A classic tale of religion, revenge and men in very short skirts. The 1925 version of benhur is infamous for its troubled shoot. Messala is a fictional character from lew wallaces 1880 novel ben hur. By all rights, the original yes, original 1925 ben hur should have been a disaster but it somehow managed to survive and thrive despite budget woes, fascists, and fired directors, screenwriters and producers. Benhur 1925 in this silent classic, judah ben hur ramon novarro discovers that he has been betrayed by his childhood friend messala francis x. Before we dig into the background of the film, here is a basic rundown of the plot. Ramon novarro francis bushman may mcavoy betti bronson frank currier. A tale of the christ 1925 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. As i said at the outset, ben hur fairly defines the word epic. Ben hur s other priorities in life are to find his mother and sister, to reconnect with esther, the daughter of the hur s steward, simonides, who he loves, and to free the jews from the oppression of the romans through the insurrection as king a young man believed by many to be the messiah, he who was born in a manger in bethlehem. A tale of the christ 1925 film has been listed as a level5 vital article in art. This is a three disc set, the first two containing the film with the intermission separating the discs. They also had to negotiate with abraham erlanger, producer of the.
Juda benhur, a judean prince forced to become a galley slave, saves the life of a. Estimates suggest there were over 6,000 performances given and over 20 million people saw benhur during its twentyoneyear run. Best enjoyed as a sample of the state of the art circa 1925, not as a timeless. An orchestral score from acclaimed hollywood composer carl davis is added to this version of fred niblos film. A remake of the 1925 silent film with a similar title, it was adapted from lew wallaces 1880 novel benhur. Most of the movie was black and white, but the resurrection. However this new version is received, the property has a long and successful history.
Directors, stars and writers were hired and then fired. Bushman, may mcavoy, claire mcdowell the movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 25 min, and received a score of out of 100 on metacritic. Although niblo made some other enjoyable films, this one has to be by far his best. Messala is a roman nobleman and the son of a roman tax collector. The capa summer movie series is the longestrunning classic film series in america. The entertainment experience of a lifetime benhur is a 1959 epic film directed by william wyler, the third film version of lew wallaces 1880 novel benhur. It is the fulllength film and, significantly, the technicolor scenes are intact and in color. When messala is reunited with ben hur for the first time in five. I did not even think i would enjoy a silent epic but i did. Dailymotion benhur a tale of christ 1925 chariot races scene.
A tale of the christ movie, hero, heroine, etc is available in our gallery section. The first thing up on the third disc is an encoding said to be in sd of the 1925 benhur. Benhur 1925 cast and crew in this silent classic, judah benhur ramon novarro discovers that he has been betrayed by his childhood friend messala francis x. This movie has been premiered in australian hd theatres in 2003 movies 2003.
Ben hur and chariot races get a makeover in a new movie release. Fred niblo had a lot of good resources for this film, and he used them well. Benhur took to the road and often held twoweek engagements in u. The production also appeared in europe and australia. Directed by fred niblo, charles brabin, christy cabanne. One of the highestpaid movie actors, he lived in an appropriately grand manner. Benhur was released on dvd, complete with the technicolor segments, in the. A tale of the christ is a 1925 american silent epic adventuredrama film directed by fred niblo and written by june mathis based on the 1880 novel benhur. Directed by 1 writing credits 6 cast 91 produced by 4 music by 1 cinematography by 1 film editing by 3 casting by 1 production design by 1 art direction by 2 set decoration by 1 costume design by 1. It premiered at loews state theatre in new york city on november 18, 1959.
Ben hur 1925 movie clip pagan rome gaudy credits, prologue and large sets opening the famous. Best of all, the 1925 ben hur is available on dvd today, complete with original technicolor sequences, and is shown frequently on turner classic movies. Benhur was released on dvd, complete with the technicolor segments. This renowned silent epic was one of the most expensive features of. Bushman, playing ben hur and messala, respectively. It began as a novel written by general lew wallace in the 1880s. A tale of the christ is a 1925 american epic silent film directed by fred niblo and written by june mathis based on the 1880 novel ben hur. Released 1925, ben hur stars ramon novarro, francis x. It comes with a full commentary laced with charlton hestons observations and memories. As the roman governor arrives in jerusalem, tirzah kathleen. Ramon novarro as judah benhur fiercely drives his chariot. An immediate box office smash, this silent masterpiece follows a palestinian jew who battles against the tyranny of the roman empire. A tale of the christ, american silent film, released in 1925, about ancient rome and jerusalem at the time of jesus that set new. As a result, some sources list its release year as 1926.
