Ben-Hur | 1959 | 'Best Picture' Oscar winner 1960 | movie review

[@charlesheck6812]

as a teenager immersed in sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, I saw this film in high school and while my stoner friends were all raving about the chariot race, I began asking questions about Jesus Christ who he was and what he did. It was a powerful seed planted and led to my conversion five years later. this is one of the greatest films of all time. Appreciated your review thank you.

[@BryanLomax]

@@charlesheck6812 praise Jesus my friend!

[@GA-1st]

Excellent review! Nice to see someone respecting a truly GREAT, classic epic film! I was fortunate to have seen it as a very young child when it was first released. When Heston accepted the Oscar for best actor at the Academy Awards ceremony, he made a point of thanking playwright Christopher Fry, who is uncredited for screenwriting. BTW, Israeli actress, Haya Harareet, who played Esther, passed away at the age of 89 on February 3, 2021. She was the last surviving principal cast member. R.I.P.

[@halcyon289]

I 've just finished watching it. I'm a Christian as well. I don't mind saying that I cried buckets. The scene where Jesus gives Judah water to drink and the Roman guard goes to hit Jesus but then stops and stares at him is so incredibly moving that it reduced me to tears......it does every time I watch it. Jesus Christ died on the cross but...........three days later he rose again. He took the sins of the world away and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. Folks , if you put your trust in what Jesus did, you will receive Gods grace and be born again in the Spirit. And heaven will await you.

[@1969cmp]

One of my favourite films.

[@CHRISTIANNWO]

I watched this movie yesterday. I thought it was awesome.

[@BryanLomax]

It is indeed! It deserved that 'Best Picture' win!

[@adamstevens2048]

I absolutely love this film! One of the best Hollywood epics.

[@armanroshdi2265]

Thanks for this programme. I first saw Ben-Hur when I was 7 yo, and was deeply impressed by it. My love for Lord Jesus is partly due to this wonderful film. Since then, I have watched it more than 100 times, and my children too were brought up with it and it's their favourite. Thanks again.

[@BryanLomax]

You're welcome, and thanks for watching! You may wish to check out my other channel, called The Movie Evangelist, in which I examine films purely from a faith perspective. God bless!

[@LightsCameraKonkle]

the 1959 film is surprisingly good.

[@BryanLomax]

It really is!

[@cesarmedina7080]

Surprising? Cmon

[@cattib86]

I'm glad you changed your opinion :) Ben-Hur is one of my all time favourites! I'm not a religious person but the scene when Hur meets Jesus for the first time always impress me. I'm not really looking forward the new version of this movie that will come out next year :/ Great review

[@BryanLomax]

+cattib86 I guarantee they will remove as much of the Jesus story thread as possible and just make it a film about the conflict between Ben-Hur and Masala. The same way they did with Exodus. I am not looking forward to that film at all!

[@Steel_blade_alchemist]

I remember loving it when I was 11. I was scared of it when I was 5. Now I’m 19 I should really watch it again.

[@cesarmedina7080]

I think Ben Hur is a better movie than The Ten Commandments. Heston gets alot of his fame from The Ten Commandments but to me Ben Hur was more enjoyable.

[@EdwardTheMedievalist]

Just watched it for the first time. And it's one of the best films I saw!

[@BryanLomax]

For a film that's now 60 years old it still holds quite a lot of power, it must be said!

[@RachelsReviews]

Yeah I just watched and reviewed it and the new one and really enjoyed it. The new one isn't the worst thing I've ever seen but it makes changes that weaken the narrative. I really liked the journey of Judah in the 1959 film as he deals with his revenge and learns to forgive. It holds up very well.

[@BryanLomax]

I just never understand why anyone would remake a film that is so revered. I'll go and watch it but I'm really not expecting much.

[@RachelsReviews]

Bryan Lomax Movie Talk yeah it's kind of film if I didnt see many movies I'd probably like it but since I do the flaws are more obvious. I gave it a C-

[@deloreandmc4611]

This is a great review. I hope to see this movie if they ever play it on the various ITV channels.

[@cesarmedina7080]

You made the most important point i think regarding the most important scenes being filmed with no music added especially the chariot race. In my opinion adding lots of music during tense scenes takes you out of the movie and reminds you it is just a movie and takes the tension away. Without the music during the chariot race it feels far more tense and real.

[@BryanLomax]

I think filmmakers feel that because they have a particular tool they must use it. But the real skill is in knowing how to tell the story without dependence on those tools.

