Movielogr
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
Directed by Fred Niblo
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Overview
Erstwhile childhood friends, Judah Ben-Hur and Messala meet again as adults, this time with Roman officer Messala as conqueror and Judah as a wealthy, though conquered, Israelite. A slip of a brick during a Roman parade causes Judah to be sent off as a galley slave, his property confiscated and his mother and sister imprisoned. Years later, as a result of his determination to stay alive and his willingness to aid his Roman master, Judah returns to his homeland an exalted and wealthy Roman athlete. Unable to find his mother and sister, and believing them dead, he can think of nothing else than revenge against Messala.
Rated NR | Length 143 minutes
Actors
Ramon Novarro | Francis X. Bushman | May McAvoy | Betty Bronson | Claire McDowell | Kathleen Key | Carmel Myers | Nigel De Brulier | Mitchell Lewis | Leo White | Frank Currier | Charles Belcher | Dale Fuller | Winter Hall | Reginald Barker | John Barrymore | Lionel Barrymore | Clarence Brown | Manuel Caballero | Gilbert Clayton | Joan Crawford | Jacob Dance | Marion Davies | William Donovan | Bill Elliott | Ray Erlenborn | Douglas Fairbanks | George Fitzmaurice | Sidney Franklin | Rosita Garcia | Janet Gaynor | John Gilbert | Dorothy Gish | Lillian Gish | Samuel Goldwyn | Harry Gordon | Sid Grauman | William Green | Noble Johnson | Rupert Julian | Henry King | Harold Lloyd | Carole Lombard | Cliff Lyons | Mickey Millerick | Carlotta Monti | Colleen Moore | Claude Payton | Mary Pickford | Satini Pualoa | Leonora Summers | Tom Tyler | Christiane Yves | Gary Cooper | Clark Gable | Myrna Loy
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/27/2019 | Home Theater | Streaming | Video on Demand | 9 stars |
| (Average) 9 stars |
Viewing Notes
I’d read about this movie so I was anticipating watching it when I finally got to 1925. I have to say it did not disappoint. This thing is a huge spectacle with lavishly gigantic sets, thousands of extras, full scale sea battles, an amazing chariot race and some great two-strip technicolor scenes.
One of the other reasons I was looking forward to this is that it co-stars Francis X. Bushman, who was a big star for Essanay Studios in Chicago during the 1910s. Here he plays the nemesis, the extremely unlikable racist Roman Messala. He’s pretty great in the role.
Carmel Myers as Iras, an Egyptian vamp, is ravishing.
There’s some serious violence in this film. The naval battle is particularly brutal and includes a Roman soldier’s gory head on a pirate’s pike and a Roman soldier tied to the battering ram on the front of the ship and literally rammed into the Roman ship.
The chariot race is crazy, thrilling and cringe-worthy (for the poor horses). The action is fast-paced and violent and amazing. I can’t wait to rewatch the ‘59 remake to compare the two.
This film features a ton of famous or soon-to-be-famous actors as extras, most either as slave girls or chariot race spectators, including: John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Marion Davies, Myrna Loy, John Gilbert, Douglas Fairbanks, Clark Gable, Harold Lloyd, Carole Lombard, Janet Gaynor, Fay Wray, Mary Pickford, Colleen Moore, Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Samuel Goldwyn and Rupert Julian. Insane!
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