Pontius Pilate An Enigma Tailor Made for Hollywood

Hollywood Romans #8 - Pontius Pilate AHM #11

Pontius Pilate

An Enigma Tailor Made for Hollywood

 

 

“There is nothing duller on the screen than being accurate but not dramatic.” 

-- Darryl F. Zanuck

 

 

This, of course, is the struggle that all films deal with and indeed this struggle, between cinematic drama and historical accuracy, is the dynamic that energizes most discussions of the Hollywood Romans.  Although everyone carps about this or that ‘mistake’ in costumes or characters, time or place, there are occasions when the drama is so compelling and the acting so good that we ignore, or at least tolerate, the historical gaffs and simply enjoy the show.  The plays of Shakespeare are a prime example, and even more to the point, the BBC series I, Claudius.  Occasionally, drama does trump accuracy.

 

Even for a period as well documented as the fall of the Republic and rise of the Principate (100BCE to 100CE) there remain large gaps in the record and in our knowledge.  Not surprisingly, these gaps invite conjecture, supposition, and occasionally wholesale fabrication – the stock in trade of Hollywood.  

 

So it comes as no surprise that it is in this 200 year time period where we find the majority of the Hollywood Romans.  What does surprise is just which ancient Roman dominates this period cinematically.  One might naturally think it is Julius Caesar (and with him Mark Antony and Cleopatra) but that is not the case.  Even if you take all of the Caesars together, you will still not equal this Hollywood Roman.  Indeed, Pontius Pilate has appeared in well over 200 feature films, documentaries and TV shows, more than any other ancient figure with the exception of Jesus Christ himself.    

 

Pontius Pilate?

Ask someone about Scipio Africanus and you might get a faint glimmer of recognition.   Try Hannibal and they will often respond, “Elephants right?  Wasn’t he that mad doctor that ate people, or was it elephants…?”   However, ask them about Pontius Pilate and they will not only tell you he was the governor of Judea, they will happily recite his dialog from the trial of Jesus. (Very often the lyrics from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar: “What is truth?  Is truth unchanging laws? We both have truths, are mine the same as yours?”)

 

Ironically, outside of the small circle of his immediate family and associates, Pilate was unknown to his contemporaries, but now he is the most famous Roman of them all.

Of course, it helps being closely linked to the man worshiped by millions.  This is an unrivaled PR advantage that Hollywood loves, but Pilate has another important fact in his favor – that there are in fact very few facts about Pilate.  

 

We do have some ancient sources that mention Pilate.  There are, of course, the books of the New Testament and those outside the canonical texts as well as the works of historians Philo and Josephus.  Beyond that though, there really is not much, and this scarcity allows, indeed encourages, Hollywood to fill in the gaps, which it has done with gusto.

 

In the recent documentary, Pilate – The Man Who Killed Christ, scholars Ann Wroe and Helen Bond make the case for Pilate as the tough soldier who acted with purpose rather than the jaded politician acting out of expediency or worse, the dithering bureaucrat easily manipulated by the mob. This is one of the better documentaries, but while they see an obvious agenda in the Gospel’s portrait of Pilate, Wroe & Bond seem to accept the viewpoint of Josephus while ignoring the distinct possibility that his portrait of Pilate was also serving an agenda other than historical objectivity. (Namely pleasing his Roman patrons, in particular the Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus.)  

 

Pilate – The Man Who Killed Christ, 2004

Interestingly, Hollywood seems to be in agreement with Wroe and Bond as more often than not Pilate is dressed in armor, even when it was more likely the historic Pilate would not have been so attired.  That said, wearing armor or not, Pilate might be the decisive commander acting with purpose or a weak willed ditherer easily manipulated by those around him.  While Wroe and Bond believe the actual Pilate was the former, just where the Hollywood Pilate falls on the decisiveness scale depends in large part on the agenda of the film’s director.  

 

Now, in the majority of his cinematic appearances, Pilate is at best a minor character, a supporting player or just a featured extra.  Even so, the list of actors who have played Pilate reads like a who’s who of the Screen Actors Guild.  

 

The Last Days of Pompeii, 1935

 

Basil Rathbone (1935)

Andre Morell (1947)

Leif Erickson (1951)

Richard Boone (1953)

Frank Thring (1959)

Hurd Hatfield (1961)

Telly Savalas (1965)

Wolfgang Preiss (1966)

Donald Pleasence (1976)

Rod Steiger (1977)

Michael Palin (1979)

Anthony Zerbe (1985)

Harvey Keitel (1986)

David Bowie (1988)

Michael Lonsdale (1990)

Gary Oldman (1999)

Ian Holm (2000)

Tim Matheson (2004)

Hristo Shopov (2004 & 2006)

Peter Firth (2016)

 

Now, I must admit that I have not seen all 200+ portrayals of Pontius Pilate, however of the many I have watched, here are some that I find the most interesting.

Ben-Hur, 1959

Frank Thring (Ben Hur 1959)  

Although not the earliest portrayal of Pilate, Thring’s performance is by far the best known and in fact set the standard in the same way that Charles Laughton’s performance did for Captain Bligh.  

Thring plays Pilate as the jaded politician who did not want the assignment in Judea but will do his best in the hope that, baring any mistakes, he can soon return to Rome richer than he left.  What is interesting here is that, save for one short scene, we see Pilate outside of his dealings with Jesus.  

We first meet Pilate in Rome, at a party hosted by his good friend Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins) where he laments his new assignment as Prefect of Judea.  Given his haughty demeanor we might mistake him for a Senator, though in fact Pilate was a member of the Equestrian Order.  He next appears at the circus in Judea, were he officiates at the race, and then the following evening when he delivers both a message (to Ben Hur from Arrius) and what he considers sound advice: Return home to Rome.  Thring’s Pilate may be jaded, but he understands the power he has and it not reluctant to use it.  

