Reviewed by Louise Bolotin
Stars Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, George Relph,
Frank Thring, Haya Harareet, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott | Written by Karl Tunberg
UK certification PG | UK RRP £14.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 222 minutes | Directed by William Wyler
As epic historical action movies go, Ben Hur is up there with the best of them. It’s long (almost 4 hours), it has a cast of zillions, it was the most expensive film ever made (for its time), it was nominated for a dozen Oscars and took 11 of them, and it has a sweeping storyline that takes in childhood friendship, revenge, occupation, tyranny, religion and repressed homosexuality. It also contains the most famous chariot-race scene ever, a white-knuckle ride that has you on the edge of your seat every time.
If you’ve never seen Ben Hur before, this 50th anniversary edition is a great excuse to fill in the gaps of your cinematic knowledge. If you have seen it before, then what better excuse do you need to watch it again? This collector’s edition has been digitally remastered, bringing a freshness, sharpness and improved colouration to the film.
A quick plot recap: Wealthy Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur is reunited with his childhood friend Messala, when the latter arrives in Jerusalem to take up his post as a commanding officer of the occupying Roman legions. However, they are quickly divided by their political opinions and Ben-Hur refuses to name to Messala those he knows are actively working to overthrow Roman rule. When someone throws a brick at the new Roman governor, Messala has Ben-Hur arrested and sent to work as a galley slave, while his mother and sister are jailed. Ben-Hur swears he will be avenged. He survives the galleys and returns to Jerusalem a free man, many years later. On the way, a chance meeting with an Arab sheikh leads to him agreeing to race a chariot against Messala in an upcoming games. Messala is shocked to see Ben-Hur again and in his haste to kill off his old friend once and for all, takes too many risks and ends up dying in the arena. With his dying breath he reveals Ben-Hur’s mother and sister are alive but in a leper colony, leaving our hero to contemplate his hollow victory before a miraculous encounter with Christ after his crucifixion.
Ben Hur has its flaws despite its brilliance. It is far too long and some of the leading performances are a little wooden – though not Heston’s. Indeed, it has been frequently argued that Ben Hur is the only decent performance he ever gave on celluloid. The sheer scale of the film carries it into the genre of classic. It’s still best viewed on the big screen, but the remastering combined with today’s modern, wide TV flatscreens mean much of the cinema experience can be recreated at home. Get the popcorn on and prepare to lose yourself in Judea for a whole afternoon.
EXTRAS ***½ The main discs contain a music-only track with the original score by Miklos Rozsa, commentary from Charlton Heston and film historian T. Gene Hatcher, newsreel, screen tests, highlights from the 1960 Oscars (where it swept the board) and theatre trailers. The bonus disc contains 10 hours of extras, including three documentaries with contributions from leading contemporary directors, and an audiovisual recreation that uses storyboards, stills and music to retell the story.