100 Movies Every Catholic Should See #100: Ben-Hur (1959)

Directed by William Wyler. Starring Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith, and Haya Harareet.

*spoilers ahead*

Once upon a time, Hollywood made good Christian movies.

Before Hollywood decided it had to be the arbiter of taste for the American public, molding its politics and morality in the image of Californication, it sometimes actually listened to what the denizens of Middle America wanted in their films.

And America wanted Ben-Hur.

Critically and commercially, Ben-Hur is one of the most successful films of all time. Artistically, it is nearly without parallel for films of its time period. It is an epic, in every sense of the word. The sense of scale it achieves is truly awe-inspiring, constantly dazzling the viewer with its grandeur. Its story and themes live up to the immensity of its production, covering loyalty, betrayal, revenge, love, hatred, and mercy. And its portrayal of Jesus Christ is among the greatest in cinematic history, which is astonishing given the fact that the director, William Wyler, was a Jew. All of these elements together make Ben-Hur the high water mark of explicitly Christian cinema, unsurpassed in its brilliance and beauty.

The sheer beauty of this film, from a purely aesthetic perspective, cannot be overstated. This was the most expensive Hollywood project of all time when it was made, and it shows in every frame. Locations are lavishly detailed, costumes are striking, lighting is dramatic; every element of production design is meticulously constructed to give its audience the grandest epic film ever put to celluloid. All of this would be in vain, however, if it weren’t for the visual brilliance of director William Wyler. The images he crafts leap off the screen and grab you attention. They are beautifully composed shots, with a painterly touch that always enhances the drama of the scene. Shot after shot washes over the viewer in Glorious Technicolor, giving a marvelous example of excellent visual storytelling. And the score! Miklos Rozsa’s score is a masterpiece, weaving themes from the early part of the movie back in later to create subtle audible connections between characters and events. Wyler and Rozsa use visual and audible parallels often to create a story which, even at three and a half hours, feels cohesive and perfectly at one with itself. This is what Christian filmmaking should look like: absolute masters of the art form creating their grandest and most beautiful masterpieces to tell the story of Christ.

And indeed, as the title card tells us, Ben-Hur is “A Tale of the Christ”. The film begins with perhaps the best cinematic version of the Nativity story ever. Wyler uses the technique of tableau vivant, staging his actors in the shot but having them barely move, creating the effect of a living painting. This approach is reminiscent of La Vie du Christ (1906), one of the earliest films about Christ, directed by French Catholic filmmaking pioneer Alice Guy. The lovingly crafted images, the deep and peaceful colors, and the delightful music all combine to evoke a warm response in the viewer. And all this before the title card! Christ appears several other times in the film, most memorably to give our protagonist water as he thirsts in the desert. His face is never shown out of respect, but his mere presence serves to baffle and inspire our characters whenever they encounter him. This Christ is merciful, a peace-maker; but has a strange power to him, as seen when he stares down a Roman commander who cannot consistently meet his gaze. The film also movingly portrays Christ’s Passion, and its focus on the salvific power of his Precious Blood is deeply in line with Catholic theology. This may be the best way to approach a story about Christ: with him as a constant presence but not as the main character. Ben-Hur does so powerfully.

The story of Ben-Hur also has great dramatic power. It deals with some of the strongest human emotions, both positive and negative, and wrestles with the moral implications of human action. It centers around Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who is unjustly condemned by his childhood friend, the Roman Messala, for a crime he did not commit. His mother and sister are thrown into prison and Judah is condemned to life as a galley slave. Judah’s burning hatred of Messala keeps him alive and eventually he saves the life of the Roman consul Arrius, earning his freedom. Returning to Jerusalem, Judah sets out on a mission of revenge, mistakenly believing that his mother and sister are dead and looking to take out his rage on Messala. Up to this point, Ben-Hur has been a highly effective revenge story, of a kind that Hollywood before and since has made often. A protagonist perpetrating a beat-down of baddies who deserve it is cathartic; it’s satisfying. Hatred is one of the deepest human emotions, and thus is greatly compelling. We are rooting for Judah to kill Messala and bring justice back into his life.

But Ben-Hur transcends the revenge genre. Judah does indeed triumph over Messala, killing him in the absolutely iconic chariot race scene. But this triumph does not fulfill him; in fact, Messala gets the last laugh in a way, revealing that Judah’s mother and sister have suffered a fate worse than death: leprosy. Killing Messala has done nothing for them; Judah is left with nothing but his rage and hatred, unsated, desolate. Revenge does not bring peace; those who live by the sword will die by the sword. The leprosy of Judah’s mother and sister mirror the uncleanness of Judah’s heart, ravaged by the sores and putrefaction that his festering hatred have placed there. Judah’s love interest, Esther, has heard of a man who proclaims “blessed are the peace-makers”, but Judah is not willing to hear it. Not, at least, until his witnesses that man carry his cross up a hill, be nailed to it, and still say “Father, forgive them”. And in that moment, Ben-Hur’s soul is cleansed of his hatred and his mother and sister are cleansed of their leprosy by the blood and water flowing from Calvary.

Ben-Hur is a masterpiece, one deserving of a spot on any list of greatest films of all time. Its beauty and power are undeniable, even by secular critics. However, its portrayal of Christ and its powerful Christian themes elevate it to the level of some of the greatest Christian works of art. Its compelling drama and masterfully played characters engross you in the story, but the power and majesty of its portrayal of Christ leaves you thirsting for more. It turns common Hollywood tropes on their head in favor of a more Christian understanding of human nature and morality. And it leaves us with a work of art which is unparalleled in film history.