Burton 's second and final film of the year was in the Biblical epic historical drama , '' The Robe '' , notable for being the first ever motion picture to be made in CinemaScope . He replaced Tyrone Power , who was originally cast in the role of Marcellus Gallio , a noble but decadent Roman military tribune in command of the detachment of Roman soldiers that were involved in crucifying Jesus Christ . Haunted by nightmares of the crucifixion , he is eventually led to his own conversion . Marcellus ' Greek slave Demetrius ( played by Victor Mature ) guides him as a spiritual teacher , and his wife Diana ( played by Jean Simmons ) follows his lead . The film set a trend for Biblical epics such as '' Ben-Hur '' ( 1959 ) . Based on Lloyd C. Douglas ' 1942 historical novel of the same name , '' The Robe '' was well received at the time of its release , but contemporary reviews have been less favourable . '' Variety '' magazine termed the performances of the lead cast " effective " and complemented the fight sequences between Burton and Jeff Morrow . Crowther believed that Burton was " stalwart , spirited and stern " as Marcellus . Among those who gave negative reviews were Jonathan Rosenbaum of the '' Chicago Reader '' who called '' The Robe '' a " pious claptrap " , and Dennis Schwartz of Ozus ' World Movie Reviews who wrote , " Burton is served a death sentence to be in such a turgid film , one that ranges from being creaky to silly to just plain vulgar . " The film was a commercial success , grossing $ 17 million against a $ 5 million budget , and Burton received his second Best Actor nomination at the 26th Academy Awards
26th Academy Awards
26th Academy Awards
Richard Burton