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Ben-Hur DVD
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Rating: - Ben Hur - The Exquisite Original and a Fair Remake.
I first saw the 1925 Ramon Navarro version of Ben Hur in the theatre ... and no, I'm not that old. Thames Television in London had commissioned composer/conductor Carl Davis to write a new score for this silent film which would do it justice. The original score for full symphony orchestra (silent films were rarely one woman and a piano, despite the myth) had disappeared, and the performance I witnessed in Glasgow used the full 120 players of The Royal Scottish National Orchestra. It included the separation of tympanists to different parts of the auditorium for the galley scenes, and was an extraordinary experience. My wife had played viola on his original recording of this score, and had enthused about it. She wasn't wrong! The music you hear in the DVD in this collection is Carl Davis's.

The 1920s version of Ben Hur is on a much larger scale than the 1950 one. The 1950s version re-used the small portion of the chariot race sets from the original which had survived, and glass shots for the rest (hence, so many enforced close ups). See the whole amphitheatre in its original glory in the 1925 version. Everything else about this version was on a much bigger scale, too. For example, while the pirate battle in the 1950s version uses models and miniatures with close up scenes shot in the studio using blue screen, the 1925 version used a real full sized fleet and was entirely shot on location in the Adriatic. Everything you see (including the sinkings) was real. The two fleets built for this film are still reckoned the most accurate recreations of Roman and Carthaginian ships made since the end of the Roman Empire, and the combined fleets created the biggest assemblage of such vesssels in modern times. To add spice to the action, the Italian extras hired to play both Romans and pirates came from the ranks of Mussolini's Fascists and the rival Communists. Naturally,the Fascists insisted in playing Romans. The Communists chose to be pirates. As a result, when the director called 'action' both sides went for each other with a vengeance. Watch every skirmish in this film. All of it is real. As the ships sank thousands found themselves in the sea. Each extra had signed a document confirming he could swim. In practise, very few could. A lot of political scores were settled during that week of shooting on the water. Bashing out the brains of the opposition seemed somehow more important than the very real prospect of drowning.

On a history of cinema note too, observe the changes between colour, tint and monochrome on screen. This wasn't down to saving costs. Although it looks odd to us today, it was seen at the time as a legitimate way of literally 'shading' the values and meaning of different scenes. Watch the film, taking note which scenes are coloured in which way, and the structure will become clear.

Also, note the topless dancers and similarly skimpily clad women. Prior to the 1930s, American cinema was much less concerned with prurient moralising, and much more with exploring the power of the medium. This film is a great tribute to this 'no holds barred' ethos, and one of the finest and most ambitious creations of American cinema.

The makers of this box set are to be congratulated in including it with the 1950s version. Although, on purely artistic terms, the 1950s version, though very good, should be included as an extra with the much, much better 1920s original.