@@inkfishpete8695 Sorcerer is better than The Wages of Fear? Not what I heard. Only seen the original though. The Maltese Falcon 1941 might be a better example of a superior remake.
@@flaggerify Agree. Both were excellent, but I would give Friedkin's the edge - the 4 background stories at the beginning added so much. Do yourself a favor and watch it when you get a chance ("Sorcerer" had the misfortune of being released at the same time as "Star Wars").
I had a teacher who happened to be an extra in the crowd in the chariot scene. From what I remember, she said there seemed to be about 1,500 to 2,000 extras present on day of shooting. So perhaps the scenes that suggested more people than that were achieved with different angle shots, some matte paintings etc. My teacher told me they were given a costume, lunch, and told to cheer wildly on cue. Just being able to watch the chariot race was an experience of a lifetime, she said.
I heard that only the lower bowls were actually built and had extras in them. For the wider shots, the filmmakers held up in front of the camera partial models of the upper bowls to give the illusion of a complete stadium. The little model people could be moved up and down individually, which is why they're not static as they would be in a painting.
@@Osprey850 The method used is called 'the foreground miniature' where a built model replaces what the camera sees, and the camera can even move as long as the model's movement matches exactly. In the stands are thousands of cotton swabs often called 'q-tips', being stroked or lifted from behind by long rods, similar to how an ocean can be simulated in waves by wheels beneath a dark sheet, often used for storm scenes. Much of the circus was constructed for the film, and is one of the few times that the cloth sunshields called 'velarium' used at such places are seen on film, the other is in Gladiator.
@@tml184 I think that you're right on the first part. On re-research, it does seem to be the 1925 version that used the movable miniatures. The 1959 version reportedly used matte paintings to simulate the upper grandstands, so they weren't miniatures or real spectators, but painted ones.
@Shan - You should also watch Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments," starring Charleton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Pharaoh. Magnificent! Also, perfect for Easter!
...and "The Greatest Story Ever Told" ('65) w/Heston as John The Baptist and Max Von Sydow in my favorite cinema portrayal of Jesus. Dir. by the great George Stevens ("Giant", "The Diary of Anne Frank", "A Place in The Sun", "Gunga Din" , etc.)
Because of this movie , watching it when it came out I had to watch it right away again. This movie made Charlton Heston my favorite actor of all time.
Messala, with his dying breaths, taunted the Prince of Hur. If he was redeeming himself and ‘making amends’ he wouldn’t have added “…if you can recognise them!”. That in itself was a mocking comment. Why would anyone add that jibe otherwise? He would have left it at the revelation that the mother and sister are in the Valley of the Lepers. ‘nuff said.
Masala's informing Ben Hur of his family's fate was his "Final Revenge". Done so in order to reduce Ben Hur's triumph into a pyrrhic victory. Though I watched this movie on television, I did once view both "Ben Hur" and "The Ten Commandments" on the wide screen at a Film Festival. Not certain if movie studios will ever do that again. BTW, fantastic reaction and evaluation.
Regarding the scene where Mesala dies, it was definitely Mesala's last little revenge on Ben Hur, but it was also a way to ridicule Ben Hur's thirst for revenge
The original Ben-Hur is quite good too, and the chariot race, although it's a silent film. is as dynamic and famous as this version... especially with the stunning score.
I'm okay with remakes that take advantage of new technologies such as going from silent to sound, or black & white to color, but not remakes that push a particular political narrative or get made simply due to a lack of creativity.
For other classic epic blockbuster films I highly recommend: The 10 Commandments, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone With the Wind, Dr Zhivago, and Once Upon A Time in the West
@@stevecampbell9670 "The Sea Hawk" & "Captain Blood" are two of my Errol Flynn favorites, along with both the '35 and '62 "Mutiny On The Bounty". If you're not talking about the 2003 version, What did you think of the Heath Ledger "The Four Feathers"? The Korda '39 version is the Gold Standard, but I did like Ledger's too.
OMG, I was in suspense waiting for part 2! Shan, love your intelligent commentaries and your fantastic reactions. It's so much FUN watching you react to great movies you're seeing for the first time. Ben Hur is a classic and I'll watch it anytime it's on TV. You must see Lawrence of Arabia and other classics from the same era! I saw Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen in special wide-screen screenings at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood - just A-MA-ZING! The way they were meant to be experienced! And they truly were an EXPERIENCE! I always cry at the end of Ben Hur, my heart melting just like Judah's! Yes, Masala was trying to get the last vengeful dig at Judah before he died -- "You may have won the chariot race, but I can still HURT you even while I'm on the verge of death!" Hate and a desire for revenge keep us chained, imprisoned. Love, compassion, and forgiveness sets us free! A wonderful message for all of humanity, for all time.
My interpretation is that Messala on his deathbed was taunting Judah: "You'll find them in the valley of the lepers...IF YOU CAN RECOGNIZE THEM." (Also, there's a nice reverse-symmetry: the woman who loves Judah hides the truth from him. But the man who hates him reveals the truth in one final act of spite.)
Hollywood sure doesn't make 'em like this anymore. In fact they went 180 degrees the "other" way. At any rate, what a fantastic film. I tear up at the end every time. And yes, the shepherd leading his flock is most definitely symbolic.
The last scene to me is Messala attempting to beat his rival one last time before Messala dies. He lost the race, but he still can claim victory forever. He has destroyed the love in Ben Hurs heart his mother and sister. The healing at the end, from the rain of tears of god at his son's death, is a symbol of love being reborn. In a way Ben Hur's life itself is a collection of miracles. Surviving the galleys, becoming a son of Rome, his love of horses and how they help him best his rival, finding his true love again, and the healing of his family. I have both films, but the only one I rewatch is this version.
A fascinating movie. I am very glad to see you reviewing it. Maybe "Spartacus" with Kirk Douglas and "Cleopatra" with Elizabeth Taylor (which happens to be my all-time favourite movie) could be done at some point as well? Either way, this one was great. As for Messalahs' last act, the fact that he added "if you can recognize them." does hint towards an act of spite rather than an act of redemption. As in: You may have won this battle but I can still hurt you even now. If that were not the case, just telling Ben Hur where his family was would have been enough. But essentially Messalah made him loose them a second time instead.
Spartacus is a must-see. It's also a surprisingly accurate depiction of the character (Even though very little is known of his personal life). But Cleopatra? That movie is regarded as a mega dud.
Cleopatra is regarded as a dud? Is that so? Now that would be unfortunate. But well, I love it. And it's not a guilty pleasure or something like this. I absolutely adore every second of that movie from beginning to end. To each their own, I guess.
An excellent movie from beginning until the end. Aside from the leads, Jack Hawkins is the standout performance playing Quintus Arrius of the movie. Fun Fact: The chariot race has a 263-to-1 cutting ratio (263 feet of film for every one foot used), probably the highest for any 65mm sequence ever filmed. Bonus Fact: The only Hollywood film to make the Vatican-approved film list in the category of religion.
I bought the autobiography of Charlton Heston ( my mother idolized him) while writing about his other movies he takes a while to explain how long it took to film the chariot race...It was a long time.
