A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Robe -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Douglas R]

This Fox "Own The Moments" set containing the Blu-Rays of "The Robe" and "The Bible" was still $8.99 at a Vancouver Best Buy store a few days ago. And that's in our Canadian money, which is only worth 75% of your Trump Bucks (or Hillary Dollars, if you prefer). Honestly, I wonder how many more first-rate Blu-Ray editions of movies like "The Robe" we'll be getting at those prices. That said, $8.99 for this is some kind of bargain.

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If Fox are doing a double-bill, they should at least do it right and put THE ROBE with DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS!

 

[Alan Tully]

I still think it's odd that Fox went to a lot of effort & expense to restore this film & then only released a region locked Blu-ray in America, no release for the rest of the world (not even licensed out). I think they lost quite a few sales there.

 

[RolandL]

If Fox are doing a double-bill, they should at least do it right and put THE ROBE with DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS!

Twilight Time still might have the rights to DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS.

 

[benbess]

I'd also like to mention the extras on the blu-ray for The Robe:

-Very good commentary by Nick Redman, Julie Kirgo, Jon Burlingame, and composer David Newman.
-Isolated 5.1 audio track of Alfred Newman's excellent score.
-30-minute documentary on the interesting 10+ year process of making the movie.
-Very short intro by Martin Scorsese, who recalls what it was like for him as a boy to see his first widescreen film.
-18-minute documentary on the history of CinemaScope.
-Reproductions of stills, posters, and the original commemorative program booklet, etc.
-And, finally, they present a restored version of the academy ratio version of the film, which producer Frank Ross insisted they also make. They present it in a strange way, with some commentary, and overlaid on as a picture over the widescreen version. But the PQ of the 1.33 versions is very good—even better than the CinemaScope version. Needless to say, the performance varies somewhat in the academy version, and the composition is often quite different. Cinematographer Leon Shamroy shot both versions, and he did excellent work with both imho.

 

[Jimbo64]

Twilight Time still might have the rights to DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS.

They expired in March 2015

 

[benbess]

Watching this one again with the insightful audio commentary by Julie Kirgo, Nick Redman, etc. Looking back on it this release was almost a preview of Twilight Time....

In the interview with the screenwriter of the film, Philip Dunne, which is included on the disc, he offers his interpretation of the robe itself. Richard Burton's character, as Dunne intended, is not driven by something supernatural in the robe itself, but by very human and moral remorse for what he has done. But Burton's character interprets it differently, if that makes sense.

This point is made in the movie at the 1 hour and 20 minute point, where Victor Mature's character says exactly that to Burton—it's not supernatural, it's you own conscience that's doing this to you. Dunne put it very directly in there.

Had to take a break to do some stuff, and now I'm listening as I work on something else to just the music score, which is provided on a second track. I really recommend the music score track. You can really focus on the music much more without the dialogue and sound effects. Rich music by Alfred Newman with so many textures.

 

[Robin9]

High time I watched this Blu-ray disc again.

 

[RICK BOND]

The Robe looks GREAT ! : ) Demetrius needs Work ! : (

 

[Konstantinos]

I have a dumb reason for not buying this bluray yet!

I don't like the cover!

 

[davidmatychuk]

I have a dumb reason for not buying this bluray yet!

I don't like the cover!

Good news! You can get the Blu-Rays of "The Robe" and "The Bible" together in one supremely cheap and ugly "Own The Moments" non-cover for a ridiculously low price (I got one at Best Buy for $8.99). The cover is just awful, but there's two movies inside so you can only hate it half as much!

 

[Konstantinos]

Good news! You can get the Blu-Rays of "The Robe" and "The Bible" together in one supremely cheap and ugly "Own The Moments" non-cover for a ridiculously low price (I got one at Best Buy for $8.99). The cover is just awful, but there's two movies inside so you can only hate it half as much!

I already got the Bible!

 

[benbess]

I started watching The Robe yet again last night. This film has grown on me over the years.

 

[Alan Tully]

All these years the Blu-ray has been released...& still no region B release outside of America.

 

[Ed Lachmann]

My original The Robe disc went bad on me after many years and holiday viewings. I bought a replacement which is fine so far and has that original red robe artwork. I love these 50's epics and pray for Helen of Troy, Land of the Pharaohs, Story of Ruth, The Silver Chalice and Esther and the King someday. The younger folks really don't give a damn about this stuff so not holding my breath.

 

[john a hunter]

It's available in France Billy if that helps!

 

[Alan Tully]

It's available in France Billy if that helps!

Thanks, but er...no. As far as I can see it's the US region A locked version that's available in France.

 

[benbess]

The "flat" 1.33 version of The Robe has better PQ. I wish Fox had made it possible just to watch that version in the regular way, although it is interesting the way it's set up to watch both versions at the same time.

PS In the making of doc on this blu-ray it's mentioned that Gregory Peck and Tyrone Power were both considered as stars before Richard Burton was hired. Burton I think is better than Peck and Power would have been at portraying a moody and brutal man who slowly transforms into something better.

PPS In the making of doc it also reveals that the actor originally cast as Caligula for this film had to withdraw abruptly for personal reasons during filming. The young Broadway actor Jay Robinson, then just 23, was brought in on an emergency basis to take on this key role. As his first scene was filmed with Jean Simmons he chewed up the scenery so well that at the end of it the crew burst into applause. Having never been in a film before, Robinson just assumed that that's what crews did when a big scene was finished, but Simmons told him that this was something really unusual.

 

[skylark68]

My original The Robe disc went bad on me after many years and holiday viewings. I bought a replacement which is fine so far and has that original red robe artwork. I love these 50's epics and pray for Helen of Troy, Land of the Pharaohs, Story of Ruth, The Silver Chalice and Esther and the King someday. The younger folks really don't give a damn about this stuff so not holding my breath.

I'm unsure whether I qualify as older or younger, but I love these films... (I'm 42).

 

[john a hunter]

You look younger in your photo

 

[Ed Lachmann]

One day at a TCM festival some years ago I ran into a group of 20-something "flappers" who knew everything about Valentino, Gilbert, Pickford, Fairbanks, Theda Bara and almost everyone involved in silent cinema. Makes one hopeful.