When it was released in 1959 the New York Times declared William Wyler’s Ben-Hur “by far, the most stirring of the Bible-fiction epics!”: an accolade richly deserved. Ben-Hur was, and remains, the most fulfilling and detailed familial tapestry ever attempted as an epic; its earthy characters set against thought-numbing tragedies, personal self discovery and a mind-boggling chariot race.
The original story by Gen. Lew Wallace, and indeed the 1929 silent epic also produced by MGM, focus quite heavily on Judah Ben-Hur’s (Charlton Heston) conversion to Christianity. Not surprising since the full title of Wallace’s novel and both films is Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. But this is a rather deceptive title because the novel and the films concentrate on the interpersonal relationships – particularly between Judah and his boyhood friend, Messala (Stephen Boyd). In this regard the 1959 version of Ben-Hur is blessed with 'the Wyler touch' - the director's uncanny knack for extracting poignancy from the intimate rather than the awe-inspiring.
Obviously, Ben-Hur has plenty of both, from its opening ‘star of Bethlehem’ sequence to the thrilling sea battle, and finally, its exhilarating showdown in the Circus Maximus, Wyler’s remake is a mighty accomplishment. Ben-Hur won a record 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture; the undisputed Oscar champion until James Cameron's Titanic tied its’ tally in 1997. But it is important to note that although Titanic matched Ben-Hur most of Titanic’s Oscar statuettes went for technical categories not yet established in the Oscar race in 1959.
Despite having no less than four screenwriters in collaboration on the final script, only Karl Tunberg received credit for this adaptation. The story concerns a Jewish Prince who is reunited with his boyhood friend after a period of some years apart. Messala has just been made Roman Tribune of the province. Judah Ben Hur assumes that their youthful friendship has remained intact during this interim separation. Unfortunately Messala expects Judah to betray his people for the sake of their friendship. This, Judah emphatically refuses to do.
When a tile falls from the house of Hur and accidentally injures the newly appointed governor Messala seizes the opportunity to exact his revenge and exert his authority as Tribune by making an example of his onetime friend. Messala imprisons Judah’s mother, Miriam (Martha Scott) and sister, Tierza (Cathy O’Donnell) in the Citadel where they contract leprosy. He also sentences Judah to slavery as a rower aboard one of many Roman galleys.
Judah's faithful servant, Simonides (Sam Jaffe) rushes to his defence along with his daughter Esther (Haya Harareet), whom Judah has set free from her bond to the house of Hur. But Messala's revenge knows no boundaries. He imprisons Simonides, leaving Esther to fend for herself in the abandoned ruins of Judah's once proud household. Meanwhile, Judah arrives at his slave ship overseen by harsh commander, Quintus Arrias (Jack Hawkins). During an epic sea battle Arrias' ship is lost.
Judah spares the commander's life and even prevents him from taking his own after Arrias assumes the battle has been lost. After they are rescued Arrias learns that his fleet has been triumphant. As gratitude he adopts Judah as his son. Judah is now a true Roman citizen with all the rights and privileges afforded Messala. Yet, despite this gracious whim of fate Judah cannot bring himself to think about anything but avenging his mother and sister's imprisonment. Esther learns about Miriam and Tierza, that they have been exiled to the valley of the lepers, but keeps this truth from Judah.
The rest of the film’s lengthy narrative is basically a fulfillment of Judah's revenge scenario. Yet his self-destructive prophecy is twice interrupted when his path crosses Jesus Christ. Judah is encouraged by Sheik Ilderim (Hugh Griffith) to challenge the Roman Tribune to a chariot race in the great Circus Maximus.
Judah and Messala race to the death for a spectacular fifteen minutes, at the end of which Messala is thrown from his chariot, then trampled under horse's hooves. On his death bed, Messala confesses the truth to Judah about his mother and sister. Judah is reunited with Miriam and Tierza and together with Esther, he takes them to see Jesus. Regrettably, they are too late to stop the crucifixion.
But as the skies grow ominous and dim all around a wonderment beyond anything Judah might have expected occurs. All bitterness is removed from his heart and Miriam and Tierza are cured of their leprosy. Judah returns to his once prosperous home to find Esther waiting for him. They are at last free to reconcile and start anew.
Ben-Hur is a film of immense spectacle. But what is best recalled from the experience is Wyler's superbly crafted melodrama. This is an epic with heart and soul; a living, breathing saga with stellar performances from Heston and Boyd. On Oscar night, Heston took home a statuette for his towering performance, dedicating it to producer Sam Zimbalist – who died on location while overseeing the production in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios.
Hugh Griffith is magnificent as the lusty Sheik Ilderim – the man who loans Judah his prize white stallions to race against Messala. Ditto for Jack Hawkins stirring turn as Quintis Arrius. Composer Miklos Rosza provided a rare score of emotional intensity. Indeed, there is nothing, save Max Steiner’s contributions on Gone With The Wind (1939), to match Rosza’s magnificent myriad of orchestral themes.
Warner Home Video has certainly done their homework on this deluxe Blu-ray edition. Filmed in MGM's expansive Camera 65 process, Ben-Hur has never looked quite so pristine. A meticulous frame by frame digital restoration and true 1080p scan from original negatives has yielded an image so detailed and varied in its colours and textures that one gets the feeling of experiencing the movie for the very first time all over again.
Colours are so vibrant that they practically leap off the screen. Whites are crisp and brilliant. Blacks are velvety smooth. Reds are blood red. Flesh tones reveal makeup applications. Fine details are stunningly realized. Gorgeous does not begin to describe this visual presentation. The audio, remastered in Tru-DTS also takes a quantum leap forward. This is the way one should experience William Wyler's classic 'classy' epic.
Save a new documentary of Charlton Heston - that is fairly comprehensive and interesting - all of the remaining extras are holdovers from Warner's previously issued DVDs and include an original documentary on the making of the film, a ‘making-of’ reflection; an interesting ‘music video-styled journey through pictures using the film’s original score and still images that have been enhanced to provide a pseudo 3-D effect; audio commentaries and a theatrical trailer.
The final extra is the original 1929 silent Ben-Hur. Though the benefactor of considerable restoration, this silent version retains a less than stellar visual quality. Warner has also padded out this set with a handsome booklet and its usual plethora of reproduced vintage lobby cards, poster art, inner office studio memos and other fun junket materials. Bottom line: Ben-Hur is one of a handful of truly outstanding motion pictures. Warner Home Video's Blu-ray box is the definitive way to experience this perennial classic. This is a must have! Highly recommended!
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
5+
VIDEO/AUDIO
5+
EXTRAS
4
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