The Silver Screen Oasis

Ben Hur (1959), directed by William Wyler.

In the genre of spiritually-moving epic spectaculars, what else comes close to Ben Hur? One of my favorite films, I love it all except for the smooching scenes with the horses. The sea battle is often praised, but the ship models are a bit weak.

It's a transitional film. You can still see the tradition where the actors dress up and bluster their lines, but they have added new emotional sensitivity, an amount of realistic sweat and dirt and blood, and a dimension of suffering seldom seen before. How many epic spectaculars end on such a moving note of redemption: "And I felt his voice take the sword out of my hand."

They say the better the villain, the better the story. We might add: the better the villain's death, in which case Stephen Boyd could take the trophy. He goes out ugly here. George MacDonald Fraser wrote that he seemed born to wear Roman armor.

The famous chariot race is still astonishing film-making. Miklós Rózsa's tremendous score is his best, and that is saying quite a lot.

Photographed by Robert Surtees.

I've read the book and it's tough sledding. Before the film era, it was often played on the stage, including huge treadmills for full-speed chariot races. I would like to have seen that.

In the thumbnails below, look at the different ways the 2.76:1 aspect ratio is used. Sometimes it is filled up, sometimes an isolated face appears in the center. Such a luxury of space without seeming lost or unbalanced.

Available on Blu-ray, but the thumbnails are from the DVD.

I got a little more than halfway through the book. And tough sledding is putting it mildly.

I've seen it on TV a few times before finally seeing it on the big screen. I was only eight years old when it came out and for some reason my Mom wouldn't let me go see it at our local theater. I think it was because of it's scope the theater was charging a lot extra for admission. My older brother(12 at the time) did go see it there and brought home a program. It was the first time I've known the theater to do that. I poured over that program for years, waiting for the chance to see such an interesting looking movie. I finally saw it on the big screen during it's 30 year anniversary showing at Detroit's newly restored and renovated Fox Theater. Unforgettable experience. And of course, due to not looking for it, I didn't see the "gay" connection in the Judah Ben-Hur/Messala friendship.

Sepiatone

Yes, I remember the program. I still remember the experience (surprisingly as I was so little). It must've been several years after the initial release as it was a general release print (35mm, not 70mm) at a local theater (not roadshow).

I understand that it's a beloved movie for many.

I just never really liked it much. Like a lot of biblical movies of its era, It always struck me as overblown - and not particularly well-acted, especially in regards to Heston.