Ben-Hur

Titre original : Ben-Hur A Tale of the Christ

NOTE IMDb

7,8/10

8,1 k

MA NOTE

Ramon Novarro and May McAvoy in Ben-Hur (1925)

A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.

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Adventure Epic Epic Action Adventure Drama Romance

Ajouter une intrigue dans votre langueA Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.

Voir les informations de production sur IMDbPro

NOTE IMDb

7,8/10

8,1 k

MA NOTE

Voir les informations de production sur IMDbPro

Récompenses
- 4 victoires au total

Anecdotes
This film had an "extra" cast like no other. Many Hollywood stars showed up on set to watch the shooting and were pressed into service as extras, especially in the chariot race. In addition, many who would later become Hollywood's top stars, but who were at the time just struggling actors, were also in the crowd scenes as extras. Among well-known and soon-to-be-well-known names "working" in the film were John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Marion Davies, Myrna Loy, John Gilbert, Douglas Fairbanks, Clark Gable, Harold Lloyd, Carole Lombard, Janet Gaynor, Fay Wray, Mary Pickford, Colleen Moore, Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Samuel Goldwyn and Rupert Julian.

Gaffes
At one point in the chariot race a man in modern clothing - light-colored shirt, long pants, dark shoes - can be seen running out of the crowd onto the track and waving his arms at the camera. That was assistant director William Wyler, who saw that one of the chariots - out of camera range - was approaching the curve of the track too fast and Wyler was signaling the director to have the crew cleaning up a crashed chariot to get out of the way.

Citations
Jerusalem citizen: What chance has a Jew against a Roman?

Versions alternatives
Music and sound effects were dubbed into the silent film for a 1931 re-release.

Connexions
Edited into Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972)

Avis des utilisateurs70

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Commentaire à la une

10/10

Silent Film Masterpiece

Subtitled "A Tale of the Christ", this mixture of piety & adventure was MGM's grandest silent picture. The story tells how a Hebrew prince defies his Roman masters by beating them at their own game, literally, while becoming increasingly aware that the young Carpenter he met in Nazareth is the very Son of God and how that knowledge changes his life.

Years in the making, with filming in Italy & California, and changes of script and leading man, BEN HUR could have been a disaster. Instead, it was a complete triumph, with the naval battle and chariot race scenes holding their own among the best ever filmed. This film should not be compared with the Heston remake; it stands completely on its own merits.

For decades, the only known prints of this film were 90 minutes long, in black & white. By great good fortune, in the 1980's an uncut version, over 2 hours and with the original tints and Technicolor scenes was discovered in Czechoslovakia. This is what we are able to enjoy today.

Ramon Novarro got the plum male role of the entire silent period . He was a very fine actor and is excellent as Ben Hur. Sadly, the rest of his film career, in which he was typecast in every sort of ethnic role, from Chinese to Polynesian to Arab to Navajo, is virtually forgotten today.