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Ben-Hur (1959) - Directed by William Wyler
"Rome is an affront to God. Rome is strangling my people and my country and the whole earth, but not forever."
So a few weeks before writing this, Passover had come about. I decided to treat myself to a long-needed reviewing of The Prince of Egypt, which is one of the last great traditionally-animated movies before the age of computer-animation took over and Dreamworks succumbed to the success of Shrek. In some ways, I admire The Prince of Egypt over Shrek, but it wasn't really the Christian movie every Christian needs. And to be fair, while I love Charlton Heston's epic film The Ten Commandments, it wasn't perfect. It was corny in a couple of places. So I decided to check out Charlton Heston's Ben-Hur for the first time, not realizing beforehand that it was more popular and more well received than Heston's previous Christian epic, The Ten Commandments. I knew at least this: Christian movies get a lot of slack for either being under-adapted or being loaded with fanatic propaganda. So was this the perfect Christian movie?
The 1900's Christian fiction takes place during the time of Jesus Christ, but recounts the fall and rise of Prince Judah Ben-Hur of Judea. When the prince reunites with a childhood friend, Masella, who was just promoted tribune of the Roman army which plans on ruling over the Jews, tensions rise between the two friends. When an accident nearly hurts the governor of Rome, Masella takes the opportunity to frame his friend for an assassination attempt. Swearing revenge, Ben-Hur is taken to be a slave, but his good deeds and strong will allow him to rise through the ranks until one day, he can see his family again.
Ben-Hur has a lot of strong points, so it's hard to pick which one to start with. But since it's a Charton Heston movie, I will start by pointing out the acting. Everyone fit right in with their roles. Charlton Heston was a shoe-in for a wonderful lead role. He put almost as much effort into this role as he did with Moses three years before, and his emotions and his desire for vengeance for his family felt so real. The hate that drove Ben-Hur was the fuel for Heston's performance. Then we have Jack Hawkins (Warden of The Bridge on the River Kwai) as the villain, Tribune Marsella, who's love for Rome and hatred for those who "betray" him or outshine him are delivered perfectly with Hawkins' ability to make a self-centered attitude look like the absolute basics of acting. To go on about the others would be to deliver the same compliments and no insults, so I'll continue the review elsewhere.
The thing that's easiest to point out about Ben-Hur is the magnificent scale. While many of the more "epic" scenes don't have the same scenic focus as films like Lawrence of Arabia, we still find some magnificent views from the world out there, loaded with beautiful architecture and wonderful open fields. And William Wyler's direction never wastes a moment to be right where the camera needs to be.
What really stands out from the direction is the chariot race that was directed by several people. To make a race like this without CGi is a feat at least two decades ahead of its time. The cinematography is so advance during the race that it feels like something from the average 2000's action-blockbuster. And the stunts that were pulled of seem to dangerous to try even for today's standards. That one epic race in a movie that was not of the action genre had some of the most thrilling action I had ever seen, especially for the 1950's.
The soul-searching at the end of the film right after the race brought a lot of humanity back to Judah Ben-Hur, who's only goal in life was revenge until beginning his journey to find purpose. Witnessing some of those things almost brought me to tears. And the storm scene at the end has some of the finest direction of the 1950's, and turns what could have been a potentially campy ending plot-twist into something heartwarming and relieving. I'd easily go back and watch the whole movie again just for the chariot race and the ending, knowing that skipping the rest would dilute the message. It is a Christian movie, and the search for true inner peace is something that all of us, Christian or athiest, can relate to and accept in the end.
So, Ben-Hur this the perfect Christian movie? I'd say so. It boasts wonderful cinematography and direction, has some of the finest acting of the 1950's, and stays true and strong towards its message of inner peace vs. revenge without sinking to the depths of religious propaganda or boastful 1950's special effects. Ben-Hur may not be a true story, but it gives everyone a taste of the cruelties that life has to offer and how one's struggles can often lead to a peaceful existence in the end. This is one of the finest epic dramas ever.
