Mighty Chariot Race is Feature of “Ben-Hur”

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 224, 10 December 1927, Page 25 (Supplement)

Mighty Chariot Race is Feature of “Ben-Hur”

Triumph for the Screen

One of the most exciting events ln "Ben-Hur ” which will inaugurate the new jiolicy of special feature pictures at the Strand Theatre next week, is the chariot race. Every possible resource at Culver City , the headquarters of Metro-Goldwyn-Maycr, was called, upon. Fred Niblo . “Ben-Hur's'* iproducer, and. well-known in this part of the world , describes the race as the supreme test of this mighty film. Besides the large army of volunteer Graeco-Romans, 100,000 extras were on hand, costumed, bearded and bewigged. i t li this 1 t- >rm< •"< throng

culated and chattered in anticipation of the great race. Besides the director’s “loud speaker” an airplane flew overhead to record high and long shots directly down on the crowd. The buglers blew their final signal . . . Huge tapestries were flung back and out dashed 12 chariot teams. The start was almost perfect, save that Ben-Hur was crowded into ninth position. This was correct, as the story of the picture follows that of General Lew Wallace’s book, which has him the l- ninth at the start. 1 Francis X. Bushman, as Messala, _■ was off fourth, as called for by the y story. William Donovan with the 1 Greek team of bays took the inner pole r quickly and held it for the first two 2 laps. Bushman came up on even terms * at the beginning of the third lap and > held that position until the fourth, t when he went to the front. • The sixth lap was the most exciting. Mickey Millerick, a famous horseman, ’ driving the Byzantine team of roans. ’ caught the inner rail at the south turn and just behind the Roman team. In doing so he crowded the Greek, ' Sidonian, Corinthian and Athenian : teams far wide. The first went down and soon the ! others piled on top of him. There ; were actual shrieks from the throng ; | and it seemed that some one must . ‘ be hurt, and perhaps fatally.

Itliuilliuuts UUUIIg at work, with 48 horses galloping around the course in the mad seven laps of the great Chariot Race, with 150 other horses utilised,

'**' ' ’ the scene was Fred Niblo made with precision and without an accident. Mr. Niblo worked most of the day from his tower which was nearly 100 ft high, supervising the 42 cameras that shot 53,000 ft of negative during the day. The first section of the players was the 54 Roman Imperial Guard members who rode into the arena to clear the course: all members of the Eleventh