Easter Movie Retro Review: ‘The Robe’ (1953)

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Believe it or not, there was a time when Hollywood actually championed Christian-based movies. The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, Barabbas, David and Bathseba, Samson and Delilah and others all came out within a twelve-year span. These were not throwaway movies but were treated as major Hollywood productions with A-list stars.

The Robe came out in that same period and starred Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature -who I pretend I’m named after instead of Victor Newman from Young and the Restless -, and Jay Robinson, who played a fantastic Caligula.

After you are done crying from watching The Passion of the Christ this Easter, watch The Robe next since it follows the story of Marcellus Gallio, the Roman who led the crucifixion of the Son of Man for Pilate.

Plot:

Gallio is a tribune for the Roman military. Given his riches and military rank, Gallio is cocky, a drunkard, and an uncaring lout. At an auction, he aids a slave master when his slave Demetrius tries to escape. Yet, when the next ruler of Rome, Caligula, arrives to buy Demetrius to be a gladiator, Gallio outbids him just because he could.

As revenge, Caligula sends Gallio to Jerusalem, which is considered a hellhole for the constant uprising and rebellions from the inhabitants. Gallio and Demetrius arrive in Jerusalem on the same day Jesus is being hailed by the people as he enters the city on the donkey. Gallio is curious about the uproar and the Roman centurion named Paulus explains that the Israelites have been prophesying a Messiah every year, and Jesus is another supposed Messiah.

Demetrius is able to see Jesus as he passes and their eyes lock. From that moment on, he feels compelled to follow Him. During a drunken celebration, he overhears Paulus telling Gallio about the plot to arrest Jesus, and he steals away to warn Him and his followers.

Yet, when he meets a distraught man, the man tells Demetrius that it’s too late. Jesus has already been arrested and is before Pilate. When Demetrius asks the man his name, he says that his name is Judas before he staggers away.

The next morning, Gallio is given the task to crucify Jesus by a visibly distraught Pilate and does so dutifully. As Jesus carries his cross, Demetrius tries to intervene, but is knocked unconscious by the Roman guards.

On Golgotha, Gallio joins his men casting lots as Jesus and the criminals hang on the cross behind him. None seem to worry about the changing clouds or weather as they cast lots over Jesus’ blood-soaked red robe for fun, which Gallio wins.

As the storm begins to rage on the hill, Gallio looks up at Jesus and sees that he’s dead. As he touches the cross, the Lord’s blood drips onto his hand, which Gallio furiously wipes away as if it were acid.

The storm grows stronger and Gallio orders Demetrius to shield him from the rain using the robe. At first, Demetrius refuses, but when he relents, Gallio feels intense pain for what he had done as the robe touches his skin. Demetrius then takes the robe back and denounces Gallio for killing the Son of God, and escapes with the robe.

Why You Should Watch:

The Robe is an excellent movie to watch this holy weekend. Made before CGI, the set pieces are fantastic and are on par with such classics as The Ten Commandments. The acting is excellent as Jay Robinson emotes Caligula as the madman he was in real life and Richard Burton plays Gallio as a fierce and angry man, unwilling to believe.

Even as he falls into madness from his guilt from the crucifixion and goes on a hunt for Demetrius to find and destroy the robe, he is not instantly converted. The Robe takes Gallio on a journey where he meets Peter and other new believers who show him what they were taught while Caligula persecutes the fanatics who continue to serve a dead man.