Ben-Hur (William Wyler, 1959): USA

Reviewed by Kathleen Amboy.  Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

 In keeping with the SBIFF’s Kolnoa sidebar – or cinema related to Jewish and Israeli aesthetics, Ben-Hur has two scheduled screenings, to honor the newly restored DVD by Warner Home Video.

Much like a preface to a great novel, the opening prologue of this film reveals a man guiding a donkey with a female passenger, on their way to Bethlehem.  In another location three mysterious travelers are guided by a very bright northern star.

Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is a handsome Jewish prince in Jerusalem.  His best friend Messala (Stephen Boyd), has just returned home after years away, and has been appointed commander of  the local Roman garrison.  Although Judah is loyal in friendship, he refuses to betray his people to the highly ambitious Messala, by disclosing the names of Jewish dissidents.

Due to an unfortunate accident to the new Governor, the tyrannical Messala makes an example of Judah, by condemning him to become a galley slave, and throws his young sister and elderly mother into a dungeon.

On his way to the sea, dragged in chains and dying for want of water, Judah is aided by a mysterious carpenter.  Refreshed and determined to survive in order to avenge his family, Judah is chained for three years as a dismal rower on a battleship, when an opportunity arises to save the life of the fleet’s commander Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins).

In gratitude, Arrius a Roman, legally adopts Judah and restores his health, by teaching him the distinguished skill of chariot racing, but Judah eventually becomes homesick, realizing that he must face certain demons.  He makes the journey and along the way is befriended by an Arab, Sheik Ilderim (Hugh Griffith), who offers him the use of his four beautiful white “children” to race in the great arena.  Later his path crosses again with the mysterious carpenter.

Ben-Hur was produced in an era of greats:  great studios, great casts, great productions.  The filming involved big sets, big budgets, and a copious amount of extras.  The chariot race scene is by far everyone’s favorite scene, with great brutality and apprehension, as racers are trampled and eliminated, while Judah’s chariot inches closer to the finish line.

One particular scene that jumps out while watching on the big screen is the sea battle sequence; while Arrias commands the foreman to increase the speed, he pounds on his drum to keep time for the rowers.  As the speed is increased, so is the pounding on the drum – as is the speed of the camera shot, jumping from the foreman to the rowers, rowers to Arrias, Arrias to the foreman, all in time to the beat of the drum.  Anxiety increases until some rowers pass out and are replaced.

Of course the theme is forgiveness, because those filled with so much hatred, really do themselves in.  The message is to keep one’s self open to friendship, just as Judah did, befriending both a Roman and an Arab.

Ben-Hur earned an astounding 11 Academy Awards which included Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor.  William Wyler is a director we do not hear enough about today, but the list goes on and on of great films that he directed.  I have managed to whittle down the list of my absolute favorites, they are what I consider must-see films:  The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), The Heiress (1949), The Big Country (1958), and Ben-Hur (1959).