The Robe was designed by 20th Century-Fox to show off the wonders of CinemaScope, and taken simply as a vehicle for widescreen photography the movie is undeniably a visual treat. Perhaps the clumsy early 'Scope cameras were partly to blame, but from any other perspective--plot, dialogue and acting--The Robe is a flat, overly reverential and turgid piece of film making. Richard Burton is the Roman Centurion on duty at Christ's crucifixion who bets on and wins Jesus' robe, then spends the rest of the movie agonising about becoming a Christian. Victor Mature is his sanctimonious slave Demetrius. So confident were the producers of box-office success that they commissioned the sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators, even before The Robe had been released. --Mark Walker
Movie Database
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