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Ben-Hur (1959)

Adventure | 212 minutes
3,80 2.147 votes

Genre: Adventure / History

Duration: 212 minuten

Alternative titles: Ben Hur / Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

Country: United States

Directed by: William Wyler

Stars: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins and Haya Harareet

IMDb score: 8,1 (269.067)

Releasedate: 18 November 1959

Ben-Hur plot

"The entertainment experience of a lifetime!"

Two old childhood friends reunite after a long time, one a Jewish Prince, Ben-Hur, (Charlton Heston) and the other a Roman general. They are happy to see each other again after such a long time, but their differing political opinions cause a lot of inconvenience between the two. Ultimately, Ben-Hur is enslaved on the Roman galleys and is expected never to return. Determined to save his Jewish people, he perseveres in the hard life as a slave.

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avatar van Duke Nukem

Duke Nukem

  • 1777 messages
  • 1980 votes

Definitely one of the best movies ever made! Charlton Heston is perfect for this role. I got to see Ben-Hur in the cinema and this was a film I will never forget. I was completely involved in the adventure. The moment when none other than Jesus Christ compassionately offers him water just gave me goosebumps!

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avatar van Fisico

Fisico

  • 10039 messages
  • 5398 votes

Ben Hur is a great and timeless epic that has stood the test of time very well after 60 years. I haven't seen the most recent version from 2016 yet, but it probably isn't even close to William Wyler's masterpiece. Especially during childhood Ben Hur turned gray because my grandmother was crazy about it too. Every year around Easter it was that time. That biblical interpretation and appearances of Jesus give something special as a beautiful subplot in the heroism of the person Juda Ben Hur.

What was more common in the sandal movies of the time is the heroic bombastic trumpet blast that is great to hear. But the camera work, editing, cinematography and the grand decor and decoration can hardly be inferior to it. The grandeur of the Roman Empire in all its facets when Ben Hur is ushered in by the consul is mighty. The three and a half hour film never gets boring. Every scene is useful. Take the character of Jesus now. He never comes with his face in the picture, but Wyler makes a mythical figure with a great appearance just from the fact that he is stared at in awe and wonder (like The Roman Soldier or Ben Hur himself).

Ben Hur revolves around the emotions of hate, forgiveness, sacrifice, hope, suffering and love. Hate is what drives Ben Hur. Hate is fought with hatred, but can only be overcome with love and forgiveness. In this way the two great stories in the film are very successfully intertwined. Ben Hur as a kind of tough image of Jesus Christ.

The best scene is undoubtedly the chariot scene. Time and time again I continue to follow the race full of suspense. Great action and extraordinarily exciting with those rotating serrated blades. The scenes at sea on the galley ships with the rhythmic knocking of the slave driver also continue to leave an impression on me. A film to always cherish. Eleven Oscars, please!

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avatar van Boneka

Boneka

  • 2720 messages
  • 1397 votes

Ben Hur's best rendition still remains that of '59. Good Friday perfect evening to watch it again. Set up early because it lasts about 4 hours on two blu-ray discs. The image is sublime although we do see a few small skips in the film. Noise and other imperfections we do not see. It's a beautiful image, although I'm still waiting for a 4K version. That must be the superlative. Sound is a bit less. It all sounds a bit loud through your speakers. But we can't complain for such an old film. Most of the actors are gone. Of the main protagonists, Esther is still alive. Haya Harareet born in Palestine. This year already 89 years old. Heston passed away in 2008.

Anyway, Ben Hur remains the ultimate classic ever for me. So much spectacle. So much to see. Beautiful dialogues also those of Pontius Pilate. Not aggressive, but nicely dosed. Haya in the role of Esther could also easily empathize with her star role. Unfortunately, she has made few films.

The film is well developed and manages to give tension and tranquility a good balance. There is nothing forced about this. Only the beginning was perhaps a little too biblical. What's great is that Ben Hur mainly remained himself, despite his fame as not unimportant. After all, the combativeness was deeply woven into him. The coming of Jesus did change things. The watering was perhaps a bit too poetic, I thought it was worth seeing.

One of the most fascinating and most beautiful parts in terms of spectacle, of course, was the horse race. (Couldn't find out again where that plane flew over) and the final piece with the death of Jesus. Especially the moment that the image of Jesus appeared in that pool of water, I continue to find very impressive. It's those little details that make Ben Hur an absolute winner.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original