Directed by William Wyler
Nominated for 12 Oscars, Won 11
Up Against: Anatomy of a Murder, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Nun's Story, and Room at the Top
Wow, I can't believe it's been almost two months since I've reviewed a film! I'm so sorry for the delay in everything! But I've been pretty busy. I took a trip out to Los Angeles right after I wrote my last review, and from there I've been working funny hours that lets me only watch movies on Saturday and Sundays, and those days I'm usually busy being with friends (ok, my boyfriend), and just relaxing, not feeling like watching a 3 hour epic. But I thought I'd hunker down and get this movie done! That, and it finally, finally arrived for me at the library and I couldn't renew it since it's so popular. But I promise I'll be more solid on my reviews. My review for Argo (which I'm seeing tomorrow) will be up over the weekend sometime, and I'll get around the Sound of Music soon!
But for now,
Judah Ben-Hur is a Jewish prince living in Jerusalem during the time of Christ. His old friend Messala, an officer in the Roman legions, returns home, they find their varying views on religion and politics seperate them. After a disagreement, the Roman legion rides through town, with their new governor. Judah and his sister watch from a balconey above, and stones get loose and fall upon the parade. Messala and the rest of the legion barracade the house, and Messala, still angered by their disagreement, has no mercy upon Judah, his sister, and his mother, throwing them into jail. After Judah escapes and confronts Messala, he is sent to be rower in the galleys of a war ship, while his sister and mother stay in jail. Judah swears he will come back for his family, and for revenge on Messala. And he comes back in a way no one imagined.
Ben-Hur is that movie that's always on TV around Easter time, and seems to be on the entire day. Sitting at 222 minutes (or 3 hours and 43 minutes for those of you counting), it's considered a great historical epic. At the time, it was the most expensive film ever made, costing somewhere around $15 million.
A remake of a silent film, based off the 1880 book by Lew Wallace, it took several years until it finally went into production. With several legends turning down the role of Judah (including Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, and Kirk Douglas, after finally settling on Charlton Heston.
In all honesty, I really really enjoyed this movie! The cinematography was beautiful, the costumes were great, and Charlton Heston was really, really great. But most of all, it was fast moving, it was a "rags-to-riches" story. (Or actually, more of a riches-to-rags-to-riches revenge movie..). Being a Christian, I really have an appreciation for Biblical epics (even if this wasn't necessarily Biblical). Most people, I would assume, just dismiss this movie, and it's whole storyline with Jesus and the Crucifixion.
But, obviously, the winning prize, the crown jewel, of the film was the chariot race. Not only was it exciting to watch, but it was impeccably filmed. The parade with all the chariots, around the ring, was honestly so spectacular, how trained the horses were, the cinematography, the music, etc. But seriously, it was really the best part of the movie, and is well deserved as being thought of as a influential and iconic moment in cinema.
Overall, I don't have all that many complaints about the film really. Well-acted, looked amazing, etc. It truly did deserve every Oscar it won, and deserves to be remembered as one of the 3 films that won the most Oscars. And it deserves to be remembered as a classic film.
Acting- 9/10
Directing- 9/10
Screenplay- 8/10
Music - 9/10
"The look"- 9/10
Entertaining- 7.5/10
Emotional Connection- 7.5/10
Rewatchability- 7/10
Did I like It?- 8.5/10
"Total Package"**- 8.5/10
Directing- 9/10
Screenplay- 8/10
Music - 9/10
"The look"- 9/10
Entertaining- 7.5/10
Emotional Connection- 7.5/10
Rewatchability- 7/10
Did I like It?- 8.5/10
"Total Package"**- 8.5/10
Total: 83/100
“The Ten Commandments” (1956). I love Cecil B. DeMille epics and this is DeMille at his best. Sure it’s as corny and kitschy as all get out, but it sure is fun to watch and even at four hours, it’s never, ever boring. I actually prefer the early scenes and its evocative images of Ancient Egypt at its most lavish. Charlton Heston takes Moses, pretty much an unplayable role, and infuses it with his special brand of charisma. (But why does Moses have to be so dour in the second half, I always wondered.) The film also contains one of my favorite dialogue exchanges ever, after Baka, Master Builder (Vincent Price) is scolded by Prince Moses for allowing an old woman (who turns out to be Moses’ birth mother) to almost be buried in a tomb. Baka tells Moses he can’t stop the work to save the life of one slave woman. Moses asks him: “Are you a master butcher or a master builder?” Oddly, the special effects used in the parting of the Red Sea are more convincing in DeMille’s 1923 silent version than here.