 

 

Pontius Pilate, 1962

 

Jean Marais (Pontius Pilate 1962)

A French – Italian coproduction, and one of the only feature films with Pilate as the central character, this is Peplum Pilate and a wonder to behold.  

 

The film opens with Pilate standing trial in Rome before Caligula and the Senate.  It seems that Caligula is not happy with Pilate for crucifying Jesus under a sign saying ‘King of the Jews.’  We then flash back to Judea where, on his very first day, Pilate is not only attacked by Barabbas and his merry men, but he also angers the High Priests by ordering the construction of a much needed aqueduct at their expense. Clearly this is a land were there is never a dull moment.  

Jesus Of Nazareth, 1977

 

Rod Steiger (Jesus of Nazareth 1977)

A powerhouse actor (On The Water Front, In The Heat Of The Night) Steiger plays Pilate as the no nonsense soldier, but not a martinet.  This Pilate is also a thinker.  As with many other portrayals, Steiger’s Pilate would rather not execute Jesus, and yet interestingly, when his soldiers implore him not to release Barabbas, clearly an enemy of Rome, Pilate looks at Jesus and muses, “I wonder, who is the real enemy.” 

 

 

A.D. The Bible Continues, 2015

 

Vincent Regan (A.D. The Bible Continues 2015)

Peter Firth (Risen 2016)

 

Here we see the two sides of Pilate, with Regan playing him as the military strongman, though a conflicted one, while Firth is the jaded politician, not afraid of applying force when necessary, but who would rather use persuasion and manipulation to keep the restive population in line.  

Given the questioning and self-doubting Regan’s might be seen as the more traditional portrayal.  Risen, on the other hand, picks up the story at the crucifixion so if Firth’s Pilate has doubts about sentencing Jesus to death, we do not see it. 

Risen, 2016

What we do see is a Pilate concerned about keeping the peace pending the imminent arrival of the Emperor Tiberius in Judea. (!)  Of course, this is pure Hollywood Roman as Tiberius was, by this time, already on Capri with no intention of leaving.  This plot device is also used in A.D. The Bible Continues, with the twist that Tiberius brings Gaius Caligula along with him.   So much for even a pretense of historical accuracy.

 

Risen is, in fact, the third version of this story.  The first was The Inquiry (1987) with Harvey Keitel as Pilate, followed by The Final Inquiry (2006) with Hristo Shopov.  Interestingly, this was Shopov’s second turn as Pilate having played him in Mel Gibson’s The Passion Of The Christ (2004.) Like Regan, Shopov’s Pilate is rarely out of his armor, in either film. 

The Passion Of The Christ, 2004

The Last Temptation of Christ, 1988

 

David Bowie (The Last Temptation Of Christ, 1988)

This is certainly the most enigmatic Pilate in the most enigmatic film about Jesus.  While most films make a point of emphasizing their Biblical sources, director Martin Scorsese does just the opposite, starting his film with a title card stating the film is based upon the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis. Scorsese is interested in Jesus the man, and in the process of this examination of humanity we also get the most human Pilate as played by David Bowie.  

It is difficult to exactly characterize this Pilate.  Although he might be a soldier, Bowie plays him in a very relaxed manner, questioning Jesus (William Defoe) not in a formal setting, but in the stables while admiring horses.  In his dress too, Pilate is relaxed, wearing Greek attire that is, quite possibly, the most accurate costume.  Although Bowie’s screen time is very brief, his Pilate is, nonetheless, one of the most intriguing.  

 

Generally speaking, costumes in all these are pure Hollywood Roman, though occasionally films will make an effort, more or less, but usually less.  

Whither To Next Pilate? 

 

Several years ago a new Cleopatra film, based upon the biography by Stacy Schiff and staring Angelina Jolie, was announced with great fanfare. Many wondered if Brad Pitt might be cast as Mark Antony, thus mirroring the famous Taylor-Burton paring in the 1963 Cleopatra.  That rumor was quickly squashed when it was announced that Pitt would, in fact, be playing Pontus Pilate in a new film also in development.

As is quite normal for Hollywood, both projects got lost in Development Hell, and while the Cleopatra film remains there, the Pilate film is now in pre-preproduction, but as a relatively low budget affair and sans Brad Pitt.  However…

 

In a 2016 interview Pitt let is be known that he is still interested in playing Pilate, IF the right script and director could be found.  Now Brad Pitt does have considerable ‘star power’ in Hollywood, however, given the rather poor performance of the recent Ben Hur, a big budget Hollywood Roman film is going to be a tough sell, even for a star like Pitt.  Of course, this is Hollywood, and absolutely anything is possible.  After all, who doesn’t want to see a new film about a man who has a friend named Biggus Dickus?

 

Life Of Brian, 1979

Further Reading:

 

Ann Wroe, Pontius Pilate, ©1999

Helen K. Bond, Pontius Pilate in History and Interpretation, ©1999

Mark C. Carnes, Past Imperfect History According To The Movies, ©1995

Graham Sumner, Pontius Pilate’s Bodyguard, in Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol.1 #1

Juliette Harrison, Five Interesting Portrayals of Pontius Pilate, ©2015 on-line at her blog: Pop Classics http://popclassicsjg.blogspot.ca

 

My thanks to Graham Sumner for his insightful comments and generous assistance.

  

This article first appeared in Ancient History Magazine, Issue #11 Aug-Sep 2017

(C) 2017 David L Reinke