epics, including The Ten Commandments (1956) and the multi-Oscar-winning Ben-Hur (1959). ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi