Ben-Hur (1959) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Director: William Wyler Producer: Sam Zimbalist Cast: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Sam Jaffe. Awards ceremony: -32nd Academy Awards: April 4, 1960. RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Other films nominated for Best Motion Picture this year: -Anatomy Of A Murder. -The Diary Of Anne Frank. -The Nun's Story. -Room At The Top. Plot summary: The story begins in Jerusalem AD26, where a Jewish prince named Judah Ben-Hur (CHARLTON HESTON) reunites with Messala (STEPHEN BOYD), a Roman friend of his from years ago. However, as they are meant to be sworn rivals things soon go south when Messala condemns Judah to slavery in the galleys on Roman Consul Arrius' ship. Despite Judah's poor treatment he manages to save Arrius when the boat is sunk by the enemy and as such Arrius adopts him and frees him as a slave. Judah returns to Jerusalem to have his revenge on Messala in the form of a chariot race which results in Messala's painful death. Judah then discovers that his mother and sister have been banished to a leper colony and seeks to find them. Oh, and then Jesus Christ gets crucified too. Standout scene: There's no doubt about it - the chariot race. Immense and superbly filmed and took the movie to a whole new level of wow! When that f*cker Messala goes under the wheels of the chariot during the race both me and my daughter cheered simultaneously! Facts: -The 32nd Academy Awards. -Nominated for 12 Academy Awards, it won 11 (a new record up to this point). -Most expensive movie ever made at the time. -This was the third Best Picture to be directed by William Wyler (the first two were Mrs. Miniver and The Best Years Of Our Lives). -The second Best Picture to feature Charlton Heston (the first was The Greatest Show On Earth). -The second Best Picture to feature Jack Hawkins (the first was The Bridge On The River Kwai). Personal opinion: The production of the film has an obvious 'wow factor' about it but as the viewer you really need to want to care about the subject matter and have a little understanding about the religious aspect of the story. The restoration for the Blu-Ray release is absolutely mouth-wateringly fantastic. The picture quality for a film this old looks brand new again. I think that made the viewing experience (my first time) all the more enjoyable. If 'enjoyable' is the right word? At 222 minutes it does take a heck of a lot of patience to sit through this in one long session, but I managed it. It's not my type of film to be fair, but I cannot overlook the sheer magnificence of the grand spectacle that is BEN-HUR. Filled with vibrant colours and a Cinemascope lens that fills the screen with every pixel. As for the story, there were parts of it that were really good and some parts that were really slow and boring. Memorable scenes (other than the obvious one involving the chariot race) include Judah begging God to help him and then being given water by Jesus. The slaves rowing for all they're worth down below on the ship and Quintus' comments to Judah about 'hate keeps man alive, it gives him strength' was a line I just had to write down! A long, slow film but to its credit it is filled with enough goodness for me to acknowledge its importance. Not one I would want to see again though. Gone With The Wind was the same length and far superior in every way. And finally, is it just me or is Charlton Heston just so boring to watch? Did it deserve the Oscar? YES. 7/10

Review date: 07 March 2025