Spartacus deluxe lobby cards image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Universal-International’s $12 million historical epic Spartacus was released in 1960. Nominated for six Academy Awards, the movie features Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Laurence Olivier and a cast of thousands. I am Spartacus!

Howard Fast’s Spartacus Novel

Spartacus is based on the 1951 historical novel of the same name by Howard Fast (1914-2003). Self-published by the author’s own publishing company, Blue Heron Press, Spartacus centers on a slave revolt against Rome in the year 71 B.C.

Kirk Douglas Buys Spartacus Movie Rights

The Spartacus movie story begins in 1957, when filmmaker Eddie Lewis showed actor Kirk Douglas the novel by Howard Fast. Douglas, who owned his own production company, Bryna Productions, then took a movie option on the book.

Douglas first took his proposed film project to United Artists, whose president, Arthur Krim, turned it down as the studio was currently shooting a similar movie titled The Gladiators starring Yul Brynner. Universal-International Pictures, however, had no such historical movie in their future, and agreed to take on Douglas and his gladiator film.

Stanley Kubrick Directs Spartacus

Howard Fast fashioned the first screenplay for Spartacus, but his draft was deemed unacceptable. The producers then turned to Dalton Trumbo, a blacklisted screenwriter from the McCarthy Era who began working on his version under the pseudonym “Sam Jackson” in order to avoid any problems.

Anthony Mann was the first director of Spartacus. But when he and Kirk Douglas had a major falling out, 30-year-old Stanley Kubrick was brought in as his replacement.

Noted Hollywood hair stylist Jay Sebring created the hairdos sported by the slaves in the film: a butch cut on top with a small ponytail in back. Sebring was later murdered by Charles Manson and his followers in 1969.

Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis Head Cast

Kirk Douglas (Spartacus) and Tony Curtis (Antoninus) head the all-star cast. Other major players include Laurence Olivier (Marcus Licinius Crassas), Jean Simmons (Varinia), Charles Laughton (Sempronius Gracchus), Peter Ustinov (Lentulus Batiatus), John Gavin (Julius Caesar), Nina Foch (Helena Glabrus), John Ireland (Crixus), Herbert Lom (Tigranes Levantus), John Dall (Marcus Publius Glabrus), Charles McGraw (Marcellus) and Woody Strode (Draba).

Originally tapped to play Varinia was the German actress Sabine Bethmann, who was replaced by the British-born Jean Simmons.

Spartacus Filmed in Spain and the United States

Spartacus began shooting on January 27, 1959, with the salt mine sequence in California’s Death Valley National Park.

The huge, realistic battle scenes were filmed in Spain, with 8,500 extras, including elements of the Spanish Army, employed in six weeks of shooting. Later cut from the finished product were several gruesome dismemberment scenes, which had drawn the ire of the National Legion of Decency.

Also employed were 76,000 fans at an October 17, 1959, college football game in East Lansing, Michigan, pitting the Michigan State Spartans versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The production company brought in three-channel sound equipment, and at halftime instructed fans to shout lines like “Hail, Crassus” and “I am Spartacus.” These awesome sound effects were later incorporated into the picture, ably simulating the majesty of ancient Rome.

The Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California, was used as Crassus’ Roman villa. It is here where horsemen can be seen riding up the marble stairs.

Spartacus and the Roman Slave Revolt

The film opens in Libya, where the Thracian slave Spartacus is plucked from the salt mines and sent to gladiator school in Rome. In his first match, Spartacus is pitted against the Ethiopian Draba, who expertly wields the trident and net. After Draba refuses to kill Spartacus, the Ethiopian rushes the royal box where he is slain by a Roman centurion.

Spartacus later incites a revolt at the gladiator school run by the hated Marcellus. Forming an army comprised of ex-gladiators and slaves, Spartacus takes on the powerful legions of Rome, hoping to march to the sea where ships provided by the Silesian pirates will spirit his people to freedom.

The sheer might of the Roman Empire proves to be too much, however, with a vanquished Spartacus and some 6,000 of his followers brought back to Rome for crucifixion.

Spartacus Opens in New York City

Spartacus made its world premiere at New York City’s DeMille Theatre on October 6, 1960.

