Good Friday Movie Pick: The Robe

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The Robe 

Growing up we watched biblical epics on Holy Week mainly because nothing else was on anywhere. (I think I should have started that sentence with "I'm so old that ...") The movie that stuck in my mind the longest is The Robe. Even as a callow kid, I found the painful and tortured journey of the Roman soldier Marcellus from arrogant pagan to humble Christian a riveting experience.

Marcellus is played by a young Richard Burton at the height of his powers. He has great chemistry with Victor Mature who plays the role of the slave Demetrius. Jeanne Simmons, Burton's love interest, is beautiful and dignified.
The Robe, released in 1953, is historic for being the first movie filmed in Cinemascope, thereby launching the widescreen era in film.

I should mention that The Robe is based on the book by Lloyd C. Douglas, a minister who began writing fiction at the age of 52. He is also the author of Magnificent Obsession, which was turned into a movie starring Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend.