Ben-Her

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Mum, Dad

A classic epic, 11 time oscar winner, and I've never seen it before? Well what better way to start off the new year than with a beautifully digitally remastered bluray of a towering classic that was sorely lacking from my film knowledge. Even if it is just a remake.

I do love it when discs keep Overtures and Intermission or Entr'acte music. Back in the days where cinema was treated much more like theatre. And if I'm being honest, one of the things I dislike about this film and many from the age is how much most of the scenes just feel like filmed plays, with everything playing out in wide masters and very stagey blocking. They say the power of cinema is in the close up. Esther is the only one that gets a close up but that's understandable as the rest of the cast all have pretty ugly mugs.

The first thing that jumps out at me watching this film is the WIDESCREEEN. 2.76:1 is one hell of a ratio. Filmed in 65mm and the bluray looks spectacular. The second thing that stands out is another classic Miklós Rózsa score filled with melodrama. Love it. Especially the HUGE horror sting at the revelation of lepers. Such horror!

It's so funny to me, scenes like in the first disc, (yeah it's on 2 discs, it's 222 minutes long...) the big sea battle that to my eyes are so obviously little models but to my folks they are real. Mum even had to ask if it was real or not. Perhaps it's because they saw it when they were younger and remember it as real or perhaps they still genuinely can't tell. Makes the years I've spent learning compositing seem kinda useless.

In the second disc we have the infamous Chariot Race. Yeah, it's pretty badass. I like on the IMDB trivia it says that sequence has a cutting ratio of 263:1. That's a lot of fill rolled to get that sequence.

I'm not that much of a Charlton Heston fan. He was in some cool movies though. The ship battle, the chariot race and the horror of lepers were the only things that stood out to me and the rest of the film was just people standing around talking (and that's a VERY long running time). I did't care that much for story or characters and I think I naturally get wary anytime a film becomes overtly religious or preachy. Although It's pretty funny that as this was before the 70's you still weren't allowed to show Jesus' face so he appears like the dentist on a television commercial.