[@overdrewreview]

Awesome review man. I still need to see "Ben-Hur" and a handful of other classic epics such as Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, etc. The feeling of revisiting a movie that I end up loving is great.

[@andrewattenboroughtwothumb4697]

A classic masterpiece

[@phoenixkepo2743]

Quintus Arrius: "Your eyes are full of hate 41 - that’s good. Hate keeps a man alive. It gives him strength." An awesome epic! Loved every moment.

[@reneescala7526]

The blockbuster era contained great films like Spartacus, El Cid w/ Heston, Lawrence of Arabia and the Italian film, The Leopard, there are a couple of others, even 2001, which can be considered a religious film.

[@BryanLomax]

Yeah, I made a video essay in 2001 over on my other channel, The Movie Evangelist.

[@NightTrekker-d1s]

It is a truly epic movie.

[@beardedmovieguy322]

Nice review, It has been a little while since I have seen Ben Hur, I have it one Blu-ray and mainly it is just the fact that it is so freakin long that has stopped me. Brilliant film though.

[@BryanLomax]

+BeardedMovieGuy Ha ha, yeah, it is pretty long. I watched it over two nights. There is no chance these days of me getting to sit down and watch a 3 and a half hour movie. Not with a baby. I'm looking forward to the time when she will want to sit and watch it with me.

[@LookieShow]

+Bryan Lomax (@BryanLomax on Twitter) re: 'Thank you.' - No worries.

[@radioheadtv3131]

Messala’s death scene was awesome acting even for back then. I was so mad he didn’t get a supporting actor Oscar oh well. Amazing and my all time favorite movie and music. The 3 hours go by so fast

[@reneescala7526]

Cannutt and Andrew Marton were the 2nd Unit Directors.

[@jenniferhousman4541]

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I read another review of it and the person doing the review made fun of the film, how sad. It didn't win all of those Oscars for being a bad movie. So thank-You Mr. Lomax for expressing the fine things in this film. I am curious tho, why is it that no one mentions the fact that in the chariot race (1959 version) the man playing Messala ( or the stunt man) was actually killed. He was trampled to death by those horses --- FOR REAL. There was nothing they could do to save him so the scene was left in the film, not cut. unpleasant as it w is it also adds to the 'mystique of that race and how dangerous the REAL races were. Remembering how bloody Rome was during that time period - times of the 'Roman Games. So far the only 'remake' of an older movie that I have liked was the remake of the movie 3:10 To Yuma.

[@BryanLomax]

Hi Jennifer, thanks for watching. As for the stunt man getting killed; I hate to be the one to break this to you but it's a myth. No one on the cast and crew ever mentions it because it didn't actually happen. No one was seriously hurt during the shooting of that scene, never mind including the footage. Yeah, it's just one of those bizarre instances of a Hollywood rumor that grew and grew until everyone believed it to be true. But it's a myth!

[@RobTheMovieReviewer]

hay just wanted to let you know that I have tagged you for the inside out tag if you cant do it thats understandable.

[@BryanLomax]

+Rob the movie Reviewer Ha ha, no worries mate! I was already tagged for that one by Rachel Wagner and I told her I would do it when I get the chance. But I'll give you a mention as well when I finally get around to doing it.

[@LookieShow]

+Bryan Lomax (@BryanLomax on Twitter) - @TheJaySwick planning a 24-hour movie marathon (at time of posting) and one of the categories is, 'movies with a run time of 180 minutes or more.' Surely this film runs at least that long - most historical epics do tend towards longer run times. It'd likely be difficult to come up with a lot of movie picks for that particular category, so perhaps he'd be interested in the movie as a possible selection. Your review might also be quite helpful as a preview. Sorting out some tech. issues to get back to production for the show ('Lookie!'), but if we have a moment, can pass along the review via Twitter - it could work as a possible match for that category.

[@BryanLomax]

+Lookie! Definitely! I'd also suggest Dances With Wolves: the Director's cut and Kingdom of Heaven extended cut. KoH in particular is so much better that the theatrical cut that I urge anyone to see it, even if they weren't too keen on the theatrical cut.

