It must be the chariot race...
December 7, 2011 5:35 PM Subscribe
Movies for a fan of Ben Hur?
Hello, all! My dad's favourite movie of all time is Ben Hur (he's a big Charlton Heston fan... calls him "Chuck"). He recently got to watch it on the big screen for the first time in 50 years, and it's inspired in him a desire to watch more epic movies from that era.
He wants a movie called King of Kings, but it's on back order at Chapters and Amazon.ca and may not arrive in time for Xmas, so I need a backup!
What are some sweeping biblical epics in the tradition of Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments that he might enjoy?
Hello, all! My dad's favourite movie of all time is Ben Hur (he's a big Charlton Heston fan... calls him "Chuck"). He recently got to watch it on the big screen for the first time in 50 years, and it's inspired in him a desire to watch more epic movies from that era.
He wants a movie called King of Kings, but it's on back order at Chapters and Amazon.ca and may not arrive in time for Xmas, so I need a backup!
What are some sweeping biblical epics in the tradition of Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments that he might enjoy?
Spartacus
posted by jchaw at 5:50 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by jchaw at 5:50 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
The Robe. Quo Vadis, Cleopatra. There's also an entire genre of Italian "Sword and sandals" films which were influenced by American epics but the quality of most of them is generally poor.
posted by cazoo at 5:51 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by cazoo at 5:51 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
El Cid
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:51 PM on December 7, 2011
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:51 PM on December 7, 2011
Well... sticking with the 'movies from Latin class' theme, Spartacus is probably the winner. But there's also Masada and Fall of the Roman Empire, which Gladiator rips off at the beginning.
That kind of fails on the Biblical aspect, though.
posted by hoyland at 5:52 PM on December 7, 2011
That kind of fails on the Biblical aspect, though.
posted by hoyland at 5:52 PM on December 7, 2011
Biblical? The Greatest Story Ever Told, maybe. Epic? El Cid (I actually met Heston at a screening of El Cid when it was re-released in what, 1993?); Lawrence of Arabia; and Bridge on the River Kwai.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 5:57 PM on December 7, 2011
posted by Admiral Haddock at 5:57 PM on December 7, 2011
Spartacus and Cleopatra certainly... but I would also try Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge over the River Kwai, The Great Escape, The Longest Day, Patton, Becket, Quo Vadis, Doctor Zhivago, Napoleon, Zulu, and Barry Lyndon.
posted by markkraft at 6:20 PM on December 7, 2011
posted by markkraft at 6:20 PM on December 7, 2011
(Sorry... not Napoleon. Waterloo. With Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer.)
posted by markkraft at 6:28 PM on December 7, 2011
posted by markkraft at 6:28 PM on December 7, 2011
1964's The Fall of the Roman Empire fits the bill. Gotta love Alec Guinness as Marcus Aurelius.
posted by General Tonic at 7:23 AM on December 8, 2011
posted by General Tonic at 7:23 AM on December 8, 2011
The Viking Queen about Boudicca's revolt against the Romans has chariots. Even if the Iceni were long gone by the time the Vikings arrived in Britain.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 7:42 AM on December 8, 2011
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 7:42 AM on December 8, 2011
Not quite an answer to your question, but it looks like you can find new copies of King of Kings on eBay's Canada site with plenty of Buy-it-now options.
posted by mysterpigg at 9:31 AM on December 8, 2011
posted by mysterpigg at 9:31 AM on December 8, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by AlliKat75 at 5:37 PM on December 7, 2011