Epic in the true sense of the word

Rating: 9/10 (28 January 2005)

I had to rate this film a 9 (extremely high from me!). This despite the fact the I consider the films biggest star a poor actor. Charlton Heston (the aforementioned poor actor) stars as Judah Ben Hur, a wealthy and powerful Jewish prince and merchant in first century (AD) Rome. When his old boyhood friend comes to power as governor, the two find that they are more or less polar opposites now. Eventually, Ben Hur is enslaved and his entire family thrown in prison. Ben Hur manages to battle his way back and eventually becomes a star in the arena. The climactic scene in the film is the big chariot race. I recall a persistent rumor that circulated for years after this film's release that someone had died during the filming of the legendary chariot race, but no one did. In fact, there were no serious injuries either. This film was the first to win 11 Academy Awards, though not the last. It certainly deserved each one of them. This film is a true classic and has stood the test of time. Excellent!