Ben-Hur - 1959

Many people have heard of this epic, but I am pretty sure I've never seen it. I mean, the movie is famous for the chariot scene, but that's the only thing I knew about it. I didn't even realize it was Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. After watching it, I'd say Christ is more of a background character, but that's something else.

This is the story of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince living in Jerusalem. He meets up with his childhood friend, Messala, but their friendship isn't as easy as it was. Messala is a Roman tribune and wants Judah to spy on his fellow Jews and report which ones are making trouble in the city. Not surprisingly, Judah refuses, and Messala forces him to choose. From then on, the two are enemies.

An unfortunate accident brings the two into an interaction that sends Judah, his mother and sister into prison. The next four years, Judah has no idea what's happened to his family as he rows for the Roman armada. Saving a Consul's life sends his fate into chariot racing. He eventually makes his way back to Jerusalem, and he's still determined to find his family. Throughout the film, a faceless benefactor shows up here and there...spoiler, it's Jesus.

The chariot race is the culmination of the vengeance Judah has built up for Messala. At this point, he believe his mother and sister are dead, but they're actually in a leper colony. After he discovers their fate, he wants to see them, even though the woman who loves him is trying to tell him to leave them alone. Eventually, the four of them want to see Jesus, but they get there in time for the result of his trial.

The movie is definitely an epic. I was getting lost reading about the production, and I still want to learn more. I'm definitely impressed with the main actors for learning to drive those chariots. I was watching the movie and thinking, "That's really them." The other shout out I want to make is to Stephen Boyd (Messala). According to what I read, he did almost all his own stunts (minus 2), including being dragged underneath the chariot's horses! I was definitely impressed with the whole sequence.

Also notable was the music. I really enjoyed it and felt it accurately reflected what was going on in the scenes. Beautiful. The whole thing gave me Ten Commandments vibes, but it had its own personality. This epic was approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes with the musical interludes, but it actually flew by. Great Movie!