The Essential Films Podcast: Episode #027 - BEN-HUR (1959)

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EPISODE DESCRIPTION

On today’s adventure, Adolfo and Mark unsheathe 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)

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