100. Ben-Hur (1959)

Running Time: 212 Minutes
Director: William Wyler
Date Watched: 07/24/2010 Medium: DVD

Summary (from Amazon.com): "After his boyhood friend Messala's fanatic loyalty to Rome makes him a powerful enemy, Judah Ben-Hur is found guilty of an attempted murder he did not commit. His family is banished and he is enslaved on a warship. Through his ferocity in a raging sea battle, he is able to escape and become a horse trainer. To exact his revenge, Ben-Hur decides to compete against Messala in the Roman chariot races. They race, locked in a battle to the death. Barely surviving, Ben-Hur forsakes the sword for Christ and finally finds redemption."

Molly: (3.5 out of 5 stars): "I very much enjoyed this movie, though at times the acting was a bit overdone and it felt laborious in parts. The storyline was very interesting, and I found the overtly Christian themes refreshing (though I doubt such a movie would even be considered for production today). The costumes and scenery were detailed and well done, and I found myself appreciating all the work that went into this movie. If this is #100, I'm definitely looking forward to what is upcoming. Nick made me sit through the 7 minute overture and intermission music, though, which was really annoying (I'm not taking off points from the movie for that, just points off for Nick)."

Nick (3.5 out of 5 stars): "Impressive production considering its age. The story was slow moving at times but still engaging enough that it kept my attention for the full 3 1/2 hours. The sets were huge and full of detail. The chariot race was as entertaining and well orchestrated as any stunts performed in modern day movies. Given its place in the history of the cinema, I am glad I saw it but I don't know that I will ever watch it again."

Random Movie Facts (from IMDb.com):

• The chariot race required 15,000 extras, on a set constructed on 18 acres of backlot at Cinecitta Studios outside Rome... The race took five weeks to film.
• It was the first of only three films to win 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It also has the highest percentage of winning Academy Awards. In 1959 and 1960 there were only 12 categories. 11 of 12 = 91 and 2/3%, 91.667%.

Why Watch 100 Movies?

It's no secret that Nick and I love movies. We have a regular movie night every week, own quite a few DVDs, and have had a regular flow of movies coming in from Netflix for the last 8 years or so. But we wanted some purpose to our movie watching, and we're running out of movies to watch, so we decided to start a project: watch all 100 of the American Film Institute's list of 100 great American films. The list can be found here. We decided to go with the newer list, which came out in 2007. The criteria for AFI's movie picks is as follows:

• Feature length: Narrative format typically over 60 minutes long
• American film: English language, with significant creative and/or financial production from the United States
• Critical Recognition: Formal commendation in print, television, and digital media
• Major Award Winner: Recognition from competitive events including awards from peer groups, critics, guilds, and major film festivals
• Popularity Over Time: Includes success at the box office, television and cable airings, and DVD/VHS sales and rentals
• Historical Significance: A film's mark on the history of the moving image through visionary narrative devices, technical innovation or other groundbreaking achievements
• Cultural Impact: A film's mark on American society in matters of style and substance

In looking through the list, we found that we've seen about a third of the movies before, but even if we have seen one, it must be seen again. We'll watch them in order, then rate it and tell our thoughts.

This blog will chronicle our experience with each of the movies, telling what the movie is about and how we liked it. We fully expect to enjoy many of them and hate others, but the point is to do something we love together and get to see old movies that are considered "great" for one reason or another.

So, up next: movie #100!!