As far as I remember the Colosseum was achieved with a combination of actual physical sets, hanging miniatures (forced perspective) and matte paintings. However, since I could be mixing up movies, if anyone does know for sure, can they let me know. Ben Hur (his stunt double) was unexpectedly thrown over the front of his chariot, but held on and climbed back. This was unintended, but too good to leave out of the film.
Ok, I'll be the history police. The Colosseum is in Rome and was/is circular/oval. This was a hippodrome. The name is derived from the Greek words hippos (ἵππος; "horse") and dromos (δρόμος; "course"). There was one in Rome - the Circus Maximus.
It was actually Heston who almost fell out of the chariot,; the director told him there would be a little bump!!! Also, this was meant to be Circus Maximus, not the more round Colleseum
What's so wonderful for me is, you are watching a movie from my childhood; which I consider a very rich place. My town, my country, the entire world was so incredibly different considering the time passed. More than the reaction, you offer the detailed review. And to some degree, you offer a glimpse into the era gone by from the unique perspective of someone younger. I hope you continue to watch these classic movies from this era -of course if you haven't already seen them.
Ben Hur is always in my top 5 movies of all time! I’m so happy you’ve finally watched it! And I’m loving the comment section! I think I’ve watched it like 35 times and every single time I’m like 😮 and yeah please do The Ten Commandments next, perfect for Easter! Another one that will blow your mind!
Heston's stunt double in the jumping chariot scene, Joe Canutt, was the son of Yakima Canutt, who was Clark Gable's stunt double in the burning of Atlanta scene in Gone with the Wind.
Shan I love This Movie but my Favorite Movie with Charlton Heston in "The Ten Commandments" where he plays Moses, the Actress that played his mother in Ben Hur also plays his Mother In The Ten Commandments.
Love that u watched and reacted to this gem. A lot of people became Christians after watching this film. Of course Charlton Heston also played Moses in The Ten Commandments.
That stunt at 4:26 where Judah's chariot goes over another chariot was performed by a stuntman. Flying out of the chariot and climbing back in was an accident - the stuntman was supposed to stay in the chariot. When they checked the footage the "mistake" looked so great they decided to put it in the movie. To do so, they ended up shooting a closer matching shot with Charlton Heston climbing back into the chariot.
@@marcraider Fortunately, he didn't die or sustain any serious injuries. His name was Joe Canutt and he was the son of another Hollywood stuntman, Yakima Canutt, who actually staged the chariot race in Ben Hur. They both lived to be old men.
@@marcraider No extras died. The stuntman was Joe Canutt, son of famous horse wrangler and stuntman Yakima Canutt. He sustained only a broken rib. The previous charioteer who was run over was replaced by a mobile dummy. One horse broke a fetlock,but was nursed back to health in a sandpit stable with a winch.
This film was shot in what was called MGM Camera 65, later known as Ultra Panavision. It used 65mm film, along with anamorphic squeeze lenses to produce an amazingly detailed image, with an aspect ratio of 2.76:1. The same lenses used to photograph Ben-Hur, were pulled out of mothballs and used to shoot Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight.
Other movies with music by Miklos Rosza worth watching are: "Quo Vadis"; " El Cid" (with Charlton Heston); " The Golden Voyage of Sinbad"; "Jungle Book" (1942); "Double Indemnity" and "Spellbound".
This is a remake of the silent film and the chariot race from that movie is practically identical. Ben-Hur was MGM's first big hit and the remake was their last big hit. It really bookends the studios life.
Being old enough to have seen this masterpiece in the theater , It still amazes me ! The actress playing his sister , reminded me of another great movie she was in . The Best Years of Our Life , The story of men coming home after WW2 , A Great movie . Directed by William Wyler .
What a rewarding reaction to watch. Thank you. You might also appreciate the film that earned this director his first Academy Award for Best Director, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).
Maximus Decimus Meridius was a spaniard, I mean a natural from the "old" Spain. Another, great fictional character from Spain is Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar known as El Cid. In cinema El Cid was play wonderfully by Charlton Heston. You are going to enjoy this film.
Thanks so much for doing this (and all the classics). Enjoyed it all! I HIGHLY recommend checking out other films by this director, William Wyler. His casts won the most best actors/actresses of any any director, because he really knew how to get a performance! The first, natural follow up is "The Big Country" (1958), and I'd also very much recommend "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) and "Roman Holiday (1953). Some of the best movies ever made.
The story is the co-writer Gore Vidal struggled to come up with a reason for the antagonists' savage animosity. He and Stephen Boyd came up with the idea of 'spurned lover'. You can see Boyd acting up a storm playing the spurned lover while Heston is entirely oblivious.
Here's Vidal describing how he wrote the scene. He wrote the script up to the point where Judah Ben-Hur leaves Rome. ua-cam.com/video/ejvgYFTM64A/v-deo.html
I used to be totally against this idea, but it actually makes perfect sense from a cultural perspective. Judah is Jewish, a homosexual relationship would be completely unacceptable to him culturally, whereas Messallah is Roman, a culture that actively tolerated and accepted homosexuality.
@@nickmanzo8459 Ive heard this story before and its funny. I do believe that heterosexual men can really fall in love with each other, just not a sexual way. Its not found often in modern films because a lot of people will end up playing the "well, maybe they are bi."card. I am gay so I don't care one way or the other.
Interestingly,Heston out and out denied it in an interview for Playboy."That's bulls***",or should I say,that's Gore Vidal,which is essentially the same thing".
@Shan - Another all-time great movie is "The Agony and the Ecstasy," in which Charlton Heston plays Michelangelo. P.S. Jack Hawkins is also in "Lawrence of Arabia."
Fun fact: A 'talent' was a weight measure of gold used in ancient times, the way we use troy ounces today. The precise weight of one talent of gold varied from region to region, but in Imperial Rome it was roughly 32.3kg (71lbs. 3 oz.).
When you consider that gold is currently hovering near $2000 an ounce (yes an ounce) you start to realize what an unfathomable amount of money was being wagered. Messala knows he can't possibly come up with that sum-I suspect Ildirim can't either-but both make the wager anyway.
While you were talking about the aspect ratio, you should watch How The West Was Won. It was shot in CINERAMA and you should look up what that process is. It is also a true classic.
The chariot race was the crowning achievement of legendary 2nd unit director Yakima Canutt..he told Heston "Hang on to the reigns I guarantee you'll win the race". Ben Hur won 11 Oscars including best picture it held the Oscars record until Titanic in '97.. The stunt that launched Judah over the chariot took several days to coordinate and shoot,that particular five seconds was performed by Yakima Canutt's son who had a physical resemblance to Heston.. Stephen Boyd (Masala) had to wear contacts to disguise his deep blue eyes,the casting director hired to many blue-eyed actors.. As for the miraculous ending.. WHAT'S YOUR FAITH?
The fixing of the race joke is a Charlton Heston-level of what we term a "shaggy dog" story. Canutt's son was launched up over and forward of his chariot when he went over a ramp they built. He saved his neck by doing a one-armed handstand on the yoke that pulled the chariot, then sprung himself back onto the chariot, again with one arm. Native Americans have a reputation for balance and physical prowess. Upon seeing thus footage, the director bolted out of his seat and said they had to use thus in the film.