“Massive epic…A new kind of Hollywood movie: a superspectacle with spiritual vitality and moral force…” reported Time magazine (10/24/60).

“A whale of a motion picture…” crowed Variety (10/12/60).

“Heroic humbug…It is bursting with patriotic fervor, bloody tragedy, a lot of romantic fiddle-faddle and historical inaccuracy,” opined Bosley Crowther of The New York Times (10/7/60).

Spartacus Box Office, Academy Awards, DVD, Movie Memorabilia

• The three-hour long Spartacus, shown at theaters with a 15-minute intermission, grossed $11.1 million at the box office, good for the #3 position on the list of the top moneymaking films of 1960.
• Spartacus garnered six Academy Award nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Ustinov, won), Best Color Cinematography (Russell Metty, won), Best Color Costume Design (Valles, Bill Thomas, won), Best Color Art Direction-Set Decoration (Alexander Golitzen, Eric Orbom, Russell A. Gausman, Julia Heron, won), Best Film Editing (Robert Lawrence), Best Music Scoring (Alex North).
• On DVD: Spartacus – Criterion Collection (2001).
• Auction results for original Spartacus movie memorabilia, courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas: one sheet poster Academy Award style ($26), Argentinean poster ($11), Spanish one sheet poster ($34), 1960 hardcover program ($51), roadshow window card ($388.38), lot of seven deluxe lobby cards ($155.35), Dell Four Color tie-in comic book file copy ($95.60), 1960 soundtrack record poster ($298.75).

“There’s only one way to deal with Rome, Antoninus. You must serve her. You must abase yourself before her. You must grovel at her feet. You must love her,” Crassus lectures the poet slave.

When in Rome…

Ben-Hur color still set image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Ben-Hur returned to the silver screen in 1959 courtesy of MGM. Nominated for 12 Academy Awards, Ben-Hur remains the epitome of the big Hollywood spectacular. Ah, the fabulous chariot race!

Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur is based on the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace (1827-1905). During the American Civil War, Wallace had risen to the rank of major general in the Union Army.

Ben-Hur Stage Production, Silent Movies

Ben-Hur was brought to the stage in 1899 with William Farnum in the title role. An elaborate production for its day, the stage version featured elegant sets, handsome costumes, large crowd scenes and even a chariot race with real horses.

Director Sidney Olcott filmed one of the play’s live chariot races, added some interior shots and released his silent movie version of Ben-Hur via the Kalem Company in 1907. The Lew Wallace estate cited copyright violation, and successfully sued Kalem, winning a $25,000 judgment – the first of its kind in motion picture history.

The Goldwyn Picture Corporation secured the movie rights to Ben-Hur in 1922. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, made for a then staggering $3.9 million, was subsequently released as a silent picture by MGM in 1925, with Ramon Novarro and Francis X. Bushman in the starring roles.

Ben-Hur Returns in 1959

MGM had wanted to do a sound remake of Ben-Hur for years, but only with the right director at the helm. Producer Sam Zimbalist and MGM eventually found him in William Wyler, whose services they secured for a cool $1 million, the highest salary ever paid to a director up to that time.

Karl Tunberg, with uncredited assistance from Maxwell Anderson, Christopher Fry and Gore Vidal, wrote the screenplay. Miklos Rozsa, who completed his work in eight weeks, served up the film’s majestic music score.

William Wyler Casts Ben-Hur

Director William Wyler had free reign in casting Ben-Hur. He eventually settled on Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur, with Jack Hawkins (Quintus Arrius), Haya Haraeet (Esther), Stephen Boyd (Messala), Hugh Griffith (Sheik Ilderim), Martha Scott (Miriam), Cathy O’Donnell (Tirzah), Sam Jaffe (Simonides), Finlay Currie (Balthasar) and Frank Thring (Pontius Pilate) in crucial roles.

Also considered for starring roles in Ben-Hur were Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman and Rock Hudson (Ben-Hur) and Robert Ryan and Leslie Nielsen (Messala).

Ben-Hur Filmed in Italy

Budgeted at a whopping $15 million, Ben-Hur was filmed on location in Italy, with some additional scenes shot at MGM Studios in Culver City, California.

