Some
people say that THE ROBE ($20) is a creaky old religious epic that
doesn’t hold up as well other films in the same vein. Certainly, the film
does have some dramatic problems, as well as some wooden performances,
but I still find THE ROBE to be a fairly enjoyable motion picture
experience. Additionally, THE ROBE does hold an important place
in cinematic history. THE ROBE was the film that 20th Century Fox
had chosen to herald the arrival of the CinemaScope process, which was
intended to give fifties audiences something that the upstart television
could not deliver- panoramic wide screen images.
THE
ROBE tells the story of the early days Christianity from the viewpoint
of a Roman officer given the task of crucifying a troublesome carpenter,
who has developed a large following amongst the people in the Roman province
of Palestine. Richard Burton stars as Tribune Marcellus Gallio, who is
exiled to worst pesthole in the Roman Empire after offending Caligula
(Jay Robinson), the Emperor’s chosen successor. Marcellus spends much
of his time drowning himself in wine, until the Roman governor Pontius
Pilate (Richard Boone) charges him with executing two criminals and the
carpenter, who has become a political liability to the empire.
While
carrying out his orders, Marcellus looks into the eyes of the dying carpenter
and finds himself deeply affected. However, when he orders his slave Demetrius
(Victor Mature) to cover him with the dead man’s robe during a rainstorm,
Marcellus finds himself driven to the brink of madness. Although Marcellus
returns to Rome for a short while, thanks to the efforts of Diana (Jean
Simmons), the woman he love, Emperor Tiberius (Ernest Thesiger) gives
the nearly mad Tribune a commission to return to Palestine, so that he
may root out the newly formed Christian sect and find the robe that has
bewitched him. The cast of THE ROBE also features Michael Rennie,
Dean Jagger, Torin Thatcher, Betta St. John, Jeff Morrow, Dawn Addams,
Leon Askin and Michael Ansara.
20th
Century Fox Home Entertainment has made THE ROBE available on DVD
in a 2.55:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback
on 16:9 displays. Most of the time, the transfer is a tad soft and a little
grainy. Long shots are especially problematic and appear particularly
soft. Close ups and medium shots look about the best, offering up reasonable
levels of sharpness and detail. However, individual close ups and medium
shots that contain optical transitions appear softer, grainier and have
slightly skewed colors. A lot of the time, the transfer provides very
vivid colors that sometimes approach the appearance of an IB Technicolor
print. Other times, however, the colors can take on a mildly faded appearance.
Neither chroma noise nor bleeding caused any serious concerns. Blacks
are accurately rendered, although shadow detail is rather lacking. Clean
dual layer authoring precluded noticeable incidents with digital compression
artifacts.
I
don’t want to give the impression that THE ROBE is an unwatchable
mess. It is far from it. However, I have to say that the film elements
for THE ROBE are not in great shape, which prevents this new transfer
from producing a truly superior quality image. THE ROBE is in need
of an expensive film restoration, which would bring back the movie’s original
luster and minimize all the signs of age, from the excessive grain to
image softness to numerous blemishes at reel changes. Whether a restoration
is practical or even possible is something that the studio will have to
determine.
For
this release THE ROBE is presented with a Dolby Digital 4.0 channel
soundtrack that encompasses the original 4 channel stereo mix. The mix
has a fairly big "fifties sound" that favors the forward soundstage.
As with many other CinemaScope films of the same period, THE ROBE
features some directional dialogue, which enhances the "big"
wide screen image of the process. The dialogue is always understandable
and this portion of the track has aged pretty well. Alfred Newman’s stirring
music is the definite highlight of the soundtrack, although one will find
some of the expected frequency limitations associated with a motion picture
that is about to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. I wouldn’t say the
music has a harsh quality, but the sound seems to favor the upper mid
frequencies. An English stereo surround and French monaural track have
also been encoded on the DVD. Subtitles are provided in English and Spanish.
The basic interactive menus provide access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as a theatrical trailer and bonus trailers.
THE
ROBE is good old-fashioned Hollywood
entertainment. The move and the presentations do have some problems, but
I think that film buffs will find the DVD worth checking out. Until a
major restoration is undertaken or a pristine film element is unearthed,
I doubt that THE ROBE will look any better than this DVD offering.
