Ben-Hur

Rating:
Summary: Where Have All The Epic Films Gone ?
Review: 1959: Ben-Hur swept the Oscars with 11 Academy Awards. It brought audiences into the evolving Roman Empire in the time of Jesus. The film was based on the book. It was a blockbuster then and is still impressive to see on DVD to this day. Charleton Heston was the definition of manhood in his day, and his film roles were always larger-than-life. He played Moses in The Ten Commandments only a couple of years earlier. In this epic drama, Charleton Heston portrays Judah Ben-Hur with convincing prowess. Judah Ben-Hur is a slave in a galley ship. After a sinking, he saves a Roman lord and is granted property and status. Due to certain differences, Ben Hur and his former friend, Messala, break their ties and become rivals for power. Ben Hur and Messala's relationship is integral to the story and is performed very believably rather than cliche friends-turned-enemies deal. Ben Hur's mother and sister fall victim to lepresy. As such, they must live in caves as outcasts.

Eventually, Ben Hur's rivalry with Messala is tested on the chariot races. This scene is the most famous in cinema, some would claim. It is impressive, with masses gathered around a circular arena and with bombastic music in the background. Later, Ben Hur finds himself in Israel, in Jerusalem, when Jesus is being crucified. Through miracles, Ben Hur's mother and sister are cured of their lepresy. Ben Hur repents of his former ways and becomes a better person. This film has all the makings of an epic film. They don't do films like these anymore. Spectacular, dramatic, large crowds and a panorama of lush cinematography. On DVD, the experience is incredible.

Rating:
Summary: Surpasses all others in the ¿Biblical Epic¿ genre
Review: I've read that director William Wyler wanted to humanize the unwieldy scale of earlier Biblical films. He succeeded. The chariot race may be the hallmark of the movie, but it is the small, human elements that carry the story. Judah Ben-Hur's love for the slave, Esther; his devotion to mother and sister and his transformation from the vengeful slayer of Messalla to follower of Jesus on the road to crucifixion is a character saga of mythic proportions.

Ben-Hur abounds with stirring dialog and memorable imagery and establishes female characters in strong, defining roles. Mother and daughter endure degradation, imprisonment and disease, living only for the sake of each other and the faint hope that Judah is alive. The love between Esther and Judah is a study of restrained passion. The scenes where Heston and Haya Harareet are together work well, proving the axiom that good actors generate their own chemistry; (and, for Heston, it probably didn't hurt that Harareet was a stunning beauty.)

A warning to cultural nihilists: religious themes abound! This is, after all, a Biblical Epic. Nativity and Crucifixion scenes may remind you of those "Illustrated Bible" editions you might have seen in Sunday School. But, in the hands of director Wyler, they are splendidly and lovingly rendered. The Jewishness of early Christianity is never questioned; Esther refers to Jesus as "...a young Rabbi," a pacifist and healer who ultimately takes the sword from the hand of Ben-Hur. Overshadowing all is the heavy fist of Imperial Rome, its tyrannical rule driving the people to be, in the words of the departing Tribune, "obsessed with religion."

As with all great movies it's the secondary players who invite repeated viewings. Two lesser known examples: Frank Thring, as Pontius Pilate, in a speech rich with insinuations of realpolitik, cautions Judah against crossing the will of Rome, ("There are many small men of envy and ambition..."). And Wyler's decision to cast veteran actor George Relph as Tiberius was a stroke of genius. In contrast to the majesty of his surroundings, the Divine Emperor looks rumpled and flea-bitten; more like a neglected grandfather than the power behind the Empire.

