BEN-HUR (1959) Screens September 7th at The Tivoli – ‘Classics in the Loop’

“When the Romans were marching me to the galleys, thirst had almost killed me. A man gave me water to drink, and I went on living. I should have done better if I’d poured it into the sand!”

BEN-HUR (1959) screens Wednesday September 7th at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in ‘The Loop’) as the inaugural feature in their new ‘Classics in the Loop’ film series. The movie starts at 7pm and admission is $7. It will be on The Tivoli’s big screen.

The recent BEN-HUR cost over 100 million dollars to make and is already being called the bomb of the summer. That’s too bad, because I think it’s actually quite good. It was made for a modern audience and runs 132 minutes. The 1959 version of BEN-HUR costs 16 million to make and lasts 100 minutes more than the new remake. I wonder if today’s attention-challenged audiences would have flocked to it at that length like they did 57 years ago. If you missed the new version, go and see it (if it’s still showing), then head over to the Tivoli next Wednesday night and see the original. I’ve never seen the ’59 version on the big screen so I’ll be there to compare.

BEN-HUR won 11 Oscars in 1959 and deserved every one of them. It’s a titanic film both in structure and scope. It doesn’t need me to go over old ground about how much the film cost to make, the number of extras, the number of sets and etc, it’s now folklore that this film could have bankrupted MGM such was the investment, but they needn’t have worried since the film went on to make a healthy profit. Every cent spent was worth it because it’s a magnificent film, the kind that you can get swept away with, the minute the overture starts you feel little tingles as the hairs on your arms stand up on end, you are aware that for well over three hours director William Wyler and lead actor Charlton Heston are going to own you.

The story centers around Judah Ben-Hur (Heston) who through his staunch loyalty to the Jewish race falls out with his dear Roman friend Messala (Stephen Boyd). He is dispatched to be a slave in the galleys and swears revenge on Messala. After pirates attack the ship he is slaved on, he manages to escape and in the process he saves Roman Admiral Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins) and this sets Juda on his destiny to enact revenge on his old friend as Quintus makes him a citizen of Rome.

It’s epic, it’s simply beautiful, it’s actually essential viewing for any serious cinema fan, the film’s set pieces are still wondrous even today. You will marvel at the chariot race (a stunning 20 minutes long), you will hoist the flag during the pirate attack, and if you have the emotion in you? You will be hit with somber silence as Christ is crucified. Everything that is great about cinema is right there on the big screen at The Tivoli Wednesday September 7th

Here’s the rest of the line-up for the ‘CLASSICS IN THE LOOP’ film series:

Sept. 14                THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Sept. 21                LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

Sept. 28                LA DOLCE VITA

Oct. 5                    THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)

Oct. 12                  GONE WITH THE WIND

Oct. 19                  SEVEN SAMURAI

Oct. 26                  DOCTOR ZHIVAGO

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