This is a 1988 animated edition of the famous novel by Lew Wallace, "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ," first published in 1880 and later adapted into several film and TV versions, most notably the 1925 big-budget silent film produced by MGM and its Oscar-winning 1959 remake. This production was made for television and was one of a number of animated literary adaptations found in a Mill Creek DVD box set entitled "Classic Adventures: 10 Story Set," that also included "Ivanhoe," "The Legend of Robin Hood," "Call of the Wild" and "Swiss Family Robinson." Eight of the ten, all but "Ben-Hur" and "Call of the Wild," were made in the 1970s. Such films were designed to be shown in one-hour time slots and tended to resemble "Classics Illustrated" versions of the famous literary works or animated Cliff's Notes.
As these adaptations go, this one is actually pretty good, despite cutting the story down to highlights to fit a 48-minute running time so as to provide an hour of syndicated television (with room for commercials). It moves quickly, but it seems to hit all the major touchstones of the story, at least as I remember it from the 1959 version. I was impressed with the quality of the dialogue in many of the dramatic scenes, such as the reunion between Judah Ben-Hur and his boyhood friend Messala, who's now a commanding officer of the Roman legions occupying Jerusalem; a later scene between Judah, now a galley slave working as an oarsman, and a Roman tribune, Quintus Arrius, who takes an interest in him before leading a fleet into battle with Greek pirates; and Judah's first meeting with Simonides, a former family servant, in Syria. We see the major setpieces we've come to expect from filmed versions of BEN-HUR, including the sprawling ship battle and the furious chariot race, which pits former friends Judah and Messala against each other. The finale is devoted to Judah's continued search for his mother and sister, with help from Simonides, now a merchant disabled by Roman torture, and Simonides' beautiful daughter Esther. Along the way they encounter a carpenter's son from Nazareth who preaches and performs miracles, two of which impact Judah and his family. The final scene is the Crucifixion. Unlike the big-screen live-action versions of BEN-HUR I've seen, which hid Jesus' face from view, this film dares to show the face and full figure of Christ in three important scenes.
The film doesn't stint on some of the more unpleasant aspects of the story, including Roman cruelty to their subjects, the depiction of leprosy victims, and the drowning of the oarsmen chained below decks when their ships are struck and sunk.
The animation is not the most fluid, given the low budget associated with TV animation, and there are assorted shortcuts taken during the action scenes. The character design is simple but effective and the settings and backgrounds are quite detailed and artfully done. The script is good, although the voice-acting is uneven, with the best work done by those in supporting parts, including Simonides and Quintus Arrius. I've seen a number of these limited-animation literary adaptations and I thought this was one of the better ones. It made me want to see the big-screen versions of BEN-HUR again, not a bad way to feel after seeing one of these shows. In fact, there's a new version of BEN-HUR about to be released to theaters a week after I submit this review.
