No. 15 - Ben-Hur (1959)

A Tale of the Christ

Rated: G (General Audiences)

Director: William Wyler; Screenplay: Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal

Starring: Charlton Heston, Haya Harareet, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Sam Jaffe, Finlay Currie, Frank Thring

Movie Introduction: Judah Ben-Hur (Heston) is an aristocratic Jew living in Judaea. When he refuses to endorse the aspirations of his childhood friend, Messala (Boyd), now a Roman tribune, Messala heartlessly sentences Juda to slavery aboard a Roman galley ship, and imprisons Judah's mother and sister. During a sea battle, Judah survives, and he saves the ship’s captain, Quintus Arrius (Hawkins). Arrius takes Judah as his own adopted son and gives him freedom. Judah is pulled back to Judea to find is mother and sister. Along the way meets an Arabian charioteer, Sheik Ilderim, and becomes the driver of his four beautiful white Arabian horses. Sheik allows him to represent Judea in the great race in Rome. It is there that Judah will get his vengeance against Messala.

Defining Moment: God help me

Immediately following his capture, the chained Judah and all Roman prisoners are forced to walk the long road to the coast. They reach a small village. The Roman guards drink at the well, then water their horses. The parched prisoners are forced to look on in agony. They finally allow the prisoners to drink, but Judah’s cup is taken away, the guard sneering, “No water for him.” Judah falls, face down into the dirt, defeated, uttering only, "God, help me." This village just happens to be the home of a carpenter who will soon change the world.     

Something subtle you might have missed:  tan lines

When Judah is asked by Quintus about his ship experience, Judah replies that he has spent the last three years in slave galleys. All this time in the bowels of a ship would have certainly made him muscular, but his complexion would have been deathly pale. Heston, however, sports a deep Hollywood tan. 

Memorable Quotes:

"Now listen to me, all of you. You are all condemned men. We keep you alive to serve this ship. So row well, and live.” – Quintus Arrius

"Look for them in the Valley of the Lepers, if you can recognize them. It goes on. It goes on, Judah. The race, the race is not over." - Messala

"Almost at the moment He died, I heard Him say, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do...And I felt His voice take the sword out of my hand." - Judah Ben-Hur

Dad's Review:

One of my Mom’s heart-throbs was Charlton Heston. It is not hard to understand why. As a young actor, he landed some of Hollywood’s most iconic roles in the biggest films: Buffalo Bill in Pony Express (1953), Moses in The Ten Commandments (1956), and Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965). His film career spanned over six decades from 1941 to 2003. The man was Hollywood royalty.

By 1957, he was a major star. MGM studio green-lit a remake the silent film Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925). They hired William Wyler as director, and secured Heston as the lead (the role was turned down by Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Rock Hudson and Leslie Nielson). Director Wyler later said that with this film, his intent was to make a “thinking man’s Biblical epic.”

Ben-Hur follows the life of a Jewish man, Judah Ben-Hur, who loves his heritage and his family. Jerusalem has come under rule of the Roman Empire. When Judah refuses to name Jewish rebels, he is sent to the galleys by his boyhood friend, Messala, now a Roman commander. His mother and sister are also imprisoned.

The film then follows Judah’s harsh journey. He eventually lands aboard a Roman flagship. As fate would have it, he rescues a Roman general and becomes his surrogate son. He also becomes an expert charioteer in Rome.

He grows to love this adopted father, but there is not a minute that passes where he does desire revenge on Messala, his betrayer. Revenge is the fuel that powers his every action.

Judah’s hate and quest for revenge are the catalysts of the film. It is completely justified, however all-consuming. It continues to cost him the ability to have a new life, to love others and marry. Finally, it justifies his entrance in the great chariot race in Rome. He does not go to represent the down-trodden Judean people, but rather to kill Messala, whom he learns will be driving the Roman team. Judah seems destined to bring about his own death. Even if he kills Messala, he will be immediately executed for the crime against Rome.

You may ask, “How then is this a film about Christ?” I will let you figure that out on your own, but will say that the Christ story, which has been told many times, hovers in the background of Ben-Hur. As Judah battles his demons, Christ is walking the earth, a carpenter, teaching those around him, gathering his disciples, feeding the hungry. The film doesn't feature these events, but rather let's us witness from a distance.

One very wise decision regarding the depiction of Christ was to not show his face. Rather, we see the reaction of those looking at him. Their expressions show that they are changed, affected by a deep, confirming connection.

Judah’s character represents all of us. His heart is corrupted. He is heading down a path that leads to destruction and despair. He is the perfect subject in need of peace and forgiveness. He denies it. He fights it. Can a man’s heart be changed?

We hope, and pray, that it can.

Onto No. 16... No Territory for Grandfathers