On paper, "The Sword And The Cross" looks like an interesting idea: key moments and events in the life of Jesus, as seen through the eyes of other characters, mainly Mary Magdalene; Jesus appears only in what can best be described as "cameos", usually from a long distance or with his face out of the frame. The result, however, proves one thing above all others - that sin (if you can call dancing provocatively a "sin", which this pious movie does) is more entertaining than virtuousness. This virtuousness smothers Yvonne De Carlo's character, and she gives an earnest but dull performance - though not duller than anyone else's (with the possible exception of the actors who play Pontius Pilatus and his wife, at least they bring some life to their characters). Good-looking, but suffering from an unfocused script, this film gets increasingly boring, to the point where I doubt that you will be able to finish it all in one sitting. *1/2 out of 4
Review of La spada e la croce
