Ponce Pilate

There's plenty of aged beefcake and stale cheesecake on display in Hollywood "woman's director" Irving Rapper's peplum-style Passion Play (co-directed by someone named Caligari) which attempts to cash in on a popular run of big budget biblical epics that began with SOLOMON & SHEBA.

Jean Cocteau's muse Jean Marais, no spring chicken, struts about as the titular magistrate and cuts a fine if flabby figure in his red cape, breastplate, sandals, and tiny gladiator skirt (he's topless, too, at one point) but apparently the only acting he can do is with his profile. Another old profile, Basil Rathbone, is also on hand as an ancient rabbi and a still-attractive Jeanne Crain unintentionally nails "patrician indifference" as Pilate's wife. Pilate's a womanizing martinet not without heart and the gang's all here from a ruthless, cut-throat Barabbas to a bony John Drew Barrymore in a dual role as both Jesus & Judas. The latter has a wild-eyed mad scene that would give JD's dad John a coronary and, like most movies of this sort, the Lord's visage is never shown, just his eyes. The money lenders get thrown out of the temple, too. I never knew the saying "I wash my hands of it" came from Pilate (or if I did, I forgot) and it's illustrated nicely here when he washes his hands after condemning Jesus and the basin water turns red with the Nazarine's eyes reflected in it.

There's much ado about an aqueduct and enough political intrigue between the Jews and the Romans in the first half of the film to put any viewer to sleep before the final crucifixion, which was unlike any I'd seen before on film. There's an eclipse and "spectacular cataclysm" as Jesus dies on the cross but unfortunately, for every plus there's a minus here and although it's no doubt unintentional, the movie does suggest the Jews killed Jesus since sending down an earthquake to destroy Jerusalem during the Crucifixion implies punishment, no? The U.S. release version cut out a wrap-around of Pilate's trial before Caligula but it's been restored (albeit with English subs) and although Rapper had an eye for spectacular widescreen tableaux (there really is a cast of thousands), it's pretty much a bore (albeit a strangely compelling one) and the low IMDb rating is about right for once.

The director had great ambitions;he wanted to mix politics with religion but the results show too much confusion,and the fact that Jesus and Judas are played by the same actor (!) doesn't help.Actually Jesus appears lately in the production ;the first half is marred by too many subplots :the aqueduct,the young girl who tries to seduce Pilate,the Sanhedrin,Nicodemus,gladiators devoured by ouch! crocodiles,Barabbas who sometimes seems at the Sanhedrin's beck and call,and of course the Temple.Irving Rapper has certainly De Millesque ambitions but he 's no match for the "ten commandments" man.He should have stuck to melodrama ("Now voyager",1942).

Pilate is played by great actor Jean Marais,but the production is overwhelming and he can't really display his brilliant skills.In fact,the movie is a flashback (Why?The screen play did not ask for that at all).

The second part is more run of the mill Passion stuff even if the camera focuses on Pilate,showing the crucifixion from a distance.To "enliven" things a bit,it seems that Good Friday events are turned into a disaster movie,complete with destruction of Pilate's palace and his wife's death.

Rapper ,like Wyler before him in "Ben Hur" ,never shows the Christ's face,except for a shot of his eyes.As for Barabbas,you'll always be better off with Richard Fleischer's eponymous movie(1962)

Best-known for a string of Bette Davis tear-jerkers, director Rapper had previously overseen another Italian Biblical epic, Joseph AND HIS BRETHREN (1960), but he would subsequently direct just two more movies in Hollywood.

Despite a general air of overfamiliarity to the proceedings, the film is quite watchable as it unveils – and only falls apart in its last third, when the Jesus trials take center-stage. This is because the figure of Jesus had only been mentioned fleetingly before (even by the Pharisees) and suddenly the whole of Judea turns against him for no apparent reason (other than, it seems, because that's what did happen according to the Bible)! In fact, before this unconvincing about-face, the figure of High Priest Caiaphas (Basil Rathbone) was a sympathetic one fighting with dignity for the plight of his oppressed people. Another uncharacteristic event is the fact that, according to this version, it is Judas (John Drew Barrymore) who convinces the Pharisees that Jesus is dangerous, and it is they alone who capture him at Gethsemane!!

