Monday, August 20, 2018

By the Gods!

The opening shot from THE ROBE (1953)

There's something very interesting about this shot, which happens at the very start of THE ROBE, as the film introduces CinemaScope. Can someone tell me why?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Robe was filmed in both CinemaScope and regular 35mm versions. This shot, which is actually from Demetrius and the Gladiators, is only in the CinemaScope version of The Robe. Demetrius went into production before The Robe was released and they included this shot to make the opening of The Robe more spectacular. You can see Susan Hayward's red dress in the Emperor's seating area.

PEPLUM TV said...

Bingo!

Yes, that's it. So THE ROBE started with a scene from its sequel even though THE ROBE wasn't guaranteed to be a success. It did become a success but how bizarre would it have been for 20th Century Fox if it hadn't been a success.

So, officially, the first CinemaScope scene wasn't from THE ROBE but from DEMETRIUS & THE GLADIATORS

Steven Lester said...

So, the vacuum cleaner left on the grounds wasn't the right answer? Your questions are always so hard.

Anonymous said...

Given the amount of advance bookings and the sustained public interest in both The Robe and CinemaScope, Fox was sure they had a hit on their hands. The shot from Demetrius was added just before the movie opened.