Misplaced Pages

#733266

40-485: Many of the musicians appear in the original recording liner notes of the movie scores presented on stage. Concerts often include a large massed choir from the Los Angeles area, bringing the population on stage to as many as 140 instrumentalists and singers. Prior to 2006, this orchestra was primarily a recording orchestra, credited as far back in liner notes as The Robe (1953) composed by Alfred Newman conducting

80-469: A Nielsen rating of 31.0 and an audience share of 53%, which translated to 60 million viewers, the second largest TV audience for a film, behind The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). The film was released on VHS and DVD on October 16, 2001. It was released on Blu-ray on March 17, 2009. When the film's original soundtrack album was issued on LP by Decca Records , it featured a monaural remix of

120-629: A dig at the 3D films of the day. The Academy Film Archive preserved The Robe in 2008. The Robe was due to open at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, but the Hall would not drop its stage show for the film's planned run, so the film premiered, instead, at the Roxy Theatre in New York City on September 16, 1953. It opened to the public at the Roxy the following day. ABC paid

160-456: A film on a religious subject, Henry Koster's The Robe has rather fewer lapses in taste than most of its predecessors. If the actual speaking of Christ's cry from the Cross is a major error, it is not multiplied. In general, the subject is treated with reasonable reverence and is a deal better than Quo Vadis , which was a perfect illustration of Aristotle's remark about the ludicrous being merely

200-484: A kind weaver, that Demetrius is in the town, Marcellus confronts his former slave at an inn. Demetrius says the robe has no real power, and it is Marcellus' guilt over killing Jesus that is causing his illness. When Marcellus tries to destroy the robe anyway, he is overcome, and finds himself healed. Pilate having ordered the arrest of all of the Christian "fanatics", Paulus sneaks into Cana with his troops. After Justus

240-474: A longstanding feud with Caligula, and he outbids Caligula for Demetrius, who does not attempt to escape again, as he feels honor-bound to Marcellus. Demetrius becomes Marcellus' personal servant. That evening, Caligula vengefully transfers Marcellus to far-flung Jerusalem . Diana goes to the port to say she will appeal to Tiberius on Marcellus' behalf, and the pair pledge their love and reaffirm their youthful promise to marry one day. Accompanied by Demetrius and

280-463: A record $ 2 million to screen the film on television in the United States four times. Sponsored by Ford , The Robe was first telecast on Sunday, March 26, 1967 ( Easter ), at the relatively early hour of 7:00 P.M., EST , to allow for family viewing. It was shown with only one commercial break, a luxury not even granted to the then-annual telecasts of The Wizard of Oz (1939), and received

320-593: A record gross for a week. The film earned an estimated $ 17.5 million in theatrical rentals in the United States and Canada during its initial theatrical release. Its worldwide rentals were estimated at $ 32 million. Critical reaction of the film and CinemaScope following the premiere in New York was generally favorable. In his review of the film, Frank Quinn of the New York Daily Mirror called CinemaScope "a new realistic and phenomenal concept of

360-483: A sequel about Demetrius . John Buckmaster tested for the role of Caligula. Jean Peters was originally cast as Diana, but she became pregnant, and was replaced by Jean Simmons . Interestingly, the film's poster, which had already been designed, was not changed, and, therefore, shows the wrong "Jean" between the likenesses of Burton and Mature. Filming finished on April 30, 1953, two weeks ahead of schedule. Since many theaters were not equipped to screen films shot in

400-532: A sub-division of the ugly." On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 38% of 21 critics' reviews of the film are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. 26th Academy Awards : 11th Golden Globe Awards : The film's successful and highly praised sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), featured Victor Mature in the title role; Michael Rennie , Jay Robinson , and David Leonard also reprise their roles from The Robe . Filming of

440-430: Is a 1953 American fictional Biblical epic film that tells the story of a Roman military tribune who commands the unit that is responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus . The film was released by 20th Century Fox and was the first film released in the widescreen process CinemaScope . Like other early CinemaScope films, The Robe was shot with Henri Chrétien 's original Hypergonar anamorphic lenses. The film

