Jeff's Reviews

Thoughts on every movie I've ever seen.

Ben-Hur (1959)

Directed by William Wyler

Starring Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd

Author

A bit long and slow. Ben-Hur’s swaying loalties are interesting, but not enough to keep the epic afloat. Heston’s good at playing the incapacitated but rebellious prisoner. The burping moment was classic. He loks a bit like Paul Newman in this one. I guess gaunt, blue-eyed leading men were the craze at this time.

Great, well-shot action in the chariot scene. Love how there’s no score, just pounding hooves. The rest of the score is horns, I bet John Williams would have loved to do something like this.

Not sure I like the fact that he decided to include the whole Jesus story. I think it would have been much more effective and interesting if they just had left it as a cameo of a faceless Jesus in the beginning and they had cut the last 45 minutes out of the film. I’m guessing Wyler was a religious man. I’d like to see this stuff shot today.

Interesting how all foreigners have an English accent. I guess it’s to be expected in a film from this period.

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