[@LookieShow]

+Bryan Lomax Movie Talk (@BryanLomax on Twitter) - We'll take a moment to pass your suggested titles on to @TheJaySwick as possible picks for that host's movie marathon (if we haven't, already) - probably via Twitter, since that's usually the fastest way to share movie picks. If time allows, occasionally will also collect picks from Twitter replies, and post to the comments section for browsing, at the relevant video - but we're in the middle of pre-production for the next @LookieShow episodes at the moment, so have to cut way back on Twitter polls, commenting, and so on, for a few days. Although you could always just let the channel host know, in the comments section - the channel host is friendly and would probably enjoy browsing your picks. Episode title is: '24 Hour Movie Marathon Challenge! What Movies Should I Watch?,' if that might be of interest. On a side note, this review episode is very thorough and put together nicely - it could be nice to see reviews like this on other classic (1930s/1940s/1950s) movies, if you happen to have a few more on your movie shelves - or just on your radar - that you'd really like to review.

[@samratsiddhat1550]

Modern Epic

[@coachzach]

I just can't with their overdramatic performances. i know it's of a place and time but its just hard for me to take seriously. like, did people ever actually act like that in real life? a wee cringe to my eye.

[@Prospro8]

'not trying to be negative here, but the two scenes you mention that have no music .... THEY DO! Both those 'Judah meets mum' were scored very powerfully by Rozsa, in the tracks 'The Uncleans' and 'Valley of the Dead' both containing an authentic Yemenite Hebrew melody. Strange your memory has mangled that. It's 'galleys' by the way, not 'galleons', a different boat entirely.

[@yusufalsanad]

Great review, Bryan! :) I've not seen "Ben-Hur" or many Biblical Epics, excluding a few exceptions, though I plan to add it to my list of Must See. :D Some of the few Biblical epics I've seen are "The Last Temptation of Christ", "The Passion of the Christ", a very controversial but powerful sad movie, "Noah" which I think probably has Russell Crowe's best performance besides "Gladiator" (my big brother would disagree highly Haha ) and Emma Watson is so great alongside Jennifer Connolly. I also plan to check out "The Bible" and the follow up movie "Son of God", both of which was co-produced Roma Downey, an actress I love from "Touched by an Angel". I am not a Christian but I do believe in god, and I find these stories on Faith very inspiring. Keep up the great work, bro! :)

[@BryanLomax]

+Joseph Coen Mason Thanks Joseph! I think Son of God, from what I understand, is just footage from the Bible TV series cut down to make a movie. So you might be best just watching the series. I would highly recommend the two BBC series that were done a few years ago: The Passion, starring Joseph Mawle as Jesus, and The Nativity, starring Andrew Buchan and Tatiana Maslany as Joseph and Mary. Two of the best Bible interpretations in my mind.

[@yusufalsanad]

Bryan Lomax Movie Talk Anytime, Bryan! :) I'll be sure to add "The Passion" and "The Nativity", and I'll be checking out "The Bible" as well. :D

[@Regenalduck]

I thought this was a great review and I love the film. I viewed Jesus in a different way, I thought they were showing him as a historical figure rather than a religious one. He was compassionate but not performing miracles. So when He performs one at the end I didn't feel it meshed with my interpretation of the story. It felt out of place to introduce miracles in the last 10 minutes of such a long film

[@gracesnoddy8179]

🤍🤍🤍

[@anthonyanderson2405]

Sorry to dissent, but I find BEN-HUR something less than a classic. The craftsmanship of the film is impeccable, but I found it’s nearly four running time to be interminable. The solemnity of the film does not help either. Obviously a lot of people love this film but forit was a high minded bore.

[@pbrstreetgang2489]

I am just sick of English accents and everything the English think and do.

[@BryanLomax]

🤣🤣🤣

[@mikelolguy]

Great Review....Btw have you seen the new 2016 Ben-Hur trailer? Would like to hear you impressions of it...I believe it wont stand uphold to the EPIC 1959 version!

[@BryanLomax]

+Aaron Verizon I don't think it will be as good no. But to be honest, that trailer for the new one is so much better than it had any right to be. Doesn't mean that I think it will be great, but I'm cautiously optimistic that it will at least be semi-decent. I'll be very disappointed if they try to brush aside the Jesus connection though. There was a hint of it in the trailer but I'm hoping we get more than that in the film. The subtitle of the 1959 film and the book upon which it was based was, after all, "A Tale of the Christ".

[@mikelolguy]

Bryan Lomax Movie Talk Alright...I noticed that in the trailer....There is a lot of CGI...

[@BryanLomax]

Yeah, they've still got a bit of time to make some of that look a bit better. I guess we shall see.

[@augustinehourigan7453]

I AGREE.