Ben Hur (1925) - a silent film review

 I watched the 1925 Ben Hur, a silent film that made me cry a bit. It was good. I'm putting the video link in this blog post. Keep in mind it is about 2.5 hours long. It doesn't feel long, though. 

Courtesy of San Francisco Silent Film Festival

Alright, let's get into plot. This is the story of Judah Ben Hur, paralleled with the story of Jesus. This was remade in 1960. Both chariot scenes were deadly.  1925's scene killed five horses with their trip mechanism (on accident). 1960's movie killed a stuntman in this same scene. Obviously, that scene is hard to film and hard to arrange without accidental death. All that being said, let's jump into Judah Ben Hur's storyline. 

Judah Ben Hur, a jew, gets betrayed by a friend who has become a Roman soldier, where he ends up in a ship's galley as a slave. After a scene where an officer takes notice of him and a fight between a Roman ship and a pirate ship, an officer frees him from his slavery. He then goes in search of his mother and sister (whom he can't find), finding his family's bondservant and daughter in the process. The Bondservant is damaged from Roman torture by now. The mother and sister are forgotten in a prison cell with lots of other prisoners. From here a man is looking for a chariot racer. He accepts this position because the man who betrayed him, Messala, is racing there. They race to the death, where Messala is badly damaged. Despite revenge being served, he's still desperate to find his mother and sister. He joins Jesus' followers and tries to get an army for Christ (because, you know, they think he's going to overthrow Rome right now). It turns out the mother and sister are lepers when they come out of prison. As the story of Jesus progresses, the bondservant's daughter (Esther) convinces the two women to catch Jesus for some healing. They are healed. The movie ends just after the crucifixion. 

Things to Note 

If you hate violence, be aware that Roman violence is displayed. Not only do you see a man tied to a ship figure head and rammed into the Roman ship (being returned in the pirate's "own way"), but you'll also notice something behind the guard in the galley. You see a man tied to a cross, nude but facing the cross itself. He's wiggling a bit at first, but as the galley scenes progress he stops moving. I noticed it. Now you will, too. Also, Simonides (bondservant of Hur family) is tortured for about 30 seconds in a scene, which explains his lack of health when you see him again. Then there is a man impaled on a spear in the ship battle. If you came for a light movie, maybe try again. 

Contrasting to the violence, we see the beauty of Jesus (who is represented by either a hand or what might be a dressed up extra). They had no actor for Jesus, clearly, so when you see him heal or offer Judah Ben Hur water (in a scene where he's marched by the Romans) Jesus is only a hand. Those scenes of healing and the scene with the water are beautiful. You might cry. I did. 

Again, this is also a longer movie. Short attention span? No, you need an attention span for this. I loved it and it didn't feel overly long. It's worth your time. You don't even have to pay to see it. I have the video below. 

Overall Thoughts

10 out of 10, and I would give it an 11 if the scale went that high. I think this might be my favorite version of Ben Hur. It doesn't go into melodrama. It is a real drama I can take seriously. It isn't under or over acted anywhere; it's perfect. Never remake this in 2024. We don't need more gore. This was the perfect balance of showing and telling, without grossing out the audience. It got the point across in ways that didn't have to be gorey. It was amazing. I don't think the other version is gorey (1960s), but I don't remember. 

Just know that there is violence in this, in case you thought "family movie night" and you have a five year old. At least now you know what's in it before you go "Oh my!" at the naked cross man behind the guard. Also, some women are less clothed. I'm telling you now, just in case you thought this was a children's movie - it is not that. It's good, though, and worth it. It's also free on YouTube. See the above video to find it right away. I found one version with no music and had to search for a different recording. I can promise the one in this blog has music, but can't promise others will. 

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