In the early 1950s, the movie industry lived in extreme fear that their audience would stay at home and merely watch television. The demon box was a bigger threat than radio. You could only listen to Jack Benny and imagine. Eventually people wanted to see their stars in motion and not just talking through a speaker. TV was a mini-cinema experience. Once a person bought a TV, their eyes and ears could be filled for free. They didn’t need to buy a ticket to be entertained. How were the movie studios going to get the people to return to the land of popcorn? Making their big screen even bigger was the key. Fox discovered that using anamorphic lenses could allow a 35mm to be projected nearly twice as wide. They needed a movie that would bring in the audience to admire this new leap in cinematic technology. Instead of an action or Western, Fox dipped into the religious epic with The Robe. An spiritually inspirational tale was expected to bring the crowds back to the cinema that had avoided films for their sinful ways.
The Robe has a similar theme as Quo Vadis with a Roman converting to Christianity after encounters with New Testament saints. However this version puts us in the final chapters of the Gospels. Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton) is a Roman solider who’s there when Jesus is crucified. He ends up with Jesus robe. The garment’s safely kept by his slave (Victor Mature). The guilt of being there and taking the robe works hard on Gallio. The burden undermines his relationship with his Roman love interest (Jean Simmons). He looks to find salvation in St. Peter (Michael Rennie). Can he be forgiven for what he did to Jesus on Good Friday? Or is he doomed to a depiction of being a heartless bastard by followers of this new religion?
The Robe does the trick of giving us action and romance without making us think this is strictly a morality play. The sinning doesnt overshadow the redemption. The massive locations look fantastic stretched across the extremely wide screen. Burton hasnt become as haggard on screen. He wears the guilt well on his face. Jean Simmons dazzles with such a wide space to display herself. The Blu-ray makes her even more of Roman beauty. Its easy to see why The Robe became a sensation and Cinemascope swept the nation.
The video is 2.55:1 anamorphic. Its a longer screen than your modern scope image. This is where the 1080p transfer shines since you finally get the necessary detail to enjoy the richness of the image. The audio features the original 4.0 mix in Dolby Digital. The default is 5.1 DTS Master Audio track. Both sound stunning as they unleash David Newmans score at optimal range. There are French and Portuguese mono dubs. The subtitles are in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, Cantonese, Mandarin and Korea.
Introduction by Martin Scorsese (1:20) has the director explain how amazing it was to be exposed to the Cinemascope image after being used to the Academy ratio.
Audio Commentary features film composer David Newman and film music historians Jon Burlingame, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman. Its all about the music with this group.
The Music of The Robe is an isolated track of David Newmans score.
Interview with Screenwriter Philip Dunn (22:23) is an audio only feature recorded in 1969. He also discusses the CinemaScope aspect of the production.
The Making of ‘The Robe (31:23) discusses how movie saved 20th Century Fox. This was a major risk that did the trick for the studio. We learn how RKO spent years developing the film. Howard Hughes dropped the project because he didnt want to make a religious flick.
The CinemaScope Story (18:39) explains the history of the anamorphic lens in movies. This is more informative than your average film history lecture about CinemaScope.
From Scripture to Script: The Bible and Hollywood (24:39) doesnt give us the history of religious epics in the cinema. Mostly it focuses on The Robe. The historians talk about how the more disturbing parts of the Bible never end up in a film.
Fox Movietone News (6:03) has five newsreel clips related to the film. The Fox guys point out Cinemascope does not require the use of glasses. Victor Mature meets Walter Winchell. Broadway stars are amazed by the film. The Roxy Theater is spruced up to promote the film. The film wins the Christian Herald Award. The millionth person buys a ticket to the film in Australia. We see Fox win Oscars for CinemaScope and two other categories. Bill Holden and Audrey Hepburn win acting Oscars that same night.
Vintage Celebrity Introductions (1:35) has plugs from Dan Davis, Richard Widmark, Susan Hayward, Robert Wagner and Clifton Webb. Each star reads the book and tells the audience to come see the film in CinemaScope.
The Robe Times Two: A Comparison of Widescreen and Standard Versions allows you to flip between the two formats. They did shoot an Academy version with a second camera on the set. This is a Bonus View so you can only watch it through connecting your Blu-ray player into the Internet.
The Real-Life Search for The Robe (38:08) is a series of shorts about the robe of Jesus. The segments will either pop up as a PIP while watching the film or you can watch them all at once on the big screen.
Advertising the Robe includes an Interactive Pressbook, poster gallery, lobby cards and publicity stills. Its all the goodness they used to impress folks into seeing the film.
Trailers (4:34) has two trailers that promise well gasp at their kind of love. Plus theres going to be sword play. This is a love that defies an empire.
The Robe defines big religious epics with its introduction of Cinemascope to commercial theaters. It converted projectors with its new testament of viewing. The bonus features will testify to how Cinemascope saved the cinema from the TV blight. This is a film that you can use to show off your Hi-Def entertainment center when the Holy Rollers drop by the house.
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20th Century Fox Home Entertainment presents The Robe. Directed by: Henry Koster. Starring: Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature and Michael Rennie. Running time: 133 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: March 17, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
