It's twenty years after the execution of Jesus Christ. Rich Greek merchant Ignatius adopts an artistic boy from a poor family and renames him Basil. Linus is angry to have the addition of his new nephew. Basil helps slave Helena escape the house. Basil (Paul Newman) grows up to be a gifted artist. After Ignatius' death, Linus has him sold as a slave. The only witness to his adoption who is still alive is missing and the magistrate has been bribed. Helena (Virginia Mayo) finds him and warns of Linus' desire to have him killed. Luke buys his freedom and brings him to Jerusalem to make a silver chalice of the Holy Grail. His former owners claim that Basil is a runaway slave. Helena entertains Roman soldiers with Simon (Jack Palance), the magician. She gets a new slave in revolt leader Mijamin looking to free Jerusalem. Mijamin wants to use Simon's magic to convert Jesus' followers who he sees as too pacifist against the Roman overlords. Simon intends to steal Jesus' cup and crush the new religion.
It's Newman's theatrical debut after years on TV and he has every bit of his leading man looks. I'm with the movie until the introduction of Simon the magician. The movie starts with Linus and the Romans as the villains. It's a complicated task to switch villains like that. The movie should start with Simon as the villain. It should show the origins of his hatred. He doesn't need Mijamin. It muddies the waters for Helena. It muddles the whole narrative. The battle between believe and false prophet should be simple. It could be a great parable about the selfish arrogance of Simon and the selflessness of Christianity. The muddled telling saps away the power of its message. The ending makes no sense because Simon sees every miracle as a simple trick. He sees Jesus as a great competitor. Simon would never do what happened. It's not in keeping with his character. It needs a better conclusion. Simon the magicians could be a great Biblical character but this story fumbles the narrative.
It's Newman's theatrical debut after years on TV and he has every bit of his leading man looks. I'm with the movie until the introduction of Simon the magician. The movie starts with Linus and the Romans as the villains. It's a complicated task to switch villains like that. The movie should start with Simon as the villain. It should show the origins of his hatred. He doesn't need Mijamin. It muddies the waters for Helena. It muddles the whole narrative. The battle between believe and false prophet should be simple. It could be a great parable about the selfish arrogance of Simon and the selflessness of Christianity. The muddled telling saps away the power of its message. The ending makes no sense because Simon sees every miracle as a simple trick. He sees Jesus as a great competitor. Simon would never do what happened. It's not in keeping with his character. It needs a better conclusion. Simon the magicians could be a great Biblical character but this story fumbles the narrative.