THE ROBE (1953) 

• Director: Henry Koster
• Featured gimmick: CinemaScope!
• Cast: Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature 
• Film: 135mins | USA | Subtitles | Intermission
• Event: 18:30 – 21:45 [18+]
• Please note the extended running time of this film.

“Pompous schlock in CinemaScope” (Empire Magazine) or “One of the best Biblical epics of all time” (DVD Beaver), THE ROBE (1953) — about a Roman Centurion whose life is transformed when he wins Christ’s robe in a gambling game at the foot of the cross — changed cinema forever.

Henry Koster’s epic film was the first release in the super-wide format of CinemaScope, one of a flurry of 1950s technical innovations that promised exhibiters and audiences ever-deeper degrees of cinematic realism from ever-wider screens, immersive sound, and 3D. Posters for THE ROBE marketed the film as “The Modern Miracle You See Without Glasses!”, a dig at its 3D competitors.

A now-lost form of cinematic religious spectacle, Martin Scorsese recalls encountering “the beauty and wonder” of THE ROBE at The Roxy Theatre in New York as an 11 year old (seeing the film with his childhood priest!): “The lights go down, then the curtain opens… and keeps opening, wider, and wider, and wider… more than twice as wide as it is high, a completely different mode of vision, of looking at action in space”.

THE ROBE was a major box office smash — running for months after its original release and later reissued due to demand — and nominated for 5 Academy Awards (winning ‘Best Art Direction’ and ‘Best Costume Design’). Many theatres lacked suitable projection equipment to screen the film in CinemaScope, so THE ROBE was simultaneously shot and released in a standard 1:33:1 aspect ratio (the version used for TV broadcast). We are stupidly proud to be presenting this gloriously restored slice of Sunday School cinema with its original theatrical splendour of CinemaScope.

Polite notice: We are showing THE ROBE with subtitles from the best available digital source. This film has a longer than usual running time (2hrs 15mins). THE ROBE is a religious pantomime from a different era: please approach the material with caution and wonder. 

/// BAR TRASH is a celebration of cult and curious cinema, hosted by queer film fanatic Token Homo and friends. Films are served with introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, and subtitles / captions where possible. Tickets from £3.50 + fees. Adults 18+ only. Follow @tokenhomo on Instagram for updates. ///