Trailer for new Ben-Hur is up

[john m roberts]

The trailer for the new "Ben-Hur"film is out. Looks like it could be interesting, but it's hard to tell with the fashionable fast cutting where you get a 100th of a second for each scene.

[Alanus]

Yup. Looks like it's watchable. I have the original remake with Charlton Heston. In this version, we get Morgan Freeman and the "old slaves-rowing-the-ships trick"... which, as far as I know, is total fiction. But it's a Hollywood tradition.

Personally, I prefer Chinese historicals. Less "darkness," vibrant colors, and occasional accuracy. I gave up on Ridley Scott. His movies became so dark I needed a flashlight to watch them.

[Nathan Ross]

I suppose the chained galley slaves and ahistorical naval battle were in the original 1880 novel, so there is a certain justification behind it, perhaps (but why does there appear to be a man sitting on the ram of the attacking galley?).

Here's a review of the trailer (!): http://www.wired.com/2016/03/ben-hur-trailer/ - "looks like an Evangelical 'Gladiator'..."

Is this the film where the 'Roman soldiers' wear backpacks and ammunition belts? Otherwise looks like the usual leathery military stuff - although there's a reasonable-looking hamata with shoulder doubler at around 1.14!

[john m roberts]

I suppose the chained galley slaves and ahistorical naval battle were in the original 1880 novel, so there is a certain justification behind it, perhaps (but why does there appear to be a man sitting on the ram of the attacking galley)?

He's not sitting on it.  He's a Roman prisoner tied to the ram.  It's in the silent 1925 version of the film.

[Graham Sumner]

Indeed it is the film with the backpacks and ammo pouches!

The rest of the kit seems to be from 'The Passion', not surprising as it was filmed on the same location but also from 'The Fall of the Roman Empire'. Testimony at least to how well made that kit was, as it is almost sixty years old.

In the 1925 version there was a Roman 'prisoner' tied to one of the pirate ships rams. From what I have heard I am not entirely sure the extra knew what he was letting himself in for and his life and death struggles are quite convincing!

Graham.

[Michael Kerr]

In the 1925 version there was a Roman 'prisoner' tied to one of the pirate ships rams. From what I have heard I am not entirely sure the extra knew what he was letting himself in for and his life and death struggles are quite convincing!

The 2016 version seems to have a prisoner tied to a ram as well, unless my eyesight is getting worse. Sorry I just saw some previous posts which mention the newer version with the prisoner attached to the ram.  This movie seems to have a Mad Max feel about it. I suppose we have to blame the author Lew Wallace for the galley slaves and not Hollywood.   How could Judah Ben Hur have met Quintus if he had been sent to work in a distant salt mine somewhere. Screengrab from trailer.   

   

Regards

Michael Kerr

[Robert Vermaat]

He's a Roman prisoner tied to the ram.  It's in the silent 1925 version of the film.

Shouldn't rams be underwater, where they do most damage?

Like Gladiator, it's not a historical script to begin with. This movie is a remake of a Hollywood blockbuster wihich itself was also a remake of a 1920s movie, based on a sensationalist 19th c. novel about drama, romance and religion set in semi-historical surroundings written for a wide audience. Like other H'wood blockbusters ready for a CGI-redo: Gladiator I already mentioned, Quo Vadis is perhaps too Christian for a remake, Spartacus has already been destroyed redone, so what's next? Cleopatra? remake of the 'Rome' series anyone/

Of course thyey could make this movie more historical. But let's be frank - quadriga-races in Jerusalem? Really? Slaves rowing Roman war galleys on the rythm of gioant drums - really? And that's just for starters. This was a fantasy script to begin with, a Roman sauce around a Biblical core. Not the best starting point for a historical movie.

[Nathan Ross]

quadriga-races in Jerusalem? Really?... Not the best starting point for a historical movie.

I think the circus is supposed to be in Antioch, to be fair! (or, at least, it was supposed to be there in the book, I think...) But yes - this is a movie about other movies more than anything else. No history here!

This movie seems to have a Mad Max feel about it. 

Yes! I suspect a lot of things are going to have 'a Mad Max feel' over the coming year or so...

Actually I thought the man on the ram might be intended to leap in through the breach in the ship's hull and start slaughtering the oarsmen, like the men on the bendy poles in Mad Max...!

[Alanus]

We'll never see an "historical" Roman production. This style of film costs big bucks; only two companies are left in Hollywood (Disney and Sony), and they work strictly on an audience-pleasing formula-- and historicity isn't it. With the remake of a remake of the remake of Ben Hur ('til she breaks), we get another dose of pablum. 

