Movie 219/1001 ~ Ben-Hur

Made in 1959, Ben-Hur was an expensive gamble to try and save MGM from bankruptcy (it paid off). The film stars Moses as Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince in Judea who is sent into Roman slavery, but eventually earns his freedom and returns for revenge. The film is set in the time of Jesus and the movie show several biblical scenes such as the birth of Christ, the sermon on the mount and the crucifixion. The film is set in an extremely large aspect ratio of almost 3:1. The film is better viewed in this manner and the differences between the 3:1 and a lesser (but better fitting the screen) ratio is most noticeable in the chariot race sequence. The chariot race sequence took months to complete and they had to bild an actual chariot racing stadium for the film. Moses had to learn to chariot race for the film. I enjoyed the film. The movie is quite long at around 3 hours and 15 minutes, but I found it entertaining and enjoyable. I'm not really a fan of Moses and I'm not usually a fan of religious movies which tend to be too pious and self-righteous, but I think this movie avoids the pitfalls that many films fall into deftly. Over-all, an enjoyable experience. The film is rumoured to have homoerotic undertones between Moses and his rival, but I'm not sold on that particular issue. The film one a whopping 11 Oscars, including Best Picture.

***1/2