The Silver Chalice (1954)

Director: Victor Saville
Starring: Paul Newman, Virginia Mayo, Jack Palance

Synopsis:
A silversmith in Antioch is commissioned by Joseph of Arimathea to craft a silver chalice to contain the Cup of Christ while Simon Magus forms a league with the Sicarii to prop himself up as a new Messiah.

Impressions:
This is Paul Newman's film debut and to give you an idea of what he thought of it, when it made the TV circuit, he took out an ad telling people not to watch it. It's a rather famous turkey, so I leapt at the chance to see it for myself. Honestly, Newman's characterization of the film as the worst of the 50s is grossly overstated. It's a big pseudo-Biblical costume epic like many from the era. It's a little more stilted than most I've seen but honestly not that far from the average. The dialog is fairly stilted, even from veteran actors like Virginia Mayo, but the costumes and sets aren't bad. I don't think I've ever seen Jack Palance in any of his earlier roles, so it was a surprise when I realized he was the one playing Simon Magus, who's actually a fairly decent villain. There are some mildly interesting character dynamics, but overall it's fairly bland. Except for curiosity, there's not much reason to see this. On its own merits, I'd say skip it.

Rating:
Avoid It