Ben-Hur Reviews

Simply one of the best epics on film. It is long, but with everything so good I was never bored even in the talky and more leisurely parts. The film looks wonderful, the sets are beautiful, the costumes are nice and the cinematography is excellent, and Miklos Rosza's rousing score is one of his best. William Wyler's direction is superb, and the story is engrossing complete with a fine script and solid pacing. As for effective scenes, I cannot stress how riveting the chariot racing climax is, no wonder it is one of cinema's iconic moments. The acting is also fine, Charlton Heston of course is excellent and the supporting cast including Stephen Boyd and Finlay Currie(Magwitch in David Lean's Great Expectations) solidly support him. Overall, this is how an epic should be made. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I already saw this movie but since it was a while ago and since I had it on DVD, I was quite eager to check it out again. To be honest, since it is one of the longest movies in my collection, I kept delaying this rewatch for quite some time but I'm glad I finally took the time to watch again the damned thing. Anyway, eventually, after all these years, it remains such an entertaining epic, even if it takes hours to finally reach the finish line. Nowadays, almost 60 years after this movie was released, you can see that it was actually seriously ahead of its time and preceded all the huge blockbusters which are currently ruling the box-office. It was also rather interesting that at least half of the storyline in 'Gladiator', a seriously overrated 'classic' in my opinion, was pretty much lifted from this movie. Anyway, it is such a strong story with some tragedy, some romance, some impressive action scenes (the legendary chariot scene remains after all these years easily one of the best action scenes ever displayed), some historical elements and they even managed to squeeze a biblical tale in the mix. In fact, the scope was so huge that it might better work if it was developed as a TV-show, especially nowadays, since the quality of our current TV-shows is pretty much exceeding the quality of what you get to see in the movie theaters. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was maybe not completely flawless, it is still a great classic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I loved this movie. Very very very very very very good. Really. One of the best, or maybe the best movie ever made! Charlton Heston is amazing.

Wyler and the entire production knew that the film turns around the charriot race. It is not the climax but the essence, the highlight, besides the battle in the sea. Nice framing. Harareet ok. Heston better than average.

Record-breaking winner of 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, and Score, this epic masterpiece stars Charlton Heston ("The Ten Commandments," "Touch of Evil") in the title role of a rebellious Israelite Jew who takes on the Roman Empire during the time of Christ. Featuring one of the most famous action sequences of all time -- the breathtaking chariot race. Directed by Oscar-winner William Wyler ("Mrs. Miniver," "The Best Years of Our Lives"). Recently selected as one of the top 100 American films of all time by the prestigious American Film Institute.

At a distinguished party in a handsome manor, Ben-Hur presents itself as a rich & important member. Finely detailed in an aquiline manner and topped with an impressive personality, many members think he must be some important official. What they don't know is that he is the owner of the manor himself, the one who invited them all to the party! I've always imagined Ben-Hur in that sense. An outstanding film that turns heads of many people but receives recognition from a certain few. Not to say Ben-Hur is under-rated, far from that. I just wish that more of the young generation of the now would see this film and not get repelled by its 3+ hour screen-time and movie content. It is such a classy, masterfully made film that it should be of no wonder when someone ranks it no. 1 in their list, like I have. Prior Ben-Hur I had seen countless of films and most were eligible for the number 1 position, but when I saw this film, it became immediately clear that it would hold the spot for a very, very long time. Why? Because it has a certain charm, a certain element that no other film quite has. I can't explain what that is but it is always present whenever I see this film, something I did not feel in other movies, believe me.

To the modern eye the film may seem kinda clunky and offish but if you take a closer look you will come to realize that every scene is very professional and thoughtfully made and every cast member seems alive, involved, energetic in every sense. Every detail has rich value, every major cast member acts as if it's their final movie, giving unmatched performances, and the music could very well be written by Apollo himself, a legendary achievement. How can a film like this ever be disliked or ranked lower than the others? It is filled with energy and has a really awesome cinematography that literally makes you one of the cast members because of its mastery.