Need a reality check? Maybe I'm out-of-place by suggesting Lu Chuan's The Last Supper, an accurate film about the last days of Liu Bang (first Han emperor). It's based on the fall of the Qin Dynasty and historical struggle between Bang, Lord Yu, and General Xin. The script is straight from the Shiji, even a short glimpse of Bang's sword, its scabbard covered in white ray-skin (totally accurate). Only a few minutes of battles, the rest of the film as flashbacks. This film requires the viewer to think. Due to the latter, it was never over-dubbed and shown to American audiences. 

[Graham Sumner]

"We'll never see an "historical" Roman production. This style of film costs big bucks".

I am always optimistic that one day we will. 'Centurion' was not made with big bucks and did have some re-enactors on board to advise, The kit was not totally inaccurate and with a few minor tweaks to sets, costumes and script would probably have satisfied all but the die hard Roman nerd.

In contrast I am always put off by Chinese historical epics because their warriors are always leaping about in the air, which to me is almost as bad as any Indian film were the characters break out into song. Thankfully for the most part we have been spared that with serious Roman epics. (I do like Red Cliff)

Even from a few second trailer some interesting points have nevertheless emerged. In this film Ben-Hur and Massala are brothers. More prominence is given to Ilderim. Ben-Hur is not stranded on a raft with Quintus Arrius, so presumably Morgan Freeman's character takes on the father mentor role. There are battles in the desert and the snow. The film will probably have a much shorter running time than the earlier versions so as a result will be more action based rather than spiritual.

Graham.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

"We'll never see an "historical" Roman production. This style of film costs big bucks".

I am always optimistic that one day we will. 'Centurion' was not made with big bucks and did have some re-enactors on board to advise, The kit was not totally inaccurate and with a few minor tweaks to sets, costumes and script would probably have satisfied all but the die hard Roman nerd.

In contrast I am always put off by Chinese historical epics because their warriors are always leaping about in the air, which to me is almost as bad as any Indian film were the characters break out into song. Thankfully for the most part we have been spared that with serious Roman epics. (I do like Red Cliff)

Even from a few second trailer some interesting points have nevertheless emerged. In this film Ben-Hur and Massala are brothers. More prominence is given to Ilderim. Ben-Hur is not stranded on a raft with Quintus Arrius, so presumably Morgan Freeman's character takes on the father mentor role. There are battles in the desert and the snow. The film will probably have a much shorter running time than the earlier versions so as a result will be more action based rather than spiritual.

Graham.

I have to agree with Graham. The Deadpool movie came about because the internet, led by Ryan Reynolds, said to Fox "hey let's do a deadpool movie and let's do it right" and they got it. That movie got 9/10 and 10/10 ratings, it was great.

So I think it's possible we could pressure Hollywood to do a Roman movie and do it right, but to get the support to do it would be a massive undertaking.

[Marcus F.]

featurette:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0Nof4sFZBc

[Fabricius Carbo]

"We'll never see an "historical" Roman production. This style of film costs big bucks".

I am always optimistic that one day we will. 'Centurion' was not made with big bucks and did have some re-enactors on board to advise, The kit was not totally inaccurate and with a few minor tweaks to sets, costumes and script would probably have satisfied all but the die hard Roman nerd.

In contrast I am always put off by Chinese historical epics because their warriors are always leaping about in the air, which to me is almost as bad as any Indian film were the characters break out into song. Thankfully for the most part we have been spared that with serious Roman epics. (I do like Red Cliff)

Even from a few second trailer some interesting points have nevertheless emerged. In this film Ben-Hur and Massala are brothers. More prominence is given to Ilderim. Ben-Hur is not stranded on a raft with Quintus Arrius, so presumably Morgan Freeman's character takes on the father mentor role. There are battles in the desert and the snow. The film will probably have a much shorter running time than the earlier versions so as a result will be more action based rather than spiritual.

Graham.

I have to agree with Graham. The Deadpool movie came about because the internet, led by Ryan Reynolds, said to Fox "hey let's do a deadpool movie and let's do it right" and they got it. That movie got 9/10 and 10/10 ratings, it was great.

So I think it's possible we could pressure Hollywood to do a Roman movie and do it right, but to get the support to do it would be a massive undertaking.

Comic Books have a lot bigger following I am sad to say.

One thing about this film
How will they get the big explosions in to a film in Ancient Rome?

[Marcus F.]

movie flops:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=benhur2016.htm

[Dan Howard]

I suppose the chained galley slaves and ahistorical naval battle were in the original 1880 novel, so there is a certain justification behind it, perhaps (but why does there appear to be a man sitting on the ram of the attacking galley)?

He's not sitting on it.  He's a Roman prisoner tied to the ram.  It's in the silent 1925 version of the film.

Nah he's not a prisoner. He is part of the guidance control system: "Left a bit. Right a bit. That's it boys, ramming speed..."