There are two more epic pictures with Charlton Heston (The Ten Commandments and El Cid) and two great science fiction films with Heston (The Omega Man and Soylent Green). "Spartacus" with Kirk Douglas and directed by Stanley Kubrick, is also not to be missed!
@@bobmessier5215 I also love _The Omega Man._ And Heston's interpretation is a huge part of that. I certainly prefer it to _I Am Legend_ (2007), with Will Smith.
@@mikerodgers7620 It's okay, Mike. You don't have to agree with me. I like films from every decade. I don't expect the F/X in older movies to be the same as 21st century blockbusters like "The Avengers". Only that the story is entertaining and the actors have some depth. In the case of "The Omega Man", I loved the twist at the end. Even, "The Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price and Will Smith's "I Am Legend" (same story) was fine, but not as interesting. If your referring to "Soylent Green", over-population and assisted suicide were great sci-fi themes, even if the budget was lacking.
Alright, so enjoy to watch next "Quo Vadis", "Cleopatra", "The Robe" - all based in ancient Roman time. Also do watch "The Big Country" and "Lawrence of Arabia". Then you have a nice sweep through monumental movie classics. 😄
@@mitchellcarter1654 Just don't watch Hercules and Samson and Ulysses. Neat idea, Hercules' ship gets caught in a storm and he ends up in Judea where he is mistaken (due to his strength) for Samson. It's a real groaner though.
One of the best films of all time. Unbelievably, the story of the man who wrote it, Lew Wallace, is every bit as incredible. After you watch this vid check out History Guy Lew Wallace to hear his story. He was one of the most interesting Americans youve never heard about.
Every time I see the end of this film, I cry! The film works towards the ending that it arrives at. A true masterpiece. Thanks for reacting / reviewing. It is always a joy to watch a film such as this through the eyes of someone else. The scene with Masala is clearly him trying to inflict as much pain as possible. His dying breath hurt Juda. Be safe.
One of my top five films ever. The scope, scale, soundtrack, & cinematography are truly epic in the purist sense of the Word. In my opinion, the large epics of the 40s-50s are fantastic, far eclipsing anything produced today. I wholeheartedly agree with you, I've always thought the chariot scene is the most amazing piece ever shot. The story is a beautiful one, covering a myriad of emotions...with the underlying hope of the love of Christ. Great review
To this day there has been no other scene in any movie that makes me wonder if what I'm watching is real or not, like the chariot scene in Ben Hur. I've seen the movie multiple times and my jaw still drops every time. No action scene ever can match it in terms of realism and scale. The whole movie is a masterpiece and in a class of its own in my opinion! The cinematography, acting, story, spiritual elements, musical score, the ending. It just embodies the word "epic".
Great reaction - I appreciate that you also watch OLD films, ones prior to 1960. Before computer generated effects took center stage, box office hits mostly relied on great scripts, and William Wyler was akin to Stephen Spielberg in that he often directed some of the biggest hits of the day. He was an actor's director, and has directed the most Oscar winning Actors of all time, including two from this film. Despite directing popular dramas, he never resorted to cheap sentiment to generate tears. His films are very mature and span a lot of genres. For this particular film, he received a lot of flak from "prestige" film afficionados for tackling a "sword & sandal" epic, a genre that was the "comic book film" of the day - adjusted for inflation, films like Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, and Quo Vadis? still rank among the most popular films of all time. My favorite film by Wyler is The Heiress, starring Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift, from 1949, it's based on the popular stage play of the same name, which itself is based on the book Washington Square, by Henry James. I can't imagine you ever tackling it, but who knows? One can hope! Other candidates by Wyler that you may just end up posting are The Best Years of Lives, about servicemen returning from WWII (Wyler served, too); Roman Holiday, one of the best romantic comedies of all time; Funny Girl, a musical which made Barbra Streisand a film star; and Mrs. Miniver, probably the most successful propaganda of all time (helping rally Americans around supporting the war effort during WWII as many were against it). Lastly, there is an incredible documentary you'd probably enjoy called "Five Came Back", about 5 all-time great directors that served during WWII: Frank Capra, John Huston, John Ford, George Stevens, and William Wyler. It's about their contributions to the war effort and the effect it had on their filmmaking. It's narrated by Meryl Streep, with commentary by Spielberg, Del Toro, Greengrass, Kasdan, and Coppola. It's available on Netflix and is SO engrossing and worth a reaction video. It's about filmmaking and WWII with a lot of archival footage! Keep up the great, insightful work!
Awesome bit of trivia: though a horse rider and well-trained for the 4-horse chariot, Heston was concerned about riding in one during this massive sequence. Yakima Canutt, brought in to coordinate the race sequence, famously told the nervous Heston, "Just stay in the chariot, Chuck, you'll win the damned race."
One of my favourite movies of all time, General Lew Wallace The writer of Ben-Her was the governor of New Mexico the time Billy the kid become famous he was governor for around three years and he also supposably secretly met Billy the kid about a possible pardon in exchange to testify against certain people, He was also the US minister to Turkey
Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, Cleopatra, and Gone With the Wind are some epic films that more reactors should definitely give it a chance. It seems like YT reactors have a much easier time reacting to classic music than classic films. I think it's because of an abundance of technical bells and whistles in today's movies. It's like the mind can no longer comprehend simple nuisances.
I saw this movie a few years ago for the first time. My heart was pounding during the chariot race and i was crying my eyes out at the end of the movie. Very powerful epic film! Thank you for reviewing it. God bless :)
Hi Shan, I am glad you finally got to review Ben Hur. It is one of my favorite films of all time. Yes there are various documentaries of the film that you might like. The film won 11 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director. The film took years to make and was the most expensive film up to that date to produce. Ben Hur was supposedly filmed on three continents. I'm happy you enjoyed the movie.
Great review of my favorite movie! If you want to learn more about the production of Ben Hur, get the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Blu-ray Box... It comes with Mr. Heston's detailed personal journal (including his workout sessions to make him even more believable) also a documentary and lots of production data.
One of the great classics. Thank you for your wonderful reactions Shan. I enjoy your great insights and observations and the obvious joy you have in doing them. Brightens my day.
They arranged for the actors who were driving to chariots to be able to practice every day for 6 weeks. There were 2 actors who were there every day; Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd. They became so good it allowed them to be used in closeups that they didnt plan on and added enormously to the authenticity. The camera work was done by a group of the few 65 millimeter cameras of the day. They were huge and enormously expensive. During the chariot race one of them fell out of chase car, destroying it to the tune of a quarter of a million dollars.
It was one of his best performances to be sure Shan - but as others have said, you need to watch Ten Commandments and El Cid - both Heston movies, both truly superb 'Epics'.
The Roman Empire gets a bad rap in the movies, but generally speaking, its rulers allowed conquered peoples to retain their own culture, gods, etc. As long as they also paid respect/homage to the Emperor, paid their taxes, etc. Many of the wealthy classes of Judaea assimilated into Roman culture to a certain extent. The problems in Judaea erupted when the Romans insisted on setting up idols in the Jerusalem Temple, where idols were forbidden. Not all the Judaeans participated in the various revolts against Rome. As usual, there were various factions among the populace. Another historical note: Jews in Roman Judaea did not wear yarmulkes (aka skullcaps or kippot). They wore turbans and other Middle Eastern headwear. Skullcaps were worn by Medieval European scholars, and yarmulkes emerged around that time. My favorite scene in the movie is the sea battle. And the scene in which Ben-Hur talks to his horses.