Some of the SFX may be dated, but, in all the ways that count, Wyler's rendering of the Ben-Hur tale has improved with time.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Epic
Review: This movie is truly legendary. What I can't stand is people criticizing it for copying other films. Can anyone explain how Ben hur could have "stolen" from Smokey and the Bandit when Smokey and the Bandit was made nearly 20 YEARS after Ben Hur? If you are going to criticize a movie, at least get your facts straight. That argument is just as bad as criticizing The Seven Samurai of copying The Magnificent Seven Ughh, manners people! manners

Rating:
Summary: Charlton Heston's best Film!
Review: I really loved this film. Heston's spectacular perfomance and great plot make this one of the best films of all time! Of course this movie can't top THE BURB'S but it comes really close. I loved this film because there is a incredible chariot race sequence and a joke or two right when it needs one.This shows the REAL things that the romans did. I think that this is a classic for all ages! The little kids would like the horses the teens would like the action and everyone would like the plot. This even better than the first 2 LORD OF THE RINGS!

Rating:
Summary: BY FAR THE MOST STIRRING OF THE ROMAN EPICS!
Review: Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is robbed of his princely title and freedom by his one-time boyhood friend, now a Roman tribune, Messalah (Stephen Boyd). Judah's path to God and Messalah's road to ruin fill out the rest of this three hour plus epic, made in 1959, a time when the Hollywood studio system, like Rome itself, was crumbling. This is by far the greatest of the Bible-fiction epics, told with such sweep and scope that one can only sit back an marvel at the sets, costumes and spectacle. The cast is outstanding. On Oscar night this movie topped out with 13 nominations and 11 wins including BEST PICTURE, the most Oscars ever awarded for any movie until James Cameron's "Titanic" tied it some fifty years later.
Warner Home Video has done an outstanding job on this transfer. Albeit, they have cropped the image to the more widely accepted 2:35:1 aspect ratio (MGM Camera 65 presented the film a 2:70:1) this is a dazzling anamorphic widescreen transfer, full of rich colors, fine detail and stunning clarity. Only in the darkest scenes does the disc falter slightly and lose its otherwise pristine image quality. No pixelization, edge enhancement, aliasing or fine detail shimmering. Extras incl. a fine documentary on the making of the movie that is thorough and presented on side two of this flipper disc. The film itself is split across two sides but separated at the intermission - a forgivable stop. The 5.1 remix is stirring, powerful and engaging, particularly with Miklos Roza's brilliant score that fills the expanse of all five speakers and raises the hair on the back of one's neck. This is a must have for anyone who love Hollywood epics. Sadly, it also represents one of the last times MGM Studios would ever produce such an enduring masterpiece for the big screen. I miss MGM! Thankfully we still have films like "Ben-Hur".

Rating:
Summary: It's "THE EPIC".
Review: I think 5-stars is not enough for this great movie. I've seen this film more than 10 times and each time I see it, it makes a new impression on me.
I find Stephen Boyd's acting brilliant, not to mention Charlton Heston's.
- Messala : "You've no other choice. You're either for me or against me."
- Judah : "If that is the choice, then I am against you."
I am touched by the sequence in which the conflict between the two old friends reaches the peak and the friendship turns into enmity, which comes from the sad situation of the conqueror and conquered.
I am also very much impressed by the struggling look of the eyes of Judah's on the galley and I like the breathtaking chariot race sequence the most as many other people do.
It's really sorrowful when Judah meets his mother and sister in the valley of the lepers but the last scene is lovely with a happy ending.
This film has conflict, tragedy, victory, revenge, humour, belief, love and more in it. All of these made up the immortal masterpiece.
Ben-hur is the best movie that I've ever seen and I want to give it 5+1 stars.

Rating:
Summary: film masterpiece
Review: This film marked a milestone in epics. The charactors were far more important than the action. The musical score is fantastic and the writing poetic. It understores the greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses in human nature.

Rating:
Summary: BEN-HUR
Review: So much has been written about this movie that it is nearly impossible to say anything new. This DVD is the best rendition of the film. (Turner video artists have told me that they made several attempts to get the aspect ratio right and this is the one that finally succeeded. The film led me to the book and then to the silent version. If you are looking for film-to-screen accuracy, then the silent film is more faithful to Lew Wallace's novel. For example, in his diaries, Charlton Heston says he argued with William Wyler about the character of Esther, who was far less prominent in the book and silent movie. But, this is Hollywood movie making and you need a beautiful woman on the screen, although in the later part of the film, when Judah returns, she still looks ravishing, hardly a woman who has fallen from social grace. There are several stars to watch for: Hugh Griffith as the Shiek; Finlay Currie as Balthasar; Frank Thring as Pilate. Finally, the magnificent music score by Miklos Rozsa, who is often over-the-top in other films, but properly underscores this film and gives it a terrific dramatic impact. The hour-long documentary also makes fascinating watching, even if you see it first, like a preview.

