Ben-Hur is a historical-adventure drama lasting almost 4 (!) Hours, taking into account overtures and other inserts for breaks that were relevant at the time. Being a true fan of cinema, I have to admit that few people are able to master a picture of this magnitude in one go (I succeeded). And here the quality of the product is absolutely not important, just to keep attention for such amount of time is physically unreal. Be prepared for that if you dare to see completely that at some point the forces will leave your body and your brain will need a reboot, therefore take advantage of the intermission, which is in the narration and take a rest for at least 30 minutes at this moment.
Now directly about the film. We have before us a classic story about the confrontation of two close people, practically brothers in relation to each other. But the sense of purpose of the "Roman brother" could not coexist with patriotism and a supporter of a certain religious idea of the "Jewish brother." The situation between them strained to the limit and at the first opportunity one of them (Roman Messala) betrayed Judah Ben Hur, sending him into slavery.
First of all, it is worth praising the scale of the production. It is quite difficult to describe in words, but it is impossible to forget what you see. Incredible beauty landscapes, fashion design of the time, the number of people participating in the crowd, the grand scenery - all this is done as healthy and professional as possible. Alignment of the frame, the dialogue between the characters, a huge number of events - this is only a small grain of the success of the picture. Before us is a classical theater, with the proper play of actors, but with incredible technical tools (for that time). Now no one is shooting. Everything, in order to save, try to draw on the computer.
With all this, you can chide the director for timekeeping, which does not fit into any framework. Dynamics is absent here as a class and does not appear even closer to the end. Protoganist, despite his heroism, is represented by an overly emotional man, which is why his “machismo” dies before he is born. Some scenes are trying to get ahead of the time in which they were filmed and look pretty shabby. But all this is overshadowed by the verified direction and acting (the latter concerns exclusively male roles). You literally live the life of Judah Ben Hur (Charlton Heston), suffer with him, rejoice in his good luck and success, and hope that he will eventually die his ardor, and his soul will find peace in this world. At the same time, the struggle for ideals, the opposition of the majority and minority, the authorities and the peoples under its control does not stop for a second. Jude is trying to find a path that should be followed by his people and by which he himself will want to lead him. In the end, he will find it, but pay his price for it.
In connection with the release in 2016 of another film adaptation of Ben Hur from the maestro of Russian cinema Bekmambetov, one can not help comparing both productions. Despite the fact that Timur had a lot more ways to shoot these or other scenes, he loses to the point of true breakthrough canvas by William Wahler. Not saved even significantly comfortable timing. This proves once again that in order to make Cinema it is not necessary to have the most advanced and modern equipment. Just a little desire, a little bit of luck, a pinch of arrogance, but the main thing is talent. Literally every scene that a modern representative has is filmed significantly worse than his older relative. For example, it is worth mentioning the way Jesus is presented in both pictures and what role he plays in the plot. In 1959, the author makes him a real god, deliberately not showing (not daring) his face, even in the light of the bright sun. Moreover, it is quite organically woven into history, playing an important role. In 2016 - we see in essence a person, with a face that the rest want to see omnipotent. In the film, his presence is due to the original source, rather than the necessity of the plot, and he feels like the fifth leg of a dog. Neither subtract nor add.
8 out of 10 Long thought about whether it is worth advising to join the art of the modern audience, which is utterly spoiled by cinema. There were doubts while watching, but after the end I can safely say - necessarily. Just ... you need a lot of free time.
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