El Cid is one of my very favorites....only when I got older did I learn Loren and Heston did not get along AND she was so vain that she refused to have aging makeup applied...so despite the years that were shown going by in Heston's aging, Loren did not age as well!!!!! So I still love the movie but see it's flaws now. Do love Douglas Wilmer as Moutamen.
in this movie, the actor who plays the wise man Balthazar, is in the David Lean movie Great Expectations 1946 as the convict. still my favourite movie, please watch Great Expectations 1946. it is a masterpiece
This movie singlehandedly saved MGM from bankruptcy. If you have an interest in Heston epics you have to see "El Cid" from several years after this one.
Independent producer Samuel Bronston was behind some great Epics of the late '50's & early '60's- two w/Heston "El Cid" & "55 Days At Peking". Also, "King of Kings"('61), "Fall Of The Roman Empire"('64), "John Paul Jones"('59)w/Robert Stack & Bette Davis as Catherine The Great.
SHAN - the close up horse driving scenes are done with back projection in post. they filmed the horses weeks earlier, of the race, later composting the close up actors later.
The chariot race in the 1925 silent version of Ben Hur was also spectacular, although it was also notorious for the mistreatment of the horses. There had also been a very successful stage adaptation of the novel, which ran for 25 years.
Every time I see this movie or clips - I am amazed by the excellent acting of all - especially Charlton Heston- they all deserved the awards that they earned.
I was so excited to see you react to this, Shan! This is a movie that's been part of my life for many decades. I'm not hardcore religious but I still find the movie incredibly moving because of the reactions of the characters around Christ. It is not subtitled A Tale Of The Christ lightly! There is one little story that you may enjoy, concerning the relationship between Messala and Ben Hur. According to some accounts, William Wyler directed Stephen Boyd to play their reunion scene at the beginning as if the two of them were more than just friends in the past. The idea was that once Judah refused to cooperate, it also gave the appearance of Messala being a spurned lover. Boyd apparently loved the idea, but Wyler said "don't tell Chuck!"... as Heston has always been very conservative. This story may be apocryphal, but some of the expressions on Boyd's face during that scene certainly do indicate that it may have been a possibility.
I've read that Ben Hur at the turn of the previous century travelled the world as a stage play. And when it appeared in the theatre in Melbourne the chariot race had teams of horses on stage on treadmills
Fantastic review and movie! From IMDB: The chariot race required 15,000 extras on a set constructed on 18 acres of backlot at Cinecitta Studios outside Rome. Tour buses visited the set every hour. Eighteen chariots were built, with half being used for practice. The race took five weeks to film.
Boyd's harness came loose on the chariot race. He really did fall and was drug for a while. His skin was peeled of his back. Boyd stated it was the worst pain he ever felt. He died young(45) of a heart attack. One of the greatest actors ever.
If that doesn't make a person cry at the end when they are healed... wow. I saw this the first time on TV I was probably 8 or9 years old... maybe 1969 or 1970. Still today my favorite movie.
I was fortunate to see this in the theater on the huge screen the year it came out. I think this movie is the best and my favorite movie ever. It has everything from great production, scenes, plot, acting, music, and REAL people, not CIG. We know it is financially impossible to make a movie like this today without fakeness.
"In William Wyler's Ben-Hur, a staggering 15,000 extras were used to form the baying mob that watched Judah and Messala race to the death, a truly colossal logistical undertaking. Horses were flown in from Spain and Austria, sand from Mexico, and more than 300 sets were built for the film."
Yes "Classics should not be touched"! I agree without a doubt.
This was a remake of a silent classic.
Michael Caine said essentially the same thing and that it should be the failures that get remade. After all, couldn't do worse.
@@flaggerify this was one of the rare exceptions (others would be Friedkin's "Sorcerer" and also the remake of "Papillon").
@@inkfishpete8695 Sorcerer is better than The Wages of Fear? Not what I heard. Only seen the original though.
The Maltese Falcon 1941 might be a better example of a superior remake.
@@flaggerify Agree. Both were excellent, but I would give Friedkin's the edge - the 4 background stories at the beginning added so much. Do yourself a favor and watch it when you get a chance ("Sorcerer" had the misfortune of being released at the same time as "Star Wars").
I had a teacher who happened to be an extra in the crowd in the chariot scene. From what I remember, she said there seemed to be about 1,500 to 2,000 extras present on day of shooting. So perhaps the scenes that suggested more people than that were achieved with different angle shots, some matte paintings etc. My teacher told me they were given a costume, lunch, and told to cheer wildly on cue. Just being able to watch the chariot race was an experience of a lifetime, she said.
I heard that only the lower bowls were actually built and had extras in them. For the wider shots, the filmmakers held up in front of the camera partial models of the upper bowls to give the illusion of a complete stadium. The little model people could be moved up and down individually, which is why they're not static as they would be in a painting.
@@Osprey850 The method used is called 'the foreground miniature' where a built model replaces what the camera sees, and the camera can even move as long as the model's movement matches exactly.
In the stands are thousands of cotton swabs often called 'q-tips', being stroked or lifted from behind by long rods, similar to how an ocean can be simulated in waves by wheels beneath a dark sheet, often used for storm scenes.
Much of the circus was constructed for the film, and is one of the few times that the cloth sunshields called 'velarium' used at such places are seen on film, the other is in Gladiator.
@@Osprey850 That was in the first Ben Hur move for 1924. 1959 Ben Hur used real spectators.
@@tml184 I think that you're right on the first part. On re-research, it does seem to be the 1925 version that used the movable miniatures. The 1959 version reportedly used matte paintings to simulate the upper grandstands, so they weren't miniatures or real spectators, but painted ones.
15,000. Fifteen thousand.
@Shan - You should also watch Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments," starring Charleton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Pharaoh. Magnificent! Also, perfect for Easter!
So let it be written, so let it be done.
@@fergalmoore862 - Amen.
...and "The Greatest Story Ever Told" ('65) w/Heston as John The Baptist and Max Von Sydow in my favorite cinema portrayal of Jesus. Dir. by the great George Stevens ("Giant", "The Diary of Anne Frank", "A Place in The Sun", "Gunga Din" , etc.)
YES!!!!!!!!!
Been suggesting it since before it was cool lol
Because of this movie , watching it when it came out I had to watch it right away again. This movie made Charlton Heston my favorite actor of all time.
Ben Hur, 10 Commandments and El Cid. 3 essential films to watch.
El Cid was a damn good movie.
@@oaf-77 people of Valencia
Messala, with his dying breaths, taunted the Prince of Hur. If he was redeeming himself and ‘making amends’ he wouldn’t have added “…if you can recognise them!”. That in itself was a mocking comment. Why would anyone add that jibe otherwise? He would have left it at the revelation that the mother and sister are in the Valley of the Lepers. ‘nuff said.
Masala's informing Ben Hur of his family's fate was his "Final Revenge". Done so in order to reduce Ben Hur's triumph into a pyrrhic victory. Though I watched this movie on television, I did once view both "Ben Hur" and "The Ten Commandments" on the wide screen at a Film Festival. Not certain if movie studios will ever do that again. BTW, fantastic reaction and evaluation.
