Review of Ben-Hur (1959) by Matthew D — 09 Feb 2013
Movie Matt here again with Ben-Hur. Well, what can I say, People ADORED this movie when I was released in 1959. Having received this film as a birthday presnet & watching it, I can easily point out the flaws really well: Charlton Heston is basically playing "Moses in Rome" & honestly, most of the time, I was focusing more on the visuals than the actors (I normally try to focus on both).
That doesn't mean I hate the film: No, I don't because there's some really good scenes like the chariot race scene, which really showed off the MGM Camera 65 process they used for the film (made even better if you have a widescreen TV like mine),.
Like TTC, Ben-Hur was another roadshow film that released similar to a play & had an large budget because MGM was in danger of bankruptcy. It payed off as the film was a big success. While the story is good, It plays out too similar to TTC at several points & I think having Heston & Martha Scott was the major downfall of it.
Not much as well known as TTC, I was willing to give it a chance. Not impressed but still watchable.
This review of Ben-Hur (1959) was written by Matthew D on 09 Feb 2013.
Ben-Hur has generally received very positive reviews.
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