Ben hur film comparison

Audio commentary by actor charlton heston and film historian t. The producers of the 2106 version seemed more interested in producing a new version of ben hur that spoke to christianity more than to general wallaces original book. Aug 23, 2017 musictoperformance comparison, from forthcoming compete film score recording of ben hur miklos rozsa. The comparison is to 1959s benhur, itself a reimagining of a silent film from the 1920s, but made as a feast for the eyes, with scenes like a chariot race that we still talk about almost. Comparison between the novel and film essay paper benhur. Benhur is an often interesting film, told during a barbaric time of human history, that manages to touch upon some powerful biblical themes including that of vengeance, love, but most of all mercy and forgiveness. Aug 25, 2016 whereas in the 1959 film and the 1880 book, judah benhur is adopted into the roman family of quintus arrius, in the new film the benhur family adopts the roman, messala. The first screen ben hur, from 1907, was a 15minute short that cut straight to the chariot race. The producers of the 2106 version seemed more interested in producing a new version of benhur that spoke to christianity more than to general wallaces original book. May 11, 2015 released in 1959, ben hur is a cinematic achievement from director william wyler that took the world by storm. Comparison between the novel and film essay paper ben hur. Critic chris klimek gets so excited about the various film versions of an epic set in the roman empire that he opens a socratic dialogue with his. Aug 19, 2016 the first screen ben hur, from 1907, was a 15minute short that cut straight to the chariot race. Today we will be discussing both recent benhur movies subscribe to me on youtube.

For this reason the curator is a bit passionate about how this film is handled in both film prints and video transfers. In 1958, variety columnist army archerd took readers to the spectacular rome set of cinemas greatest remake. A tale of the christ film and novel exhibit a number of similarities and differences in plots since the film was adopted from the novel which was the first to be published. Directed by fred niblo, the still impressive 1925 benhur, a. It is, after all, one of the most recognized films of all time, taking home a whopping eleven oscars at the 1960 academy awards. Ben hur, an animated directtovideo film adaptation featuring the voice of charlton heston ben hur miniseries, a television miniseries that aired in 2010 ben hur 2016 film, directed by timur bekmambetov and starring jack huston. Yet despite its shortcomings, ben hur is an entertaining film with a powerful message about forgiveness and letting go of hate.

Bushman, a former 1910s superstar, are the two rivals in the film. The 1959 benhur dvd features a newly remastered and restored print from original 65mm film elements. Benhur director on how his remake differs from charlton hestons film and how he found his judah. Benhur was the bestselling novel of the nineteenth century, and has. One of the biggest achievements of the passion of the christ was making you feel like you were watching the real person but this is hardly the case with. It also won 11 academy awards, a record held by only two other films. Aug 19, 2016 benhur is an often interesting film, told during a barbaric time of human history, that manages to touch upon some powerful biblical themes including that of vengeance, love, but most of all mercy and forgiveness. I cannot say that the 2016 version was a mistake and if an individual has never seen the earlier versions of benhur, i think this more truncated film is definitely worth a look. A jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned. Do you like movies that has betrayal, rowing in galleys, revenge in a chariot race, and seeing a little bit of jesus. The main difference between both versions of benhur is that while the 1959 film took its time with everything, the latest one always tries to get. Since so many people enjoy and cherish the 1959 film, comparison and contrast between the older and newer productions is hard to avoid. Zimbalist engaged screenwriter karl tunberg to write the script for the new benhur after tunbergs success with mgms historical epic beau brummell 1954.

Judah benhur charlton heston is a jewish prince in jerusalem. Shot in an insanely wide aspect ratio on 65mm film to give the movie that epic scope that was so popular in hollywood at the time, the film had the distinction of being the most expensive hollywood production ever made. Musictoperformance comparison, from forthcoming compete filmscore recording of ben hur miklos rozsa. But there are some fascinating differences between the two films. Benhur 59 withholds the race until 2 12 hours in, but then serves up one of the most celebrated. Benhur includes digital copy bluraydvd 2016 best buy. A hugely ambitious production in its own right, it acted as a kind of template for wylers version, especially the set pieces involving the sea battle and the chariot race. A tale of the christ is a 1925 american silent epic adventuredrama film directed by fred niblo and written by june mathis based on the 1880 novel benhur. This beautifully crafted film begins with the birth of christ and demonstrates a journey of faith of one man, judah benhur, who goes from prince to prisoner to champion charioteer to christian. Ben hur 59 withholds the race until 2 12 hours in, but then serves up one of the most celebrated. Cinecittas benhur miracle a look back on the films. Here are a couple of examples where the new film differs in content from the earlier film. A hugely ambitious production in its own right, it acted as a kind of template for wylers version, especially the. Gene hatcher isolated music score in dolby digital 2.