I really hope that you'll react to "The Ten Commandments" with Heston and Yul Brunner soon too!!! 👍👍👍
Regarding the scene where Mesala dies, it was definitely Mesala's last little revenge on Ben Hur, but it was also a way to ridicule Ben Hur's thirst for revenge
I agree, there was no apology or even a hint of sympathy in Mesala’s words or tone.
A word on remakes, THIS version of Ben Hur is actually a remake of a 1925 film, so not all remakes are bad!!
Rare
The original Ben-Hur is quite good too, and the chariot race, although it's a silent film. is as dynamic and famous as this version... especially with the stunning score.
I'm okay with remakes that take advantage of new technologies such as going from silent to sound, or black & white to color, but not remakes that push a particular political narrative or get made simply due to a lack of creativity.
@@OneEyedJack1970 Good point.
Ben Hur won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.
For other classic epic blockbuster films I highly recommend: The 10 Commandments, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone With the Wind, Dr Zhivago, and Once Upon A Time in the West
Fall of the Roman Empire.
"El Cid" w/Heston ('61)
"Cleopatra" ('63)
"Mutiny On The Bounty" ('62)
Once Upon a Time in America.
Personally, I never like GWTW. I'd much rather watch Father Goose, Captain Blood, Ivanhoe, Sergeant York or The Four Feathers.
@@stevecampbell9670 "The Sea Hawk" & "Captain Blood" are two of my Errol Flynn favorites, along with both the '35 and '62 "Mutiny On The Bounty".
If you're not talking about the 2003 version, What did you think of the Heath Ledger "The Four Feathers"? The Korda '39 version is the Gold Standard, but I did like Ledger's too.
A Roman talent was around 32Kg... so the wager was roughly 32 tons of gold. These bois were making it rain :)
OMG, I was in suspense waiting for part 2! Shan, love your intelligent commentaries and your fantastic reactions. It's so much FUN watching you react to great movies you're seeing for the first time. Ben Hur is a classic and I'll watch it anytime it's on TV. You must see Lawrence of Arabia and other classics from the same era! I saw Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen in special wide-screen screenings at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood - just A-MA-ZING! The way they were meant to be experienced! And they truly were an EXPERIENCE! I always cry at the end of Ben Hur, my heart melting just like Judah's! Yes, Masala was trying to get the last vengeful dig at Judah before he died -- "You may have won the chariot race, but I can still HURT you even while I'm on the verge of death!" Hate and a desire for revenge keep us chained, imprisoned. Love, compassion, and forgiveness sets us free! A wonderful message for all of humanity, for all time.
My interpretation is that Messala on his deathbed was taunting Judah:
"You'll find them in the valley of the lepers...IF YOU CAN RECOGNIZE THEM."
(Also, there's a nice reverse-symmetry: the woman who loves Judah hides the truth from him. But the man who hates him reveals the truth in one final act of spite.)
You mus watch CLEOPATRA now with Liz Taylor.
Hollywood sure doesn't make 'em like this anymore. In fact they went 180 degrees the "other" way. At any rate, what a fantastic film. I tear up at the end every time. And yes, the shepherd leading his flock is most definitely symbolic.
The last scene to me is Messala attempting to beat his rival one last time before Messala dies. He lost the race, but he still can claim victory forever. He has destroyed the love in Ben Hurs heart his mother and sister. The healing at the end, from the rain of tears of god at his son's death, is a symbol of love being reborn. In a way Ben Hur's life itself is a collection of miracles. Surviving the galleys, becoming a son of Rome, his love of horses and how they help him best his rival, finding his true love again, and the healing of his family. I have both films, but the only one I rewatch is this version.
A fascinating movie.
I am very glad to see you reviewing it.
Maybe "Spartacus" with Kirk Douglas and "Cleopatra" with Elizabeth Taylor (which happens to be my all-time favourite movie) could be done at some point as well?
Either way, this one was great.
As for Messalahs' last act, the fact that he added "if you can recognize them." does hint towards an act of spite rather than an act of redemption.
As in: You may have won this battle but I can still hurt you even now.
If that were not the case, just telling Ben Hur where his family was would have been enough.
But essentially Messalah made him loose them a second time instead.
The Robe.
Both great movies.
Spartacus is a must-see. It's also a surprisingly accurate depiction of the character (Even though very little is known of his personal life). But Cleopatra? That movie is regarded as a mega dud.
Cleopatra is regarded as a dud? Is that so?
Now that would be unfortunate.
But well, I love it.
And it's not a guilty pleasure or something like this. I absolutely adore every second of that movie from beginning to end.
To each their own, I guess.
@@NelsonMontana1234 In terms of epicness, Cleopatra has it.
An excellent movie from beginning until the end. Aside from the leads, Jack Hawkins is the standout performance playing Quintus Arrius of the movie.
Fun Fact: The chariot race has a 263-to-1 cutting ratio (263 feet of film for every one foot used), probably the highest for any 65mm sequence ever filmed.
Bonus Fact: The only Hollywood film to make the Vatican-approved film list in the category of religion.
The book was also the first work of fiction to be blessed by the Pope.
Jack Hawkins is awesome
Jack Hawkins is terrific in this, but Hugh Griffith steals the movie.
The Vatican has a list of approved movies?
Steve Campbell ...Yep. You can actually find the Wikipedia article on the matter. I tried linking it, but UA-cam deleted my comment.
This film is a masterpiece and I grew up watching it so I feel so giddy seeing you enjoy it so much! 😊
I bought the autobiography of Charlton Heston ( my mother idolized him) while writing about his other movies he takes a while to explain how long it took to film the chariot race...It was a long time.
As far as I remember the Colosseum was achieved with a combination of actual physical sets, hanging miniatures (forced perspective) and matte paintings. However, since I could be mixing up movies, if anyone does know for sure, can they let me know. Ben Hur (his stunt double) was unexpectedly thrown over the front of his chariot, but held on and climbed back. This was unintended, but too good to leave out of the film.
4:26
Ok, I'll be the history police. The Colosseum is in Rome and was/is circular/oval. This was a hippodrome. The name is derived from the Greek words hippos (ἵππος; "horse") and dromos (δρόμος; "course"). There was one in Rome - the Circus Maximus.
It was actually Heston who almost fell out of the chariot,; the director told him there would be a little bump!!! Also, this was meant to be Circus Maximus, not the more round Colleseum
What's so wonderful for me is, you are watching a movie from my childhood; which I consider a very rich place. My town, my country, the entire world was so incredibly different considering the time passed. More than the reaction, you offer the detailed review. And to some degree, you offer a glimpse into the era gone by from the unique perspective of someone younger. I hope you continue to watch these classic movies from this era -of course if you haven't already seen them.
Ben Hur is always in my top 5 movies of all time! I’m so happy you’ve finally watched it! And I’m loving the comment section! I think I’ve watched it like 35 times and every single time I’m like 😮 and yeah please do The Ten Commandments next, perfect for Easter! Another one that will blow your mind!
Heston's stunt double in the jumping chariot scene, Joe Canutt, was the son of Yakima Canutt, who was Clark Gable's stunt double in the burning of Atlanta scene in Gone with the Wind.
