Ben-Hur (1959)

I had been meaning to watch this for a long time but had been put off due to the runtime. I finally decided to sit down and watch it as it was recently covered on the "Unspooled" podcast (which is fantastic) and im so glad I did as it was fantastic. The runtime went much faster than I expected and there were very few times I felt it dragged. The acting was absolutely superb and the character development was very moving and memorable throughout. Without a doubt the best part of the movie was the set designs, environment and authenticity of the time. Most classic movies age poorly and it's clear that special effects would help improve these, but I actually think the lack of special effects is what makes this movie what it is. The horse racing scene is one of the most memorable scenes I've ever scene watching films. The grand scale of the stadium, the crowd and the filming of the actual race is unbelievable. It is beautiful to watch but also brutal and scary. The destruction and injury that occurs is so natural that it makes it hard to watch in the best if ways. There was much more religious tones to the movie than I expected and to be honest I think it was a little bit of overkill in that area, particularly the second half of the film. While many will be put off by the runtime, this is a must see movie that will stick with you forever and I do think it's the single most well shot and set epic I've ever seen. The scenery, sets, crowds and authenticity really is something to behold and this strongly deserves to be known as one of the best movies of all time. Have given it an 8 rather than a 10 due to the length (could have been about 30 mins shorter), the amount of religious tones that come into it which becomes a bit too much in my opinion, and lack of rewatchability as I don't know if I ever will rewatch it. Despite that though it's a classic everyone should see once.

This is 3.5 hours long but who cares! It is fantastic and earns to be the only biblical film to win Best Picture! It won 10 others, too. (Titanic and Return of the King did this, too.) The story follows a Jewish man betrayed by his friend and vows revenge, but changes his mind when he meets Jesus. The chariot race is the best scene! The remake is good too but it can't compare to this masterpiece!

William Wyler's Presentation of Ben-Hur (1959) is by far the purest form of entertainment that I have ever seen! The great sea-battle and chariot race is by far what makes this film so epic in both scope and scale. The Acting, Production, Directing, Screen writing, Cinematography, Editing and Art Direction/Set Decoration are incredible. It cleaned up the Awards for a good reason. What makes it even more powerful and unique are the scenes that show Christ, but not his face (and voice neither heard).The movie is not only a Biblical Epic like Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments", but it is perhaps the first time we as an audience, have to observe the film from an artistic perspective, rather than being exposed to the entire message. The film moved me on many levels when I first watched in 2014, with both my Mother and later my Grandmother. Wyler puts us in a position where the film's main concept functions in both ways, both by listening and watching. The relationship between Messala and Judah Ben-Hur is a familiar parallel to the Civil War battles between the North and South, Ben- Hur's slavery at the Galley of Rowers is also similar to that issue with the South back in the time.The Film expresses its' meanings on many different levels, whether if it be on the topics of politics, faith, corruption, and friendship. For a 3 hr. Epic, This movie is worth the time. This is my all-time Number one Favorite Film!

It's a good movie. I like quite a bit but I will admit there are quite a few scenes that could be cut down or cut out completely. If an edited version of this film were made, more people would watch the film more often. The film is way to long for being nothing more than a fictitious story about a fictitious character set in a historical time period with some historical characters. Cut it down to 1 1/2 to 2 hours and the film would be better and easier to watch more often.Lew Wallace wrote his novel in 1880 entitled Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. This film is based on that book. It is not historical as in this is a true story. History films just have some historical places, events and people in a fictional tale.The movie is beautiful - grand, epic without a doubt. And it deserves the awards it has won as well as it's classic status. It just has a bit to many unnecessary scenes or they are just drawn out a bit too long.8/10