The Robe (1953)

Richard Burton ("Gallio") leads the cast in this lavishly colourful toga and sandals tale of a Roman Tribune who falls foul of a wonderfully over-the-top Jay Robinson as "Caligula" at a slave auction. As punishment, he and his newly bought slave "Demetrius" (Victor Mature) are despatched to the backwater of Judea. Once there, he is assigned by Pontius Pilate to supervise the crucifixion of Christ whereupon he happens upon the legendary robe and his soul becomes a tortured wreck. Jean Simmons is the love interest trying desperately to keep him sane as he tries to retrieve the garment, but try as she might he is gradually subsumed. The whole thing is just too ponderous, lethargic and ultimately it all rather ends up on the rocks. Alfred Newman's score is overbearing and the script woefully stodgy too. Henry Koster could have taken 20 minutes from this and it might just have tightened it up enough to sustain my interest. He didn't and it didn't...