Episode #027: BEN-HUR (1959)




The Essential Films Podcast show

Summary: On today’s adventure, Adolfo and Mark unsheath their swords and grab some sandals as they discuss William Wyler’s 1959 cinematic epic, BEN-HUR! On this week’s show: •Sauce or gravy? •Thanksgiving Movie Traditions •William Wyler’s work on the original BEN-HUR •“It took a Jew to make a good movie about Jesus.” •The genre of Christian Epics •Not showing Jesus’ face •No CGI, just a lot of money put into practical effects, props and sets •Charlton as a Jew or as a Mexican? •Homoerotic subtext? •Christian fan service •Jesus cameos •Heston is JACKED •BROWN FACE!! •Leprechaun Colonies •Ben-Her and Ben-His FILMS REFERENCED: •THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915) •BEN-HUR: A TALE OF THE CHRIST (1925) •ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) •GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) •MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (1947) •QUO VADIS (1951) •THE ROBE (1953) •THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) •TOUCH OF EVIL (1958) •SPARTACUS (1960) •BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (1961) •THE KING OF KINGS (1961) •LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) •THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1964) •THE GREATEST STORY OF EVER TOLD (1965) •THE BIBLE… IN THE BEGINNING (1966) •CALIGULA (1979) •REDS (1981) •PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (1987) •THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (1988) •FORREST GUMP (1994) •TITANIC (1997) •SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998) •STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999) •THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003) •THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004) •THE HATEFUL EIGHT (2015) SOCIAL MEDIA TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Adolfo_Acosta, @Sportsguy515