Novarro no slouch! - Ben-Hur A Tale of the Christ (1927) Discussion

[–] Foot_Freakin_Master 15 years ago

I agree. When I first saw him I thought he was smallish and boyish. No real problem, but but Heston was so rugged. I tried not to, and soon stopped, comparing the older to the newer, other that just for conversation. The Ramon flashed his temper and showed his rebellion, and I thought yes hes is quite good in the role. The movies stands on its own as a true classic.

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[–] turtletommy 15 years ago

I disagree, Novarro looked like he could be snapped in two like a twig by his nemesis Messala. He looked like a freshman on campus. Either they should have gotten a more rugged, mature actor to play the hero or not cast a big body-builder lug like Bushman as Messala. Not to mention that Bushman was 16 years older than Novarro and looked it. The characters were supposed to have been old childhood mates.

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[–] grantch 12 years ago

Novarro is strikingly handsome. Before "Ben-Hur", I'd only seen him in the Greta Garbo "Mata Hari". A group of my college pals and I drove 60-odd miles in 1960 to see the road show presentation of the 1959 "Ben-Hur" which I thought great. But last year I purchased the big bluray anniversary set which included the 1925 restored version and absolutely adored it. I feel sad that not only did Ramon Navarro's movie career peter out but that he endured such a horrible death. Certainly had the torture and murder occurred today (2013), the killers should have been given the death penalty. Now I've resolved to view all the surviving Navarro films as (like Ryan Gosling, Robert Downey Jr., Brad Pitt and James Franco currently) I believe anything he appeared in would, despite the dated stories and overacting by all, be extremely enjoyable.

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[–] genplant29 12 years ago

Some Novarro movies recommendations I'd like to make, each film which is available on DVD (all which I own a copy of and continue to greatly enjoy after, now, multiple viewings apiece), are:

Across to Singapore (silent/1928 - 85 mins.)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (silent/1925 - 143 mins.)
The Prisoner of Zenda (silent/1922 - 113 mins.)
Scaramouche (silent/1923 - 124 mins.)

Novarro, for me, is strictly a Silent movies star (is definitely, and easily, my favourite male Silents star); I've never seen any of his talkies that I've really cared for. In each of the above-listed movies (which are very good movies in their own right), he's wonderful and totally shone.

I really wish that "The Student Prince In Old Heidelberg" would be released on DVD, as that's a terrific movie that I've long wanted to own a label-release disk copy of, but that, to date, remains only available on VHS (even though the movie's been fully restored, is in superb condition, and had a fine new orchestral score added to it during the 1980s). I presume that movie must be tied up in some sort of rights limbo, as otherwise it would definitely have been released on DVD by now.

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] Falconeer 11 years ago

Yes, Ramon Novarro was certainly "no slouch!" At first glance, he might have seemed an odd casting choice; a Mexican as a Jew. but he is just phenomenal in "Ben Hur," and I feel, without a doubt, that the 1925 film is vastly superior to the Heston version.

"IMdB; where 14 year olds can act like jaded 40 year old critics...'

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[–] genplant29 11 years ago

I absolutely agree with everything you stated, both about Novarro and regarding the silent version being far superior to the Heston version. I don't care for the latter version at all, though consider the former version exceptional and a true classic for all time.

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