The chariot race for MGM’s 1925 silent version of
Ben-Hur was filmed on a huge Circus
Maximus set built at what is now the intersection of LaCienega and
Venice Boulevards in Los Angeles. Some
200,000 feet of film was shot for this one sequence alone. Of this, only 750 feet were actually used,
resulting in a “shooting ratio” (i.e. film shot to film shown) of 267 to 1! Most of you have undoubtedly seen this film
on the Turner Classic Movie Channel. However, the chariot race goes by so quickly
and is so action-packed that to fully appreciate it, it must be studied almost
frame by frame. Here are some frame enlargements from the race that provide a
good overview of the action.
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Sunday, February 02, 2014
Chariot Race! #2
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3 comments:
I have seen this Ben Hur movie on late night Turner Classic. johnny
The Circus Maximus set’s immense size was partially achieved via special effects. The upper level is a miniature that was seamlessly matched up to the full-size set.
The design of the Circus Maximus set was based on the famous painting “The Chariot Race” by Alexander von Wagner, which was discussed on this Blog a few weeks ago.
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