To begin watching the AFI Top 100 Movies List, you have to start from somewhere. I decided to start at #100 and move down, so looking at the 2007 AFI list I see that #100 is the Charlton Heston epic, Ben-Hur.
Screening Date: 7/17/2009, 12:01 AM
Run Time: 212 minutes (3 hours, 32 minutes)
Director: William Wyler
Release Date: 1959
Attendance: Weird Dave, Patrick Griffin, Harris Burkhalter, Trenton Rehberger, David "Schwami" Schillmoeller
It is quite a shame that I had not seen this movie, as it fits right in with my viewing tastes. Epic scale, grandiose style, and Charlton Heston as a Jew speaking in his clenched teeth mode. Ben-Hur has all of this and a surprisingly engaging storyline that follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish noble betrayed by his Roman friend. His mother and sister imprisoned by the Romans, sent to work on a slave galley for three years, this man keeps going with an inner strength that stems from his belief he'll one day be reunited with his family.
His slave ship engages in a mighty naval battle, which was done surprisingly well with models considering it was 50 years ago, where he saves the life of the ship's captain after their vessel is destroyed. Ben-Hur earns the man's friendship, and afterwards they both travel to Rome where the former Jewish noble becomes a vassal of the Roman lord. Ben-Hur shows quite an aptitude for horses and races the Roman's chariots in the games, and continues to do so for several years.
I think. One of my biggest complaints about the movie is how it handles the passage of time, which is to say not very well. For a movie that's more than 3 1/2 hours long you think they could've squeezed something in, a phrase flashing by that says "3 years later" or something like that.
Long story shorter, Ben-Hur races his Roman friend in the climactic chariot scene the movie is famous for. It was quite intense - or at least I think, since I fell asleep for most of it. I'm quite embarassed by this, though it is odd that I would stay glued to my seat for most of the movie and then drop when the action ramped up. Not sure what that says.
Ben-Hur beats his Roman friend and returns to Jerusalem to find his family, where he meets up with his former slave and his daughter. Here towards the end we see a romance story start to emerge, but it is quickly squashed when Ben-Hur learns his mother and sister have become lepers in the Roman governor's dungeons.
Here's where the movie starts to not be so good. Through good fortune and luck Ben-Hur learns of his family's plight, and also that there is a miracle worker named Jesus in the area who can cure leprosy. They arrive too late, unfortunately, seeing Jesus dragged through the streets attached to the cross and then crucified. But the sun shines through and the family's leprosy is cured. The end.
I have to say, I did really like the film overall. It was extremely well done, and overall well paced. Until the end. The first 3 hours felt like a half hour, and the last half hour felt like 3 hours. When the movie introduced the suffering of Jesus after Ben-Hur's ordeal it just felt jarring.
Overall, though, it was a good introduction and a movie everyone should see. "Let my people go!" Or something.
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