Get your popcorn, Ben-Hur is an epic tale from the periphery

For such a grand series of articles, it seemed natural to start with perhaps the grandest film on the list: the 1959 adaptation of Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, starring Charlton Heston. It is a film that, at the time of its making, was the highest budgeted Hollywood film ever made, at $15 million (about $162 million by today’s standards).

With a run-time nearing four hours, it is possibly the largest-scale movie on the Vatican’s list.

Ben-Hur follows the story of Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy Jewish aristocrat living in Jerusalem in the first century, under Roman occupation. When he refuses to betray his people to a childhood friend, now the Roman Tribune, he finds himself enslaved as an oarsman for a Roman naval vessel. His circumstances change once again when he saves his captor, a Roman official, during a naval battle that sinks his ship, for which he is adopted as the official’s son. 

Having regained his freedom and been accepted into Roman society, Judah returns to Jerusalem in order to find his mother and sister, who were arrested alongside him. His mother and sister, however, have been afflicted with leprosy during their captivity. Although they are freed, they have Judah’s love interest, Esther, tell him that they are dead, which sends Judah into a quest for revenge against the Tribune. 

The synopsis sounds more like the beginning of Gladiator than a movie that bears the title “A Tale of the Christ,” but it ties in to the biblical narratives several times throughout Judah’s journey. Jesus Christ himself makes several appearances as well, from giving Judah a drink of water while he is being transported through Nazareth during his enslavement, to the gathering for the Sermon on the Mount, and even a condensed retelling of The Passion towards the end of the film.

While Judah’s story remains on the periphery of the biblical narrative, the characters of the story often cite the deeds of Christ and even John the Baptist. It gives the viewer the impression that the world is on the cusp of a revelation, but continues to go about the harsh realities of life before Christ in a “business as usual” fashion. 

For instance, there is a moment after Judah saves the Roman official that he winds up on another boat and sees slaves working the oars below deck. He takes a moment to pause, but he can make no attempt to save them from their fates, instead accepting his new position in Roman society. 

Judah’s journey from a young man who is outspoken against violence to a man on a quest for revenge is an intense and gritty one, even by 1959 standards. This was a long time before CGI and everything from the scenery to the action was accomplished with practical effects. This is most impressive during the momentous chariot race scene, in which Judah goes head to head with his old friend turned enemy. 

He is finally returned to his pacifist ways after bearing witness to the Crucifixion of Jesus. He explains to Esther that, “I heard him say ‘Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.’... and I felt his voice take the sword out of my hand.” In Popcorn with the Pope, author Michael Ward notes: 

However, while Jesus’ final words on the Cross may have taken Judah’s will to fight, I think the real change happened a few scenes before. You see, Judah was only present for the Crucifixion because he had learned that his mother and sister were lepers and he went to see them. In his moment of desperation, he picked his sister up without a care for his own safety and carried her to Jerusalem to be healed by Jesus. 

He was ultimately not able to meet Christ, aside from a brief moment when Jesus falls under the weight of the cross and Judah – in a mirror of the beginning of the movie – gives Jesus a drink of water. Still, Judah’s faith in Jesus’ ability to heal his family led him to carry his leper sister at the risk of his own infection.

It was the same faith as the woman who touched the hem of Christ’s garment, who Christ told, “your faith made you well.” This biblical moment might also explain why Judah’s mother and sister were healed by the end of the film, despite not ever meeting Jesus.

Despite a runtime that makes The Irishman seem brief, Ben-Hur grips the audience’s attention through dazzling set design, intricate costumes, gorgeous cinematography, and splendid acting performances from just about everyone involved. Charlton Heston in particular gives an outstanding performance, with some of the most emotive and heartbreaking expressions cinema has ever seen. 

Ben-Hur is a slowly paced epic adventure that cautions against living for revenge and prizes peace. While much of its Christian message rests in the periphery, it suggests that the mere presence of a Christian message is all it takes for those on the periphery to become irreversibly changed through witnessing the love of Christ.