Some
people say that THE ROBE ($20) is a creaky old religious epic that
doesn’t hold up as well other films in the same vein. Certainly, the film
does have some dramatic problems, as well as some wooden performances,
but I still find THE ROBE to be a fairly enjoyable motion picture
experience. Additionally, THE ROBE does hold an important place
in cinematic history. THE ROBE was the film that 20th Century Fox
had chosen to herald the arrival of the CinemaScope process, which was
intended to give fifties audiences something that the upstart television
could not deliver- panoramic wide screen images.
THE
ROBE tells the story of the early days Christianity from the viewpoint
of a Roman officer given the task of crucifying a troublesome carpenter,
who has developed a large following amongst the people in the Roman province
of Palestine. Richard Burton stars as Tribune Marcellus Gallio, who is
exiled to worst pesthole in the Roman Empire after offending Caligula
(Jay Robinson), the Emperor’s chosen successor. Marcellus spends much
of his time drowning himself in wine, until the Roman governor Pontius
Pilate (Richard Boone) charges him with executing two criminals and the
carpenter, who has become a political liability to the empire.
While
carrying out his orders, Marcellus looks into the eyes of the dying carpenter
and finds himself deeply affected. However, when he orders his slave Demetrius
(Victor Mature) to cover him with the dead man’s robe during a rainstorm,
Marcellus finds himself driven to the brink of madness. Although Marcellus
returns to Rome for a short while, thanks to the efforts of Diana (Jean
Simmons), the woman he love, Emperor Tiberius (Ernest Thesiger) gives
the nearly mad Tribune a commission to return to Palestine, so that he
may root out the newly formed Christian sect and find the robe that has
bewitched him. The cast of THE ROBE also features Michael Rennie,
Dean Jagger, Torin Thatcher, Betta St. John, Jeff Morrow, Dawn Addams,
Leon Askin and Michael Ansara.
20th
Century Fox Home Entertainment has made THE ROBE available on DVD
in a 2.55:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback
on 16:9 displays. Most of the time, the transfer is a tad soft and a little
grainy. Long shots are especially problematic and appear particularly
soft. Close ups and medium shots look about the best, offering up reasonable
levels of sharpness and detail. However, individual close ups and medium
shots that contain optical transitions appear softer, grainier and have
slightly skewed colors. A lot of the time, the transfer provides very
vivid colors that sometimes approach the appearance of an IB Technicolor
print. Other times, however, the colors can take on a mildly faded appearance.
Neither chroma noise nor bleeding caused any serious concerns. Blacks
are accurately rendered, although shadow detail is rather lacking. Clean
dual layer authoring precluded noticeable incidents with digital compression
artifacts.
I
don’t want to give the impression that THE ROBE is an unwatchable
mess. It is far from it. However, I have to say that the film elements
for THE ROBE are not in great shape, which prevents this new transfer
from producing a truly superior quality image. THE ROBE is in need
of an expensive film restoration, which would bring back the movie’s original
luster and minimize all the signs of age, from the excessive grain to
image softness to numerous blemishes at reel changes. Whether a restoration
is practical or even possible is something that the studio will have to
determine.
For
this release THE ROBE is presented with a Dolby Digital 4.0 channel
soundtrack that encompasses the original 4 channel stereo mix. The mix
has a fairly big "fifties sound" that favors the forward soundstage.
As with many other CinemaScope films of the same period, THE ROBE
features some directional dialogue, which enhances the "big"
wide screen image of the process. The dialogue is always understandable
and this portion of the track has aged pretty well. Alfred Newman’s stirring
music is the definite highlight of the soundtrack, although one will find
some of the expected frequency limitations associated with a motion picture
that is about to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. I wouldn’t say the
music has a harsh quality, but the sound seems to favor the upper mid
frequencies. An English stereo surround and French monaural track have
also been encoded on the DVD. Subtitles are provided in English and Spanish.
The basic interactive menus provide access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as a theatrical trailer and bonus trailers.
THE
ROBE is good old-fashioned Hollywood
entertainment. The move and the presentations do have some problems, but
I think that film buffs will find the DVD worth checking out. Until a
major restoration is undertaken or a pristine film element is unearthed,
I doubt that THE ROBE will look any better than this DVD offering.
