Review of Ben-Hur (1959) by Ravi K — 30 Jan 2011

The magnificent "Ben-Hur" defines "epic" in every sense of the word. It's an intriguing, entertaining, profound exploration into Roman and Judean culture, revolving around the man who becomes torn between the two. Charlton Heston is Judah Ben-Hur, a rich Jewish prince who is enslaved by his former friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) after refusing to support him in his leadership campaign. After years Judah comes back seeking revenge and the opportunity is granted through an arena-based chariot race where he faces his old enemy in one of the most tense, outstanding action sequences in the history of cinema.

The story of "Ben-Hur", based on General Lew Wallace's best-selling novel, consists of two main plot lines. One is Judah's quest for eventual revenge; the other is the life of Jesus Christ. For the majority of the film, the latter is more of an undermining theme than a driving plot point, but towards the end it becomes the main focus. "Ben-Hur" is fiction based around fact, a glorious account of the life of two Jews and the few wonderful times when they meet.

"Ben-Hur" won 11 Oscars and it's not difficult to see why. Everything about this film is grand and majestic, including its script, costumes, cinematography, acting and pioneering special effects. The pyrotechnics are truly awesome, particularly in the sea battle. For William Wyler has created an unparalleled masterpiece on a scale so large it's difficult to imagine how he made it. Costing nearly $16 million, the film commissioned 15,000 extras for the chariot race alone and over 1,000,000 props. It was a huge gamble for MGM, but it ultimately paid off, receiving over four times its budget at the box office.

The acclaimed chariot race still holds out by today's standards. It's incredibly impressive as it doesn't make use of CGI - the stadium was real and it took only five weeks to film. The scene holds the record for the most amount of footage cut out of the finished product; for every 1 foot kept, 263 feet were thrown onto the cutting room floor. And it looks incredibly real - many rumours arose that some of the actors were actually killed because of the lengths taken to ensure exceptional authenticity.

But that's not the only cinematically breathtaking sequence. This film is full of them, from the rowing scene in the slave ship to the birth of Jesus to the crucifixion. Occasionally it nears to melodramatic sentimentality, as every epic does at some point, but it's most forgiveable here. This is an ambitious, fantastic film beyond most of the synonyms of 'good'. There's not much to annotate that hasn't already been said, but if there is one thing to say, it is that this is one film which will continue to stand the test of time far longer than other efforts.

A classic.