BEN-HUR: A TALE OF THE CHRIST {1925 SILENT FILM} (TV)
Summary
One in a series of silent films restored and orchestrated by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill for British television. This lavish 1925 film stars Ramon Novarro as a Jewish nobleman who learns firsthand of Roman oppression. The film begins with a foreword in which the story of the Nativity is acted out; Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem, and the arrival of their child Jesus is greeted by kings and shepherds. As the years go by, the titles indicate, Jesus becomes "a wistful memory." As the Roman tyrant Gratus prepares to arrive in Jerusalem, the Jewish Princess of Hur receives a visit from her trusted slave, Simonides, who lives in Antioch. She asks him to take the Hur fortune home with him for safekeeping as she is concerned about possible Roman looting. As Simonides and his daughter Esther move through the crowded streets, Esther meets the Princess's son, Judah Ben-Hur. Although the two are not introduced, they fall instantly in love, and he promises to find her in Antioch someday. Ben-Hur searches among the Roman soldiers for his childhood friend Messala, a Roman nobleman turned warrior, and invites Messala home. Their reunion is spoiled, however, when each finds that he hates what the other has become: Messala now despises Jews, and Ben-Hur resents Roman rule. Later, as Gratus and his legions parade through the streets, a tile accidentally falls from the balcony on which Ben-Hur and his mother and sister are watching the procession, killing a general. Soldiers storm their palace, and Messala arrests all three of the Hur clan. Ben-Hur is next seen being led in bondage through the desert, on his way to serve as a galley slave. During a brief stop in Nazareth, he is heartened when Jesus gives him a drink from a well.
Three years later, Ben-Hur is still a slave, rowing in the galley of a Roman warship. When pirates attack, the Jewish slave saves the ship's commander, Quintus Arrius. In gratitude, Arrius adopts the slave and brings him to Rome, where Ben-Hur gains renown as an athlete; he is feted as the most skilled charioteer in the city. Nevertheless, he still yearns to find his mother and sister -- who, unknown to him, are now suffering from leprosy, languishing in a remote cell in the Jerusalem prison. When he hears that a merchant named Simonides in Antioch may have word of them, he tells his adopted father that he must journey there to find any news he can. In Antioch, Simonides refuses to acknowledge that Judah is Ben-Hur, saying that the prince died years earlier in a Roman galley. He adds that, in any case, the Hur women have long since perished; he has searched for them in vain. Although Ben-Hur is happy to see Esther again, he feels anguish that the prospect for his relatives is so dire. As he mourns, he is approached by Sheik Ilderim of Antioch, who has heard that Rome's best charioteer is in town and is in need of a charioteer for a race the next day. Ben-Hur refuses to participate -- until he learns that his nemesis Messala is favored to win the race. As Ben-Hur hurries off with Ilderim, Simonides confesses to his daughter that he recognized the young man but fears to acknowledge him as he will then have to confess that both he and Esther, who have been living freely, are slaves of the Hur family.
Messala sends his mistress Iras to the tent of Sheik Ilderim to gain knowledge about his rival in the upcoming chariot race, and Iras tries unsuccessfully to seduce Ben-Hur. Simonides and Esther also seek out Ben-Hur in order to confess that they are in fact his slaves -- and that all of Simonides's wealth actually belongs to the Jewish prince. The next day, just before the race, Ben-Hur and Messala engage in a bitter confrontation in which each bets his entire fortune on the outcome -- and each swears that only one of them will emerge from the contest alive. As all of Antioch watches, their restive horses leave the starting point and rage swiftly through the course. A determined Messala quickly strips the wheels from another racer's chariot and aims for that of Ben-Hur. Ultimately, however, Ben-Hur proves the better driver, and Messala's own chariot crashes. A bloodied Messala is carried from the course as Ben-Hur is proclaimed the victor. The Jewish prince feels little pleasure in his revenge, however; he still cannot find his mother and sister, and his people remain enslaved to Rome. Hearing that the Messiah is preaching salvation, he vows to raise an army to help Jesus overthrow the Romans. He bids farewell to his beloved Esther and goes off to convert a sizable legion.
Back in Jerusalem, the new governor, Pontius Pilate, has decreed that all prisoners whose offenses are unrecorded must be freed. Ben-Hur's mother and sister are released by the Roman soldiers, who tell them to make their way to the valley of the lepers outside the city before dawn. Passing by their old home on the way, they discover Judah Ben-Hur sleeping outside; he has come to the city in search of Jesus. His mother and sister sadly decide that he is better off thinking that they are dead than knowing of their leprosy and creep off. Simonides and Esther soon arrive for a reunion with Ben-Hur. Esther spots Ben-Hur's mother and sister and decides to take them to see Jesus in the hope that he will cure them. The next day, a betrayed Jesus is making his way through the streets of Jerusalem carrying his cross. Ben-Hur tells him that he will avenge him, but Jesus counsels the prince instead to follow the path of peace. The crowds part, and Esther brings forward her friends, who are quickly cured by the Messiah. That night, Jesus is crucified, but as dawn breaks Judah Ben-Hur assures his mother and his beloved Esther that Jesus will live forever in the hearts of men.
Details
- NETWORK: Channel 4 (United Kingdom)
- DATE:
- RUNNING TIME: 2:22:30
- COLOR/B&W: Color and B&W
- CATALOG ID: T:64747
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Bible stories - Drama; Drama; International Collection - United Kingdom
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Gill … Producer
- David Brownlow … Producer
- Fred Niblo … Director
- June Mathis … Adapted by
- Carey Wilson … Based on the scenario by
- General Lew Wallace … Based on the novel by
- Carl Davis … Conductor
- London Philharmonic Orchestra, The … Symphony Orchestra
- Ramon Navarro … Cast, Ben-Hur
- Francis X. Bushman … Cast, Messala
- May McAvoy … Cast, Esther
- Betty Bronson … Cast, Mary
- Claire McDowell … Cast, Princess of Hur
- Kathleen Key … Cast, Tirzah
- Carmel Myers … Cast, Iras
- Nigel de Brulier … Cast, Simonides
- Mitchell Lewis … Cast, Sheik Ilderim
- Leo White … Cast, Sanballat
- Frank Currier … Cast, Arrius
- Charles Belcher … Cast, Balthazar
- Dale Fuller … Cast, Amrah
- Winter Hall … Cast, Joseph