Whatever the flaws in the many-handed script (seven writers in total!), they are redeemed by competent production values and a good cast: Jean Marais (rather stiff in the title role), Jeanne Crain (as Pilate's wife), Leticia Roman (a Judean girl Pilate falls for), Roger Treville (as Roman's powerful merchant father), Massimo Serato (as Nicodemus), Riccardo Garrone (as Pilate's faithful lieutenant), Gianni Garko (as one of a bald-headed[!] Barabbas' rebels) and Raffaella Carra' (as Garko's girl); according to the IMDb, Paul Muller and Dante Di Paolo also appear but, personally, I didn't recognize them! Interestingly enough, the events unfold in flashback at Pilate's own trial before an uncredited Emperor Caligula...with the former using the same silent tactics (and, subsequently, the famous words) as Christ himself did before him!!

A very elusive film on this side of the Atlantic. It received only a brief and limited theatrical release in the United States. It is reportedly available on video, but in the PAL (European) format, not NTSC (USA and Canada). It hasn't been aired in the Washington, D.C., area in over 20 years.

My recollection is that it had beautiful photography and production design, but a hectic and confusing storyline. Typical of many European imports of the time, it had a jerky continuity (editing by the importer?) and some awkward dubbing with the usual "Speed Racer" voices. An attempt to compete with Hollywood epics that came up a bit short.

What I found both distracting and amusing was that the actor who played Barabbas was a dead ringer for a crazy professional wrestler named Bugsy McGraw. In fact, they actually talked and acted much the same!

I finally scored an English language copy of this interesting Italian sword-and-sandal style depiction of the life and times of Jesus, focusing on the career of Pontius Pilate, played by legendary French actor Jean Marais (Cocteau's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST). I previously had a Spanish language version, but the dubbing sounded like it was recorded in a radio station last week and there were virtually no sound effects. This original English version is MUCH more enjoyable, with both Basil Rathbone and John Drew Barrymore (as Judas, not as Jesus) doing their own voices in the dubbing. The story is structured with a wrap-around sequence where Pilate is on trial in front of Caesar, and Pilate recounts the events of his life. At the end of the film, we pick back up with this trial and we see what Pilate has learned from his life and from his encounter with Christ. Basil Rathbone, doing his own voice, is quite impressive as the Jewish religious leader Caiaphus--he tries to be a faithful spiritual leader to his people, while he understands the political necessities of the day. The scene where Rathbone challenges Marais to take down the Roman insignias off the Hebrew temple is quite impressive. Of course, the "gimmick" about this film is that John Drew Barrymore plays both Judas and Jesus. Let's start with Judas. This is a role Barrymore was born to play--he was always excellent as a tortured soul or an outcast or a man with a tragic obsession, and in the Judas created by these scriptwriters, the part requires all of these qualities, and Barrymore does a great job. During one of Judas's most intense scenes, we suddenly start getting angular, Orson Welles style shots of Barrymore that are unlike any other shots in the film! Yes, Barrymore also plays Jesus, but we only see Jesus' back and side and closeups of his eyes--frankly, had a man of similar build been under the robe throughout the film and it wasn't John Drew Barrymore, I don't think I would have known. Also, someone else dubs Jesus' voice when He speaks, which isn't very often. Peplum fans will see a number of familiar faces such as Livio Lorenzon and Riccardo Garrone, and the whole film has the look of a sword and sandal film. I feel like I understand more about the political world of Palestine in the days of Jesus after seeing this film, and Barrymore's unique portrayal of Judas is something I won't soon forget. As a fan of sword and sandal films in general, I thought PONTIUS PILATE was quite interesting and overall a success. Perhaps someone could restore the film for DVD? Finally, although my copy of this runs 100 minutes, I have a strange feeling some small sections have been cut. Perhaps the Euro version ran over 100 minutes?