The film went on to win a record of eleven academy awards. The screenplay is credited to karl tunberg, but includes contributions from maxwell anderson, s. A tale of the christ, and its film adaptations, where he appears as the main antagonist about. Since the ben hur ruling, the popular novel and stage play remained out of reach for most studios. The original benhur 1925 this month marks the release of the third version of benhur, using all the technical and computer wizardry of 2016. A tale of the christ is a 1925 american silent epic adventuredrama film directed. Unlike the 59 movie, this silent version had two big stars in the leads.
While not without flaws, the film is extremely impressive overall with all the pomp and spectacle that made the silent era great. Covering classic films and cult favorites for nine weeks this summer, our 50th year features 26 film titles including 9 series premieres, a silent film with live musical accompaniment, two saturday mornings of classic cartoons, and the return of fright nite friday hosted by fritz the nite owl. The prestige the film brought to the new studio, however, left its executives feeling that ben hur was well worth it. Benhur, american silent film, released in 1925, about ancient rome and jerusalem at the time of jesus that set new standards for action scenes. Bushman, now a roman officer, in mgms benhur, 1925. A tale of the christ is a novel by lew wallace, published by harper and brothers on november 12, 1880 and considered the most influential christian book of the nineteenth century. A set of original trailers are included on these discs as well. In 1997, benhur was selected for preservation in the united states national film. Before william wylers grand epic, this 1925 silent version of ben hur stunned audiences with lavish sets and a spectacular chariot race. This article is of interest to the following wikiprojects. A lot of this is down to its uncredited producer, boywonder irving thalberg.
Benhur a tale of christ 1925 chariot races scene dailymotion. A jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned. Benhur is a 1959 american epic historical drama film directed by william wyler, produced by sam zimbalist, and starring charlton heston as the title character. At almost four million dollars, the 1925 silent film of lew wallaces ben hur is the most expensive silent movie ever made. And the political views of charlton heston are also hotly debated well, as hotly as classic movie. In addition to william wylers 1959 remake of ben hur, the bluray set includes the original 1925 silent version as well, directed by fred niblo and starring ramon novarro as judah ben hur and francis x. The 1925 benhur is probably the finest of all the 1920s epics. Jun 15, 2014 this pin was discovered by paul frift. The naval battle scenes are absolutely incredible and it is a marvel how intricate the sets were.
Published on apr 7, 2016 clip from the 1925 film version of the bestselling 1880 novel benhur. Starring ramon novarro as the title character, the film is the first featurelength adaptation of the novel and second overall, following the 1907 short. Although there is very little consistency in the genres or kinds of story in thalbergs productions, his hallmark seems to be. As the roman governor arrives in jerusalem, tirzah kathleen key, sister of the hero judah ramon novarro, knocks a tile from the roof, causing a dust up with his heretofore welcomed old friend messala francis x. Here is an original glass slide that was projected onto movie screens to advertise the film. Released 1925, benhur stars ramon novarro, francis x. A tale of the christ, american silent film, released in 1925.
The final performance of benhur was delivered in april 1921. You can watch ben hur online on videoondemand services netflix, paytv or movie theatres with original audio in english. Expenses for the movie began in 1919, with mgms initial negotiations with henry wallace. Full version benhur, a tale of the christ best sellers rank.
It also has an interesting mix of mostly blackandwhite and tinted scenes. It is the full length film and, significantly, the technicolor scenes are intact and in color. The naval battle and the chariot race are almost as. Upon his return to judea, benhur witnesses the crucifixion of jesus and is. A masterpiece of film making and this blue ray transfer does it justice. Selected by the prestigious american film institute as one of the 400 best american films of all time. Judah benhur played by ramon navarro is a young jewish man from a family of privilege who is betrayed by his roman boyhood friend messala francis x. The movie was banned in the 1930s in china under a category of. The 1925 featurelength silent version of benhur with a stereophonic orchestral score by composer carl davis. A tale of the christ is a 1925 american silent epic adventuredrama film. Clip from the 1925 film version of the bestselling 1880 novel benhur.
The epic that changed cinema current filmmakers such as ridley scott and george lucas reflect on the importance and influence of the film. Benhur 1925 movie clip the prophets are fulfilled rejoining the three wise men, introducing the shepherds, spectacular trick photography and mary betty bronson with child, still in the opening reel of mgms epic benhur, 1925. Music and sound effects were dubbed into the silent film for a 1931 rerelease. It became a bestselling american novel, surpassing harriet beecher stowes uncle toms cabin 1852 in sales. Bushman, may mcavoy, betty bronson, claire mcdowell e kathleen key.
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