BrianKoller's Full Review: Ben-Hur - A Tale of the Christ
Along with D.W. Griffith's Intolerance, Ben-Hur was the most elaborate and expensive silent film ever made. The production costs were between four and six million dollars, equivalent to about a hundred million dollars today. But Ben-Hur was a blockbuster hit for newly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with its costs justified by the fabulous sea battle and chariot race sequences.
The film has long been in the shadow of the equally mammoth 1959 remake. That film was showered with eleven Academy Awards, and starred chiseled, dramatic Charlton Heston as the title character. (Of course, the 1925 version would have won Oscars as well, but the first ceremony would not be held until 1929.) However, the two films are remarkably similar, without any significant new characters or subplots in the remake. The chariot race, the centerpiece of the 1959 film, was perhaps done better than in the silent version. But on the whole, the original version (you can't count a primitive short from 1907) is slightly superior. It is less plodding, more entertaining, and less pretentious.
For years, Ben-Hur had survived only as a completely black and white, edited ninety minute version. During the 1980s, film researchers Kevin Brownlow and David Gill discovered a pristine 141 minute version in Czechoslovakia, with many two-tone color scenes as first released. The incredible action sequences weren't filmed that way: it would have been prohibitively expensive (such scenes require massive footage, later edited down) and nearly impossible technically (intense lighting over an enormous set would have been necessary). It was the religious scenes that were primarily in color, those depicting the life of Christ. The color isn't completely satisfactory, with reds and blues appearing luminous and solid, as if hand painted on the frames. But it must have been startling to see for contemporary audiences. But for contemporary audiences, it must have been startling to see.
The greatest weakness of Ben-Hur, as would be the case for the remake, is the treatment of Christ. The face of Christ is not shown. Instead we see arms and hands, glowing white and appearing from the side of the screen. Likewise, the Virgin Mary is treated with great reverence, and she also boasts a halo. It may be blasphemous to consider Christ as a dramatic character (as was done in The Last Temptation of Christ) rather than as a religious icon, but it also provides a method of incorporating Christ more naturally into the story. It is true that there are parallels between Ben-Hur and Christ: they lived contemporarily, and both were Jews suffering under Roman repression. But their personalities have little in common. Perhaps swashbuckling, chariot-driving, action hero Ben-Hur deserves his own movie. Of course, Ben-Hur is a fictional character, created by General Lew Wallace in his epic novel, first published in 1880.
Another weakness of both films is the heavy dramatic content, especially regarding the fate of Ben-Hur's saintly mother and sister.
There are many Hollywood legends regarding the two spectacular action scenes in Ben-Hur. The epic sea battle was filmed in Italy, with a large cast of extras. Some of these extras apparently couldn't swim. This especially caused problems when one of the big wooden ships accidentally caught on fire, forcing the crew into the sea. Supposedly, the man responsible for casting the Italian extras placed them into one of two armies (Pirate and Roman) on the basis of their stance towards Fascism. This was allegedly done to make the resulting battle scenes more convincing. The production was particularly troubled during the first shooting of the chariot race. A stuntman was killed, and the track proved unsuitable. The location was moved to California, a massive coliseum was constructed, and the race was filmed again, this time with some forty cameras and fifty thousand feet of film. This time, no stuntmen died, but many horses were injured and subsequently shot.
Ben-Hur was directed by Fred Niblo, veteran of many silent era action films (e.g. The Mark of Zorro). Mexico-born Ramon Novarro played Ben-Hur, the wealthy Jewish prince who lost his property and freedom to former childhood friend (and now despotic Roman potentate) Messala (Francis X. Bushman). Both roles were by far the most significant of their respective careers, although much later Bushman had a small part in Sabrina (1954). (64/100)
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2010 Shopping.com, Inc.