Mr. Heston, Mr. Rozsa

In the past when studio execs wanted a big box office smash they remade Ben-Hur. Then in 1959, William Wyler filmed the definitive version starring Charlton "you'll pry this scene from my cold, dead hands" Heston. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards (back when that meant something - ed. cynic), this movie has it all. Easily one of the best movies ever made.

I have had it on in the background while doing chores, and have got to say Miklos Rozsa's masterful score* ennobles** even the most mundane tasks. Just at the desert scene where Judah almost dies of thirst, the Muralist has stopped to watch, wait for it. Yup.

"Mom, I'm thirsty!"

"We keep you alive to serve these children, serve well and live." - Words for all us at home parents.

Ben-Hur trivia:

The design of the stadium was another major bone of contention. MGM asked an archaeologist what the stadium in Jerusalem had looked like. "Roman," came the reply. A second archaeologist was asked. "It was in a Phoenician style," he said. A third archaeologist was consulted, who said: "Stadium? I was not aware that Jerusalem had one!" MGM engineers eventually sat down and carefully studied Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925), and based their design on that.


*Yes, Dad it is the best peice of music ever produced.
**Yes, Dear Husband I almost said inbiggens***
***Yes, everyone else inbiggens is a legit word, I learned it on the Simpsons after all. heh.

UPDATE:
I am corrected - "embiggens". Go banana!