The movie starts off showing the birth of Christ. Then we see two old friends, Messala and Judah Ben-Hur, re-uniting. The loyalty towards each other as well as tension and frustration is not lost to the audience. The different personalities and view points are brilliantly showcased in a small time frame. One thing leads to another and Messala condemns Ben-Hur, as well as his mother and sister. Ben-Hur finds himself below the deck as a rower, all dignity lost. Now, if you compare the galley sequence to modern day sequences, it seems very dog-tired and repetitive. But like I said before, everything seems convincing, realistic to the point you can actually feel the whip that comes down on them, the aching in their arms while they row, and all that. May sound cheesy but it is not. Every single person, major to extra, played their part brilliantly, most importantly Jack Hawkins, who introduces himself in a very memorable monologue (You have the spirit to fight back...) Then, after 10 things here & 10 things there, Ben-Hur finds himself in a chariot race, arguably the finest use of chariots, mass audience, music and entertainment. It is also one of the most violent moments in cinematic history, even if it doesn't seem much. The reason why the 9-minute chariot race is so well loved is not only because of the significance it holds in the film and to the character (the chariot race was to Ben-Hur what the arrows were to Odysseus), but also because of its one shocking scene where Charlton Heston almost broke his neck due to a timing error. But the brave Heston carried on, giving us one of the damn greatest 2-second moment in cinematic history. After when everything is said and all is done, Judah Ben-Hur witnesses the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and reunites with his family and his loved one. Such a brilliant end to a bona-fide film.

From the performances, every single cast, from the major to the 2-second extra, was great. The one thing I appreciated was not showing the face of Christ and the actor who portrayed him, Claude Heater, was actually good in his role, despite the fact we only see his hands and backside. But his lithe hand movements were enough. Charlton Heston, as always, stole the show by his amazing portrayal of Judah Ben-Hur and it was of no surprise when he won the Oscar. Granted, it may not be one of the perfect performances I've seen, I have seen better, but it certainly shows what great acting is all about. A performance not to be missed at all! Then we have Hugh Griffith as the charismatic, never-failing Shiek Ildrim, a performance which rightly won him the Best Supporting Actor. He not only provides detailed comic-relief but a great addition to the epic, and is introduced at the best possible time. Even though he never got the world-wide fame as Heston, Jack Hawkins will still remain as one of the best actors of yesteryear. Not only he had his well-known role in check, he also managed to upstage virtually everyone, even challenging Heston face-to-face. He embodied the true persona of a Roman. Then we have Stephen Boyd as Messala, the main antagonist of the film. An equally memorable performance as the others. If he had been given a little more screen-time, he would've been a very good contender for Best Supporting Actor. His death-scene performance is arguably one of the best. From the rest, Sam Jaffe, Haya Harareet, Finlay Currie, Frank Thring and Martha Scott were also great and unresting in their respective characters, each providing a humble contribution to the film and made good use of their screen time. Like I said before, virtually every cast member was truly amazing in their role and all were alive in some manner.

In conclusion, Ben-Hur is cinematic perfection (I just love that sentence!) It is everything what a big-scale film should be and is a classic example of how Hollywood used to survive back in the day without the use of CGI and exaggeration. Ben-Hur is more than Hollywood. It defines it.

10/10

William Wyler's Epic Masterpiece BEN-HUR!

This Is The 3rd Big Screen Installment From Lew Wallace's Best-Seller, Ben-Hur (The First Was A Silent One-Reel Play In 1907, The Second Was In 1925 And The 3rd In 1959, Arugably The Best Installment So Far)!

Anyways, My Father Is A Big Fan Of Charlton Heston And Has Virtually Seen All Of His Movies! One Day, He Bought 3 Of Heston's Movies (Ben-Hur, Planet Of The Apes & The Ten Commandments) And Told Me To See These Movies As He Had Seen Them In His Lifetime! I Loved Planet Of The Apes & The Ten Commandments Straight Away But I Held Back On Ben-Hur, As The Time Limit Was Too Much (Its More Than 3 Hours)!

Now, For 2 Years, The Ben-Hur CD Was Kept In My Cupboard And Whenever I Would Take It Out, I Would Instantly Put It Back! I Know, Its Kinda Funny! Anyways, When EMPIRE Magazine's 500 Greatest Films Of All Time Was Released, I Was Quite Surprised To See All 3 Movies In That List, So I Decided To Give Ben-Hur A Try!

