STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 243, 4 January 1928, Page 14

STRAND

“BEN-HUR” When a motion picture runs three weeks, and survives the with flying colours. It is certain th** is something out of the ordinary Hur.’’ in its third week at the Stfe j Theatre, is as popular now as , first flashed across the screen. I Wallace, when he wrote the orisjj. novel, succeeded admirably in his aa ; tious task, the task of weaving a ft*, and passionate romance about a which happened at the time when » c greatest theme of all originated, & birth, life and death of Jesus Chfe Its picturing of the life of the tin ise intensely interesting, intensely trt- : and superbly colourful. There * scenes in the picture which have ber a matter of literary and romantic fe i tory since the book was first writt* j First and foremost the chariot r*tt i When reading of the race in the orii inaL one thought that one had the greatest piece of excitement thj had ever happened, but the scrte- ; version, so much more difficult to with convincingly, is even more fc. tense. The passion and intensity r ! the rivalry between the two principtfc j the wonderful spectacle of the rac I with the perfectly matched and super ‘teams straining every muscle, wife answering to the touch of the drivtas if he had been part of themselv* exercises a grip that knows no falfe till Ben-Hur drives past the judge* victor, and the arrogant Messala j trampled, bruised and broken in t*. dust. That is the great exampk closely followed by the desperate btfe between the Roman galleys and tb pirate hordes. The story of the picture, with all hj excitement, pathos, power and passk* is as perfect on the screen as in t£ book, though slightly modified. Free the point of view of the products* the piece may well be styled perfec The acting is all that as well. The w* of Ben-Hur is most admirably carrie out by Ramon Novarro, and epposb him May McAvoy is delightful in tfc part of Esther. Messala is a part taken by Francis X. Bushman, at Nigel de Brulier takes the part Simonides. A prologue is given to the picture k the shape of a tenor solo by Mr. BtrreL O’Malley, who sings, “The Star c Bethlehem.” The augmented Strat Symphony Orchestra. gives brilliac assistance to the production. Every Lillian Gish picture under tk Metro-Goldwyn banner, has meant » new nationality for the popular star Miss Gish is at present making he fifth, “The Enemy,” based on Channit Pollock’s stage play in which si plays the role of the Austrian heroin* Pauli. In her last picture. “The Wind Miss Gish was an American; befor* that she was Scotch in “AnnLaurie,” English in ‘The Scaikj Letter,” and French in “La Boheme In both “The White Sister” ait “Romola” she was Italian.