Ben-Hur

The same quality that made epics like "Gone with the Wind," "Lawrence of Arabia," "Doctor Zhivago," and, ultimately, "Titanic" the memorable stories they were is present in spades in "Ben-Hur." These are stories, though told on canvases far vaster than the CinemaScope- or Panavision-sized movie screens they were meant for, succeed because, in their best moments, they focus on the interaction between and history of as few as two characters.

What begins as a childhood friendship between a Roman boy and a Jewish boy in Roman-occupied Palestine, becomes, briefly, a politically-charged rivalry, and ultimately, a search for revenge by one upon the other.

Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd deliver the performances of their careers, and get to chew up scenery and sets of such grandeur that Hollywood could never afford their like again.

This film, the greatest epic film ever made, deserves every accolade heaped upon it. The modern viewer may have to apply some patience, but at the end of the nearly four hour running time will find themselves to be vastly rewarded for it. You will find your life changed by both the scale of the film and the intimate message of friendship, betrayal, revenge--and the power of forgiveness.

Some movies are so good that they just haven't age. They are timeless, like any work of art. This is one of those movies, perhaps one of the best movies ever and surely one of the biggest and most epic biblical movies ever made. The story is based on a novel by Lew Wallace (which I have read and I have at home) and is so famous that it doesn't allow spoils: the injustice committed against Judah Ben-Hur and his path of revenge, deeply linked to the life and death of Jesus, a latent and ever palpable subplot, even when it does not arise. Epic in every detail, the film features scenarios and costumes carefully crafted in the style of Imperial Rome. Some sequences are truly anthological, as is the case with the chariot race. The representation of the Roman legionaries influenced for decades the conception that we have, individually, on how they were and fought. The visual and special effects used in the film were the best there was at the time and even today, more than half a century later, they're able to surprise by the realism. The color is vivid and intense, cinematography is truly imposing and accentuates the epic ambiance. As for the cast's work, it's definitely the movie of Charlton Heston's life. He not only became famous with it but made here the most remarkable character of his career. Steven Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Martha Scott and Hugh Griffith also shone. It's a long movie, but the audience gets so caught up in it that they don't even feel the time go by. Wonderful!

"Ben-Hur" is the lavish and classic 1959 film by MGM that is based on an 1880 novel by Lew Wallace, "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ." It is a remake of MGM's 1925 silent film that had the full title of the novel. The story is a fictional adventure set in the time of Christ. The religious aspect is toned down and subtly built into this adaptation of Wallace's story, beginning with an opening scene of the nativity.

The film plot centers around the family of Judah Ben-Hur during the time the Roman Empire occupied Israel. The main characters are Judah and Messala. The latter is a Roman soldier who grew up as a boyhood friend of Judah. The Ben-Hurs were a wealthy family with a trade business. Now, in adult times the two men become enemies - until Judah's interior conversion. That occurs after chance encounters with a mysterious man. He later learns that this is Jesus of Nazareth, whom Esther and some others think may be the promised Messiah.

The film has a great cast of the day. Charlton Heston gives an Oscar-winning performance as Judah Ben-Hur. And Hugh Griffith won best supporting actor for his role of Sheik Ilderim. All of the cast excel - Jack Hawkins as Quintus Arrius, Stephen Boyd as Messala, Martha Scott as Miriam, Sam Jaffe as Simonides, Frank Thring as Pontius Pilate, and more. In its day, this film was the most expensive movie ever made, at just over $15 million. But its box office was nearly 10 times that amount. "Ben-Hur" was the first film to win 11 Oscars at the Academy Awards. Only two more films have accomplished that since then. They are "Titanic" of 1997 and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" of 2003.

From the time MGM first announced it would remake the film in color, it took several years to get it done. It went through a number of planned casting changes, and screenplays and rewrites. If for nothing else, this movie likely always will be known for its spectacular chariot race. It took nearly a year just to plan the race, acquire the horses, build the chariots, and train and practice for the race.

At 18 acres, the race arena was the largest film set ever made to that time. It took 1,000 men a year to make the track in a rock quarry. That was done so it would look real -- like the historic circus that had been in Jerusalem. It took more than 40,000 tons of sand from the Mediterranean to cover the race track. Numerous other aspects made the chariot race so unique and unlikely ever to be repeated for real. Charlton Heston was an accomplished rider and horse handler already. But when he got to Rome he took daily three-hour lessons in chariot driving. He had special contact lenses to protect his eyes from injury by the dirt kicked up by the horses.

The chariot race is an historic feature of this film. It's not likely that modern moviemakers would ever again go to such lengths to have and film such a realistic race. Just look at the 2016 revised "Ben-Hur" film with its heavy use of CGI. The crash scenes in that chariot race are almost laughable.

This tremendous film was greatly condensed and adapted from a novel of more than 500 pages. And, the story of the book author himself, is fascinating. Lewis Wallace (1827-1905) was a man of many talents and careers. He was a soldier, a lawyer, a politician and a diplomat. His writing career overlapped all of these. Wallace served in the Mexican-American War and fought in the American Civil War. He commanded an Indiana regiment of the Union Army and took part in several battles. He later rose to the rank of Maj. General. He served nearly four years as governor of the New Mexico Territory (1878-1881). And he was U. S. minister to the Ottoman Empire from 1881 to 1885. After that he retired to continue his writing career which began with publication of his first book in 1873, "The Fair God."

Wallace wrote his adventure novel, "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ," as a story of revenge and redemption. He worked on it for several years during his military postings. When it was published in 1880, the book made Wallace famous and wealthy. It was translated into seven languages and became popular around the world. It sold more than 400,000 copies in less than a decade. By 1900, it had become the best-selling American novel of the 19th century.

This is an epic film with a message that is subtly delivered in a most entertaining package. The actors all show the right amounts of various emotions throughout. The sets and settings, and filming and color are superb in all respects. Audiences should enjoy this film for generations to come.

"Ben-Hur" is a dominant Best Picture Oscar winner that is perhaps more impressive now than it was when it was first released in 1959. Charlton Heston (Oscar-winning) stars as a rich Jewish nobleman during the time of Jesus Christ who is turned into a slave by the Romans after a freak accident. Now he is manning an oar in a ship's galley and his family is imprisoned. Years pass and now Heston is after the former childhood friend (Stephen Boyd), a Roman, that turned against him. The 17 minutes of footage for the chariot race is some of the best during the history of the cinema. Hugh Griffith won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar and William Wyler won his third and final Best Director Oscar. A monumental film that is great in every cinematic category known to man. 5 stars out of 5.

What's not to love about BEN-HUR? It's a film that tells an epic story in an epic way, filling every shot with artistry and colour until the screen overflows with splendour. Despite a lengthy running time, the pacing never flags. The episodic structure of the storyline works in the film's favour, ably chronicling the adventures of the titular character as he undergoes a thrilling journey to hell and back.

It has Charlton Heston playing his most famous role and being incredibly manly and heroic in it. It has a cast of seasoned performers in support, not least Jack Hawkins as the sympathetic Roman. It has Stephen Boyd as a truly nasty piece of work villain. It has the most spectacular and complex action sequence ever put on film in the shape of the chariot race, which is just as thrilling and breathtaking as it was when it was first released in cinemas back in the day.

And, finally, it's a film engages the senses and the emotions. It never forgets, amid all the glory and the epic wonder of the scenery and action, that this is a human story about real people struggling with their lives. There's a message there for any viewer, Christian or otherwise, and that's the reason why BEN-HUR hasn't dated a day since it was first released. It's a true classic for a reason.