Wonderful at many levels

Rating: 9/10 (2 October 1999)

I hadn't seen this since I was a kid, and got it to share with some kids I know. I was really surprised how much is in the motion picture that I was too young/inexperienced to appreciate. Also, my young friends were transfixed by it, as I was 40 years ago. The strength of Charlton Heston's characterization of Judah Ben-Hur carries a lot of the weight, but is born not only from his acting, but from the original story. I've been thinking of Heston the NRA president lately, and didn't remember how boldly he plays compassion on the screen. Now, the whole reason i'm writing this comment: i can't even believe the chariot race. How it must have been filmed. And wrangled. And played. And edited. I am watching it again and again, to see the skill of the equine actors especially. And so gratified by the affectionate appreciation Judah Ben Hur gives his horses after the race. From the barren landscapes to the spare, beautifully photographed interiors, and then to the massive arena filled with spectators, this is a film to get the kids' imaginations into a reasonably depicted Roman Empire, into the history of conflicting cultures, and into human questions like loyalty and responsibility. And Jesus was around. Can't say he wasn't.