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Author Topic: 100 Years Of Ben Hur
Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006


 - posted May 27, 2009 10:55 PM      Profile for Graham Ritchie   Email Graham Ritchie   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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I was listening to the Digitally remastered stereo CD the other day with its Academy award winning music by Miklos Rozsa performed by the MGM Studio Orchestra recorded back in 1959 a truly amazing soundtrack, then it dawned on me its now been 50 years and that reminded me of the Super8 feature that I once used to own and watched every so often, only got the 3/400ft Scope one left. has anyone got the full Derann Scope feature thats still available new?. Its one of those timeless movies that would be great to see back on the big screen in 70mm, its a pity nobody can run it here the old Cinerama cinema that did the 70mm stuff has long gone. I will watch it on the VP tonight but not the same though! here are a few photos from the CD album.
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They sure dont make movies like that anymore
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Graham. [Smile]

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005


 - posted May 27, 2009 11:28 PM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Quite true Graham.

I own the Derann scope stereo feature, (slight imperfection in printing, but not distracting, except for a perfectionist like me, grrrr.)

Most of those epics I tend to fall asleep in, and to an extant, I do with this ones LONG romance scenes between Ben Hur and the former servant girl. (I once thought of omitting almost all of those at one time, but thankfully, I didn't), but this one actually does flow fairly well.

Actually, we should say 100 years of Ben Hur, as the silent version of the 1920's was a big hit, and in the early days of cinema, (somewhere in between 1900 and 1910) there was a first version of Ben Hur ...

... and to top it off, Groucho made a great joke of this in the "Monkey Business Promo" (a rare promo with a five minute scene that wasn't even in the movie, but was mostly lifted from one of they're stage successes, "I'll Say She Is.").

Groucho ...

" I was once in a two person stage play of Ben Hur.

She played Ben ... and I "played" her!

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Patrick Walsh
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 723
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
Registered: Jul 2006


 - posted May 28, 2009 01:53 AM      Profile for Patrick Walsh   Email Patrick Walsh   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I now thave the honour of owning a scope 400fter of this film (Thanks Osi! [Big Grin] )
It has such a vast scale to everything and no modern film seems to have done it better.
I remember there was a 35mm copy of it kicking around here and it was on "fox hole" film which the sprokets were smaller to allow for a seperate mag track down the side without cutting into the picture area (I may be wrong about the sound type but I know there was another track on it)
The projectors needed a seperate set of sprockets to show it.
[Smile] Pat

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"Raise The Titanic!", It would of been cheaper to lower the Atlantic!

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006


 - posted May 28, 2009 05:24 AM      Profile for Graham Ritchie   Email Graham Ritchie   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Osi
You are right, I forgot about the other Versions so have changed it from 50 to "100 years of Ben Hur" I have got the Silent 1925 version it was included in the four disc collectors edition DVD of 1959 Ben Hur.

Thames Television restored the 1925 silent and added a Stereophonic Orchestral Score by Carl Davis. I must watch it soon, it has a running time of 143 minutes.

Graham. [Smile]

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Claus Harding
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1149
From: Washington DC
Registered: Oct 2006


 - posted May 28, 2009 08:13 AM      Profile for Claus Harding   Email Claus Harding   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Graham, "Ben Hur" definitely is in the category of "they don't do it like that anymore'. Instead we get CGI-spectacles like "Gladiator" which can't hold a candle to BH.

Imagine a modern 'nervous nellie' type producer being told by his director that in order to cover the chariot race correctly, they will need 11 65mm cameras running at the same time.....that's basically TV Olympics-style coverage, except it's 65-mil running through the mags [Eek!] [Big Grin]

Beautiful still of Haya Harareet too. She had a short career, but was co-writer on the film "Our Mother's House" which was directed by her husband Jack Clayton (I am trying to locate that one, since I have heard it is supposed to be quite intense.)

I do look forward to seeing the 1925 version of "Ben Hur."

Claus.

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"Why are there shots of deserts in a scene that's supposed to take place in Belgium during the winter?" (Review of 'Battle of the Bulge'.)

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006


 - posted May 29, 2009 03:04 PM      Profile for Graham Ritchie   Email Graham Ritchie   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Claus
Checking out on the extras DVD the writer Lew Wallace died in 1905 and the rights of the book was passed on to his family. The first "Ben Hur" film was in 1907 only 15 minutes long filmed on Manhatten Beach NY. When the Wallace family heard of this they took the film makers to court as no permission or payment had been made, The end result was that it went to the US Supreme Court which awarded the Wallace family $25.000 dollars, not only was it the first "Ben Hur" film to be made but the first to go to court to protect writers work being exploited by film makers.

Another interesting item at the end of the 1959 Ben Hur DVD was at the end where its stated

Central Board of Film Censors
Government Of India
English 35mm
Length 19790 feet 31 reels
Dated Bombay 23/8/60

I wonder why its there? anyone with any ideas?

In one scene during the Chariot Race the teams came around the bend a bit to wide, ran into and destroyed a very expensive 65mm camera [Eek!]

an interesting still
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Graham.

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Trevor Adams
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 763
From: Auckland,New Zealand
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted June 01, 2009 11:35 PM      Profile for Trevor Adams   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Graham,how would you have liked George Baker as BH? [Smile] Trev

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Trevor

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006


 - posted June 02, 2009 04:15 AM      Profile for Graham Ritchie   Email Graham Ritchie   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi Trevor

Not sure on that one, good British actor though, I think I will stick to Chuck [Smile]

Graham. [Smile]

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Martin Jones
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1269
From: Thetford , Norfolk,England
Registered: May 2008


 - posted June 02, 2009 04:27 AM      Profile for Martin Jones     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Ben Hur is about to be staged as an Arena live action spectacle at several venues in Europe... no doubt the video of that will be compared with the original.
Martin

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Retired TV Service Engineer
Ongoing interest in Telecine....

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006


 - posted June 02, 2009 04:51 AM      Profile for Graham Ritchie   Email Graham Ritchie   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Depends how one thinks of the term "original" [Roll Eyes] as the first one to hit the screen was made in...1907... then in 1925.... and again in...1959. [Smile]

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005


 - posted June 02, 2009 10:04 AM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Speaking of remaking spectacles, I was re-reading the story that takes place during the "Ten Commandments" story, and there is a lot of stuff left out in the narrative in favor of ridiculous romantic subplots ect. With modern CGI graphics and such, it could be a really daring great film.

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted June 02, 2009 12:48 PM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
There are several films that should never be remade: Ben Hur(1959), The Ten Commandments, the Sound of Music, Gone with the Wind, the Wizard of Oz, West Side Story...etc.

They are so engraved on our consciousnesses that any difference at all would ruin the experience for us.

If I get to Heaven and Moses doesn't resemble Charlton Heston, I'll have all of Eternity to overcome the disappointment!

(...It may take that long!)

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005


 - posted June 03, 2009 07:10 PM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I could see Moses (supposes that roses are noses ... ACK! ehem!)
, when we see him someday, first complaining ...

"Did you see that guy that was playing me, yeah you, over there, come here!"

(Heston walks over)

"What was with that long beard and that slicked back white hair?!
Do you really think I had time to put on hair gel every day, dealing with those irritating people?!"

(He really did put up with a lot, especially that Edward G Robinson "Jew" (I was going to say "Egyptian", but he was a Jewish task master, no deference to the Jewish race) ... "What are ya going ta do NOW Moses? Nyah nyah!")

[ June 03, 2009, 11:11 PM: Message edited by: Osi Osgood ]

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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