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The Silver Chalice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Silver Chalice | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Victor Saville |
| Written by | Thomas B. Costain (novel),
Lesser Samuels (screenplay) |
| Starring | Virginia Mayo Pier Angeli Jack Palance Paul Newman (debut) |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
| Release date(s) | 1954 |
| Running time | 135 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Silver Chalice is a 1952 English language historical novel by Thomas B. Costain. It is the fictional story of the making of a silver chalice to hold the Holy Grail and includes first century biblical and historical figures: Luke, Joseph of Arimathea, Simon Magus and his companion Helena, and the apostle Peter. The story was inspired by the archeological discovery of a first century silver chalice in Antioch.
It was made into a 1954 movie that marked the début of Paul Newman as an artist Basil, who was given the task of making a silver chalice to house the Holy Grail. It also featured Virginia Mayo as Helena, Jack Palance as Simon Magus, the villain, Joseph Wiseman as Mijamin, Alexander Scourby as Saint Luke, Walter Hampden as Joseph of Arimathea, Lorne Greene as Peter, and a cameo by Natalie Wood as a girl healed by Peter. Victor Saville was the director. Apart from being Paul Newman's first film, this sword and sandal movie, intended to be a Biblical epic, is remembered chiefly for the curious domes in the unusual set designs; and for its film score by Franz Waxman, which was nominated for an Academy Award.
Paul Newman was apparently not proud of his performance. When the film was broadcast on television in 1966, he took out an advertisement in a Hollywood trade paper apologizing for his performance, and requesting people not to watch the film. This backfired, and the broadcast received unusually high ratings. The film is sometimes referred to as Paul Newman and the Holy Grail. Newman has allegedly called the film "The worst motion picture produced during the 1950s".