He lives with his mother martha scott and sister tirzah cathy odonnell, and has a good relationship with his slaves, including simonides sam jaffe and his daughter esther haya harareet, whom it is obvious from the start will have some kind of romantic relationship with. Benhur, an mgm sound film adaptation starring charlton heston. After a jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge. Aug 20, 2016 the 1959 version of ben hur was itself a remake of a wellknown 1925 silent film, which was itself a defining epic of the silent era and which followed a previous 1907 short film adaption. The first screen benhur, from 1907, was a 15minute short that cut straight to the chariot race. The original film version of ben hur from 1911 directed by sidney olcott, hosted at benhur. A tale of the christ, stars heartthrob ramon novarro in the title role, 1910s matinee idol francis x. The film sits atop charlton hestons resume, and his evolving, engrossing work as disgraced jerusalem prince judah ben hur has priority seating in the annals of film history. How does the new benhur compare with its predecessors. A tale of the christ by lew wallace following the 1907 silent short film, the 1925 silent film, the academy awardwinning 1959 film and the 2003 animated film of the same name. The musical soundtrack to benhur remained deeply influential into the mid 1970s, when film music composed by john williams for films such as jaws, star wars, and raiders of the lost ark became more popular among composers and filmgoers.

The film feels like it is two parts from ben hur coming back after being convicted to the chariot race and jesus. Its hard to say exactly which is the most frustrating aspect of benhur. The extraordinary achievement of its action sequences made without the hightech special effects so customary years later was thought to be matched by the films human drama, its. Judah ben hur, a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother, an officer in the roman army, returns to his homeland after years at sea to seek revenge, but finds redemption. After all, 1959s benhur was an oscarwinning smash that remains. William wylers 1959 classic of epic hollywood filmmaking, benhur already saw a fine dvd release a few years ago, but warner brothers have pulled out all the stops for the film this time awarding it a massive four disc special edition. Benhur a chariot race exciting enough to evoke the one from 1959 still isnt enough to justify a sludgy and scattershot remake. Zimbalist engaged screenwriter karl tunberg to write the script for the new ben hur after tunbergs success with mgms historical epic beau brummell 1954.

The ben hur score has been considered to be the best of rozsas career. Kalem viewed the production as inexpensive and hoped to turn a quick profit, due to the phenomenal success of the. Zimbalist had the idea of remaking benhur in the mid50s. Its the film s action sequences that, by far, separate benhur from other epics, and place it among the best of its era and, perhaps, among the best grand epics ever. A tale of christ aka william wylers benhur bluray 1959. With jack huston, toby kebbell, rodrigo santoro, nazanin boniadi. A remake of the 1925 silent film with a similar title, it was adapted from lew wallaces 1880 novel benhur.

The plays producer, abraham erlanger, put a heavy price on the screen rights. In 1907 a moving picture company known as kalem decided to film benhur. Another problem with the new benhur is that it only does a marginally better job of casting the part of jesus christ than the dismal risen 2016, even though the role is given much more importance than in the wyler version. The kernal of the american widescreen museum is based on the interest in film technology that benhur fostered. How does the new benhur compare with its predecessor. The benhur score has been considered to be the best of rozsas career. Benhur was the most successful of his seven major works, which included two other historical novels and a romanthemed play. This remake the same story had been made twice before as a silent film was a gamble to rescue mgm from near bankruptcy.

The new benhur remake strips an iconic story of its style. Directed by william wyler, benhur ended up breaking box office and academy award records winning a total of 11 out of its 12 oscar nominations. I have an old london label lp circa 1977 spc2116 music from the film ben hur and really there is no comparison between the sound quality of it great. Benhur, an mgm silent film adaptation starring ramon novarro. Jul 15, 2017 45 videos play all ben hur 2016 full movie hacksaw ridge full movie 2016 the good the bad and the ugly finale duration. Quintus arrius, the commander of the roman fleet in which benhur is chained in slavery, is unceremoniously killed in the sea battle so he cant take benhur under his wing. It is the fifth film adaptation of the 1880 novel ben hur. A tale of the christ, an 1880 novel by american general and author lew wallace. The 1959 version of benhur was itself a remake of a wellknown 1925 silent film, which was itself a defining epic of the silent era and which followed a previous 1907 short film adaption. Click an image to view bluray screenshot with 1080p resolution. Benhur, both the 1959 and 1925 versions starring, respectively, charlton heston and ramon novarro, are part of a fourdisc set via warner home video. Cinecittas benhur miracle a look back on the films 60th. With charlton heston, jack hawkins, stephen boyd, haya harareet. Nov 24, 2019 see more ideas about ben hur, ben hur 1959, epic movie.

