100. Ben Hur

This movie is a treasure. I went into it, having no idea what it was about.

SPOILER!

It is the story of Judah Ben-Hur (Charleton Heston), a Jew living in Rome during the life of Jesus Christ. His childhood friend is involved in Roman politics, so their friendship is no longer. Judah is falsely accused by his former friend and sent to be a slave for 3 years. He escapes and comes back to Rome to seek his vengeance. His former friend has imprisoned his mother and sister, who eventually became lepers. He becomes a master in training horses for chariot races and challenges his former friend to a chariot race. He beats him, but his friend is brutally wounded in the race and dies shortly after. All the while, Christ is teaching the people and Judah Ben-Hur is reluctant to listen. Christ is crucified, and after he dies, Judah's mom and daughter are miraculously healed and the family is reunited.

That summary doesn't do it justice. This movie is really intense and vibrant. Here are some of the quotes I loved:

1) (Judah speaking to the horses) "You must not win the first lap around. You must win the last lap around"

2) (his friend on his death bed) "You think the race is over? The race is never over."

3) (Roman leaders talking about Jesus) "How do we fight an idea? Especially a new idea?"

It was filmed so beautifully. The whole movie juxtaposes Christ's life with Judah Ben-Hur's. When Judah is a slave and is dying of thirst, Christ bends down and gives him water. As Christ is walking the long road to crucifixion, Judah gives him water, without knowing who he is. Judah is trying to be a Christ figure; trying to save his family from leprocy, cleanising the world through blood (violence), and being a hero to his people by winning the race. But the person who cures him of his hatred is Christ. As Judah watches him die, he realizes Christ's awesome power.

Oh, this movie was wonderful. Long, but wonderful. Please, please see it. It kept my attention and I found myself screaming at the TV. "Judah, don't do it!", "Move out of the way!". There is something in this movie for everyone. And I've only scratched the surface. This movie has so much depth and meaning.

Alright, my faithful blog followers. You are keenly aware that one of my New Year's resolutions is to watch all the movies on The American Film Institution's top 100 list. On this blog, I will:

1) Briefly summarize the movie's plot (don't read it if you don't want me to spoil it!)
2) Give a quote I especially liked from the film
3) Recommend the movie to who/what group I think would enjoy it.
4) Say whether or not I liked it and why.

Ok, here's the list. (I'm watching them from 100 to 1):

1. Citizen Kane
2. The Godfather
3. Casablanca
4. Raging Bull
5. Singin' in the Rain
6. Gone with the Wind
7. Lawrence of Arabia
8. Schindler's List
9. Vertigo
10. The Wizard of Oz
11. City Lights
12. The Searchers
13. Star Wars
14. Psycho
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey
16. Sunset Boulevard
17. The Graduate
18. The General
19. On the Waterfront
20. It's a Wonderful Life
21. Chinatown
22. Some Like it Hot
23. The Grapes of Wrath
24. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
25. To Kill a Mockingbird
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
27. High Noon
28. All About Eve
29. Double Indemnity
30. Apocalypse Now
31. The Maltese Falcon
32. The Godfather, Part II
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
35. Annie Hall
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai
37. The Best Years of Our Lives
38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
39. Dr. Strangelove
40. The Sound of Music
41. King Kong
42. Bonnie and Clyde
43. Midnight Cowboy
44. The Philadelphia Story
45. Shane
46. It Happened One Night
47. A Streetcar Named Desire
48. Rear Window
49. Intolerance
50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
51. West Side Story
52. Taxi Driver
53. The Deer Hunter
54. M*A*S*H
55. North by Northwest
56. Jaws
57. Rocky
58. The Gold Rush
59. Nashville
60. Duck Soup
61. Sullivan's Travels
62. American Graffiti
63. Cabaret
64. Network
65. The African Queen
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark
67. Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?
68. Unforgiven
69. Tootsie
70. A Clockwork Orange
71. Saving Private Ryan
72. The Shawshank Redemption
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
74. The Silence of the Lambs
75. In the Heat of the Night
76. Forrest Gump
77. All the President's Men
78. Modern Times
79. The Wild Bunch
80. The Apartment
81. Spartacus
82. Sunrise
83. Titanic
84. Easy Rider
85. A Night at the Opera
86. Platoon
87. 12 Angry Men
88. Bringing Up Baby
89. The Sixth Sense
90. Swing Time
91. Sophie's Choice
92. Goodfellas
93. The French Connection
94. Pulp Fiction
95. The Last Picture Show
96. Do the Right Thing
97. Blade Runner
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy
99. Toy Story
100. Ben-Hur