Can Newcomers Live Up to Charlton Heston’s Ben Hur Legacy? This Clip Made Me Believe!

You know it, we know it, everybody knows it: Ben Hur, a retelling of Lew Wallace’s classic novel, hits theatres August 19th. Honestly, the number one question we had (and I’m sure all of you) is just how does it stack up to William Wyler’s 1959 swords-and-sandals epic starring Charlton Heston? Honestly, it’s been remade so many times – 1925, 1959, animated in 2003, a TV miniseries in 2010 – is there anything left to tell?

Let me answer those questions right now with a resounding yes. I was sold the moment I saw the featurette below. In an era of computer-generated imagery and stunt doubles, it would have been so easy to make the most memorable scene in the saga into a flashy-yet-boring set piece. But the chariot race was filmed up-close and personal with the real actors. It was filmed up-close and personal with real horses. It was filmed up-close and personal with practical chariots.

In other words, this movie is going to be epic, and I cannot wait to see it. A tale of redemption, of mercy, of identity, and of Christ. Check out the incredible work on the iconic chariot race in the clip!

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