Ben-Hur is a 2016 epic historical drama remake 1959 classic with Charlton Heston

USPA NEWS - 'BEN-HUR', a 2016 American epic historical action drama, is the fifth film adaptation of the 1880 novel 'Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ' by Lew Wallace. It is to be released in FRANCE on September 7, 2016...

'BEN-HUR', a 2016 American epic historical action drama, is the fifth film adaptation of the 1880 novel 'Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ' by Lew Wallace. It is to be released in FRANCE on September 7, 2016. Following the 1907 silent film, the 1925 silent film, the Academy Award-winning 1959 film and the 2003 animated film of the same name. The 1959 version Ben-Hur had the largest budget ($15.175 million) as well as the largest sets built of any film produced at the time.

It won a record 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Wyler), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Heston), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Griffith), and Best Cinematography ““ Color (Surtees), an accomplishment that was not equaled until Titanic in 1997 and then again by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003. Today, Ben-Hur is widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made.

2016 'BEN HUR'

Directed by : Timur Bekmambetov
Produced by : Mark Burnett, Sean Daniel, Duncan Henderson, Joni Levin
Screenplay by : Keith Clarke, John Ridley
Based on :'Ben-Hur : A Tale of the Christ' by Lew Wallace
Starring : Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi, Haluk Bilginer, Rodrigo Santoro.
Distributed by : Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates : August 9, 2016 (Mexico City), August 19, 2016 (United States), September 7, 2016 (France)
Running time : 123 minutes

THE STORY :

A Jewish nobleman, Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) and his adoptive Roman brother Messala (Toby Kebbell) are best friends despite their different origins. While racing horses, Ben-Hur is hurt and Messala carries him back to their family home in Jerusalem. Despite the hospitality, Messala feels alienated in his adopted family. He enlists in the Roman army and fights in the Roman Empire's wars in Germany. Ben-Hur also develops feelings for the family slave Esther (Nazanin Boniadi). Three years later, Messala returns as a decorated Roman officer. His return coincides with a rising insurrection by the Zealots, who are opposed to the oppressive nature of Roman rule.

Messala reunites with Ben-Hur and attempts convinces his adoptive brother to serve as an informant. Days later, Pontius Pilate marches into Jerusalem with Ben-Hur and his family watching from a balcony. A young Zealot youth named Gestas (Moisés Arias) attempts to assassinate Pilate with a crossbow but fails. In retaliation, the Romans storm Ben-Hur's household and arrest him and his family. Ben-Hur takes responsibility for the assassination and is sentenced to enslavement aboard a galley. His mother and sister are sentenced to be crucified. Ben-Hur and Messala fall out with the two hating each other for their perceived betrayals. Ben-Hur endures five years of slavery as a rower aboard a Roman galley which is destroyed during a battle.

Ben-Hur is washed ashore and is found by Sheik Ilderim (Morgan Freeman). Later, they travel to Jerusalem to take part in a grand chariot race at the newly built Roman circus. While visiting Jerusalem, Ben-Hur encounters Esther, who has become a follower of Jesus and is involved in charity work, also he encounters a former Roman soldier named Druses (Marwan Kenzari) who informs him that his mother Naomi and sister Tirzah are still alive....

OUR REVIEW :

After watching the 1959 'Ben-Hur,' a studio classic so big, the first order of business is to create a bigger and better version of that movie´s climactic chariot race. To a contemporary audience conditioned to accept non-stop remakes, this film feels disturbingly lacking of a pretense of holiness, even when at the very end, it timidly tries to preach a message about revenge and forgiveness. Perhaps old-fashioned epics, particularly Biblical ones, are a tougher sell in an era when mutants can work box-office miracles with their superpowers.

As Judah wends his way through a bazaar, a carpenter who happens to be working nearby pipes up helpfully, 'Love your enemies.' That´s Jesus´ entrance in this Ben-Hur, unfortunately, he´s no match for the horses that draw Judah´s chariot, the true stars of this Ben-Hur. The chariot race is the anchor of any Ben-Hur adaptation.

Source photos: Copyright 2016 Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved. / Philippe Antonello

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