Classic epic film only improves with age.

Rating: 10/10 (29 March 2001)

When we imagine the epic film as a genre, 3 films immediately come to mind: The Ten Commandments, Spartacus and Ben-Hur. Of the three, Ben-Hur is probably the most honored. It won 11 Oscars including Best Picture, Actor (Heston), Supporting Actor (Hugh Griffith), and Director (William Wyler). The only Oscar it didn't win was for Screenplay (Karl Tunberg). The reason probably had something to do with the fact that several other authors, including Gore Vidal, had a hand in its re-writing. What makes Ben-Hur a great epic? First, the sweep of its locations and settings. Giant sets were constructed on the grounds of the great Cinecitta Studios in Rome. State of the art special effects enhanced the two great action sequences (the sea battle and the chariot race). Next, the larger than life performances of the principals brought to life these imagined characters of novelist, Lew Wallace. Stephen Boyd is perfect as the Roman centurion, Messala, who has returned to Judea (Israel) to assume his place as military leader anxious to suppress the Hebrews who are ruled by the Roman Empire. Boyd never again had a role to equal this. He was a fine match for Heston who embodies the princely Ben-Hur whose friend he was in their childhood. It is their enmity that lies at the core of this tale. The underlying story of Christ parallels the journey of Ben-Hur intersecting at two crucial points in the film. Wyler wisely does not show the face of Christ. Instead, he shows people's reactions to him. In one scene, a Roman soldier is trying to prevent Ben-Hur (now a prisoner) from drinking water. After Christ lets him drink the soldier tries to stop him (`I said no water for him'). His reaction to the hidden face of Christ is worth a thousand words. No discussion of Ben-Hur would be complete without mentioning the towering musical score composed and conducted by Miklos Rozsa (Academy Award). Finally, it is many qualities such as this that give Ben-Hur the stature of more than just a sword and sandal epic, but transform it into a personal drama. Its characters are living, breathing beings swept into events that make for exciting cinema. Jack Hawkins is fine as the Roman general whose life Ben-Hur saves (`We keep you alive to serve this ship. Row well and live.'). Hugh Griffith earned his Oscar as the humorous Sheik Ilderim who supplies Hur with the Arabian steeds that he will race against Messala in the great circus of Jerusalem (`There is no law in the arena. Many are killed.'). It all comes down to the chariot race that is the center of the second half of the film. There are no special effects here. The race is real. Heston and Boyd actually drive the chariots in almost all the scenes. No doubt, the chariot race is one of the greatest actions sequences in any film.
Ben-Hur has just been released on DVD in a superb new transfer with a new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The epic was filmed in Camera 65 an ultra-wide process that is almost completely revealed on this disc. It would be something to see these classics projected on an IMAX screen. With the success of `Gladiator' someone in Hollywood should re-release the grand epics of the 50's and 60's in their original 70mm splendor. Ben-Hur could then be fully appreciated as the classic it is (one of AFI's greatest 100 films of the 20th century).