BEN-HUR
Today and for the next couple of weeks, I am going to look at and discuss three landmark classics. First up is the 1959 version of Ben-Hur with Charlton Heston in the title roll. This movie once held the record for the most Academy Award wins with 11 in total.
Although the novel by Lew Wallace was written during the late 1800's, the theme of a man falsely accused and condemned for a crime he did not commit and then later returns to take his revenge, is a familiar one for stories from that period. Just think of The Count Of Monte Cristo and The Man In The Iron Mask, both by Alexandre Dumas or The Prisoner Of Zenda by Anthony Hope.
And even though all of these have been made into movies at some stage or another, Ben-Hur stands out as the most spectacular one of them all. No wonder it was also the most expensive movie of its time with one of the first 'chase scenes' ever and something like 8000 extras!
This masterpiece surely should form part of any serious film collection. I rated it four out of five stars for mine...
Trailer link:
Trailer link:
The famous chariot race from the movie
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