A film with a great message besides the adventurous heart-moving story

Rating: 10/10 (3 April 2006)

This is one of the best movies I ever saw. A great experience in cinema. Almost too good for showing on TV. Of course it is just a tale, just too good to be true. But it is exactly not the tale of the Christ: - The true story of the Christ is even more thrilling - I mean not only for Christians. Ben Hur is an adventurous story of course, including everything what an adventure-opera needs, but yet everything with the endeavour to reach out for reality (not comparable to so many Italian-sandal-films of the sixties) As for the showing of Christ in the film I found it an ingenious idea to show him only from behind and completely silent (there is no need to let Him talk -His words are original in the Bible). Great is the scene for example where Christ opposes the centurion without saying a word, after he gave water to the thirsty galley-slave Ben Hur. To stand in front of Christ and look into his eyes seems to be too much to stand for an ordinairy-sinful human. The film is bombastic, but nevertheless with delicate, distinguished, subtile undertones. This is no contradiction. I warmly recommend this film which displays the tragedy of the fragility of human life. But as well how it can be overcome. A great message.