In Rome, MGM rented Cinecitta Studios, taking over sound stages, dressing rooms, offices and cutting rooms. A number of magnificent exterior sets were constructed, including the gate to Jerusalem, the House of Hur and Pilate’s palace.

The Great Circus of Antioch, the site of the spectacular chariot race, was the largest of all the sets. Located off to the side was a practice track, where Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd were taught how to handle horse-drawn chariots.

Ben-Hur’s Famous Chariot Race

The site of Ben-Hur’s famous chariot race encompassed 18 acres, with 40,000 tons of sand trucked in to make the track. Hired to fill the stadium were 4,000 extras, who were then shifted around in military precision in order to film different angles. The chariot race took five weeks to complete.

Joe Canutt, son of legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt, performed the most dangerous chariot stunts. The younger Canutt was nearly crushed to death in one scene, where Ben-Hur’s chariot is seen leaping over the wreckage from the race.

Judah Ben-Hur and the Crucifixion

The motion picture centers on Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur, who is reunited with his childhood friend, Messala, the new Roman commander of Jersualem. Concerned about growing Jewish protests and mounting criticism of Rome’s rule, Messala unsuccessfully tries to enlist the assistance of his old friend.

When the two have a falling out, Messala condemns Ben-Hur to the galley of a slave ship and Judah’s mother and sister, Miriam and Tirzah, to prison. While at sea, Ben-Hur distinguishes himself in battle, saving the life of the powerful Roman commander Quintus Arrius.

A free man once again with Arrius as his grateful sponsor, Ben-Hur learns the ways of Rome. He becomes an expert charioteer, driving Sheik Ilderim’s team of white Arabian stallions in a fabulous race in which the favored Messala is also entered.

Although told that his mother and sister had died, Ben-Hur eventually finds them alive in the Valley of the Lepers. After witnessing the execution of Christ, Ben-Hur discovers that his mother and sister have been cured of leprosy, a miracle attributed to the Crucifixion.

Ben-Hur Premieres in New York City

Ben-Hur premiered at New York City’s Loew’s State Theatre on November 18, 1959.

“A whale of a picture…The best of the Hollywood super-spectacles…” crowed Time magazine (11/30/59).

“Blockbuster to top all previous blockbusters…” reported Variety (11/18/59).

Ben-Hur Box Office, Academy Awards, DVD

• Ben-Hur was the top moneymaking film of 1959, grossing $36.922 million at the box office.
• Nominated for 12 Academy Awards, Ben-Hur took home 11 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Wyler), Best Actor (Heston), Best Supporting Actor (Griffith), Best Color Cinematography (Robert Surtees), Best Color Costume Design (Elizabeth Haffenden), Best Music Scoring (Miklos Rozsa), Best Film Editing (Ralph E. Winters, John D. Dunning), Best Special Effects (A. Arnold Gillespie, Robert MacDonald, Milo B. Lory), Best Sound (Franklin Milton) and Best Color Art Direction-Set Decoration (William A. Horning, Edward C. Carfagno, Hugh Hunt).
• On DVD: Ben-Hur (Warner Home Video, 2004).

“The Entertainment Experience of a Lifetime!” promised one of Ben-Hur’s promotional taglines.

And, folks, they weren’t kidding…

Australia is worth watching, but it has its flaws. For example, a film which only covers a few very specific events between a limited number of years – 1939-1942 – probably does not account for the whole of an entire nation’s history, so the title itself feels a bit odd to me. Of course, that is just personal opinion.

The story itself involves historical events, such as the bombing of Darwin during World War II, and government policy about children born of aboriginal and white European descent. Those issues are sort of like spices in the complicated soup of plot. Lady Ashley, a British aristocrat sails to Australia to try to get her husband to sell their cattle farm only to find him dead, and the main employee of the ranch is trying to bamboozle Lady Ashley into handing it over to another cattle rancher. Once this employee, Fletcher, is discovered for his treachery, she enlists the help of Hugh Jackman’s character, Drover, to take on Fletcher’s role and set things right. In the meantime, they have their sort of predictable, yet fun and sweet uptown girl meets working class guy relationship and Lady Ashley bonds with a boy on her ranch named Nulluh, who must hide out because the English will force him to go to an orphanage to be assimilated into white culture. Indeed, it is Nulluh’s story that is the most compelling in all of this, and it is he who provides the voice over, his perspective through which the tale is told. While Nullah is infinitely likable, and the story promising, if a bit cluttered, Luhrman’s penchant for sentimentality and nods to cinematic conventions of bygone eras makes the film overall feel slightly awkward.

