Ben-Hur

Rating:
Summary: The greatest movie of all time...
Review: Ben-Hur is undoubtedly one of the greatest movies of all time. The story revolves around a Jewish prince and a Roman tribune who grow from childhood friends to become bitter enemies as adults. Director William Wyler's epic cinematic gem forcefully portrays friendship, power, betrayal, revenge, and ultimate redemption.

Ben-Hur will keep you on the edge of your seat with many intense moments. You will see Ben-Hur and Masala trade drinks and toast their friendship. You will see Masala betray Ben-Hur in the foulest and most treacherous manner possible. You will see Ben-Hur condemned as a galley slave and chained to the oars. You will see Ben-Hur return as the son of a Roman consul to confront Masala. You will see Ben-Hur and Masala duel each other to the death in a chariot race with tragic consequences. And, you will see Ben-Hur find ultimate redemption and lasting peace through chance encounters with Jesus Christ.

Ben-Hur touches every human emotion and experience. I do not know of anyone who has watched the movie without shedding tears or crying out in triumph.

Don't go gaga over "Gladiator" or "Braveheart". These movies are nothing compared to the power of Ben-Hur.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Spectacle
Review: In terms of pure spectacle, this 1950s remake of the silent film (which it closely copied) is hard to beat--but spectacle isn't everything, and in spite of Heston's much-praised performance spectacle is just about all this film has to offer as it follows the life of Juda Ben-Hur, whose life is repeatedly touched by the hand of Christ.

To describe the film as very literal would be an understatement. For the most part, the characters and events are depicted in a very one-dimensional sort of way, with Stephen Boyd--whose performance is clearly intend to imply that Messala's feelings for Juda Ben-Hur have ... implications--really the only performer in the cast who goes beyond the obvious. Ultimately, the film emerges as visually impressive but more than a little plodding, existing only for the sake showing big-budget sets and action sequences. In this, however, the film is extremely successful, and if you're in the mood for a bit of mindless diversion Ben-Hur would be a fairly good choice. But be certain to get the film in widescreen format: other versions undercut the movie's appeal as a spectacle.

Rating:
Summary: Where's the Kleenex
Review: One of few films that make me tear up. The cleansing of the lepers and Ben-Hur's realization that his Mother and Sister are healed just blows me away. One of the best films ever to be made.
A must see!

Rating:
Summary: A very great film!
Review: I really love this film. It's very good. I highly recommend it and would give it more stars if I could. Especially touching is the scene where Jesus gives Ben Hur a drink of water. It's a very moving film.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest movies ever made
Review: Ben-Hur(A tale of the Christ)is in my opinion, with the possible exceptions of The Godfather and Citizen Kane, the greatest film ever made.

It won 11 Oscars so by Hollywood's own standards it is a timeless classic.

I have watched my copy so many times I think the film is starting to wear out.

This is an absolutely wonderful, uplifting film that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Rating:
Summary: "The race goes on, Judah; it goes on!"
Review: The final invective the trampled Messala heaps on the head of Judah Ben-Hur summarizes the emptiness of revenge in this classic epic directed by William Wyler, which was the first film to win 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor. Judah (Charlton Heston) is a prince of the Jewish people and the childhood friend of Messala, a Roman tribune who has returned to Jerusalem to rule with an iron fist. Inevitably the two men quarrel, and Messala uses an accident as a pretext to send Judah off to the galleys as a slave and his sister and mother to the Castle Antonia to be forgotten for years. How Judah plots his revenge against Messala is the main impetus for the story. Yet while he was being herded across the desert years ago en route to the galleys, he did meet with an act of kindness when a carpenter gave him a drink of water which revived him. Although the carpenter is never seen and never speaks, the audience knows that this is Jesus. But while Judah remembers the act from time to time, he is still bent on his revenge. Through many turns of events, he achieves his freedom, encounters and returns the love of a loyal household slave, Esther, and gets his revenge at the climactic chariot race, but still he has no inner peace. It will take a supreme act of faith and a fateful meeting on the Via Dolorosa before Judah finds what he has been searching for all along.

"Ben-Hur" is really an excellent movie, much finer than Heston's earlier "The Ten Commandments". Part of the reason is that the DeMille epic is played for high camp by some of the actors, while this movie is dead on serious for the whole three hours. Another reason is that Heston does much beter acting here, displaying a fuller range of emotions than he had in "TTC". Kudos as well to the beautiful actress playing Esther, who brings dignity and grace to her role. Her outstanding performance shows up the other two women in the show, Judah's mother and sister, who are weak actresses: a pity that these pivotal roles should not have been cast with greater care. However, the strength of the other stars carries the movie notwithstanding that.

"Ben-Hur" earns its reputation as a spectacle with its exceptional chariot race. I heard that the great Russian composer Igor Stravinsky sat through the movie several times, just to see the chariot race over and over! Well, who can blame him. It's one of the most thrilling segments ever captured on film. Outstanding camera work and courageous stuntwork were hand in hand on this one.

When I was a kid, "Ben-Hur" lasted a full week on "The 4:30 Movie" because of its length. Today with VCRs and such, you can take it in during one big night--and I suggest you do so as soon as you have that opportunity.

