10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surpasses the 1950s Remake, December 15, 2001
This review is from: Ben Hur - Tale of the Christ (1926) (Silent) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Although it has its failings--most notably a very "grand manner" performance by Francis X. Bushman as Messala--this silent epic holds up extremely well, and viewers familiar with only the later Heston version will be amazed at how much the remake borrowed (sometimes shot for shot) from the original. This is particularly true of the famous chariot race scene, of which the sound version offers a rather tame version in comparison.
Bushman aside (it would be his last major film), and with a few exceptions in various scenes scattered through the movie, the cast generally plays with considerable restraint; consequently, BEN-HUR is a silent movie very accessible to those who have had little experience with silent film. Ramon Navorro is particularly effective in the title role, and unlike the remake gives us a youthful, handsome, and curiously innocent portrait of Juda Ben-Hur. The sets and big-scale action sequences are expertly done. An excellent choice for a silent-movie fan or any one looking to begin an exploration of this period in cinema.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacular Silent Version of Wallace Classic!, November 9, 2004
This review is from: Ben Hur - Tale of the Christ (1926) (Silent) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
With the record number of Oscars won by the William Wyler 1959 version of BEN-HUR, there is a tendency to overlook the monumental 1925 production, which established MGM as a studio to be reckoned with. Well, if you've never seen the earlier version, you may be in for a surprise...it is as enjoyable in nearly every way!
Certainly, some of the performances (particularly Francis X. Bushman's scenery-chewing Messala) are cartoonish, the film lacks the widescreen splendor and scope of it's successor, and the 'Wyler Touch', the infinite care the legendary director poured over every detail, is sorely missed. But the 1925 production, beset by so many problems that it became the most expensive film ever made, brought new production head Irving Thalberg into the limelight, and his first decision was brilliant, firing the current director, and bringing in veteran director Fred Niblo to take charge. Niblo brought an energy and sense of intimacy to the silent "Ben-Hur" that is actually often lacking in the later version. The finished film, as a whole, is far closer in spirit to General Lew Wallace's novel, and young leading man Ramon Novarro (with a sexy intensity reminiscent of Tyrone Power), makes a far more charismatic and sympathetic Ben-Hur than Charlton Heston's more iconic portrayal.
The 1959 version is remembered today primarily for the chariot race, one of the most spectacular action sequences ever filmed. But what of the other 'set piece', the gigantic sea battle between the Roman and pirate fleets? The scene is patently artificial, obviously comprised of model ships in a tank and rear projections (watch the tiny toy seamen jiggle as ships collide!) The 1925 version's chariot race is fast-paced and certainly exciting, and the sea battle is astonishing, using full-sized ships and hundreds of extras (shot in Italy, where an actual fire broke out on the ships during the battle...the extras' panic onscreen was NOT acting...)
With an early two-strip Technicolor to emphasize key scenes (the Nativity, the new Roman Consul's arrival in Jerusalem...yes, those ARE topless women leading the procession!), and a wonderful, stirring new musical score by Carl Davis, Fred Niblo's BEN-HUR is a treasure, a film certainly worthy to stand beside the 1959 version!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Knockout!, September 16, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Ben Hur - Tale of the Christ (1926) (Silent) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I first saw this l926 classic at the old Regency Theater in Manhattan during the late eighties and never forgot how at the end, the entire packed theater stood up and screamed and cheered and stomped the floor for at least fifteen minutes. A live symphony orchestra provided the powerful music and on the big screen, the magnificent, restored version simply blew everyone away. It was easy to imagine its initial impact on Jazz Age audiences. Ramon Navarro gives the role of a lifetime. May McAvoy, whose career was destroyed by the "talkies", is perfect and beautiful. Even now, I get goose-bumps when I remember how everyone in the theater that night all shared a powerful, never-to-be-forgotten experience. And when I looked around, everyone was weeping just as much as myself. Oh, just to see other forgotten classics of the silent screen as they were meant to be seen: crystal clear, beautifully restored and with a live, symphonic orchestra. Instead, we have ear-blasting garbage like "Armageddon" and "Godzilla."
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