Ben-Hur review

 Number 203 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1959 biblical epic Ben-hur.

Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) was once a noble Jewish man who finds that Ancient Roman is quickly turning against the Jewish people. When Judah refuses to swear allegiance to the new Roman commander and his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd,) he makes an enemy of the Roman people. Later on, to seek redemption, he escapes from slavery and becomes a champion charioteer. Meanwhile, a new religious leader is making waves as he begins preaching across the Roman empire.

Ben-Hur? A cinematic masterpiece? Or a four-hour snooze-fest? I'm tempted to say the latter. It wasn't completely boring, but it dragged on. Maybe I'm just a philistine, but why does a film need to have a six-minute overture? Or an intermission? We're not at the theatre. Any film that has to be cut into half is too damn long.

Obviously the Academy didn't agree with me as they awarded Ben-Hur with eleven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor for Charlton Heston. This was a puzzling choice for me as his range was incredibly limited. It was like William Wyler had directed him to be either angry or bitter with nothing in between. He reminded me a lot of Clint Eastwood who I've always thought was a better director than an actor.

The plus side of historical epics like Ben-Hur is that the set production is always on-point. Two big examples come to mind. The first is when Ben-Hur is serving on the slave-ship that is then attacked by Macedonian pirates which leads to his escape. The second is, of course, the famous chariot race scene that employed thousands of extras. Both of these looked great on-screen.

Ben-Hur wasn't a particularly awful film. It was watchable enough despite its unnecessary length and Heston's wooden performance.

The 39 Steps review

 Number 419 on the top 1000 films of all time is Alfred Hitchcock's mystery thriller 'The 39 Steps.'

Richard Hannay (Robert Donnay) is in London when he befriends a mysterious woman. This woman tells him about a secret organisation called the 39 Steps. She later turns up dead and her assassins chase Hannay into Scotland where he becomes tangled up with a lady called Pamela (Madeline Carroll) as he tried to solve the mystery of the 39 Steps.

There is no denying that Alfred Hitchcock has had a momentous career. From the Lady Vanishes to Notorious to Dial M for Murder and Vertigo, he has been thrilling audiences for decades. And you can argue it all started with the 39 Steps. Released in 1935, this was one of his earliest sound films.

Hitchcock is a very good storyteller. His films usually stretch the realms of believability, but they work because the story is good. The Lady Vanishes is pure hokum and North by Northwest has the incredible scene of Cary Grant being chased by a cropduster, but both are still great films. The 39 Steps is equally unbelievable, but equally watchable. Hannay is shot at point-blank range, but he survives because a hymn book in his pocket blocks the bullet. I'm doubtful that even the bible could stop a speeding bullet at point blank range.

Yet Hannay is a likable protagonist. Like Cary Grant in North by Northwest, he is a victim of circumstance. Mistakenly identified as a murderer, he has to work hard to clear his name. It is this character arc that was interesting and engaging to watch.

Yes Hitchcock's films aren't always the most believable or realistic, but they are damned entertaining.