Rating:
Summary: Deep, exploratory and emotional
Review: I have lost count of the times I've seen this movie, and have lately sat through yet another viewing. As it is deep, exploratory and powerfully moving, I make no apologies for still finding something in it. I may even be preaching to the nostalgically converted when, as a boy, I grew up with it, seeing it on its territory, the 'big screen.' Having felt the same satisfaction then, I now find the space to appreciate it at a deeper emotive level. Those timeless emotions of thought and feeling in it, are layers I continue to find and appreciate. Why does this film continue to stand the test of time? Because of its eloquent handling of feelings and conditions everyone feels, from the brutality of tyranny to subsequent reconciliation. I have read some overtly
critical opinion about Heston's acting being 'wooden,' 'overblown,' 'pretentious.' If his is bad acting, what do you consider good? Isn't it just a case of appropriate or straight acting?
I think Heston's performance is sedate, solemn, deep with meaning, as is the case with most of the other stars who compliment his. William Wyler judges walking towards doorways and entrances, standing in them, turning up unexpectedly, with
classic precision which is almost theatrical.
The scene where Hur meets and crippled dying Messala learning his mother and sister have become lepers, is one of my favourites, dealing with the theme of human intimacy and tragedy in a moving way. Heston's shadowy figure standing in the doorway at Boyd's assertion, 'there Drusus, I knew he'd come,' is beautifully harmonised by Miklos Roza's music. I therefore agree with a comment that Boyd is Heston's foil dominating every scene he's in, making Hur see the incompletness or hollowness of his chariot victory. I see no enemy, a sweat-glistened Heston admits. Then Boyd rasps, 'is there still enough of a man left here for you to hate? Let me help you,' struggling in his crippled body. Wyler folds over this scene beautifully. Hur pulling Messala's dead hand grasp from his leather shirt, then walking into a deserted stadium looking yonder, languishing, yet not languished. As all the other stars in the picture bridge the gap of Heston's at times stylised or dull acting, there are many scenes like this one. But I think Boyd, not Hugh Griffith, should have received the oscar for best supporting actor. He went on to play a 'nicer' Roman officer named Livius opposite Sophia Loren in samuel Bronston's THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.
BEN HUR, because of its long-term devotion to the timelessness of psychological pain, misery, devotion, loyalty, healing, reconciliation and ultimate fulfillment, are what set it apart from today's generation. It belongs to a different era, one which had the space to explore those themes of humanity, lost today. Like comparable epics, such as SCHINDLER'S LIST or THE LAST EMPEROR, it has the strength to move. But despite obvious artifice and incorrect historical detail which don't measure up to the book, it is more lasting than the present materialist mediocrity. What is more enduring; that or something richly achieved with conviction, purpose and
quasi-Shakesperean? I know which I would choose.

Rating:
Summary: Great... simply one of the best films that was ever made...
Review: I'm not going to try sounding smart, so let's keep things as simple as possible. Ben Hur is simply one of the very best films that was ever made. Funnily enough, it has been recuperated as a soft gay-blade genre (but who cares, for those a-paranoid brainless freaky psycho-geeks, even Hot Guns seems to be drawn as an apology for modern-day gay-culture, ha-ha-ha...)

So let me just repeat myself, even for the sake of sounding preposterous. Ben Hur is simply one of the best movies that was ever made. It is also one of the best and most accurate depiction of an evil empire and its almost endless cohort of evil and ambitious subservants (far better than the ludicrous Star Wars episodes, for example). I think you could almost skip Gladiator as an evil-empire-rehabilitating, new-(vulgar)-age imitation of sorts... Ben Hur remains the best and most objective one there is out there. You simply can't go wrong with that movie.