Rating:
Summary: A longwinded but unforgettable epic
Review: Recently, I watched Ben-Hur for my first time on DVD The movie got off to a slow start and there are quite a few minutes I would have considered editing out (The overture alone is six minutes). But, after about half and hour or so, this movie really got going. The story revolves around Jonah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who is arrested for attempting to murder a roman governor (Which was untrue. It was a mere accident) and forced into slavery. Ben-Hur is portrayed in an Academy Award winning performance by Charlton Heston. Some critics have complained in the years following the film's release that Heston is wooden in his role. While his performance isn't brilliant and does have some poor moments, he is excellent nonetheless. The rest of the cast is also good. The sets, cinematography and special effects are also excellent, which is probably why they won among the film's Eleven Academy Awards, a tally that wouldn't be equaled until 1997's Titanic.

I though at first that the opening scene of the film (The birth of Jesus Christ) had nothing to do with the movie. But Jesus was a main part in Ben-Hur's life, at least in his Hollywood life. He encouraged him to continue moving on when Jonah was a slave and also baptized him. When Jesus was dying at the cross, he performed one last miracle on the Hur family by curing Jonah's mother and sister of leprosy.

There is in this movie what is among the ten most celebrated action scenes in motion pictures: The chariot race. After more than forty years, the sequence has not lost its original excitement and is still inspiring directors today (See the pod race in Star Wars Episode One). What makes it so good is the way it was filmed. Sometimes, the camera angle makes it look as if we are spectators at the race. In other shots, we are chasing the chariots or even feel as though we are sitting in the driver's chair. The fact it was filmed in the 1950's before such a scene could be computer generated or filmed in front of a blue screen makes us appreciate it more because of the risks the producers took in filming it. Would such a scene be as great and realistic if filmed today?

The presentation on the DVD is Widescreen Anamorphic. The transfer is excellent with hardly any nicks or scratches. The extras are even more excellent. There is a superb documentary about the making of Ben-Hur, covering the book, stage productions, the 1907 short, the 1926 silent movies and of course the much celebrated 1959 movie. This documentary also shows revealing look at the making of the movie, exposing secrets of some of the special effects (One interesting tidbit: William Wyler, who directed the 1959 Ben-Hur, was an assistant director on the 1926 silent version). There are also two theatrical trailers, screen tests and commentary from star Charlton Heston. The only major complaint I have is how you have to turn the disc over during the playing of the movie after the intermission to watch the rest of it. Taking the disc out of the box is also difficult as well.

Three-hour epics such as Ben-Hur are what can be considered an acquired taste. They are long and slow at times and often with unnecessary scenes. But this doesn't mean they aren't worth watching. If you want to learn about the Roman Empire or if you just feel like watching a good movie, Ben-Hur is highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Moving, Epic, Impactful on Film Industry
Review: One of the greatest movies of all time, deserving of it's accolades, it shows the true story of Christ, though it never actually shows his face, and he appears only as a supporting actor in three scenes. One of the few Hollywood, mass-market films to portray Christians in a good light- an interesting movie to see on those unique historical grounds alone, before all the Christians die out. Great writing, directing, acting- see one scene where Ben-Hur is dying of thirst, and receives water. There are many great directing scenes, such as the use of action to show the intimacy yet violence inherent in Ben-Hur's relationship with his friend, when they first meet up and throw spears. So many films have alluded to different scenes in this (including car commercials) it is good to see in order to understand later cinematography.

Rating:
Summary: Take Your Breath Away
Review: This is the best action-drama-religious-collossal movie I have ever watched! Considering the year it was made, it is considered as the best movie of the 20th century.

It certainly did't use CG. The background was painted by artists and the real movie set was only a part of it (mainly the foreground). All were composed and the result is the grandeur of the Roman empire. It was emphazised in the tribune set and especially, the horse racing set, which has stunned me the most.

The story was set in the first Century, begun at Christ's birth and ended by His crucifixion. The main character was a young man named Juda Ben Hur (Charlton Heston), a Jewish leader, and as a respected member of his tribe, he had a Roman bestfriend from childhood, Messala (Stephen Boyd), who was really eager to be Romans 'general'. The friendship was beginning to crack by their own perspectives and soon turned into enemies when Romans wanted to empower its reign over Juda's territory because there was a rumour about the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

To say it short, Watch it and then you'll now what a best movie really means.

Rating:
Summary: Watch this film--God wills it!
Review: Ah, this Easter-time epic is one of my all-time favorites. I do say this with some bias, because Lew Wallace was a distant relative of mine. But I still think that it's a great piece of filmmaking, and it still fares well next to the contemporary gladiator epic, Gladiator.

Charlton Heston's strong performance as Ben Hur makes this film possible. Although the tale can be viewed as a simple Christian epic, it is more than that. It is the story of one man's betrayal, followed by his suffering, return to power, and eventual redemption. His love for his family gives his struggle purpose, as well as his angst and desire for revenge. (See any more similarities to Gladiator?)

This is a great movie, bar none. Hopefully, watching it will become an Easter tradition in your home.