BEN-HUR

(1925, Fred Niblo) As the Roman governor enters Jerusalem, a loose tile precipitates enslavement, a sea battle, leprosy and an axle-snapping chariot race climax (which “for once exceeds legend” – Kevin Brownlow) to the lifelong rivalry of Ramon Novarro’s Ben-Hur and Francis X. Bushman’s Messala. Tinted and toned print, with original 2-strip Technicolor sequences.

REVIEWS

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"There is filmmaking in Ben-Hur almost as impressive as in Battleship Potemkin, made the same year. Two of the finest action sequences ever put on celluloid – the sea battle and the chariot race – still look magnificent."
– Kevin Brownlow

"One of the most impressive silent epics."
– Geoff Andrew, Time Out (London)