The musical soundtrack to ben hur remained deeply influential into the mid 1970s, when film music composed by john williams for films such as jaws, star wars, and raiders of the lost ark became more popular among composers and film goers. No bass or mid bass is evident, often the highs are harsh and there is no dynamic range on the louder passages. When adjusted for inflation, that makes it the th highest grossing film of all time, right behind the empire strikes back, which clocks in at number 12. The 1959 epic nearly broke mgm during its production, but perhaps it was worth the pain. Comparison between the novel and film free ben hur. Starring ramon novarro as the title character, the film is the first featurelength adaptation of the novel and second overall, following the 1907 short. The chariot race is a very good piece of film making. Directed by fred niblo, charles brabin, christy cabanne. Ramon novarro, soon to become a superstar, and francis x. The 1959 mgm version of benhur is best remembered for its chariot race, which happens to be an imitation of the superior 1925 race for that studios mammoth and highly problematic production of benhur.

The full version of the older, silent version of ben hur is included and it makes for an interesting comparison. The musical soundtrack to benhur remained deeply influential into the mid 1970s, when film music composed by john williams for films such as jaws, star wars, and raiders of the lost ark. Another problem with the new ben hur is that it only does a marginally better job of casting the part of jesus christ than the dismal risen 2016, even though the role is given much more importance than in the wyler version. Aug 17, 2016 the latest bigscreen iteration of the beloved epic was directed by timur bekmanbetov wanted and stars jack huston, toby kebbell and morgan freeman.

I cannot say that the 2016 version was a mistake and if an individual has never seen the earlier versions of ben hur, i think this more truncated film is definitely worth a look. The first ben hur was made in 1959 with william wyler as director and robert surtees as. In 1922, two years after the plays last tour, the goldwyn company purchased the film rights to ben hur. The 1925 original casts the romans as deeply antisemitic, looking upon the. Despite the 3d presentation, this is a film that should be seen on a plane, on the 6in x. The main difference between both versions of benhur is that while the 1959 film took its time with everything, the latest one always tries to get to the point as quickly as possible. Dont judge benhur by the 2016 version film the guardian. If so, the ben hur movies would be a good weekend watch. Ben hur ranks among the most honored of films, taking 11 of 12 academy awards. Released in 1959, ben hur is a cinematic achievement from director william wyler that took the world by storm. Judah benhur, a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother, an officer in the roman army, returns to his homeland after years at sea to seek revenge, but finds redemption. A remake of the 1925 silent film with a similar title, it was adapted from lew wallace s 1880 novel ben hur.

Remaking a film that won 11 academy awards invites inevitable comparison, but the latest adaptation of benhur distinguishes itself from william wylers 1959 epic by retooling key. Zimbalist had the idea of remaking ben hur in the mid50s. This risky, expensive and elaborate biblical epic is widely considered a classic, and the extravagant production design and strong performances remain impressive. Benhur is a 1959 american epic historical drama film directed by william wyler, produced by sam zimbalist, and starring charlton heston as the title character.

Aug 19, 2016 theres a cavernous difference between this film and previous screen adaptations of lew wallaces 1880 novel, ben hur. A tale of the christ had been a great success as a novel, and was adapted into a stage play which ran for twentyfive years. The latest bigscreen iteration of the beloved epic was directed by timur bekmanbetov wanted and stars jack huston, toby kebbell and morgan freeman. A tale of the christ by lew wallace, wylers film is about as grand and magnificent as they come.

Despite the 3d presentation, this is a film that should be seen on a plane, on the 6in x 8in screen on the back of an airline. Benhur is bent on revenge for all the loss and pain he has endured at messalas hands. Ben hur is a 1959 american epic historical drama film directed by william wyler, produced by sam zimbalist, and starring charlton heston as the title character. My guess is that this was done with todays more impatient audiences in mind.

Winning 11 academy awards including best picture, best director, best actor, and best supporting actor, benhur was as much a phenomenon as it was a movie. Films like william wylers benhur transcend generations and create shared memories for casual and frequent moviegoers alike. He lives with his mother martha scott and sister tirzah cathy odonnell, and has a good relationship with his slaves, including simonides sam jaffe and his daughter esther haya harareet, whom it is obvious from the start will have some kind of romantic relationship with ben, because shes pretty. Ben hur is a 2016 american epic historical drama film directed by timur bekmambetov and written by keith clarke and john ridley. Yet despite its shortcomings, benhur is an entertaining film with a powerful message about forgiveness and letting go of hate. This difference causes tension between the friends, and results in their split after messala issues an ultimatum demanding that judah deliver potential rebels. Theres a cavernous difference between this film and previous screen adaptations of lew wallaces 1880 novel, ben hur. The 1959 mgm film adaptation of benhur is considered one of the greatest. Hell or high water is expected to expand semiwide, perhaps wide enough to score a spot in the top ten. Apr 30, 2015 judah benhur charlton heston is a jewish prince in jerusalem. This first incarnation of benhur on film was fifteen minutes in length and was in no way comparable to the motion picture spectacles that would follow. The screenplay is credited to karl tunberg, but includes contributions from maxwell anderson, s.