Have you ever watched Ben-hur
 

Heard about it all my life finally watched it and was amazed. For a movie made way back in 1959 it's put together very well.

This movie was made in a time when a stuntman didn't mind being trampled under 10 horses.

Ben Hur
 

Hope you got to see it on a huge screen. I have seen it 2 at theatres. Tv just doesn't do it justice. Last time was a revival house with a 50 foot screen. Told my son it was must see. He had a great time. There was something on TMC the other night talking about the silent version of Ben Hur. The 2 commentators thought the chariot race in the silent version was better than the 59 version.

1st movie I ever went to that had an intermission and they sold programs.

They also didn't have a problem going through a couple dozen horses as casualties for the best shot.

Lol same here i heard about it all my life, but never watched

Are you sure about that, do you have any real proof?

I remember the movie vividly, being a horse advocate was
concerned about some of the scenes and to the best of my relocation they claimed
no horses were killed or severely injured. Back then they also said smoking was fine.

they can say that, but I'm not sure how any movie can make that claim -- especially in a movie like Ben Hur, where some horses get fucked up royally. It's not like you can tell a horse how to fall at 30 mph. I'm pretty sure the horse doesn't have the capacity to know its acting.

El Cid is another one that you should watch. The fact that it has Sophia Loren is just icing on the cake.

It's a great film.

Last night flicking through the channels I ended up watching the original 'Planet of the Apes'. Hadn't seen it for about 30 years.

Always watched for the Xmas holiday season. I prefer "Spartacus" ...

Well till I see documented proof that horses actually died I’ll believe else wise. Furthermore it’s more than obvious every horse in that film was in good condition
so that were obviously treated and housed well. Stunt horses maybe running a risk but that's no different than stunt men and woman in the business.

I think it’s far crueler the way some riding stables treat those beautiful animals, housing them in straight stalls. Why this country even tolerates it is beyond me.

for some reason I thought that Ben Hur was an Israeli ex prime minister

Very good movie

One of my favorites, my world history teacher made us watch it in class when we were studying the roman empire.

You're thinking of Ben Gurion, actually David Ben-Gurion.

great movie, the old ones are still the best ones

Except for Charlton Hestons acting it was a great movie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben-Hur...)#Chariot_race

For the horses killed.

Also a stunt man was killed.

Are you sure about that, I think it?s more a rumor than fact. According to the film makers neither horse nor man were killed.

Besides do you really think Moses would take part in such brutality?

when I worked at sony the red 4 ought is all over the place.... they had it made red to lay out on the chariot track and not be seen by the cameras....

i watched the movie as a kid, and it was interesting even back then

I heard an actor/driver in one of the chariot scenes is wearing a wrist watch :winkwink:

Yep, my parents use to watch this every time it would be showing....great movie for it's time

I haven't...

Many years ago but don't remember much. I know it won most Oscars.

Back then a cast of thousands was really a cast of thousands. A great movie.

it's funny i have seen thousands of movies from all eras and I never came across this one. I mean i have heard of it just never got around to seeing it. I need to add this one to the list.

What I was saying was, there's a difference between a human and a horse. The horse doesn't know its a stunt horse. They have their own kind of intelligence, but not the kind that can be instructed how to fall. This sounds like a retarded debate, but you do you see what I'm saying? Horses are stupid and can't comprehend the delicate science of stuntwork(find that phrase somewhere else on the internet).

They fall down and that's it. Poor horsies.

I do like my Braveheart though. Fuck them horses.

I had heard about the famous chariot race but then when i never realized it was a religious picture. Title when you see the movie is ben hur another christ story. You only see jesus from the back followefd by major chords lol To see it in a theate would have been a great experience

think a lot of movies back then didn't have much concern for animal safety?

It's an excellent movie. Classic amongst classic, got it in my hd.

So what's the verdict here? Were horses killed or not?

I don’t believe any horses were killed and there is no documented proof of it.
Nor is it so that a horse falls down and that’s it, horses do fall and most of the time with little or no injuries. Bronco may be referring to race horses that are raced at very young ages, way before their bones are fully developed so of course they are way more fragile than the horses that are used for theatre.

It’s also true that race horses are treated very well. I think Nipsey Russell said it best about race horses. Have a listen.

http://clitchat.com/datr.html

I saw it at a Saturday matinee at the theater when it came out.