This Biblical epic follows Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur a Jewish Prince that ends up being double crossed by his Roman friend Messala played by Stephen Boyd. You follow him from the slave ships to the arena and then to the final climactic Chariot race. Through the film he comes into contact with a young Rabi known as Jesus and he is impacted by these meetings. Through the time he is deeply concerned with what has happened to his family who were convicted with him.
Directed by William Wylder this story is epic in both scale and length at over 3 hours viewing it does take something to keep you in place for that length of time. And while it is far to long for any film it is definitely worth watching. The acting and scenery is brilliant and you really believe everything that is being portrayed, it follows Ben-Hur on his quest for revenge and gives you an impression of the time. There are many flaws in the historical accuracy but I think it all works well to give you a massive film that is rewarding.
This is a film that is over 50 years old and there is a pacing issue that I think many modern cinema watchers will struggle with, in these times of ADH mentalities, I can imagine many people not enjoying this. What I would recommend is taking the opportunity to pause it, there is a lovely break in the middle. Overall this is a strong recommend a 4 star worth watching.
Based on the Jules Verne novel this film from 1959 follows an Edinburgh Professor played by James Mason and his companions as they journey through the the Earth's Crust via an Icelandic Volcano. Based in 1880 this film is a fantasy adventure that explores the difficulty of a perilous journey and the dangers that you might face. With a supporting cast of Pat Boone, Arlene Dahl, Diane Baker, Thayer David and Peter Ronson it is a fun family based film in the same ilk as Swiss Family Robinson and the Original Dr Dolittle.
This film is like a child's imagination brought to life about what you might encounter if you were to go to the centre of the earth, when you actually have no idea what it might contain. They encounter chrystals and Giant Lizards and they find an ocean and of course at the end of the film there are two parts the bad guiys get their comeuppance and the good guys get the happy ending.
The difficulty with this film is the fact that it is over 50 years old and is really from a different world with the fact that I think many people who saw this in 1959 would actually have believed what they were seeing was possible if not actually correct. However saying that with modern sensibilities it can still be enjoyed as a fantastical journey, however modern audiences will find it quite slow, I would give it 3 stars, not worth seeking out unless you enjoy older or historical cinema.
