‘Ben-Hur,’ Back on the Big Screen This Easter, Is a Better Spectacle Than Ever

With terrific timing, “Ben-Hur” is being given a big screen re-release by Fathom Entertainment in a week that sees a convergence of the Christian observance of Easter and the Jewish observance of Passover. It’s the perfect opportunity to revisit and celebrate the quintessentially Judeo-Christian themed movie that, 67 years later, remains one of the greatest Hollywood religious epics of all time.Adapted from Lew Wallace’s best selling 1880 novel “Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ,” the 1959 MGM epic, directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston, is deservedly an Easter tradition amongst those who know and appreciate such a lavish cinematic masterpiece. The key to the film’s enduring success? It treats both the Jewish faith and the birth of Christianity with respect while masterfully blending its eponymous character’s heroic story of betrayal, slavery and revenge with a spiritual tale of redemption by weaving scenes from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus into the film’s narrative without once showing Christ’s face to the audience.“Ben-Hur” is remembered by many for the climatic nine-minute-long chariot race scene between Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) and the evil Roman tribune Messala (Stephen Boyd), still one of the single best live action sequences in motion picture history (the dynamic between the two characters additionally serves as an ideal illustration of the thin line between love and hate.) Yet the whole film is memorable for the glorious cinematography, the perfect casting, the unprecedented attention to historical detail, and the emotional depiction of the power of faith.No expense was spared by MGM in making the 212-minute long “Ben-Hur,” which was shot at Rome’s legendary Cinecittà film studios. This was at the time when Hollywood regarded big-budget spectaculars as its best weapon against the competition from the new rival, television.The statistics surrounding the making of “Ben-Hur” are extraordinary. The production utilized over 148 acres and nine sound stages across Cinecittà’s sprawling backlot; over 10,000 extras were hired for the film. The arena for the chariot race alone covered 18 acres and it took a thousand workmen a year to carve the oval racetrack out of a rock quarry and to build the five-storey-high grandstands.MGM also spent lavishly on the technical aspects of the film by shooting in Technicolour on a widescreen format and using the specially developed MGM Camera 65 and Ultra Panvision 70 lenses to give the production a unique look when it was shown on the huge screens of the movie theaters at the time.“Ben-Hur” was Hollywood at its most spectacular, delivering a visually stunning, uplifting, entertaining and an emotional story, complete with a monumental score by Miklós Rózsa. It was also Hollywood at its most commercially successful; “Ben-Hur” was number one at the monthly US box office for six consecutive months and, in grossing a profit of $20.4 million — about $200 million in today’s dollar equivalent — and it saved MGM from financial disaster. The film went on to win eleven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Charlton Heston, a record that has only been equalled by “Titanic” and “Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King.” Yet despite being awash with awards and being a well-acted, beautifully shot depiction of the Christian ideals of transforming revenge into forgiveness and of the redemptive power of faith, the authentically visual and visceral glory of “Ben-Hur” risks being underrated in a Hollywood now dominated by CGI and AI. Therefore there is no better time than Easter to be reminded why it occupies a place in the pantheon of all-time Hollywood classics.

‘Ben-Hur,’ Back on the Big Screen This Easter, Is a Better Spectacle Than Ever

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