Review of Ben-Hur (1959) by Anirudh R — 27 Jul 2011
Ben-Hur is one of the most ambitious films I've ever seen on one level with the LotR trilogy and even more impressive considering its age and the technical possibilities back then.
Everything in this film has epic dimensions: the sets, the hosts of extras and cattle and all this without the help of CGI - really impressive! can't mention it too often.
Regardless of the historical accuracy they did a great job with the sets and the costumes (especially the Roman uniforms still look amazing).
Although its epic lenght it's never really tedious thanks to its superb action sequences like the Chariot Race and the sea battle.
The galley scenes are my favourites in the film and Quintus Arrius is the most interesting character (first menacing then kind). The infamous race is the status quo for every climax in film history both technically and suspense-wise.
But Ben-Hur does not only have great action scenes I found the conversations between Mesalla and Ben-Hur in the beginning very well-directed although Heston's performance was not Oscar-worthy in my opinion.
Only the religious context seemed a bit out of place but overall it's pure entertainment and will always be remembered as one of the biggest epics in history.
This review of Ben-Hur (1959) was written by Anirudh R on 27 Jul 2011.
Ben-Hur has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
