The Robe

"The first motion picture in CinemaScope--the modern miracle you see without glasses!"

1953 2h 15m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 298

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Drunk and disillusioned Roman, Marcellus Gallio, wins Jesus' robe in a dice game after the crucifixion. Marcellus has never been a man of faith like his slave, Demetrius, but when Demetrius escapes with the robe, Marcellus experiences disturbing visions and feels guilty for his actions. Convinced that destroying the robe will cure him, Marcellus sets out to find Demetrius — and discovers his Christian faith along the way.

“The first motion picture in CinemaScope--the modern miracle you see without glasses!”

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Cast

Richard Burton
Marcellus Gallio
Jean Simmons
Diana
Victor Mature
Demetrius
Richard Boone
Pontius Pilate
Leon Askin
Abidor
Michael Rennie
Peter
Dean Jagger
Justus
Jay Robinson
Caligula

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Henry Koster
Writers: Philip Dunne, Albert Maltz
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.3× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Demetrius Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Henry Koster, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Barbara McLean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Richard Burton and Jean Simmons and Victor Mature carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Henry Koster directs. Leon Shamroy behind the camera. Alfred Newman scores. Barbara McLean cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 8.3× over at the box office.
373 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Part of the "Demetrius Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Henry Koster, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Barbara McLean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Richard Burton and Jean Simmons and Victor Mature carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The first motion picture in CinemaScope--the modern miracle you see without glasses!".
10IMDB entry: tt0046247 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 13 themes, including "palestine", "roman empire", "christianity", "crucifixion".

The technical file

Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Original score: Alfred Newman
Editing: Barbara McLean
Costume design: Emile Santiago
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
VFX supervisor: Ray Kellogg
Runtime: 135 min · 2h 15m
Status: Released
Budget: $4,350,000
Box office: $36,000,000
Return: 828% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Robe (1953)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Color
Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Color
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
National Board of Review Award for Best Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Demetrius Collection

The Robe and Demetrius and the Gladiators bring Demetrius's entire story to life. Although the names of both productions are not similar; the characters and events give continuity to the story. Both productions are well defined in their timeline.

Also by

Henry Koster

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-03-30
★ 6/10
Richard Burton ("Gallio") leads the cast in this lavishly colourful toga and sandals tale of a Roman Tribune who falls foul of a wonderfully over-the-top Jay Robinson as "Caligula" at a slave auction. As punishment, he and his newly bought slave "Demetrius" (Victor Mature) are despatched to the backwater of Judea. Once there, he is assigned by Pontius Pilate to supervise the crucifixion of Christ whereupon he happens upon the legendary robe and his soul becomes a tortured wreck. Jean Simmons is the love interest trying desperately to keep him sane as he tries to retrieve the garment, but try as she might he is gradually subsumed. The whole thing is just too ponderous, lethargic and ultimately it all rather ends up on the rocks. Alfred Newman's score is overbearing and the script woefully stodgy too. Henry Koster could have taken 20 minutes from this and it might just have tightened it up enough to sustain my interest. He didn't and it didn't...

Production companies