SECTION 10

#1732801082734

480-532: Is captured and tortured for information. Caligula asks Diana if she has heard from Marcellus, and, as she has not, tells her of Marcellus' involvement with the Christians. The Gallios' slave Marcipor, who is secretly a Christian, shows Diana where Marcellus is hiding, shortly before Marcellus leads a raid to rescue Demetrius. Demetrius is brought to the house of Senator Gallio, where Peter miraculously heals his grievous wounds. Marcellus and Demetrius attempt to flee

520-636: Is killed by a surprise arrow, Marcellus manages to halt the attack, but Paulus informs him that Caligula has succeeded Tiberius as emperor, so Marcellus' commission is no longer valid. Paulus initially refuses Marcellus' order to leave the town, but he complies after Marcellus beats him in a duel. Jesus' apostle Peter invites Marcellus to join Demetrius and him as missionaries, and, after confessing his role in Jesus' death, Marcellus pledges his life to Jesus. When Peter's missionary group comes to Rome, Demetrius

560-527: Is to handle the execution of three criminals—one of whom is Jesus. Marcellus wins Jesus' robe from Paulus in a dice game on Calvary , but when he uses it to shield himself from rain, he feels a sudden, intense pain. Grabbing the robe, Demetrius denounces Marcellus and the Roman Empire and frees himself, leaving a mentally unstable Marcellus, who is haunted by nightmares of the crucifixion, to report to Tiberius at Capri alone. The emperor's soothsayer says

600-579: The centurion Paulus, Marcellus arrives in Jerusalem on the same day that Jesus , who is being hailed as the Messiah, enters the city . Demetrius feels compelled to follow Jesus and later attempts to warn him of a plot against him , but a distraught man tells Demetrius that Jesus has already been arrested. Pontius Pilate , the governor of Judaea , informs Marcellus that he has been recalled by order of Tiberius, and gives Marcellus his last task, which

640-659: The 1930s through 2000s, the orchestra performed world premieres of music from Memoirs of a Geisha , Antony and Cleopatra , Flags of Our Fathers , World Trade Center and The Matrix . Composers represented in the debut concerts included Miklós Rózsa , Erich Wolfgang Korngold , John Williams , Jerry Goldsmith , Maurice Jarre , Victor Young , Dimitri Tiomkin , Craig Armstrong , Clint Eastwood , Henry Mancini , Elmer Bernstein , Dave Grusin , Alex North , John Scott , Sergei Prokofiev , Ralph Vaughan Williams , Max Steiner , Don Davis , Ernest Gold and Bernard Herrmann . The first radio broadcast of an HSO concert

680-400: The Gladiators (1954), continues from where The Robe ends. On the way to a slave auction, Marcellus Gallio, a Roman military tribune and senator 's son, helps recapture Demetrius, a defiant Greek slave. At the auction site, Marcellus is reunited with Diana, his childhood love, who is now a ward of Emperor Tiberius and has been pledged in marriage to the regent Caligula . Marcellus has

720-634: The Hollywood Symphony Orchestra (Varese Sarabande VSD 5295) and 78 rpm recordings such as Invitation to the Ballet, How Green Was My Valley and Street Scene (A Sentimental Rhapsody). The inaugural stage concerts of the HSO under the baton of John Scott were on May 18 and October 7, 2006, at UCLA 's Royce Hall and were produced by John Everett Beal and Peter Henton. Their first year, in addition to full programs of classic film scores from

760-533: The US box office , setting box office records at each location; it more than doubled the previous record at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in LA, with a gross of $ 80,000. The film gradually expanded to 44 locations by the end of October, and it remained number one at the box office for nine straight weeks. Its fourth week of release, Variety reported that the film had a weekly gross of $ 1,026,000 from 16 cities that it sampled,

800-473: The art of motion picture production." Kate Cameron of the New York Daily News claimed, in an eight-star review (four stars for the film and four for CinemaScope), that "any picture projected on a flat screen...is going to seem dull" after The Robe . Variety wrote: "It is a 'big' picture in every sense of the word. One magnificent scene after another, under the anamorphic technique, unveils

840-413: The city, but horsemen dispatched by Caligula pick up their trail, and Marcellus gives himself up so Demetrius can escape. At his trial, Marcellus admits to being a follower of Jesus, but denies that the Christians are plotting against Rome. He is condemned to death, unless he renews his tribune's oath of loyalty to the emperor and renounces his allegiance to Jesus; while he does the former, he refuses to do

