"Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925 Silent)

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I love silent fims, as do a couple of the frequent contributors here. But as far as family and friends go, I can never find anyone to join me, except for the occasional Keaton or Chaplin short. Most young people don't even like black and white films, let alone a movie with no spoken dialog. So last night I watched this masterpiece alone. The pleasure was enhanced, however, by the restored tinting on the DVD and by the 5400K B&W setting on my monitor and the Dolby Pro Logic II Music processing of Karl Davis'wonderful score (at least the equal of Rozsa's 1959 effort) of my system.
Since all of us have seen the Charton Heston 1959 version, comparisons are inevitable, even though this one came 34 years earlier. Raymon Novarro plays a sort of goody goody hero, while veteran Francis X. Bushman is a prick from the git go. Bushman's acting style is of an older variety than the younger Navarro's, occasionally shifting over to the exaggerated wide eyed hamming so often parodied in mock silent film acting.
The sea battle and chariot race are very realistically done, the chariot race terrifyingly so since a number of horses are killed right on screen (there's one pile up toward the end where many must have been put down afterwards). Two strip colr Technicolr is used in some scenes, many of the religious ones, although Judah and Arrius' triumphant return to Rome after the battle is led by topless girls dispensing flower petals before them. There is also a seduction scene prior to the race (bad guy Messala pays a working girl to find out Judah's actual identity) which must be the first on screen feel in a commercial film.
THe fiolm was available on laserdisc and now is a part of the four disc Ben Hur DVD box (in which the 1959 film for the first time on video finally has the correct aspect ratio). Sadly, the silent version here has no commentary or extras (although the bonus fourth disc has a history of the book, play and three films which does give some detail on the `1925 version).

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Topic - "Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925 Silent) - rico 08:45:59 10/22/06 (3)

Good review, rico. - Audiophilander 21:59:45 10/22/06 (2)

Two swollen thumbs up for "Pandora's Box" and "Dr. Mabuse, Gambler." - tinear 16:21:23 10/23/06 (0)

Re: Good review, rico. - rico 07:35:13 10/23/06 (0)

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