William Wyler’s Ben Hur (1959) is a classic, set during biblical times in Jerusalem. Cinematography was done by Robert L. Surtees making it a top notch film. The classic recently just got a modern take on it in 2016. Timur Bekmambetov took his take on the century old story alongside Oliver Wood as the cinematographer. The story is told during the time of Christ with the Roman Empire in full swing. Judah Ben Hur played by Jack Huston (2016) is a Jewish prince who is accused of attempted murder and handed over as a slave by his adopted brother Messala who is played Toby Kebbell. His 5 years as a slave are spent brewing revenge for his mother and sister who were put in prison for a crime they didn't commit. Judah eventually gets his revenge in a last man standing iconic chariot race. I’m going to compare the elements of Jesus and the assassination attempt in the two movies. …show more content…
In the original version Jesus doesn’t have a spot in the credits because they never show his face or have a speaking line. Even though he doesn’t have a physical presence in the movie, symbolically he is everywhere. His teachings become very important to Esther his wife, but they don’t seem to affect Judah in any way. In the 2016 version Jesus has a bigger role. He becomes an acquaintance of Judah throughout the movie. He sees that what Jesus is doing is good. Although he still follows through with his revenge it’s because of Jesus that in the end he feels bad about what had