Il calice d'argento

"The Bible" anthology orator Alexander Scourby (as Luke) chooses Greek sculptor Paul Newman (as Basil) to fashion "The Silver Chalice" that served at Jesus Christ's "Last Supper" with faces of the Lord Christ and some of his disciples. Looking tanned and handsome in Warner colors, Mr. Newman not only has trouble recreating the face of Jesus, but also choosing between bosomy Pagan-tilting Virginia Mayo (as Helena) and pretty Christian-leaning Pier Angeli (as Deborra). His cup runneth over...

Unlike Newman, you'll have no trouble figuring out where his character and this story are going...

Going up are Ms. Mayo's plucked and penciled eyebrows; going down is Jack Palance (as Simon) as the new Messiah. Don't be too quick with the fast-forward button, lest you miss Mr. Palance's fall from grace. Newman, who herein moved from TV dramatic guest to big screen star, was not proud of this film; and, it's easy to see why. It's a woefully misguided Biblical epic, with Newman not the least of its problems. The musical score by Franz Waxman is nicely done, especially during softer sequences.

**** The Silver Chalice (12/17/54) Victor Saville ~ Paul Newman, Virginia Mayo, Pier Angeli, Jack Palance

The art direction is horrible. The sets are cheaply done. The cinematography could have been done by a three-year-old. And it has Lorne Greene. All of these are the earmarks of a horrible movie, and it is, in fact, horrible. Yet, frankly, there is something fun about all this. Newman's performance really isn't that bad -- at least give him points for effort -- and Virginia Mayo, probably one of the most underrated actresses of her generation, is miscast but not bad. Add this to Jack Palance's always-watchable scenery-chewing histrionics and you have a classically bad film. This could make a fortune on those midnight movie circuits; it deserves legendary bad film status. And, by the way, who ever told Thomas Costain he could write?

Having read all of the various reviewers'comments, I wonder at all the negative opinions : "The worst film ever made according to Paul Newman and many of his fans" - "a tax write -off along the lines of THE PRODUCERS "- "almost unintentionally bad like an Ed Wood feature". I think none of that is true. Surprisingly I find much of this movie highly entertaining. Paul Newman really need not be ashamed of his debut work - he certainly looks right as Basil and for the most part, he acts the part convincingly - he does especially well in his scenes with Pier Angeli- obviously MGM thought they had real chemistry because they were soon re-teamed in SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME. Jack Palance's over the top Simon the Magician is a great villain - you hate him but love his outlandish behavior that climaxes with his attempt to fly off a giant tower. Virginia Mayo in a badly written part wins your sympathy as the 'bad" girl/courtesan. The stylized sets are often criticized - but it is their very oddness that adds a special,dreamlike quality to many scenes. This was not a cost cutting measure by Warners, as some have suggested. In fact, this film was quite a moneymaker upon its initial release. Perhaps the most successful element of the entire project is Franz Waxman's beautiful, moving music score- one of the best of the period - it holds up to many listens. I think viewers today who see this in pan&scan format can not appreciate its beauty when seen in a theater in Cinemascope & Stereophonic Sound - I saw it on re-release in the 60s and it was impressive( available on a widescreen version great out of print laser disc and recently released on DVD ). Certainly not a great movie , it still has an entertainment value most reviewers are missing.

Paul looks good in his toga but otherwise is absolutely dreadful in his screen bow. It shows the advantage of the studio contract system that this wasn't the end of his career. His two follow-ups studio assignments, Somebody Up There Likes Me and The Rack, did a great deal to restore his reputation and put him on the superstar track.

Not that anyone else in the picture gives that much better of a performance. Virginia Mayo buried under a mountain of eyeliner is lost in a character that makes no sense. As the younger version of her character Natalie Wood makes a brief appearance and makes it abundantly clear that it was a good thing she never decided to become a blonde. Pier Angeli is quiet and subdued as Deborra and therefore manages to be the standout person in the cast because she doesn't declaim to the heavens. Speaking of which Jack Palance chews enough scenery for a raft of movies and while it's amusing at first it becomes tiresome in the long run.

As awful as the general film is the production design is a gaudy mini masterpiece of astoundingly bright colors and geometric shapes. It's the highlight of an otherwise mediocre bordering on horrible movie.

Well I've waiting for years to see this movie, and finally I have. I made it my Christmas treat. Well okay maybe "treat" is stretching it. I don't know if it was one of the worst films of the fifties. But it's probably Paul Newman's worst performance in movies. Then again, the dialogue he was given was pretty dismal. As for Jack Palance, He not only chews the scenery, he spits it back at you. The movie definitely livened up when he was on screen. Virginia mayo looks like a hooker. Hmmm. Was she supposed to be a hooker? She's only 5 years older than Newman, but looks about 20. Still there were some decent performances noticeably from Joseph Wiseman, and Pier Angeli. It also kept my interest.