Review:

*** (out of ****)

Starring:

Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Sam Jaffe, Finlay Currie, Frank Thring, Terence Longdon, George Relph, André Morell

Director:

William Wyler

Screenplay:

Karl Tunberg (Novel by General Lew Wallace)

Length:

212 min.

MPAA Rating:

Approved

The life of one man, who sacrifices himself for his family parallels the story of Christ in William Wyler’s pseudo-biblical epic Ben-Hur.

Charlton Heston stars as Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy Jew with loyal servants and a warm and loving family. When his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) returns from Rome demanding Judah reveal those who would speak out against Rome, a contentious relationship develops. An accident that threatens the life of the new Roman governor results in Judah’s exile as a prisoner who must then return home any way he can to find his family who’s been imprisoned as well.

Ben-Hur’s subtitle A Tale of Christ has two meanings. The first is obvious. Several scenes from the life of Christ are shown in the film, including his birth and death. The second is a little more subtle and is clearly in the parallelism between the life of Judah Ben-Hur and the life of Christ.

While standing atop their roof watching the arrival of the new governor, Judah’s daughter Tirzah (Cathy O’Donnell) accidentally dislodges ill footed roof tiles that nearly kill the governor. Judah, sacrificing himself for his daughter’s actions, says that he is responsible. In this way, he shoulders the burdens of his family and suffers at the hands of Rome similarly to what Christ went through in the Bible.

Ben-Hur is the typical sword-and-sandal epic that follows one man’s journey towards his goals. It suffers likewise from an incredible series of events that seem as improbable as they are dramatic. Along the way he meets the typical myriad of people who either despise or respect him and though it is a difficult journey, it is nonetheless made easier by many of those who cross his path.

Although it is as formulaic as any other biblical epic, Ben-Hur carries a great deal of emotional weight in its closing scenes. That impact is due in part to the magnificent score by Miklos Rozsa. The emotive qualities of his orchestral score are delightful. It is the film’s only superlative element. The rest of the film, under the heavy hand of Wyler, moves as predictably as any such movie.

Heston gives the same turgid performance he’s given in films like The Ten Commandments and The Greatest Show on Earth. There is little doubt that he remains one of history’s most overrated actors, despite his immense popularity. His win for Best Actor at the Academy Awards was part of the film’s huge sweep that should have left him along the screenplay by Karl Tunberg: Oscar-less.

Something about playing a villain in this kind of film brings out the worst in most actors. Boyd lives up to those expectations playing Messala. His perf is as ludicrous as anything Jeremy Irons did after his Oscar win for Reversal of Fortune.

Ben-Hur will certainly appeal to anyone who considers films like The Ten Commandments and The Passion of the Christ classics. Those who find that kind of film pedantic will no doubt be periodically irritated by the film. However, Ben-Hur has more good moments than bad ones and is ultimately mildly enjoyable.

-Wesley Lovell (November 13, 2006)