SECTION 20

#1732801082734

880-407: The conventional 2-D form, Lloyd C. Douglas' powerful novel of the birth of Christianity in the days of ancient Rome would have made a great picture, but having been produced in the revolutionary CinemaScope process, it emerges as not only a superior dramatic achievement but also as a spectacle that will electrify audiences with its overpowering scope and magnitude." The Monthly Film Bulletin called

920-621: The dispensary and overdoses. Christopher Young Christopher Young (born April 28, 1958) is an American composer and orchestrator of film and television scores . Many of his compositions are for horror and thriller films, including Hellraiser , Species , Urban Legend , The Grudge , The Exorcism of Emily Rose , Drag Me to Hell , Sinister , Deliver Us from Evil and Pet Sematary . Other works include Rapid Fire , Copycat , Set It Off , Entrapment , The Hurricane , Swordfish , Ghost Rider , Spider-Man 3 , and The Shipping News , for which he

960-512: The film "a routine addition to the numerous Hollywood Biblical films," which presents "a characteristically distorted and simplified view of Imperial Rome, with a ranting Caligula, a doddering Tiberius, and the customary scenes of 'spectacle' in the palace, the marketplace and the torture chamber. The performances lack enthusiasm, and Richard Burton in particular seems ill at ease as the morose Marcellus." Basil Wright wrote in Sight & Sound : "As

1000-454: The film's composer, longtime Fox musical director Alfred Newman . Charles Gerhardt conducted London's National Philharmonic Chorus for the recording. The Robe set a record one-day gross (for a single theatre) of $ 36,000 at the Roxy, on its way to a record one-week gross (for a single theatre) of $ 264,427. In its second week of release, it expanded to Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia and grossed $ 490,000, placing it at number one at

1040-538: The imperial throne, was already dead at the time of Jesus' crucifixion. Also, Caligula did not systematically persecute Christians, as depicted in the film. The first persecution of Christians organized by the Roman government was under the emperor Nero in 64 AD after the Great Fire of Rome and took place entirely within the city of Rome. In 1942, producer Frank Ross acquired the rights to Douglas' novel—before it

1080-581: The latter. Diana stands with Marcellus and denounces Caligula, who declares that the couple will die together. As they depart the courtroom, Diana hands Jesus' robe to Marcipor, telling him to give it to Peter. Marcellus and Diana are led away to begin eternal life together in the kingdom of their true king . Despite the careful attention to Roman history and culture displayed in the film, there are some inaccuracies. For example, in reality, Emperor Tiberius' wife, Julia , who had been banished from Rome by her father Augustus years before Tiberius acceded to

1120-399: The new CinemaScope process, each scene of The Robe was shot both with and without CinemaScope's anamorphic lenses , resulting in there being two versions of the film: a "scope" version, and a "flat" version. Setups and some dialogue differ between the versions, as the takes for each process were filmed back-to-back, rather than simultaneously. For decades, the flat version of the film was

1160-446: The one typically shown on television, as its 1.33:1 aspect ratio would fill the then-standard television screens. American Movie Classics may have been the first channel to broadcast the scope version of the film. Recent DVDs and Blu-ray discs of the film present it in the 2.55:1 widescreen format, and also feature the original multitrack stereophonic soundtrack. The film was advertised as "The modern miracle you see without glasses!",

1200-1002: The original motion picture. In addition to celebrating and preserving the work of Hollywood's master composers of the past, the HSO promotes the work of emerging Hollywood composers. The Honorary Advisors to the HSO are practically a "who's who" of the film, television and music industries, with Academy Award , Golden Globe Award , Emmy Award and Grammy Award winners and nominees, including Alan Bergman , Marilyn Bergman , Marilee Bradford, Bruce Broughton , John Cacavas , Daniel Carlin, Budd Carr, Alf Clausen , Don Davis , John Debney , Allyn Ferguson , Dan Foliart, Charles Fox , Sid Ganis , Billy Goldenberg , Dave Grusin , Ted Kotcheff , Gary Le Mel, Michel Legrand , John Morgan, Randy Newman , Lennie Niehaus , Basil Poledouris (d), Sydney Pollack , Nick Redman, Edye & Pete Rugolo , Lalo Schifrin , Richard Sherman , William Stromberg, Patrick Williams , Christopher Young , Frank Yablans , and Hans Zimmer . The Robe (film) The Robe

