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The Robe Overview:

The Robe (1953) was a Drama - Epic Film directed by Henry Koster and produced by Frank Ross.

Academy Awards 1953 --- Ceremony Number 26 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorRichard BurtonNominated
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: Lyle Wheeler, George W. Davis; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott, Paul S. FoxWon
Best CinematographyLeon ShamroyNominated
Best Costume DesignCharles LeMaire, Emile SantiagoWon
Best PictureFrank Ross, ProducerNominated
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The Robe BlogHub Articles:

The Robe ( 1953 ) - A Behind-the-Scenes Snapshot

By The Metzinger Sisters on Apr 8, 2023 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers

Tonight, the Movies! channel will be airing The Robe at 8pm EST, so we couldn't resist posting this behind-the-scenes photo taken during the crucifixion scene of The Robe. This scene should have been filmed out-of-doors but perhaps the director thought they could control the lighting better within t... Read full article

THE ROBERT DONAT BLOGATHON: The 39 Steps, 1935

on Jul 3, 2020 From Caftan Woman

Maddy Loves Her Classic Films is hosting The Robert Donat Blogathon on July 3 - 5. Click HERE to join in the admiration for the fondly remembered actor. Robert Donat was an actor of great commitment and versatility. Over 25 years, Donat appeared in 20 movies, winning an Oscar for Goodbye, Mr.... Read full article

People you probably didn’t know were in The Robe

By Tom on Sep 11, 2014 From The Old Movie House

Habits, we all have them. Sometimes it’s watching a particular film at Christmas time. Or maybe it’s watching a certain number of films at Easter. For me I’ve watched The Ten Commandments every year since I was 12. Sometimes it was with beer and pizza, but most of the time it was ... Read full article

The Robe

By Alyson on Apr 26, 2011 From The Best Picture Project

The Robe in an epic set in ancientRomein the time of Christ.  Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton) is a Roman military tribune who is in charge of the men crucifying Jesus.  While he and other Romans are gambling and drinking behind the cross, a red robe worn by Jesus is wagered and won by Marcellus.... Read full article

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The Robe Quotes:

Diana: Then all the tales I've heard of you are true.
Marcellus Gallio: Every man makes enemies.
Diana: All your enemies seem to be women.
Diana: It's good to see you, Marcellus.
Marcellus Gallio: It's ah - good to see you - again.
Diana: Then you do remember me?
Marcellus Gallio: Ah - yes, of course. Let me see now, it was the - was the...
Diana: And your promise, have you forgotten that too?
Marcellus Gallio: What promise?
Diana: To marry me.
Marcellus Gallio: Was I drunk?
Diana: That's not very flattering, Marcellus.
Marcellus Gallio: Oh, I - I mean, if you'd tell me when I was supposed to have said this - the circumstances...
Diana: Oh, I remember them perfectly. I'd cut my finger, and I cried. And then you took the dagger and cut your own finger to show that it didn't really hurt, and then you kissed me, and I stopped crying - and then you promised to marry me when we grew up.
Marcellus Gallio: Dianna! Where have your freckles gone?
Diana: I lost them.
Marcellus Gallio: Oh, I loved every one of them.
Diana: Then I'm sorry I lost them.
Diana: No, Marcellus, they'll kill you!
Marcellus Gallio: You must have faith...
Diana: Faith in what? This new God of yours? How can he help you? He couldn't help his own son, they crucified him!
Emperor Tiberius: For your sake I interfered, when my wife wanted to give you to Caligula. For your sake I brought your tribune back from Palestine. For your sake, I now free you from him.
Diana: Sire, I have no wish to be free.
Emperor Tiberius: Have you gone mad too?
Diana: He had everything then. He could have had me too. I wanted him, but I wasn't sure that I loved him. Now I am sure.
Emperor Tiberius: I see it my duty to forbid you to see him again. As a child you were wise, but now you reason like a woman - foolishly.
Emperor Tiberius: When it comes, this is how it will start. Some obscure martyr in some forgotten province, then madness. Infecting the legions, rocking the empire, then the finish of Rome.
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The Robe Facts
The opening shot after the title credits (and the background 'red robe' curtain parts) is actually a scene lifted from its sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators. That's Jay Robinson as Caligula presiding over the ceremony preceding the gladiatorial games; William Marshall as Glycon in the front row of gladiators, far right; Victor Mature as Demetrius standing directly behind him, and Ernest Borgnine as Strabo who is leading the gladiatorial procession.
The set of Cana, the village of Galilea where Marcellus Gallio meets Peter, will be used in Demetrius and the Gladiators, the sequel of this movie as the Christian neighborhood in Rome where Demetrius lives in the beginning of the movie. We can easily recognize the well with old broken columns.
Director Henry Koster chose his Second Assistant Director Donald C. Klune to play the role of Jesus in the film. Klute would thus sign all the extras' vouchers and finish the paperwork while still in costume. He also had to eat lunch in his dressing room, as the studio thought it would be inappropriate for "Jesus" to eat in the commissary at Fox.
The movie was advertised as "the modern entertainment miracle you can see without the use of glasses" - a dig at the 3D movies that were en vogue at the time.
This film contains approximately 517 transitions (edits, dissolves etc) in about 131 minutes of action. This equates to an average shot length of about 15 seconds.
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