User Reviews

Scriptural accounts of the time between the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus don't give too many details. So as is the case in many big screen biblical spectacles, this small screen adaption for the Catholic Family Theatre entitled Hill Number One attempts to fill in the blanks.

But first we have to give the story a modern relevance. So in Hill Number One there is a modern prologue about a listless and bored company of GIs in Korea who are an artillery battery. On Easter Sunday the Catholic chaplain comes for a visit and as they tell him their difficulties, he reminds them of that first hill to be taken, Hill Number One which was Calvary.

I have to say the number of distinguished players in this television film is a real treat. Ruth Hussey as the Virgin Mary and Leif Erickson as Pontius Pilate have the most screen time, but the main reason this film is preserved and remembered is for James Dean playing the Apostle John. He does kind of stand out and in a group of some of the best players around, you can tell this one was going to be a legend.

One thing I did find unique in this particular biblical interpretation was the varying ages of the disciples. In every other film I've seen, the disciples are all around the same age as Jesus, maybe a bit younger. Here however they range in age. James Dean playing John and Terry Kilburn playing Stephen are clearly teenagers. Dean was 19 when Hill Number One was made. But Charles Meredith as Peter and Gene Lockhart as Matthew are old enough here and in real life to be Dean's father and grandfather respectively. Meredith is youthened somewhat with a heavy wig and beard, so that familiar baldness that made him look like Ike is disguised. That voice is unmistakable. Lockhart shows every bit however that he is 60 years old as St. Matthew as he talks of his background as a tax collector.

The story starts with Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, Nelson Leigh and Regis Toomey, requesting the body of Jesus for burial from a very rattled Pontius Pilate who is concerned about his wife's sudden disappearance. Joan Leslie as Claudia going MIA eerily coincides with an earthquake that occurred at the moment Jesus breathes his last on the cross which we do not see.

One other woman has a significant role here, Jeanne Cagney as Mary Magdalene. She interprets her role just enough for this Family Theatre broadcast to show she's a woman who's been around, but now is in a different life.

Hill Number One is not a DeMille eye-popping spectacle of sin and salvation, the production values aren't the best. It is however a straightforward and respectful interpretation of what might have happened among Jesus's followers in those fateful three days. And it's the earliest recorded appearance of a screen legend.

This is one of four relatively short films made by powerful American religious groups that were packaged together in a 3-Disc 10-movie budget collection entitled "Bible Time Favorites" – the remaining titles being popular Hollywood or peplum efforts on a religious theme which have fallen into the public domain. Anyway, this one is perhaps the most successful because it treats the subject in an original, albeit unsurprisingly reverent, manner – the titular 'outpost' being Golgotha (the place of Christ's crucifixion) and which is recounted on Easter Sunday by a padre to a squad of battle-weary G.I.s; in flashback, we see the events immediately following Jesus' death – which, again, strikes a point in its favor since these haven't been depicted all that often on-screen. The cast is an eclectic mix of character actors: Roddy MacDowall appears as a soldier in the 'modern' story, while Ruth Hussey, Joan Leslie, Gene Lockhart, Regis Toomey and Leif Erickson, among others, all interpret characters from the Bible – the latter, especially, making for a fine Pontius Pilate; however, most interestingly, this marks the debut of none other than James Dean – who already compels attention with his quietly sensitive portrayal of John, the youngest of Christ's apostles. Unfortunately, the film ends on the wrong foot with a cloying plea from a doddering priest for families to recite the rosary daily!

In a piece as deep as this is supposed to be, it's a guilty pleasure to look for the familiar faces among the actors who would later become very famous.

First, the story, though. It's done in flashback style, a style overused today for no reason, but here it at least has a theatrical reason.

The theatrics of this Resurrection story are actually better than one sees today, because since about 1980, everyone in the world has become a ham, so the acting here may seem out of place to a world of natural hams. There was a day when people did speak and behave in the way these people did, though, and it's logical to believe that being before the information age, it's closer to reality.

The most recognizable face you will see is Michael Ansara, whom I didn't expect to see, but he just has a more recognizable face than the more famous Roddy McDowell, because of the distinctive characteristics.

It's a decent play, and puts one in mind of a stage play.

This sort of drama is the sort of film I doubt you would ever seen made nowadays. It's from a religious show called "Family Theatre" and is a retelling of the story of the burial and resurrection of Jesus. It's unusual for two main reasons--it features quite a few famous actors (such as Gene Lockhart and Leif Erickson) of the day and it begins in Korea during the war and the story is told by the Chaplain to his men.

The manner in which the story is told is quite minimalistic--with few sets and at a relatively low cost. However, in spite of this, it doesn't come off as cheap--just different than the typical film about Jesus--without the huge spectacle and angelic music blaring. Instead, it's direct yet reverent. Sure, occasionally it's a tad heavy-handed in the dialog, but in general it's quite good and still watchable in this more jaded generation.

By the way, this was sponsored by Catholic organizations, hence the show's emphasizing Mary--calling her 'Holy Mother' and the like during this recreation of the days following Jesus' death.