If you’d like to see more of director William Wyler’s films, I highly recommend “The Best Years of Our Lives”. His best work!
Ben-Hur's sister was also in "Best Years" as the fiancee and girl-next-door of Homer (Harold Russell), the double-amputee.
Since you enjoy Heston's performances I would suggest 1961's El Cid
Shan I love This Movie but my Favorite Movie with Charlton Heston in "The Ten Commandments" where he plays Moses, the Actress that played his mother in Ben Hur also plays his Mother In The Ten Commandments.
Love that u watched and reacted to this gem. A lot of people became Christians after watching this film. Of course Charlton Heston also played Moses in The Ten Commandments.
That stunt at 4:26 where Judah's chariot goes over another chariot was performed by a stuntman. Flying out of the chariot and climbing back in was an accident - the stuntman was supposed to stay in the chariot. When they checked the footage the "mistake" looked so great they decided to put it in the movie. To do so, they ended up shooting a closer matching shot with Charlton Heston climbing back into the chariot.
Ieven heard that extra died, but I don't know if that is true or false.
@@marcraider Fortunately, he didn't die or sustain any serious injuries. His name was Joe Canutt and he was the son of another Hollywood stuntman, Yakima Canutt, who actually staged the chariot race in Ben Hur. They both lived to be old men.
@@marcraider It was in one of the previous versions of Ben Hur where an extra died, not this one.
@@marcraider No extras died. The stuntman was Joe Canutt, son of famous horse wrangler and stuntman Yakima Canutt. He sustained only a broken rib. The previous charioteer who was run over was replaced by a mobile dummy. One horse broke a fetlock,but was nursed back to health in a sandpit stable with a winch.
Heston was also pretty good in "The Agony and the Ecstasy," in which he played Michelangelo.
Another good Hesston movie worth watching is "55 Days at Peking". And if you want another good sci-fi movie of his, please check out "Soylent Green".
Soylent Green was okay but not great. Planet of the Apes is way better.
"Soylent Green" takes place in 2022 ! 😁
@@Daniel24724 Boy were they off. They believed in the Malthusian stuff too much.
Love 55 Days at Peking and El Cid with Heston. Not a fan of Soylent Green.
@@jillfromatlanta427……Edward G. Robinson died shortly after making that film. His death scene in it is very poignant…………
This film was shot in what was called MGM Camera 65, later known as Ultra Panavision. It used 65mm film, along with anamorphic squeeze lenses to produce an amazingly detailed image, with an aspect ratio of 2.76:1. The same lenses used to photograph Ben-Hur, were pulled out of mothballs and used to shoot Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight.
Other movies with music by Miklos Rosza worth watching are: "Quo Vadis"; " El Cid" (with Charlton Heston); " The Golden Voyage of Sinbad"; "Jungle Book" (1942); "Double Indemnity" and "Spellbound".
This is a remake of the silent film and the chariot race from that movie is practically identical. Ben-Hur was MGM's first big hit and the remake was their last big hit. It really bookends the studios life.
Being old enough to have seen this masterpiece in the theater , It still amazes me ! The actress playing his sister , reminded me of another great movie she was in . The Best Years of Our Life , The story of men coming home after WW2 , A Great movie . Directed by William Wyler .
What a rewarding reaction to watch. Thank you. You might also appreciate the film that earned this director his first Academy Award for Best Director, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).
He also directed ‘Friendly Persuasion’
……& ‘The Big Country’, (1958) It starred Charlton Heston. After it, Director William Wyler decided to sign Heston for his new film, ‘Ben-Hur’……………
Other Charlton Heston movies you might want to check out. Omega Man, Touch of Evil, Soylent Green.
Maximus Decimus Meridius was a spaniard, I mean a natural from the "old" Spain. Another, great fictional character from Spain is Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar known as El Cid. In cinema El Cid was play wonderfully by Charlton Heston. You are going to enjoy this film.
One of the best things to ever be made by man also charlton Heston is such an amazing actor
Thanks so much for doing this (and all the classics). Enjoyed it all! I HIGHLY recommend checking out other films by this director, William Wyler. His casts won the most best actors/actresses of any any director, because he really knew how to get a performance! The first, natural follow up is "The Big Country" (1958), and I'd also very much recommend "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) and "Roman Holiday (1953). Some of the best movies ever made.
The story is the co-writer Gore Vidal struggled to come up with a reason for the antagonists' savage animosity. He and Stephen Boyd came up with the idea of 'spurned lover'. You can see Boyd acting up a storm playing the spurned lover while Heston is entirely oblivious.
Here's Vidal describing how he wrote the scene. He wrote the script up to the point where Judah Ben-Hur leaves Rome.
ua-cam.com/video/ejvgYFTM64A/v-deo.html
I used to be totally against this idea, but it actually makes perfect sense from a cultural perspective. Judah is Jewish, a homosexual relationship would be completely unacceptable to him culturally, whereas Messallah is Roman, a culture that actively tolerated and accepted homosexuality.
@@nickmanzo8459 Ive heard this story before and its funny. I do believe that heterosexual men can really fall in love with each other, just not a sexual way. Its not found often in modern films because a lot of people will end up playing the "well, maybe they are bi."card. I am gay so I don't care one way or the other.
Interestingly,Heston out and out denied it in an interview for Playboy."That's bulls***",or should I say,that's Gore Vidal,which is essentially the same thing".
Shan, "Lawrence of Arabia" has to be your next epic film. It's an 11 out of 10!!!
Yep. It is an amazing movie.
@Shan - Another all-time great movie is "The Agony and the Ecstasy," in which Charlton Heston plays Michelangelo.
P.S. Jack Hawkins is also in "Lawrence of Arabia."
I couldn't agree with you more. What a great movie! One of Charlton Heston's finest performances.
@@robertocarbonvarela6387 Agreed with "one of" because nothing can top his performance in Wayne's World 2.
Ooooh here come the tears 😭😭😭
The cinematography of the charity scene, the music during the rain scene…pure beauty
Fun fact: A 'talent' was a weight measure of gold used in ancient times, the way we use troy ounces today. The precise weight of one talent of gold varied from region to region, but in Imperial Rome it was roughly 32.3kg (71lbs. 3 oz.).
When you consider that gold is currently hovering near $2000 an ounce (yes an ounce) you start to realize what an unfathomable amount of money was being wagered. Messala knows he can't possibly come up with that sum-I suspect Ildirim can't either-but both make the wager anyway.
While you were talking about the aspect ratio, you should watch How The West Was Won. It was shot in CINERAMA and you should look up what that process is. It is also a true classic.
The chariot race was the crowning achievement of legendary 2nd unit director Yakima Canutt..he told Heston "Hang on to the reigns I guarantee you'll win the race".
Ben Hur won 11 Oscars including best picture it held the Oscars record until Titanic in '97..
The stunt that launched Judah over the chariot took several days to coordinate and shoot,that particular five seconds was performed by Yakima Canutt's son who had a physical resemblance to Heston..
Stephen Boyd (Masala) had to wear contacts to disguise his deep blue eyes,the casting director hired to many blue-eyed actors..
As for the miraculous ending.. WHAT'S YOUR FAITH?
The fixing of the race joke is a Charlton Heston-level of what we term a "shaggy dog" story.