1240-412: The robe must be cursed, so Tiberius gives Marcellus an imperial commission to find and destroy the robe, as well as identify the followers of Jesus. At Diana's request, Tiberius leaves her free to marry Marcellus once he has successfully completed his mission. Marcellus eventually makes his way to Cana , whose inhabitants experienced Jesus' miracles and believe he rose from the dead. Learning from Justus,

Hollywood Symphony Orchestra - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-560: The score, rather than the stereo sound that was originally recorded. MCA , which acquired the rights to the American Decca recordings, later issued an electronic stereo version of the mono tape. In 2003, Varèse Sarabande released a two-CD set of the film's original stereophonic score on its club label. RCA Victor included a suite from the film—recorded in Dolby surround sound—on its 1973 album Captain from Castile , which honored

1320-489: The sequel was completed before The Robe was released, and it begins with Caligula's challenge to Marcellus and Diana as they climb the stairs to their execution at the end of this film. In the first episode of the 2020 miniseries The Queen's Gambit , The Robe is playing for the staff and wards of the Mathuen orphanage, and the film's final chorus of "Alleluia" provides a diegetic source of music while Beth breaks into

1360-415: The splendor that was Rome and the turbulence that was Jerusalem at the time of Christ on Calvary." Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was more critical, writing: "The human drama of this story of Christian conversion occurs amid sumptuous and scenic surroundings and are mighty impressive to see. But the mightiness of surroundings—the spectacle of settings and costumes—is meaningful only in relation to

1400-525: The story that is being told. And the story in this instance is not spectacular, so that the amplitude of its surroundings does not enhance its scope." Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times stated that the film was in "a class that is unique, deeply spiritual and even awe-inspiring," though Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post wrote that, "Partly through the writing, partly through

1440-459: The variety of acting styles, this reverence does not stir the emotions. It is very hard to take seriously a film which presents so petulantly obvious a performance as Jay Robinson's sophomoric Caligula or a script which early observes: 'You have made me the laughing stock of Rome.' These and matters like them are not aspects of fine motion picture making." Harrison's Reports called the film "Excellent!" It continues: "Even if it had been produced in

1480-476: Was completed—for $ 100,000. Development of the film began at RKO in the 1940s, with Mervyn LeRoy set to direct, but the rights were eventually sold to Twentieth Century-Fox for $ 300,000, plus $ 650,000 from future profits; Ross received $ 40,000, plus 20% of the profits. Jeff Chandler was originally announced for the role of Demetrius. Victor Mature signed in December 1952 to make both The Robe and

1520-701: Was directed by Henry Koster and produced by Frank Ross . The screenplay was adapted from Lloyd C. Douglas 's 1942 novel by Gina Kaus , Albert Maltz , and Philip Dunne —although Maltz's place among the blacklisted Hollywood 10 led to his being denied his writing credit for many years. The score was composed by Alfred Newman , and the cinematography was by Leon Shamroy . The film stars Richard Burton , Jean Simmons , Victor Mature and Michael Rennie , and co-stars Jay Robinson , Dean Jagger , Torin Thatcher , Richard Boone , Betta St. John , Jeff Morrow , Ernest Thesiger , and others. A sequel, Demetrius and

1560-576: Was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score . Young was honored with the prestigious Richard Kirk award at the 2008 BMI Film and TV Awards. The award is given annually to a composer who has made significant contributions to film and television music. Young was born in Red Bank, New Jersey . He graduated from Hampshire College in Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts in music, and then completed his post-graduate work at

1600-414: Was on August 20, 2006. Southern California's classical radio station, K-Mozart 105.1FM , broadcast a one-hour program containing portions of the inaugural concert by the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of conductor John Scott . The HSO is dedicated entirely to performing visual media scores and, where possible, live-to-film performances of scores in sync with the movie exactly as performed in

#733266