The somewhat insubstantial but pivotal figure of Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea, has been seen 'washing his hands' in the shape of some fine actors through the years and here we have Jean Marais who was by all accounts greatly admired by Irving Rapper, co-director of this with someone named Gian Paolo Callegari.
Pilate's life has been 'fleshed out' here by going to a comparatively unknown source, the Jewish historian Josephus. This provides us with two of the finest scenes in the film, namely the construction of the Aqueduct and especially the 'Affair of the Standards' in which the Jews of Jerusalem stage a protest at Pilate having erected emblems of Caesar.
This could easily have turned into a wholesale massacre had not Pilate given the order for his soldiers to sheathe their swords. Also depicted here is the close 'political' relationship between Pilate and the high priest Caiaphas which would eventually result in their both being dismissed by Vitellius, Governor of Syria.
At the other end of the spectrum alas we have the predictable tackiness of the genre known as 'Sword and Sandals' in the form of a gruesome scene involving crocodiles and following the Crucifixion, an utterly absurd earthquake in which Pilate's wife is killed!
Regarding the characterisations Marais convinces as a military man entrusted with the unenviable task of bringing order to a particularly troublesome part of the Roman Empire and the 'hand-washing' is imaginitively done. The Gospels portray him as a man who unwillingly condemns Christ to death whereas historian Philo suggests that Pilate's rule was marked by cruelty and repression and that he would not have hesitated to dispense with such a popular rabble-rouser. The film's treatment is neutral.
Pilate's wife, the even more obscure Claudia Procula, is sensitively played by the lovely Jeanne Crain and Basil Rathbone excels as Caiaphas, here written as a far more sympathetic character. Most negative reviews have been reserved for John Drew Barrymore who plays both Judas and Christ! This notoriously 'troubled' actor actually conveys very well Judas' emotional conflict whilst one only sees him as JC from the back apart from a quick flash of his baby blues. One can view this doubling-up as either a cheap marketing ploy or perhaps as a subtle suggestion that Christ and Judas represent both sides of the same coin. I personally favour the latter view.
This is indeed a bizarre and uneven opus that combines originality with tastelessness. Far from being tasteless however is the magnificent score by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino.
The lives and indeed ultimate fates of Pilate and Claudia are destined to leave more questions than answers. Probably best to conclude with the words of Pilate himself: "Quid est veritas?"
