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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.
8/10