Canutt's son was launched up over and forward of his chariot when he went over a ramp they built. He saved his neck by doing a one-armed handstand on the yoke that pulled the chariot, then sprung himself back onto the chariot, again with one arm. Native Americans have a reputation for balance and physical prowess. Upon seeing thus footage, the director bolted out of his seat and said they had to use thus in the film.
……he had better control with the REINS………
Yep - Heston won best actor oscar and the movie won a huge amount of awards that year.
Heston won a best actor Oscar for this movie
There are two more epic pictures with Charlton Heston (The Ten Commandments and El Cid) and two great science fiction films with Heston (The Omega Man and Soylent Green). "Spartacus" with Kirk Douglas and directed by Stanley Kubrick, is also not to be missed!
The Omega Man was average just like Soylent Green. Nothing great about them other than the cheese factor.
@@mikerodgers7620 You're entitled to your opinion, but for me "The Omega Man" was awesome!
@@bobmessier5215 I also love _The Omega Man._ And Heston's interpretation is a huge part of that. I certainly prefer it to _I Am Legend_ (2007), with Will Smith.
@@bobmessier5215 It is dated and looked tacky.
@@mikerodgers7620 It's okay, Mike. You don't have to agree with me. I like films from every decade. I don't expect the F/X in older movies to be the same as 21st century blockbusters like "The Avengers". Only that the story is entertaining and the actors have some depth. In the case of "The Omega Man", I loved the twist at the end. Even, "The Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price and Will Smith's "I Am Legend" (same story) was fine, but not as interesting. If your referring to "Soylent Green", over-population and assisted suicide were great sci-fi themes, even if the budget was lacking.
Alright, so enjoy to watch next "Quo Vadis", "Cleopatra", "The Robe" - all based in ancient Roman time. Also do watch "The Big Country" and "Lawrence of Arabia".
Then you have a nice sweep through monumental movie classics. 😄
The Robe especially is a good Easter movie.
Big Country is one of my favorites
No Life of Brian?
The Robe is great. They are all great.
@@mitchellcarter1654 I always liked victor mature. ‘The Egyptian’ ‘Demetrius and the Gladiators’ ‘Androcles and the Lion’. Great stuff.
@@mitchellcarter1654 Just don't watch Hercules and Samson and Ulysses. Neat idea, Hercules' ship gets caught in a storm and he ends up in Judea where he is mistaken (due to his strength) for Samson. It's a real groaner though.
You just saw the greatest action scene in cinema, how do you feel?
Spartacus 1960 also has a massive amount of extras and huge scenery.
One of the best films of all time. Unbelievably, the story of the man who wrote it, Lew Wallace, is every bit as incredible. After you watch this vid check out History Guy Lew Wallace to hear his story. He was one of the most interesting Americans youve never heard about.
Was privileged to work in Santa Fe for many years which still maintains the Palace of the Governors where Lew Wallace wrote the story in the 1800's
Issued the death warrant for Billy the Kid.
A short reaction for a long film.
Leslie Nielsen was almost cast in Boyd's role. Test footage exists
Every time I see the end of this film, I cry! The film works towards the ending that it arrives at. A true masterpiece.
Thanks for reacting / reviewing. It is always a joy to watch a film such as this through the eyes of someone else.
The scene with Masala is clearly him trying to inflict as much pain as possible. His dying breath hurt Juda.
Be safe.
One of my top five films ever. The scope, scale, soundtrack, & cinematography are truly epic in the purist sense of the Word. In my opinion, the large epics of the 40s-50s are fantastic, far eclipsing anything produced today. I wholeheartedly agree with you, I've always thought the chariot scene is the most amazing piece ever shot. The story is a beautiful one, covering a myriad of emotions...with the underlying hope of the love of Christ. Great review
To this day there has been no other scene in any movie that makes me wonder if what I'm watching is real or not, like the chariot scene in Ben Hur. I've seen the movie multiple times and my jaw still drops every time. No action scene ever can match it in terms of realism and scale. The whole movie is a masterpiece and in a class of its own in my opinion! The cinematography, acting, story, spiritual elements, musical score, the ending. It just embodies the word "epic".
Heston won the Best Actor Oscar for Ben Hur
Great reaction - I appreciate that you also watch OLD films, ones prior to 1960. Before computer generated effects took center stage, box office hits mostly relied on great scripts, and William Wyler was akin to Stephen Spielberg in that he often directed some of the biggest hits of the day. He was an actor's director, and has directed the most Oscar winning Actors of all time, including two from this film. Despite directing popular dramas, he never resorted to cheap sentiment to generate tears. His films are very mature and span a lot of genres. For this particular film, he received a lot of flak from "prestige" film afficionados for tackling a "sword & sandal" epic, a genre that was the "comic book film" of the day - adjusted for inflation, films like Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, and Quo Vadis? still rank among the most popular films of all time.
My favorite film by Wyler is The Heiress, starring Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift, from 1949, it's based on the popular stage play of the same name, which itself is based on the book Washington Square, by Henry James. I can't imagine you ever tackling it, but who knows? One can hope! Other candidates by Wyler that you may just end up posting are The Best Years of Lives, about servicemen returning from WWII (Wyler served, too); Roman Holiday, one of the best romantic comedies of all time; Funny Girl, a musical which made Barbra Streisand a film star; and Mrs. Miniver, probably the most successful propaganda of all time (helping rally Americans around supporting the war effort during WWII as many were against it).
Lastly, there is an incredible documentary you'd probably enjoy called "Five Came Back", about 5 all-time great directors that served during WWII: Frank Capra, John Huston, John Ford, George Stevens, and William Wyler. It's about their contributions to the war effort and the effect it had on their filmmaking. It's narrated by Meryl Streep, with commentary by Spielberg, Del Toro, Greengrass, Kasdan, and Coppola. It's available on Netflix and is SO engrossing and worth a reaction video. It's about filmmaking and WWII with a lot of archival footage!
Keep up the great, insightful work!
If you like Heston, there is the film "The Agony and the Ecstasy." 1965. Heston and Harrison. About Michelangelo. Great film in Todd-AO!
The movie "The 10 Commandments" is another Charlton Heston movie that is epic like this movie.
A pure master piece !
And yes, there was a dumb guy who tried to remake it recently. It was pathetic, of course :)
The chariot race from Ben hur 1925 used 42 cameras. And a lot of horses were injured/put down.
Awesome bit of trivia: though a horse rider and well-trained for the 4-horse chariot, Heston was concerned about riding in one during this massive sequence. Yakima Canutt, brought in to coordinate the race sequence, famously told the nervous Heston, "Just stay in the chariot, Chuck, you'll win the damned race."
I love when Marsala says, “this god of the hebrews is the hope of the hopeless,” and I was like, you got THAT right!
One of my favourite movies of all time, General Lew Wallace The writer of Ben-Her was the governor of New Mexico the time Billy the kid become famous he was governor for around three years and he also supposably secretly met Billy the kid about a possible pardon in exchange to testify against certain people, He was also the US minister to Turkey
That's just blown my mind! Thank you !
Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, Cleopatra, and Gone With the Wind are some epic films that more reactors should definitely give it a chance. It seems like YT reactors have a much easier time reacting to classic music than classic films. I think it's because of an abundance of technical bells and whistles in today's movies. It's like the mind can no longer comprehend simple nuisances.
