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Ben-Hur (1959)
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Movie Review by Jarrod 
March 3rd, 2008
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'Ben-Hur' is one of the richest and grandest of all Hollywood epics, and certainly was the most successful film William Wyler ever made, though not his best, that honor would go to The Best Years of Our Lives. It won 11 Oscars, a record since duplicated by Titanic and Return of the King. It features Charlton Heston in what is arguably his greatest performance, with the possible exception of his work in Touch of Evil. He plays Judah Ben-Hur, who comes from a prominent Jewish family in the Roman province of Judea. His childhood friend, Messala (Stephen Boyd) is now a Roman officer, and arrests Judah for a crime he did not commit. He is sent away to be an oarsman on a large Roman battleship. This is akin to slavery, as Judah and other men are chained to large wooden oars, which they must rhythmically row all day long. It is a grueling and exhausting task, but Judah survives it because he is consumed with a desire for vengeance. He ends up saving the life of a consul named Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins) when the ship is attacked and starts to sink. Arrius eventually adopts him and thus Judah becomes Roman nobility, and is able to meet Messala once again. The climactic chariot race between them (and other competitors) is an eye-popping spectacle, exciting and fierce, the camera pulls back to let us absorb the sheer scope of the action, before zooming in for a closer look, as chariots bang against each other and their drivers are thrown off, to be trampled by their own horses. Messala plays dirty, but ultimately loses, and Judah must decide whether or not to forgive him for his treachery. Judah also goes looking for his mother and sister, who have been in prison for nearly five years, and are now lepers. It is their wish to have him believe they are dead, and remember them as they were.
Jesus makes several appearances, which is why this movie is shown around Easter. His face is never shown. Judah's first encounter with Jesus occurs when Jesus gives him some water as he is being marched along by his Roman captors. A Roman guard instructs the townspeople not to give Judah any water, but Jesus defies this, and the Roman soldier is humbled and speechless in his presence. Judah also witnesses Jesus' crucifixion, and watches in horror as Jesus is beaten and forced to carry his heavy cross. The cinematography is simply breathtaking, as one might expect, the chariot scene is only one aspect of its brilliance and beauty. The music and sound design are extremely immersive, with a sweeping, largely orchestral score. The production values are exquisite overall, with an overwhelming sense of authenticity, in the superlative recreations of ancient biblical cities. It is indeed a feast for the eyes and ears. It is superior to the silent version. Gore Vidal was one of the uncredited screenwriters, and revealed that he had written homosexual undertones into Judah and Messala's relationship, which are never that obvious (I actually don't see them at all, but then I may just be short-sighted).
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