Friendship Degenerating Into Hate

Rating: 10/10 (29 June 2015)

GENERAL: The friendship between two men degenerating into hate because of their ideals.
POSITIVE ASPECTS: The intensity of human issues present in the film.
NEGATIVE ASPECTS : Overlong passages in the second part of the film.
AVENUES OF REFLECTION: The desire to live of Ben Hur will open the door to multiple interpretations. Everyone can go of his personal vision. But it remains clear that it is his meeting with Christ that will solidify this desire to live, because both have this as the first value. Relations between Ben Hur and Messala are so intense that they approach the extreme love-hate. As the film progresses, the love scenes decline to reach a hate climax at the scene after the victory of Ben Hur in the tent of Messala. With all its torments, Ben Hur is still looking for a meaning to life. He wants to live, but why he wants to live? Ben Hur is imbued with traditional values of the biblical Jewish culture, but his understanding of Christ's sacrifice will make him more accepting forgiveness and new values of Christianity. He will try to make a synthesis with both believing in the respect for life.
Hatred allows Ben Hur to survive and Quintus Arrius will make him remark. Some believe that two elements that will allow Ben Hur to survive occur when Christ gives him water to drink and when Quintus Arrius delivers him from his chains. In reality, the image of Christ who gives water to drink refers to reinforce the value of life in Ben Hur. And with regard to the chains, we realize that if it was not at that time, he would have been released at another time, because with his desire to live, he was closely watching every opportunity. We note that Quintus Arrius is attracted to Ben Hur. One suspects that he has sadomasochistic tendencies with convicts. The first time we see him on screen, he go down to see convicts and whip Ben Hur. We often placed hatred as negative, but we realize that intense hatred can also be a driver. We see all the evil inside him. We also remember the love between the two main characters when they meet in the districts of Messala early in the film. Ben Hur reached what Messala valued as a social position, but it was not what Ben Hur sought. In order of importance, the hatred towards Messala and the welfare of his mother and sister, his people and his wife were more important to him. Ben Hur is always thirsty. We try to make us believe that he is no longer thirsty because he heard Christ.