"Spikes. They will come into play for sure". ...Shan, Would you have it any other way???
In General Wallace's book, Judah Ben Hur had the spikes, and used them to take his revenge.
Chekhov's chariot spikes
I saw this movie a few years ago for the first time. My heart was pounding during the chariot race and i was crying my eyes out at the end of the movie. Very powerful epic film! Thank you for reviewing it. God bless :)
Hi Shan, I am glad you finally got to review Ben Hur. It is one of my favorite films of all time. Yes there are various documentaries of the film that you might like. The film won 11 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director. The film took years to make and was the most expensive film up to that date to produce. Ben Hur was supposedly filmed on three continents. I'm happy you enjoyed the movie.
……it actually took ONE year………
Great review of my favorite movie! If you want to learn more about the production of Ben Hur, get the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Blu-ray Box... It comes with Mr. Heston's detailed personal journal (including his workout sessions to make him even more believable) also a documentary and lots of production data.
One of the great classics.
Thank you for your wonderful reactions Shan. I enjoy your great insights and observations and the obvious joy you have in doing them. Brightens my day.
They arranged for the actors who were driving to chariots to be able to practice every day for 6 weeks. There were 2 actors who were there every day; Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd. They became so good it allowed them to be used in closeups that they didnt plan on and added enormously to the authenticity. The camera work was done by a group of the few 65 millimeter cameras of the day. They were huge and enormously expensive. During the chariot race one of them fell out of chase car, destroying it to the tune of a quarter of a million dollars.
It was one of his best performances to be sure Shan - but as others have said, you need to watch Ten Commandments and El Cid - both Heston movies, both truly superb 'Epics'.
The last scene in El Cod gives me the chills.
Ivanhoe
The Roman Empire gets a bad rap in the movies, but generally speaking, its rulers allowed conquered peoples to retain their own culture, gods, etc. As long as they also paid respect/homage to the Emperor, paid their taxes, etc. Many of the wealthy classes of Judaea assimilated into Roman culture to a certain extent. The problems in Judaea erupted when the Romans insisted on setting up idols in the Jerusalem Temple, where idols were forbidden. Not all the Judaeans participated in the various revolts against Rome. As usual, there were various factions among the populace.
Another historical note: Jews in Roman Judaea did not wear yarmulkes (aka skullcaps or kippot). They wore turbans and other Middle Eastern headwear. Skullcaps were worn by Medieval European scholars, and yarmulkes emerged around that time.
My favorite scene in the movie is the sea battle. And the scene in which Ben-Hur talks to his horses.
I believe this movie won 11 Oscars. So well done. Epic. One of the best there is. Good reaction Shan.
cinematic masterpiece that won 11 oscars including best actor for charlton heston.
He won an Oscar for this, but Charlton Hestons best performance is in El Cid, which I'm sure you'd enjoy.
El Cid is one of my very favorites....only when I got older did I learn Loren and Heston did not get along AND she was so vain that she refused to have aging makeup applied...so despite the years that were shown going by in Heston's aging, Loren did not age as well!!!!! So I still love the movie but see it's flaws now. Do love Douglas Wilmer as Moutamen.
Heston did do the stunt. I saw an interview with him where he said so.
in this movie, the actor who plays the wise man Balthazar, is in the David Lean movie Great Expectations 1946 as the convict. still my favourite movie, please watch Great Expectations 1946. it is a masterpiece
He also played St. Peter in "Quo Vadis" Crucified Upside Down!
This movie singlehandedly saved MGM from bankruptcy. If you have an interest in Heston epics you have to see "El Cid" from several years after this one.
Independent producer Samuel Bronston was behind some great Epics of the late '50's & early '60's- two w/Heston "El Cid" & "55 Days At Peking". Also, "King of Kings"('61), "Fall Of The Roman Empire"('64), "John Paul Jones"('59)w/Robert Stack & Bette Davis as Catherine The Great.
……NOT several years’, as ‘Ben-Hur’ was completed in 1959, & ‘El Cid’ in 1961………
SHAN - the close up horse driving scenes are done with back projection in post. they filmed the horses weeks earlier, of the race, later composting the close up actors later.
The chariot race in the 1925 silent version of Ben Hur was also spectacular, although it was also notorious for the mistreatment of the horses. There had also been a very successful stage adaptation of the novel, which ran for 25 years.
Every time I see this movie or clips - I am amazed by the excellent acting of all - especially Charlton Heston- they all deserved the awards that they earned.
My parent’s favorite film. They had a wonderful box set of the film soundtrack, I use to play it with my GI Joe’s acting out the film.
I was so excited to see you react to this, Shan! This is a movie that's been part of my life for many decades. I'm not hardcore religious but I still find the movie incredibly moving because of the reactions of the characters around Christ. It is not subtitled A Tale Of The Christ lightly! There is one little story that you may enjoy, concerning the relationship between Messala and Ben Hur. According to some accounts, William Wyler directed Stephen Boyd to play their reunion scene at the beginning as if the two of them were more than just friends in the past. The idea was that once Judah refused to cooperate, it also gave the appearance of Messala being a spurned lover. Boyd apparently loved the idea, but Wyler said "don't tell Chuck!"... as Heston has always been very conservative. This story may be apocryphal, but some of the expressions on Boyd's face during that scene certainly do indicate that it may have been a possibility.
I've read that Ben Hur at the turn of the previous century travelled the world as a stage play.
And when it appeared in the theatre in Melbourne the chariot race had teams of horses on stage on treadmills
Fantastic review and movie! From IMDB: The chariot race required 15,000 extras on a set constructed on 18 acres of backlot at Cinecitta Studios outside Rome. Tour buses visited the set every hour. Eighteen chariots were built, with half being used for practice. The race took five weeks to film.
Awesome as always please remember to watch Lawrence of Arabia director's cut it will change your life lol!
2 other great epics with Charlton Heston are the ten commandments and El Cid. Both are fantastic and you should react to them.
Awesome reaction sir
You should check out Heston in his 70's disaster movies , Earthquake and Airport 1975
I saw "Earthquake" in the original Sensurround.
"Classics should not be touched" Hear, hear!
Now, on to those other classic epic movies, Cleopatra and of course... Laurence of Arabia
- "Classics should not be touched" Hear, hear!
George Lucas : - "What ? I can't hear you!" 😒
Boyd's harness came loose on the chariot race. He really did fall and was drug for a while. His skin was peeled of his back. Boyd stated it was the worst pain he ever felt. He died young(45) of a heart attack. One of the greatest actors ever.
If that doesn't make a person cry at the end when they are healed... wow. I saw this the first time on TV I was probably 8 or9 years old... maybe 1969 or 1970. Still today my favorite movie.
I was fortunate to see this in the theater on the huge screen the year it came out. I think this movie is the best and my favorite movie ever. It has everything from great production, scenes, plot, acting, music, and REAL people, not CIG. We know it is financially impossible to make a movie like this today without fakeness.
"In William Wyler's Ben-Hur, a staggering 15,000 extras were used to form the baying mob that watched Judah and Messala race to the death, a truly colossal logistical undertaking. Horses were flown in from Spain and Austria, sand from Mexico, and more than 300 sets were built for the film."