For Easter Watch Ben Hur: A Tale Of The Christ Starring Charlton Heston

Rating: 10/10 (15 April 2006)

Ben-Hur (1959): Starring Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, Jack Hawkins, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Sam Jaffe, Frank Thring, Terence Longdon... Director William Wyler, Based On The Novel By Lew Wallace, Screenplay Karl Tunberg. For me, the brilliant Director William Wyler's 1959 epic film "Ben Hur" which followed the success of The Ten Commandments is the greatest Easter/Passion of the Christ film ever made. It is not only a great film about the period of The Gospels- Roman-occupied ancient Judea during the reign of Emperor Augustus Caesar, but a well-made film for its own sake, adapted from a successful novel and play with thrilling elements of adventure, drama and spiritual redemption. Charlton Heston had previously portrayed Moses in 1957 and immediately followed that role with the role of Prince Judah Ben-Hur, another great role tailor made for his blend of rugged masculinity and peaceful spirituality. He is betrayed by his best friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) an ambitious lord who usurps his position a la Count of Monte Cristo. He sends Ben-Hur to a slave ship where he is forced to row with the slaves. There's a shipwreck and he saves the life of an important Roman senator, Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins) who rewards him by granting him his title. In Judea, Ben Hur and Massala meet once again. But this time, things have changed. Jesus is preaching the Gospels and healing the sick, raising the dead and all that good stuff. The beautiful Jewish lady Esther (Martha Scott) comes into Ben-Hur's life. She has a sick mother and aunt Esther and Miriam who are stricken with leprosy and therefore are outcasts. Ben-Hur learns that the true meaning of life is in serving God and that there is no genuine happiness in material wealth and positions of power. Jesus Christ is Crucified and his blood heals Miriam and Esther. More importantly, Ben-Hur is redeemed and transformed from an ambitious and non-spiritual man to one who will devote his life to God and to living a better life. This film is a gorgeous work of cinematic art, the kind of Panavision epic that later films would emulate (Anthony Mann's Le Cid, Fall of The Roman Empire, Kubrick's Spartacus, etc. The costumes are accurate to the period, the natural surroundings of Judea and Rome are well-depicted. Of course, this film will always be remembered for the grand Chariot Race between Massala and Ben-Hur. The Oscar winning music is bombastic (though not as much as Ten Commandments) and works effectively for this drama. The world of Christ's Judea has never before been more romantically yet realistically portrayed. The Crucifixion is a bloodless affair, all we see is Jesus' back on the Cross. It emphasizes the glory of the Resurrection even without showing him as a Risen Savior. I much prefer to see this timeless classic than Mel Gibson's controversial and disgusting, violent Passion of the Christ. Enjoy Ben-Hur this Easter! I wish ABC would also show this film for Easter. It is a popular feature film on American Movie Classics and Turner Movie Classics. This is one of the top films made in the 20th century, along with similarly "grand" films like Gone With The Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, The Bible In The Beginning, The Greatest Story Ever Told, etc.