When asked to name my favorite movies, my top-10 list is probably more like top-50 or 60. But one film I do love dearly is “Ben-Hur” (1959). So imagine my excitement when I saw the trailer – in an honest to goodness theater – this weekend when attending the Met “Live in HD” simulcast of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.” It turns out it’s going to be given the Fathom Events treatment, shown in select theaters in a brand new 4K restoration, March 29 & 30 and April 1 & 2.
The winner of a record 11 Academy Awards, “Ben-Hur” was also a stunning popular success, at the time, becoming the second-highest grossing film in history, after “Gone with the Wind” (adjusting for inflation, STILL the all-time box office champ).
The score, by Miklós Rózsa, is a prime example of the kind of masterly music you rarely, if ever, encounter at the movies anymore. It was also the longest ever composed for film – and, before the soundtrack for “Star Wars” became a bestselling phenomenon, “Ben-Hur” found a home in record collections of folks who didn’t ordinarily seem to pay too much attention to film music. I love it. Surely, it’s in my top-10 film scores of all time. But there we go again.
In fact, I have nothing but superlatives to heap on this film. Its detractors might dismiss it as risible, histrionic, Hollywood religioso kitsch, but I’m glad I lack their cynicism. The film is actually beautifully acted, with Charlton Heston, often way over the top in everyman parts, perfect for this kind of grandiose canvas. He winds up giving one of his best performances. The tragedy of the soured friendship between Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince, and his childhood friend Messala (played by Stephen Boyd), now an ambitious Roman tribune, is beautifully modulated.
Gore Vidal was fond of sharing an anecdote about their introductory scene, which, after many takes, just wasn’t working. As he told it, the director William Wyler grew increasingly frustrated, until Vidal suggested playing it with a gay subtext, an idea Boyd found fascinating. Wyler considered it for a few moments, before remarking, “Okay. But don’t tell Chuck!” Whether or not it’s true – and who cares? – the scene establishes the characters’ deep bond, soon to be dashed against the rocks of their political differences. The look Judah casts upon his friend at the end of the chariot race gets me every time. It conveys the humanity at the center of this big, big film, full of very big themes.
Is it overdone? Did I mention, Jesus is in it too?
Regardless of your religious convictions, it’s a beautiful movie, with lots of painterly shots and the aforementioned chariot race, with a cast of thousands and an arena actually built, as opposed to computer generated (some of the sets were extended using matte paintings), and staged, with galloping horses and death-defying stuntmen. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore!
For classic movie buffs, it’s also fun to spend time with Jack Hawkins, Sam Jaffe, Finlay Currie, and the always supercilious Frank Thring, who specialized in debauched rulers – and, okay, even Hugh Griffith in brown-face, ouch! (He plays an Arab sheik.)
William Wyler had an incredible batting average. Hardly any of his films rate less than four stars, and three of them – this one, “The Best Years of Our Lives,” and “The Big Country” – are among my all-time favorites.
“Ben-Hur” is a four-hour movie, presented in the grand ‘50s tradition, complete with overture and intermission music, but Fathom will be screening it at sensible hours – in most theaters, beginning at 6:00 for weekday showings and 2:00 on the weekend – but do double-check the listings for your area.
It won’t be projected from film, and you’re unlikely to be able to catch it in an old-fashioned movie palace, but for now, it’s the best we can hope for. The only other challenge is finding someone who will be willing to watch it with you!
Tickets and information available at https://www.fathomentertainment.com/releases/ben-hur-2026/
