A lot of long movies even when they're good can seem long. However, this movie, clocking in at nearly four hours, zips by. The reason for that is because the action and epic wonder never stop. Modern audiences get turned off by long running times, but BEN-HUR has not faded from popularity, remaining the most beloved Biblical epic ever made.
The story follows the rise, fall and rebirth of Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston, PLANET OF THE APES), a Jewish nobleman living in the time of Christ. In a parallel story the film also follows the rise and fall of Christ himself. And we all know about his rebirth so the film left that part out. The story is a classic tale of two friends torn apart by differing ideologies. Ben-Hur is Jewish and loathes the idea of the Romans suppressing his people. Then there is his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd), who joins the Roman army and is sent back to Jerusalem to head up the garrison there. After an accident, Ben-Hur is made a slave, finally freeing himself to return to Jerusalem to challenge Messala and find his mother and sister, who were imprisoned along with him.
Through the journey, we get slave work in the gallows, a fiery naval battle, leper colonies, the famous chariot race, and to top it all off, the crucifixion of Christ. And that's just the action. That doesn't include all the drama and wonderful supporting characters like the Roman officer Quintus (Jack Hawkins, BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI), Ben-Hur's beautiful slave Esther (Haya Harareet) and Arab horse trainer, Sheik Ilderim, played wonderfully by Hugh Griffith (TOM JONES) in an Oscar Supporting Actor win.
Heston would be nominated and win his only Academy Award for his grand performance. He wasn't even the first choice, taking the role after Burt Lancaster, Rock Hudson, and Paul Newman had turned it down. In hindsight, it seems impossible to see any other actor in the iconic role. But in 1959, Heston had already been Moses in Cecil B. DeMille's remake of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, a big hit that inspired the production of BEN-HUR, a remake, in and of itself, of a 1925 epic. While many fondly remember THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, it doesn't stand up to BEN-HUR.
Of its 12 Oscar nominations, it only lost in the screenplay category. Many believe it was due to a dispute over credits, with Karl Tunberg being the only writer credited even though Maxwell Anderson, Christopher Fry, and Gore Vidal all worked on the script. And it's the script that sets this Biblical epic above many of others. The action never forgets about the characters. The chariot race is thrilling not just because it was brilliantly filmed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Surtees, but because there is meaning to the struggle between Ben-Hur and Messala. Each action sequence reveals or reinforces Ben-Hur's character. Spectacle is just pretty pictures unless it has human drama behind it. Too many action/adventures don't remember that until the end. BEN-HUR provides it throughout. And unlike other cameo infested Biblical epics, BEN-HUR handles the religious elements with a light touch, avoiding heavy-handed preaching, which always drains a film of its vigor.
Technical supremacy is often associated with epics as well. BEN-HUR took them all at the Oscars — cinematography, art/set decoration, costume design, sound, editing, special effects, and score. BEN-HUR, in Technicolor, was made for the widescreen.
This film, GONE WITH THE WIND and LAWRENCE OF ARABIA define epic filmmaking — it's a must see for all film fans. But in the end, it's adventure opens up to a grand tale of forgiveness. Ben-Hur suffers a great deal throughout the story. His resentment begins to turn his heart, and threatens turning him into what he hates most. In other Biblical epics, lessons are tacked on between actions scenes. BEN-HUR puts its lesson in its soul.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
