Review of Ben-Hur (1959) by Stefan G — 24 Oct 2015

This film is one of a handful of fine examples of the "epic film" when it's well-made. Of course, the story does suffer from a few problems regards its slow pace and unevenness because of its monstrous three-and-a-half-hour runtime, but it's not without substance.

The film is essentially a long trip of betrayal, suffering, revenge and redemption amidst the backdrop of the Biblical setting of Jesus' story, though the stories of Jesus and Ben-Hur rarely overlap (despite this being subtitled "A Tale of the Christ").

Of course, the thing that really elevates the film is its magnificent acting and dialogue, which makes for some compelling performances that stand out throughout this very long feature presentation. The sheer scope and visual grandeur are another sight to behold, but they only make up a fraction of the film's actual substance.

Grandeur alone does not make an epic film. In fact, this film is mainly kept afloat because of its raw, compelling drama, which is much stronger as the film reaches its climax. It does tend to go off on its own tangent, but it's pure, unadulterated entertainment, well worth the massive length, and by those merits it continues to stand tall and mighty amongst many of its fossilized contemporaries of the age.