Picture 32: Ben-Hur (1959)

So far just one film from the 1950s has made the top 10. Can MGM serve up a grand finale before the swinging 60s take hold of this blog?

Producer Sam Zimbalist and his team have gone all out in their efforts. The film is nearly four hours long and boasts a 15 million US dollar budget (160 million dollars today) together with 10,000 extras, 200 acting camels (the majority of whom were on short-term contracts) and the largest film set ever built for its time.

We are transported to AD 26 where we join the title character Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) in Jerusalem. Judah is a wealthy Jewish merchant with an honourable and loving temperament. His family’s peaceful existence, however, is threatened by the raw power and brutality of Roman rule. Judah’s childhood friend, Messala (Stephen Boyd), is now a Roman Tribune assigned to Judea. This old friendship is soon put aside when Judah is unwilling to reveal the identities of Jewish insurgents.

Judah’s life rapidly falls apart as the Romans imprison him and his family. He finds himself in the most hopeless situation as a galley slave in the Adriatic. We then follow his plight to rise from this intensely grim position to challenge the might of Rome for the sake of his kin.

Sea battles, an unforgettable chariot race (that took 5 weeks to film), infectious diseases, John Le Mesurier from Dad’s Army and epic cross continental journeys follow. It is a long picture but still manages to maintain gripping plot lines throughout. It is visually impressive with an immense scale yet does not lose its ability to generate intriguing and complex characters.

This epic story, set to the backdrop of one of the most significant theological periods in human history, makes for a rare film indeed. It’s almost able to transcend the human experience and enter the world of the divine. It is rightly considered one of the greatest films ever made.

With some tighter cutting it would have been a 10/10.

Rating: 9/10

Reflections:

1.     Persevere through the worst of it and, in time, miracles may happen.

Oscar Best Picture Rankings:

1. Casablanca (1943)

2. Rebecca (1940)

3. Ben-Hur (1959)

4. Lost Weekend (1945)

5. All About Eve (1950)

6. Hamlet (1948)

7. How Green Was My Valley (1941)

8. Gone With the Wind (1939)

9. Mrs. Miniver (1942)

10. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

11. Wings (1928)

12. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

13. You can’t take it with you (1938)

14. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

15. On the Waterfront (1954)

16. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

17. Marty (1955)

18. Cimarron (1931)

19. Grand Hotel (1932)

20. An American in Paris (1951)

21. From Here to Eternity (1953)

22. It Happened One Night (1934)

23. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

24. Cavalcade (1933)

25. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

26. Going My Way (1944)

27. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

28. All the King’s Men (1949)

29. Gigi (1958)

30. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

31. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

32. The Broadway Melody (1929)

Previous or current ranking leaders are in bold.

With credit and thanks to the patrons of the Best Picture Film Club:

Dr Sophie Bloomfield

Dr Caspar Briault

Dr Kate Diomede

Dr Fionnuala Durrant

Dr Hannah Morrison

Dr Meera Radia