# 100 Ben-Hur

So, I started off this adventure by watching #100 Ben-Hur last night.  Released in 1959 it grabbed a ton of Oscars in 1960.  I had seen it before, but totally forgot how long it is actually.  It came on 2 DVDs, yes two.  Netflix says it's running time is 222 minutes while IMDB puts it at 212 minutes.  Either way that's over 3 1/2 of Charlton Heston trying to portray a Jew.  Throw in a naval battle, a chariot race, revenge, leprosy, and a cameo of Jesus. And that is a long time


It's probably the longest movie on the list, but it really does not drag too badly. Yes, there is a Jesus element that added to the running time. But can you really cut out the big JC to save 20 minutes?  After you hit 3 hours you can throw in about anything you want, just ask Peter Jackson...


Oh a sidenote. the original novel the movie is based from, was written by General Lew Wallace.  Wallace was born in Indiana, spent his childhood in Indy, and died in Crawfordsville.


Here's the link to the IMDB page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052618/

Movies watched: 1
Movies Left: 99
Total viewing time: 212