"BEN HUR."

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19156, 12 November 1927, Page 9

"BEN HUR."

ANOTHER WEEK. GRAND THEATRE, MOXDAT. On Monday, "Ben Hur" will run into ' ls I fourth week at the Grand Theatre. At '.bis advanced data in the season, when, it regular theatregoers Lave not actually seen the picture, they at least are fully educated up to its standard, citber through the medium of the newspaper or from their friende, little more rests with the reviewer than to reiterate what has gone before. Every angle has be.;,] dealt with, every player has received attention, everv outstanding scene has been exrlained, and the cost of its production has been siren with the reauired sense ot lev. rencc, for there is no thin a that compels more respect in the United .States than dollars. The story of "Bon Hur" is a skill"! combination c f the corporeal and the spiritual, and provided that combination is exploited with effect, the result must necessarily be a masterpiece. Titer? cun be r.o doubt about it, "Ben Hur" is a great achievement for tlie screen, and it is surprising that the Metro-Goldwvn-Mayer organisation, or any company for that matter, should have chosen so difficult a play to translate in such terms. It savs much for natural tenacity and courage. It 'is produced with a bold disregard for cost, it is historically faithful, and quite the most remarkable aspect of the picture is its all-embracing sense of reverence and thn good taste in tho handling of the more obvious scenes. The famous chariot race and the naval battle are the outstanding sequences in the film, although those that linger longest in the memory are the tableaux from the world's greatest art galleries. Dresden, the Liverpool, the Louvre, and Burlintrtou House have been painstakingly noted, with the result that Da Vinci, Rubens, Tissot, and Munkascy are seen on the screen in all their colour and splendour. In the title roics is seen Tlamon Xovarro, excelling in flic difficult role of Ben Hur: Betty Bronson is the Madonna, Mav McAvoy is Esther, white Claire McDowell, Winter Hall, and Xigel de Brulier plav other prominent parts. Mr David McGill sings "Star of Bethlehem' iu the prologue. and the quartet of choristers chant "Abide Wth Me." The Grand Orchestra plays the special "Ben Hur" score. The box- plans are at The Bristol Piano Company, where seats may be reserved.