"Rome is an affront to God. Rome is strangling my people and my country and the whole earth, but not forever."
So a few weeks before writing this, Passover had come about. I decided to treat myself to a long-needed reviewing of The Prince of Egypt, which is one of the last great traditionally-animated movies before the age of computer-animation took over and Dreamworks succumbed to the success of Shrek. In some ways, I admire The Prince of Egypt over Shrek, but it wasn't really the Christian movie every Christian needs. And to be fair, while I love Charlton Heston's epic film The Ten Commandments, it wasn't perfect. It was corny in a couple of places. So I decided to check out Charlton Heston's Ben-Hur for the first time, not realizing beforehand that it was more popular and more well received than Heston's previous Christian epic, The Ten Commandments. I knew at least this: Christian movies get a lot of slack for either being under-adapted or being loaded with fanatic propaganda. So was this the perfect Christian movie?
The 1900's Christian fiction takes place during the time of Jesus Christ, but recounts the fall and rise of Prince Judah Ben-Hur of Judea. When the prince reunites with a childhood friend, Masella, who was just promoted tribune of the Roman army which plans on ruling over the Jews, tensions rise between the two friends. When an accident nearly hurts the governor of Rome, Masella takes the opportunity to frame his friend for an assassination attempt. Swearing revenge, Ben-Hur is taken to be a slave, but his good deeds and strong will allow him to rise through the ranks until one day, he can see his family again.
Ben-Hur has a lot of strong points, so it's hard to pick which one to start with. But since it's a Charton Heston movie, I will start by pointing out the acting. Everyone fit right in with their roles. Charlton Heston was a shoe-in for a wonderful lead role. He put almost as much effort into this role as he did with Moses three years before, and his emotions and his desire for vengeance for his family felt so real. The hate that drove Ben-Hur was the fuel for Heston's performance. Then we have Jack Hawkins (Warden of The Bridge on the River Kwai) as the villain, Tribune Marsella, who's love for Rome and hatred for those who "betray" him or outshine him are delivered perfectly with Hawkins' ability to make a self-centered attitude look like the absolute basics of acting. To go on about the others would be to deliver the same compliments and no insults, so I'll continue the review elsewhere.
The thing that's easiest to point out about Ben-Hur is the magnificent scale. While many of the more "epic" scenes don't have the same scenic focus as films like Lawrence of Arabia, we still find some magnificent views from the world out there, loaded with beautiful architecture and wonderful open fields. And William Wyler's direction never wastes a moment to be right where the camera needs to be.
What really stands out from the direction is the chariot race that was directed by several people. To make a race like this without CGi is a feat at least two decades ahead of its time. The cinematography is so advance during the race that it feels like something from the average 2000's action-blockbuster. And the stunts that were pulled of seem to dangerous to try even for today's standards. That one epic race in a movie that was not of the action genre had some of the most thrilling action I had ever seen, especially for the 1950's.
The soul-searching at the end of the film right after the race brought a lot of humanity back to Judah Ben-Hur, who's only goal in life was revenge until beginning his journey to find purpose. Witnessing some of those things almost brought me to tears. And the storm scene at the end has some of the finest direction of the 1950's, and turns what could have been a potentially campy ending plot-twist into something heartwarming and relieving. I'd easily go back and watch the whole movie again just for the chariot race and the ending, knowing that skipping the rest would dilute the message. It is a Christian movie, and the search for true inner peace is something that all of us, Christian or athiest, can relate to and accept in the end.
So, Ben-Hur this the perfect Christian movie? I'd say so. It boasts wonderful cinematography and direction, has some of the finest acting of the 1950's, and stays true and strong towards its message of inner peace vs. revenge without sinking to the depths of religious propaganda or boastful 1950's special effects. Ben-Hur may not be a true story, but it gives everyone a taste of the cruelties that life has to offer and how one's struggles can often lead to a peaceful existence in the end. This is one of the finest epic dramas ever.