
Demetrius and the Gladiators
1954

The first motion picture in CinemaScope--the modern miracle you see without glasses!
Drunk and disillusioned Roman, Marcellus Gallio, wins Jesus' robe in a dice game after the crucifixion. Marcellus has never been a man of faith like his slave, Demetrius, but when Demetrius escapes with the robe, Marcellus experiences disturbing visions and feels guilty for his actions. Convinced that destroying the robe will cure him, Marcellus sets out to find Demetrius — and discovers his Christian faith along the way.

Drunk and disillusioned Roman, Marcellus Gallio, wins Jesus' robe in a dice game after the crucifixion. Marcellus has never been a man of faith like his slave, Demetrius, but when Demetrius escapes with the robe, Marcellus experiences disturbing visions and feels guilty for his actions. Convinced that destroying the robe will cure him, Marcellus sets out to find Demetrius — and discovers his Christian faith along the way.
Richard BurtonMarcellus Gallio
Jean SimmonsDiana
Victor MatureDemetrius
Richard BoonePontius Pilate
Leon AskinAbidor
Michael RenniePeter
Dean JaggerJustus
Jay RobinsonCaligula
Torin ThatcherSen. Gallio
Betta St. JohnMiriam
Jeff MorrowPaulus
Ernest ThesigerEmperor Tiberius
Dawn AddamsJunia
Bess FlowersSpectator at Caligula's court (uncredited)
Michael AnsaraJudas (uncredited)
Percy HeltonCaleb, the wine merchant (uncredited)
Thomas Browne HenryMarius, the physician (uncredited)
Rosalind IvanJulia (uncredited)












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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...

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