Review of Ben-Hur (1959) by Maineutral R — 10 Jul 2014

Ben-Hur was my most long-awaited epic to watch, as I never got a chance to see it. I could say I never heard of this film until 2006, when they talked about movies that won many Academy Awards, let alone 11. Ben-Hur, Titanic and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King are the only films in history to won the 11 Academy Awards for which they were nomiated (except for Ben-Hur, that was nominated for 12), and all of them enter in the "epic" category of films. And how could they not, when they represent the power of movies (except for Titanic, maybe...).

Ben-Hur was no dissapointment. I got my hands on the 50th anniversary edition (that's 80% books and pictures and 20% the actual movie) and I can safely say that the money was worth it. It's a grand epic full of grandeur, spectacle and heart, with great performances, great shots, memorable scenes, grand musical score, impressive scope and a take on the Tale of the Christ. I couldn't stay calmed during the sea ships fight and the famous and classic chariot race scenes, or the effectively emotional scenes involving the Christ or the tasteful drama of the main character itself, Judah Ben-Hur. It's one of those movies you can't miss; there's too much to experience here.

Charlton Heston is always a charm (especially for me since I watched him on Planet of the Apes, you MANIACS!) and we have other great actors and actrecess...that I haven't see in another film...wow. However they portray unforgettable characters. The sets and locations gives the movie a huge scope, with a super widescreen camera that captures everything you want to see and everything that can make the shot incredible, like capturing 10'000 extras watching the charriot race or watching the centinel coming back triumphant. The film itself lets you know you're watching something big. The direction is superb, by the hand of William Wyler (who also won an Oscar for this movie, no surprise) that knows when is the moment to tell the story and when to let the spectacle to show, creating a perfect balance...well, not much.

My only downside has something to do with that, if not all of it. I thought some scenes lasted way too long, like Esther finding out that both Judah's mother and sister has leprosy; some of the talk there had too many silent pauses that lasted a bit, resulting in the scene feeling 10 minutes longer when it's actually just 5. I know that ups the drama, but you can make it faster and surely, without having long pauses between them. The movie is 3 hours and 42 minutes longer, but if we could up the pace on some talk scenes, it would last 3 hours and 10 minutes. But the rest of Ben-Hur it's just incredible, not only that, but epically incredible.

My favorite scenes are the Battle of the Flagship and the Pirates, The Chariot Race scene (obviously) and the scene of Jesus' way to the calvary and his crucifixion and death, leading to the film's powerfully emotional climax. Specially the Chariot Race, which even today is one of the greatest scenes ever put on film. How spectacular and extreme is that scene, let alone for 1959. The set is huge, and I mean HUGE. Those are 9 minutes of awesomeness all around. Everything is perfectly shot and edited, lasting the enough to get a 100% satisfaction. There's nothing in the world of cinema like the Chariot Race.

Ben-Hur is truly a big grand epic that has aged well. The magic still works today, and in some ways, better than when it came out. It does deserve the 11 Oscars it won and all the reputation it has earned. One of the greatest films in history.