Ben-Hur as a Hollywood monumental film, has maintained a Hollywood record: 11 awards. This record was later tied by Titanic and Lord of the Rings 3. In fact, the evaluation of Hollywood is nothing more than seeing the level of the three movies that it has broken records, and you know how much this award is worth. It can be said that the three films are only the main theme movies that cater to the times, fully exploit the potential of technology, mainstream themes, and cater to investors and audiences. In other words, the merit to the film industry is boundless, and the legacy to the film art is infinite.
Ben Hur is essentially, first and foremost, a typical musical movie. The scenes, positions, and composition of the entire movie are basically a musical drama, but it is a drama that is magnified hundreds of times. Shot scheduling and explanation had to succumb to overly grand scenes, using multiple scenes and angles of shots to explain the same scene or even one action of the same character, making this film, which has been slowed down in order to create an epic feel, even more protracted and protracted.
Ben-Hur followed by a Jewish movie. On the other hand, in the post-war America, Jews did not yet control the political and economic lifeline of the entire country as they do today, but it was easy to be a leader in the entertainment industry. The descriptions and exclamations of the fate of the Jews in the film are extremely realistic and sympathetic. Finally, when Judas Ben-Hur was called the true God and went to visit his dying enemy, he had a six-pointed star hanging from his chest.
The essence of Ben-Hur is a movie that flatters the mainstream white American society. In the film, Jesus, as a hidden main line, only appears in a few scenes, such as his birth, the pilgrimage to the Holy Trinity, and feeding Judas Ben-Hur with water. It is about ten minutes of actual writing until he bears the cross until he is crucified. It is a rainstorm that symbolizes death and rebirth. However, this line is an attempt to make a statement that the Jews chose love over revenge based on the influence of Jesus. As mentioned earlier, this choice is a choice after the enemy has completely died. From the protagonist's point of view, although he was deprived of the title of prince by the ruler, he also obtained the right of succession as a consul, the status of a Roman citizen, and the opportunity for revenge by horse racing. This mapping of the status of Jews in the United States is very explicit.
As an old film, the artistic value and technical value of Ben-Hur in general lies in bringing the technical and project management capabilities of the Hollywood industry into full play. Basically, all the scenes and curtains are very well constructed. The makeup and costumes of the characters and animals are also very elegant. The lighting of each shot is also imprinted with the brand of the times.
The only thing worth watching in Ben-Hur is the 15-minute horse racing scene. In contrast to the procrastination of the whole film, this scene has a very sophisticated rhythm, from a close-up shot of the chaotic horses in the preparation stage to express the eagerness of the horses and the excitement of the characters; to a panorama of the solemn and broad racecourse Show more than 10,000 spectators and a spectacular track, and then the ritual sense of the neatly marching horses to suppress the rhythm; at the beginning of the horse racing, it is a very refined interlacing of various close-up close-ups, fast but not chaotic, which will make the whole race The progress is very clear. This scene was filmed and edited while eight four carriages galloped fast. The design and realization of this scene are far more difficult than the martial arts scene of 32 martial arts masters swinging their swords, plus many high-risk high-speed collisions and stampede scenes. , very rare.
Perhaps the biggest flaw in Ben Hur's film is the ubiquitous music. In order to set off the epic sense, Ben-Hur uses an orchestra throughout the film, and there are mostly wind instruments, and it is very old-fashioned to replace lines and actions in long shots to show the inner feelings of the characters. It should be said that this technique can still be used in cartoons. The consequence of using it in movies is that the sense of induction is very serious, and it does not give the audience any room to appreciate and think. And because the Roman court and army also used bronze horns, this kind of narration-like music and scene dubbing were directly connected. This is one of the direct reasons for the extreme kitsch feel of this film.
The classic lines of this movie, I don't think it has anything to do with the love of Jesus, but a sentence that the consul said to Judas Ben-Hur:
Pontius Pilate: Where there is greatness, great government or power, even great feeling or compassion, error also is great. We progress and mature by fault. But Rome has said she is ready to join your life to hers in a great future.
Judah Ben-Hur: There are other voices.
Pontius Pilate: The voice for instance of Arrius, waiting for you in Rome. He would tell you, if I may speak in his place, not to crucify yourself on a shadow such as old resentment or impossible loyalties. Perfect freedom has no existence. A grown man knows the world he lives in, and for the present, the world is Rome. Young Arrius, I am sure, will choose it.
This overwhelming confidence in power is very real, The same goes for values about judging the situation.
View more about Ben-Hur reviews
