I suppose, when most people think “Christmas reading,” Ben-Hur is not the first title that comes to mind. But for me, reading this novel again (a good 45 years after I read it the first time) during the month of December, the story has made me ever so much more thankful for all that the Christmas season represents.
The 1959 film starring Charlton Heston, a favorite movie of mine that I watch more than once a year, had completely erased from my mind the novel it’s based upon. Therefore, after reading an essay about the movie in my film studies class this fall, I decided it was time to read it again. I’m so glad that I did.
The novel opens with the three wise men on their search for the coming King and ends a few years after the resurrection of Christ. First published in the USA in 1880, Ben-Hur is surprisingly easy to read. The style is that of a storyteller, speaking directly to his audience, and I quickly fell under the storyteller’s spell.
The differences between the book and the movie are massive. Much more than I imagined. Not really surprising, considering the audiobook is just over 23 hours (the version I listened to has an amazing narrator, Lloyd James) and the movie is just over 3 1/2 hours. That’s a lot of cutting and condensing that must happen. I still love the movie, but I will view it differently in the future. Not in a negative way either. I will simply be aware of deeper meanings and more knowledge of the characters.
I highly recommend reading or rereading Ben-Hur, and I especially recommend it to all fans of biblical fiction, whether or not you are also a fan of the film.
No matter what you are reading or listening to this wonderful season, Jerry and I, along with Poppet and Pinky, send you our best wishes for a very, merry Christmas.
~robin
P.S. For Advent, I have been Bible Art Journaling through a 25 day devotional from Illustrated Faith. If you would like to see my daily creations, you can check out my Instagram page.
Robin Lee Hatcher
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I have never read the book, but this post might encourage me to do so. I used to show the movie to my high school history classes over a 4 day period when we studied the Roman empire. I guess I’ve seen it in 55 minute increments at least 12 times!
Melissa, do take the time to read the book. It is beautifully written.
I’ve never read the book either. I’ve got an e-copy from Gutenberg. . .but I’ve never actually loaded it, opened it. (Seems to me there is a paper copy somewhere in our books too, but since most of those are packed in boxes, because we have no places for bookshelves in this house. . .:P I have no idea whats actually in there.)I HAVE seen the old movie many times and have enjoyed it. Parts of it annoyed me, because its not clear why people are doing. . .what they are doing.
The new movie I did enjoy for the sheer fact it . . .answered some of those questions. Why the Roman guy was such a jerk, for example. (Maybe the old movie explained it too and I just didn’t catch it? Possible.) But I can’t say I really *LIKE* the new one. It cuts too much out and like so many movies lately focuses too much on the violence and not enough on the story. It also felt like it portrayed the brief appearances of Jesus . . .kind of weird. It wasn’t a holy experience it was . . .’say what now?” whenever he came on screen. 😛 Which I really did not appreciate.
Maybe I’ll dig a copy of the book up and take a crack at it. I didn’t realise it was so different from the movie. Though it stands to reason it would be! Thanks for the suggestion. 😀 Sort of reminds me of the movie “The Robe” (yes, another of those old technicolour ones.) I LOVED LOVE LOVED the movie. Partially in thanks to my mom who always says its the movie that drew her to God and enabled her to become a Christian. But – as always, the book is WAY better, and deeper.
First, love The Robe movie too. And The Silver Chalice. Second, I haven’t seen the new film. Waiting for it to hit cable after hearing some less that stirring reviews. I will be interested in knowing what that movie is for Messala is a jerk. I did understand what the first movie was saying. He wanted Ben Hur’s help and didn’t get it. But that is NOT the reason in the book. It was much more human and greedy.
Your post brought up some interesting memories for me. I figure that I must have read Ben Hur in the late 1950’s before the movie came out. When the movie was released my parents suggested I might want to attend. Now this was in an era in which movies were forbidden so you can imagine my shock at this suggestion. I think they were even more shocked when I decided not to attend. The thing was, I loved that story and my imagination had lovely pictures of the story that I did not want “polluted” by someone else’s vision. I still have not seen Ben Hur. Maybe it’s time to rethink that decision.
Merry Christmas!.
Jen, I love the movie. Since the coming of VHS (and later DVD and Blu-Ray), I have probably watched it 40 to 60 times. It won’t change your mind about the book or spoil it, but there are definite differences. For instance, Esther. In the movie, she is sort of a combination of a couple of characters. And there is a prominent Egyptian woman in the book that isn’t in the movie at all. I wasn’t at all sorry for that omission.
Merry Christmas Robin