STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 240, 30 December 1927, Page 15

STRAND

“BEN-HUR” '‘Ben-Hur” is to be played its third week at the Strand Theatre, commencing to-day, as its immense popularity is undiminished. Little more can be said in praise of this great epic than to reiterate its unfailing appeal and devotional nature, its enormous and beautiful sets, and the dignity and power of its sacred story. Three years in the making, the company making trips to Rome and Asia Minor to secure fidelity and historic backgrounds, costing some millions of dollars to produce, and necessitating the engagement of thousands of players, “Ben-Plur” cannot fail to make a lasting impression. The co-operation of governments was secured, as well as the sympathy enlisted of eminent literary men. Xo stone was left unturned to mak£ the picture, not only the most enduring thing materially the screen has ever seen, but also the most beautiful story in its true guise of love and poetic feeling. To be sure, the famous chariot race—which is all some people know of “Ben-Hur”—is the most remarkable aspect of the production, several teams of blood horses competing in a most realistic and spectacular race. Ramon Novarro, in the title role, drives in this scene a team of pure Arabs, while Francis X. Bushman, as his rival, the Roman Messala, controls four fiery blacks. The sea fight between pirates and Roman Triremes was fought out in the harbour of Genoa, and the old days of Roman might and glory are vividly recalled as these stately galleys sweep across the screen, manned by mailed legionaries, and propelled by miserable slaves. Although featuring these purely worldly parts of the great drama, “Ben-Hur” is essentially the story of the Christ, and those many parts of the picture which concentrate on this angle are beautiful and reverent in the extreme. They are characterised by delicate taste and fineness of feeling on the part of the director, so that they appear as a page from the Gospels, so detailed and colourful and dignified are they. Some of the greatest masterpieces of paintings have been made into screen tableaux for “Ben-Hur,” quite the most memorable of which are Da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” and Tissot’s exquisite “Pool of Siloam.” Mr. Birrell O’Malley sings as a prologue to the famous photo-play that beautiful composition, “The Star of Bethlehem.”