“Peyton Place” (1957). Soap opera on a grand scale. Lots of subplots centered around a young, exceptionally bright girl Allison MacKenzie (Diane Varsi) struggling to come to terms with herself and her life at the start of World War II. There’s her uptight mother (Lana Turner) who has a few secrets she’s desperate to keep her daughter from learning; Allison’s best friend Selena (Hope Lange), the protector of her home from a sleazy stepdad (Arthur Kennedy); shy boy Norman Page (Russ Tamblyn) stifled by an overprotective mother; flirty Betty Anderson (Terry Moore) from the wrong side of the tracks, in love with Rodney Harrington (Barry Coe), from the richest family in town; and Dr. Swain (Lloyd Nolan), the decent town’s physician who knows where all the bodies are buried. Peyton Place represents every town, big or small. This holds up very well today and is a favorite among some friends of mine who normally wouldn’t be caught watching anything from earlier decades. The New England locales are gorgeous, as is the Franz Waxman score. Lana Turner leads a very strong cast, with special kudos to Arthur Kennedy and the great Lloyd Nolan.
“12 Angry Men” (1957). Twelve jurors argue the fate of a young man accused of murder, with seemingly all the evidence weighted against him. Based on Reginald Rose’s TV drama, this takes place in one setting, a cramped, hot, sweaty juror’s room, and each actor is given a moment to shine. Henry Fonda excels as the initial lone hold out. He’s not convinced of the boy’s guilt, as much as he wants to at least talk it through. Magnificent performances all around. Sidney Lumet is not one of my favorite directors, but he’s masterful here, making us forget we’re stuck in one room for the movie’s duration.
“Horror of Dracula” (1958). It’s Hammer Time! Probably my favorite vampire film and Hammer’s finest hour. Ideal casting of Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing as his nemesis Van Helsing and taut direction by Terence Fisher means there’s nary a wasted frame. After two decades of relatively toothless vampire action, the shocking scenes here of gushing blood in the best British Technicolor fashion re-wrote the horror genre forever. Cushing and Lee co-starred in well over a dozen films together, usually as adversaries though they were very close in real life. Would young audiences today consider seeing a horror movie with middle-aged leads? Probably not. Their loss.
“North by Northwest” (1959). It’s on TCM seemingly every month, but that’s OK, because it’s one of the most entertaining movies ever made. Loaded with equal parts wit and excitement, it’s probably my favorite Hitchcock movie of the 1950s, arguably his peak decade. Business executive Cary Grant finds himself mistaken for a spy and gets caught in a whirlwind of international intrigue. It starts in New York City and ends with that memorable chase sequence at Mt. Rushmore, with stops in between in Chicago and a certain crossroads in the middle of an Indiana cornfield.
"Inherit the Wind” (1960). A stunning (albeit fictional) dramatization of the famous Scopes trial, with the idea of teaching evolution put on trial. I would love to say this movie is dated, but unfortunately it’s just as relevant today as when it was made. Powerhouse performances by Spencer Tracy and Fredric March in the faux Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan roles, and when these two clash in the courtroom time seems to stand still.
“Psycho” (1960). The first time I saw this was in high school on a Saturday night on WGN. It was the night of the Turnabout dance (aka Sadie Hawkins) and being somewhat of an uber nerd, I stayed home that night. The following Monday morning I talked to a tableful of guys who also had not gone to Turnabout and it turns out they also watched “Psycho” that night. Talk about a communal viewing experience! (Much more common in those pre-cable days of only five or six television channels). Kinda reminds me of Valentine’s Day 1994. I had nothing to do that night so I went to the gloriously seedy Villa Park Theater to see “Death Wish V.” There were about a dozen people there, all guys, all by themselves.
“School for Scoundrels” (1960). An underrated and unknown British comedy gem. Mild mannered Ian Carmichael is tired of being walked on in life, with the final straw being a supremely obnoxious Terry-Thomas waltzing off with his girlfriend. He enlists in the title institution (run by Alastair Sim), to learn the art of one upmanship and turn the tables on Thomas. There’s a car that a couple of huckster salesmen sell Carmichael that is the damndest thing you’ve ever seen. I could never bring myself to see the Billy Bob Thornton remake.
