John Dalmas replies to me:

>>Fans may remember it fondly as the source of a beloved howler: John Wayne
>>as a Roman centurion grunting, as only he could, the line "Truly, this
>>was the Son of God."
>
>Why is that a howler, Steve? It is taken verbatim from the New Testament ...

The mistake is that the line was given to John Wayne.

>Therefore the line would be a "mistake" only asymmetrically, i.e.  if the
>listener were a non-believer and disallowed the believer any representation
>of his faith.

There are other ways.  See above for one of them.

>My favorite Alfred Newman score was to the 1939 "Gunga Din." It was a score
>IMO every bit as striking as any of Korngold or Moross, but strangely got
>scant recognition at the time.

I've not heard the score all by itself, although I've seen the movie many
times.  To me, in the context of the movie (one of my favorites), it never
leaves the background.  Therefore, I can't agree with "striking." It does,
however, function very well as a sub-liminal emotional "guide."

Steve Schwartz