The robe

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title The robe
Original title The robe
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1953
length 135 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Henry Koster
script Albert Maltz
Philip Dunne
production Frank Ross for Twentieth Century Fox
music Alfred Newman
camera Leon Shamroy
cut Barbara McLean
occupation
chronology

Successor  →
The Gladiators

The robe (original title: The Robe ) is a monumental film by the American director Henry Koster . It is based on the novel of the same name by Pastor Lloyd C. Douglas and was the first full-length feature film in the CinemaScope format . World premiere was on September 16, 1953 in the United States, the first performance in the Federal Republic of Germany followed on December 4, 1953.

content

Marcellus - a young Roman military tribune at the time of Jesus Christ in the reign of Emperor Tiberius - leads a frivolous life in Rome with drink and play. He makes the future emperor Caligula his enemy by outbidding him on the slave market at the auction of the Greek Demetrius. Marcellus is transferred from Caligula to Palestine , where he moves with Demetrius. There they see Jesus for the first time as he enters Jerusalem , where Demetrius is reached by the radiance of Jesus. Meanwhile, Marcellus' childhood sweetheart Diana obtained the revocation of the transfer to Palestine from the emperor. Before his return, Marcellus is commissioned by Pontius Pilate to carry out the crucifixion of Jesus . Demetrius, who has become a follower of Jesus, begs in vain for grace for the Savior. After the crucifixion, drunk, Marcellus wins the robe of Jesus in a game of dice behind the foot of the cross. When he orders Demetrius to use the robe to protect him from an approaching storm, he falls into fear and agony when touching the robe .

Demetrius defies his former master and flees with the robe to join the Christians . Marcellus drives alone, now plagued by visions, fears and nightmares, to Capri to see the emperor, where he is considered a madman. Hoping to find the “bewitched” robe and to be able to heal himself with it, he returns to Judea on the orders of the emperor . Marcellus also wants to find out more about Jesus and report to the emperor on early Christian communities. When he finds Demetrius and Peter learns there own salvation at the touch of the garment and coincides with the eyewitnesses of Jesus' life, to Marcellus turns completely to the Christianity to and undertakes evangelism trips in different countries. Returning to Rome, he reveals his faith to Diana , who joins him out of love and voluntarily follows Marcellus, condemned by the new emperor Caligula, to death in order to ascend with him into the kingdom of heaven . They have the robe sent to Peter beforehand.

Others

  • The screenplay was written by Albert Maltz (co-writer: Philip Dunne), who, after serving just under a year in prison, was not allowed to attend the world premiere of the film for refusing to testify with reference to the First Amendment to a hearing of the Committee on Un-American Activities . In 1977 he was fully rehabilitated by a decision of the Writers Guild of America and came back to justice and recognition.
  • Jesus, portrayed in the film by the second assistant director, Donald C. Klune, was shown either in the middle distance or from behind, without his facial features being recognizable or only his feet could be seen.
  • The words “Truly, that was the Son of God” are those of the centurion in the Gospel of Matthew ( Mt 27.54  EU ).

“I had some difficult days at the beginning of The Robe . I had been given a week to shoot whatever I wanted to get acquainted with this new process. And then it turned out that a lot of the things that we […] had done in the conventional films simply no longer work. I can no longer cut wildly back and forth, I can no longer move the camera quickly, on such a large screen that's irritating and it doesn't help the story of the film. "

- Henry Koster
  • The film was advertised as a “modern entertainment wonder that you can see without glasses”. At the time The Robe was released, a wave of 3-D films had hit cinemas in the United States , which enabled viewers to see the film in three dimensions with the aid of 3-D glasses . Because the CinemaScope format used a curved screen at the time to compensate for blurred edges, the advertising strategists of the distribution company wanted to use this film's application to express that they were also dealing with a "three-dimensional" film, for which, however, no 3D- Need glasses.

Awards

In addition to three Oscar nominations in the categories of “Best Actor” for Richard Burton, “Best Cinematography in a Color Film” for Leon Shamroy and “Best Picture” for Frank Ross , the film received the awards

  • NBR Award 1953 for Jean Simmons as "Best Actress"
  • Oscar 1954 in the category "Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color"
  • Oscar 1954 in the category "Best Costume Design, Color"
  • Golden Globe 1954 in the category "Best Motion Picture - Drama"

Reviews

“Jean Simmons' playing seems graceful. Richard Burton convincingly displays his conflict of conscience. One of the best acting performances shows Jay Robinson as Caligula, who becomes a symbol of the decayed Roman Empire. "

- Allgemeine Mainzer Zeitung , Mainz

“For now, however, the colorful panorama roars, the colors pop, and the giant screen trembles. And the muse of film art sits unobserved in a corner, covers his ears and cries. "

- Gunter Groll in lights and shadows / films during this time. Süddeutscher Verlag, Munich 1953

“The new effect of the Cinemascope method used here for the first time lies in an increase in the decorative and dramatic style. However, the intellectual and artistic form of expression is damaged. Too monstrous for the religious feeling of German Christians. "

- 6000 films. Critical notes from the cinema years 1945 to 1958 . Handbook V of the Catholic film criticism, 3rd edition, Verlag Haus Altenberg, Düsseldorf 1963, p. 157

"The first CinemaScope film shines with its magnificent colors and backdrops, big stars and romanticized time colors." (Rating: 2½ stars = above average) "

- Adolf Heinzlmeier and Berndt Schulz : Lexicon "Films on TV" (extended new edition). Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg 1990, ISBN 3-89136-392-3 , p. 302

“... The robe also proves that the biggest, loudest and most colorful is not always the best. Based on the bestseller of the same name by the writing doctor and priest Lloyd C. Douglas, "The Robe" is the naive story of the redeemer's robe, which the Roman tribune who commanded the crucifixion wins at a game of dice. He becomes a Christian and dies, condemned to death by Caligula, as a martyr of his new faith. Thick fog billows, and an invisible choir sings Hallelujah. And that in Cinemascope, where every scene looks four times as powerful as in a normal film. "

- CINEMASCOPE. Hallelujah in the fog , in: Der Spiegel , No. 6 of February 3, 1954, p. 30

DVD release

  • The robe. Great classic films , Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment 2005

Soundtrack

  • Alfred Newman: The Robe. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack , Varèse Sarabande, Hollywood sa, sound carrier no. VSD-5295 - Original recording of the film music (mono) by the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra under the direction of the composer

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for Das Gewand . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , January 2014 (PDF; test number: 70 72V V).
  2. ↑ Cornelis Hähnel: Films with the divine ether of the poet. In: Calendar sheet (broadcast on DLF ). September 16, 2013, accessed September 16, 2013 .