No Words Can Explain The Sonic-Boom That Came Upon Me When The Opening Theme Song Started! I Had Never Heard Such Beautiful Music All My Life! My Dad Also Joined Me And Pointed Out Who Was Who! Barely The Film Progressed 20 Minutes, I Was Starstruck! I Was HOOKED! And All That Time I Was Thinking That I Had Seen THE Movies! Geddit?

Anyways, This Is One Of The Only 3 Movies Which Each & Every Cast Impressed Me A-Lot (The Other 2 Are Singin' In The Rain & Schindler's List)! Heston Was Legendary As Ever, No Doubt About That!

The Best Supporting Are: Jack Hawkins As Quintus Arrius, Stephen Boyd As Messala And Hugh Griffith As Sheik Illdrim!

This Film Is Also Notable For Being The First To Win Both Best Actor & Best Supporting Actor Award (Charlton Heston & ugh Griffith, Respectively)... A Record That Was Held For 44 Years Until Clint Eastwood's Mystic River Came Out In 2004 (Sean Penn For Best Actor & Tim Robbins For Best Supporting Actor)

Anyways, The Chariot Race Has To Be One Of The Most Violent And Dangerous Scenes I Have Ever Seen! But My Most Favourite Scene Is The 'Galley Sequence'

Overall, I Would Give It 5/5, 10/10, 100/100 Stars For EVERYTHING! It Will Never Bore You, Nomadder How Many Times You Have Seen It! It Deserved All The 11 Awards That Were Bestowed On Them!!!

On An Aside Note: I Ranked The Chariot Race No. 5 In My List Of 100 Greatest / Memorable Movie Scenes Of All Time!

And I Also Ranked Ben-Hur No. 1 In My List Of 500 Greatest Films Of All Time (And Yes, The Godfather Is No. 2) No Gasping! Ben-Hur Is Miles Better Than The Godfather!

I Also Ranked Quintus Arrius's (Jack Hawkins) Quote, "You Have The Power To Fight Back, But A Good Sense To Control! Your Eyes Are Full Of Hate, 41! Thats Good, Hate Keeps A Man Alive! It Gives Him Strength!", No. 9 In My List Of 25 Greatest Movie Quotes Of All Time!

And The Last Words Spoken By Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), "I Felt His Voice Take The Sword Out Of My Hand", Was Ranked No. 4 In My List Of 50 Best Movie Exit-Lines!

A Truly Epic And Memorable Film That Will Not Fade In Any Time!

Ben-Hur is an absolutely outstanding epic story that is set in the times of Jesus. Despite Jesus is involved in Judah Ben-Hur's life, I think it is set more in an Egyptian time around the time of Moses. It is a very memorable film because of it being one of the very early epic stories. Also, I think it was the running time of the film that made it very interesting to the public as well as to the Academy. Ben-Hur is tied with Titanic and The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King for most Oscar wins. All three films have won 11 straight Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. The chariot race was the most intense moment in the whole film and the whole race is very memorable and famous. I have read on a few websites that people have died in this chariot race during filming and now after seeing it I'm not really surprised at all. The chariot race was a very excited experience not only because people really died in it but also because epics are full of intense moments and are set to make something happen that some viewers may not be expecting. I can see why some people might not watch it because it's an epic and especially because it is over 200 minutes long which isn't far from 4 hours.


The late Charlton Heston's performance as Judah Ben-Hur is legendary. It earned him his first and only Oscar nomination and win. I absolutely loved his acting in this film. I think his portrayal of Moses in The Ten Commandments led to his portrayal of Ben-Hur because of the epic desert environment and also they are to do with the Bible and the past. He is definitely one of those heroic sorts of people who would do anything but to protect himself as well as others around him. Jack Hawkins' performance as Quintus Arrius was absolutely awesome too. He was a good friend of Judah's at the start of the film but then he turned out to be the enemy and betrays him. So, a rivalry forms between the two men and has severe consequences.


This was the first William Wyler film that I saw and so far he has given me a good impression that he is a good filmmaker and creates classic masterpieces. The direction in the chariot race literally lifted me off the each of my chair because it was so explosive and intense. There were so many sudden shots of the film that were changing around quite a lot.


Ben-Hur is an epic masterpiece that I loved from start to finish. However, there were a few scenes that were a bit boring and dragging on a bit. Apart from that, Ben-Hur is a classic masterpiece that should be remembered forever and be one of the best films of all time.