Restored THE ROBE on DVD & Blu-ray (March 17)

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The first motion picture in CinemaScope
– the modern miracle you see without glasses!

Hollywood icon Richard Burton stars in the legendary, Oscar winning faith-based epic!

THE ROBE Special Edition on DVD & Blu-ray »
Now fully restored by Twentieth Century Fox,
the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation

Century City, CA. – A cinematic masterpiece centering on one man's ultimate test of faith and overall quest for redemption, THE ROBE: SPECIAL EDITION arrives on newly restored DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) March 17th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. An extensive restoration process that took over a year and half to complete, the newly restored edition of THE ROBE was a collaboration between Twentieth Century Fox, the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation, the leading non-profit organization dedicated to film preservation founded by filmmaker Martin Scorsese (who provided a film print from his personal collection that was used to aid the restoration process).

The first film ever released in CinemaScope, THE ROBE (1953) was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (Burton) and Best Cinematography, taking home two Oscars for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. Academy Award-winner Richard Burton (Equus, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?) stars as Marcellus Gallio, a Roman centurion whose life is forever changed when he wins Christ's robe in a gambling game at the foot of the cross.

Directed by Henry Koster (Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, Stars and Stripes Forever), the film boasts outstanding supporting performances from Jean Simmons (Spartacus, Hamlet, The Happy Ending), Victor Mature (Samson and Delilah, My Darling Clementine), Jay Robinson (My Man Godfrey) and Richard Boone (The Big Sleep, Samson and Delilah).

Arriving in celebration of the Easter holiday, THE ROBE: SPECIAL EDITION DVD and BD is loaded with all-new bonus materials including a special introduction from Martin Scorsese, commentary by film composer David Newman and film historians, and a behind-the-scenes featurette; plus the Blu-ray Disc is highlighted by over two hours of BD Exclusive content including picture-in-picture vignettes, in-depth featurettes such as The CinemaScope Story, vintage celebrity intros and much more (see below).

THE ROBE: SPECIAL EDITION will be available on DVD for a suggested retail price of $19.98, and on Blu-ray Disc for $34.99.

Production Note (Wikipedia)
The Robe is a 1953 Biblical epic film that tells the story of a Roman military tribune who commands the unit that crucifies Jesus. The film was made by 20th Century Fox and is notable for being the first film released in CinemaScope. Although it was the first film with the CinemaScope logo, it did not use the famous Alfred Newman opening fanfare heard on all 20th Century-Fox films, but rather a mixed choir chanting a religious theme over the logo. The now famous fanfare and its musical extension, which was added by Alfred Newman (Fox's music director from 1940 to 1960) especially for CinemaScope, was introduced in the next Fox CinemaScope release, How To Marry a Millionaire and is used on all 20th Century Fox films today, including Fox Searchlight Pictures, despite the fact that CinemaScope technology itself has not been used since 1967.

It was directed by Henry Koster and produced by Frank Ross. The screenplay was adapted by Gina Kaus, Albert Maltz, and Philip Dunne from the Lloyd C. Douglas novel. The music score was composed by Alfred Newman and the cinematography was by Leon Shamroy.

The Robe was originally announced for filming by RKO in the 1940s, and was set to be directed by Mervyn LeRoy, but the rights were eventually sold to Twentieth Century Fox.

The film was advertised as "the modern entertainment miracle you can see without the use of glasses", a dig at the 3D movies of the day. Since many theaters of the day were not equipped to show a CinemaScope film, two versions of The Robe were made: one in the standard screen ratio of the day, the other in the widescreen process. Setups and some dialogue differ between the versions.

The film was usually shown on television using the standard 1.33:1 aspect ratio version that fills a standard television screen rather than the CinemaScope version. American Movie Classics may have been the first to offer telecasts of the widescreen version. Recent DVDs of the film, however, present the film in the original widescreen format, as well as the multitrack stereophonic soundtrack.

The film had one sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), which featured Victor Mature in the title-role, making The Robe the only Biblical epic with a sequel.

The Robe BONUS FEATURES – DVD »
Completely Restored and Remastered
• Introduction by Martin Scorsese
• Commentary with film composer David Newman and film historians Jon Burlingame, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman
• Featurette: The Making of The Robe
• The Music of The Robe: Alfred Newman's Score isolated music track
• Still Galleries
• Interactive Pressbook

The Robe BONUS FEATURES – Blu-ray »
Completely Restored and Remastered
• Introduction by Martin Scorsese
• Vintage Celebrity Introductions by Richard Widmark, Susan Hayworth, Robert Wagner, Clifton Webb and Dan Dailey
• Featurette: "The CinemaScope Story"
• Featurette: "From Scripture to Script: The Bible and Hollywood"
• BonusView Picture-in-Picture mode:
-The Robe Times Two: A Comparison of Widescreen and Standard Versions
• A Seamless Faith: The Real-Life Search for The Robe Featurettes:
-Inspiration
-The Clothes of Christ
-Clothes in Biblical Times
-Clothes of a King
-A Seamless Garment
-The Robe on Page & Screen
-The Robe and Politics
-The Robe in Our World
-The Robe in France & Russia
-History vs. Drama
• Audio Interview with Screenwriter Philip Dunne (1969)
• Movietone News:
-CinemaScope Hailed by Public and Press
-Broadway Hails The Robe in CinemaScope
-The Robe (Christian Herald Award)
-Millionth Patron Sees The Robe
-CinemaScope and The Robe Win Oscars
• Trailers / TV Spots
• Poster Gallery / Lobby Cards

Film Synopsis:
The Greatest Story of Love, Faith, and Overwhelming Spectacle!
One of the best Biblical epics of all time, based on a best-selling novel by Lloyd C. Douglas, THE ROBE tells the story of a Roman centurion named Marcellus Gallio (Burton) who is sent to Jerusalem, charged with overseeing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Marcellus, a cynical and hardened man, wins the robe Jesus wore to the crucifixion while gambling with other Roman soldiers. He later becomes convinced that his hallucinations and violent outbursts are the result of a curse received from the robe, which is now in the possession of his escaped slave, Demetrius (Mature), somewhere in the Middle East. He sets out to find Demetrius in order to destroy the robe and the curse and finds faith instead, converting to Christianity.

The first movie ever filmed in CinemaScope, THE ROBE was nominated for five Academy Awards in 1953, including Best Picture, and Best Actor for Richard Burton. Two Oscars were awarded, for Best Art Decoration (Set Direction), and Best Costume Design (Color). Burton stars as Marcellus Gallio, the Roman centurion charged with overseeing the crucifixion of Christ. But when he wins Christ's robe in a gambling game at the foot of the cross, his life is forever changed.

Its inspired story set to a spectacular score, and featuring an all-star cast, including Victor Mature and Jean Simmons, The Robe remains one of the screen's greatest biblical epics.

– About The Film Foundation –
The Film Foundation (www.film-foundation.org) is a nonprofit organization established in 1990 by Martin Scorsese. The foundation is dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history, and provides substantial annual support for preservation and restoration projects at the nation's major film archives. Since its inception, the foundation has been instrumental in raising awareness of the urgent need to preserve films and has helped to save nearly 525 motion pictures.

Joining Scorsese on the board are: Woody Allen, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Curtis Hanson, Peter Jackson, Ang Lee, George Lucas, Alexander Payne, Robert Redford and Steven Spielberg. The Film Foundation is aligned with the Directors Guild of America whose President and Secretary-Treasurer serve on the foundation's board.

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