the leading man is my tpye

Boring

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Comparable in scope and grandeur to the famous 1959 version, 1925's "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" is an epic imaging of Lew Wallace's story of the fall and rise of a Jewish prince during the days of Christ on Earth. While showing its age, the cinematography remains outstanding, with tranquil scenes that look like images from vintage Christmas cards juxtaposed with the magnificent sea battle, the dramatic entry into Jerusalem, the dramatic earthquake that accompanies Christ's crucifixion, and the iconic chariot race. Like most silents, there is a touch of histrionics to the acting but that doesn't detract from the film (although the scene where a servant is being throttled does looks a bit like Homer strangling Bart). There is no need to repeat the history of the film here, but the stories of its production are almost as interesting as the film itself. All-in-all, another outstanding work from the early days of movie making – well-worth watching both in its own right and from the perspective of its place in cinematic history.

Nice silent rendition that still stands as the all-time silent classic , including marvelously staged battle ships and overwhelming chariot races . It packs impressive scenes that still look nice , in spite of age . Childhood friends , Judah Ben-Hur (Ramon Novarro) and Messala (Francis X Bushman) meet again one time grown-up . Now as experienced adults , this time Messala is a Roman officer , a tough conqueror against the Jews and Judah as a rich noble , though conquered , Israelite . When in Jerusalem takes place a Roman parade , spontaneously falling a brick that causes Judah to be sent off as a galley slave , his ownership confiscated and his mother and sister Tirzah (Kathleen Key) imprisoned at an impregnable jail . But the brave Ben Hur goes on his determination to stay alive and saves the Roman general Quinto Arrio when they are attacked by a pirate galleon , and he , then , becomes his fostered son . Several years later Judah goes backs his homeland . Unable to locate his mummy and sister, and believing them dead , he can think of nothing else than vendetta against Messala . Meanwhile , Ben Hur falls for Esther (May McAvoy) , daughter of Simonides (Nigel Of Brulier) . The second movie of the acclaimed novel , being lavishly produced , stars Ramón Novarro and Francis X. Buxman as Messala . Novarro is good in the known role as wealthy Palestinan battling the Roman Empire . The chariot race required thousands of extras on sets constructed on lots of acres of backlot at Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios . The MGM production costs were massive millions of dollars , as a lot of chariots were built , with half being used for practice . The race took various weeks to film . The known chariot scene was shot at what is now the intersection of La Cienega and Venice Boulevards in Los Angeles . Although problems lingered on the production and at a cost of over 4.000.000 dollars . The initial Italian set was eventually torn down and a new one built in Culver City , California . Attractive images , majestic set design , glamorous photography in black and white , evocative as well as rousing musical score subsequently added by the great composer Carl Davis combine to cast a spellbinding movie . The motion picture was stunningly realized by director Fred Niblo helped by Second-unit director B. Reeves Eason and Cliff Lyons ; being a hit smash at the box office . In 1931 , a shortened version was released . Rating : 8 , extraordinary and awesome , it ranked as the most expensive movie of its time and took years to end ; it is one of the greatest films in the genre "Epic". Ben-Hur still stands as the all-time silent classic . Other retellings based on this vintage novel written by Lewis Wallace are the followings : The classic version ¨Ben-Hur¨ won a record 11 Ocars , directed by William Wyler with Charlton Heston , Stephen Boyd , Haya Harareet , Jack Hawkins , Sam Jaffe , Finlay Currie , Martha Scott , Cathy O'Donnell , in which stuntman Cliff Lyons worked a Stuntman/chariot driver in both versions : 1925 and 1959 ; cartoon version (2003) by Bill Kowalchuck with prologue by Charlton Heston and ¨Ben-Hur¨ TV series by Steven Shrill with Joseph Morgan , Stephen Campbell Moore , Kristen Krouk , Simon Andreu and Lucia Jimenez

So many comments have been made about this 1925 masterpiece version of "Ben Hur," so I will add my own. I just watched this recently, thanks to the wonderful Turner Classic movie station. Yes, everyone knows the 1959 William Wyler version of this film, with Charlton Heston playing the famed Jewish prince. And that film is indeed an epic and stunning to watch. That said, anyone who appreciates fine film-making should also watch this 1925 version of "Ben Hur -- a Tale of the Christ." Director Fred Niblo directed this version, and how he did such a stunning job given the technology of the day is amazing (interestingly, William Wyler was an assistant to Niblo on this original film). The film made Metro-Goldwn-Mayer(then newly formed) a serious film studio. Ramon Navarro plays Judah Ben-Hur in this version, and it is easy to see why Niblo cast him in the lead. Not only is Navarro physically gorgeous to look at, he was a fine actor who inhabits the part in a way that I think Heston did not in the later version. Everyone knows the basic story, so I will skip that and go to the technical brilliance of this film. Niblo filmed some of the footage in Italy, unusual by 1925 standards. The stunning sequence where the Romans and pirates are fighting on ships was apparently treacherous, and several extra cast members drowned. There are tinted color sequences and two-strip technicolor parts of this two and a half hour film, and a few brief shots of nudity. All daring stuff in 1925. I defy anyone to tell me the chariot race sequence in this original film (shot in Culver City, CA) is any less impressive than the one in the 1959 film. The acting is top flight. Besides Navarro, Francis X. Bushman plays the impressive Roman solider Messala; and May McAvoy is lovely as Judah's soul mate. Much of this original "Ben Hur" was considered lost for years, and thankfully has been beautifully restored. I can't recommend this masterpiece enough!

I saw this film three times before I ever bothered watching the 1959 remake. Admittedly, watching the latter on television in letter-box format is not the best way to view it, but even on a full screen, nothing would be able to disguise the hammy acting and shallowness of the film.The original, on the other hand, has the spectacular scenes - the battle at sea was much more convincing, and the chariot race superbly well done, but where it really shone though was in the simplicity and intimacy of the performances, and although it's quite long by silent standards, its 2 hours+ length is just about right. Ramon Novarro's performance was very good indeed; I thought Francis X Bushman was a little cold, which marred the early scenes, but struck the right note in the later scenes. And the scenes where the two women leave the prison and make their way to their old home before moving to the Valley of the Lepers were very moving and beautiful to watch. The segment in the Valley, with silent wraith-like figures moving about, and the later healing of the women by Christ on his way to Calvary, also stand out in my memory - a tribute to Fred Niblo and his sensitive direction.Technically, I'm sure it must have been a marvel in its time, and it still stands up today as a very watchable and enjoyable film.