That said, the movie is still gorgeous and there are some great performances. In conclusion, this was not the best film I have ever seen, but it didn’t make me feel like I’d wasted time watching it either.

Ron Howard, the man who directed the movie, was on the Larry King show when he was asked the question about whether or not the movie is too intense for some audiences. This movie and the CGI trailer have become blockbuster hits, and most of this success is due to advanced computer editing work that can blur the lines between actual video footage and renders created with computer graphics software.

So what is this amazing software that can create such amazing action sequences? One of the most popular pieces of software in Hollywood is called Lightwave 3D, and this software has been used on many of the best movies that have been recently released such as The Dark Knight, Eagle Eye, Iron Man, and 300. Lightwave 3D is advanced animation and rendering software that can give true-to-life CGI action sequences.

Another popular computer graphics software used in big movies is called Maya, which was used for the Lord of The Rings movies during the large fight sequences. Maya tends to be the software an artist will use to create a brand new character, and Lightwave will be used to create a finished final render.

Ron Howard’s trailer for Angels & Demons was one in a long line of a new type of entertainment that is becoming like animated music videos. An animated trailer which is put to an epic soundtrack can deliver more powerful perspectives and emotions than can sometimes be captured with just a video camera. I think everybody got a little bit scared when the angel statue turned evil!

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On the night of April 14, 1912, White Star Lines’ RMS Titanic struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. Two hours and forty minutes later, the Titanic slipped beneath the frigid waters of the North Atlantic, claiming the lives of 1,517 crew and passengers.

The sinking of RMS Titanic was later dramatized in film, television and on stage. The first movie came right on the heels of the disaster in 1912 via a 10-minute “newsreel” that featured shots of the Titanic’s sister ship Olympic. The dramatizations later got better – sort of – with these five Titanic theatrical films rating the best.

1. Titanic (Paramount, 1997)

Budgeted at a whopping $200 million, Paramount Pictures’ Titanic made a huge splash in 1997. James Cameron produced, wrote and directed this seagoing monstrosity, with Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack Dawson), Kate Winslet (Rose DeWitt Bukater), Billy Zane (Cal Hockley), Kathy Bates (Molly Brown), Frances Fisher (Ruth DeWitt Bukater), Gloria Stuart (Old Rose) and Bill Paxton (Brock Lovett) heading the cast.

Titanic blends fact and fiction, depicting an on-board romance involving street artist Jack Dawson and betrothed society girl Rose DeWitt. The story unfolds through the eyes of the 100-year-old Rose, a Titanic survivor, who recounts her tale aboard the doomed ocean liner.

Titanic features actual footage of the “unsinkable” White Star liner resting on the bottom of the North Atlantic. A huge set was constructed in a water tank in Baja California, Mexico, where the dramatic sinking of RMS Titanic was recreated.

Nominated for 14 Academy Awards, Titanic ended up taking home 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography (Russell Carpenter) and Best Music/Original Dramatic Score (James Horner).  

• On DVD: Titanic Special Edition (20th Century Fox, 2005)

2. A Night to Remember (Rank, 1958)

A Night to Remember – based on the 1955 book by Walter Lord (1917-2002) – is considered to be the most authentic of the Titanic movies. Earl Ambler scripted the movie and Roy Ward Baker directed. Kenneth More (Charles Lightoller), Ronald Allen (Mr. Clarke), Robert Ayres (Arthur Peuchen), Honor Blackman (Liz Lucas), Anthony Bushell (Captain Arthur Rostron) and David McCallum (Harold Bride) head the large cast.

Budgeted at $1.68 million, A Night to Remember was filmed at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom. Actual newsreel footage of the Titanic was employed, along with scale models of the doomed liner.

The movie opens at the Belfast shipyards, where the pride of the White Star Lines is christened: “I name this ship Titanic. May God bless her, and all who sail in her.” But Titanic is hardly “blessed,” with the ship’s orchestra later launching into its final arrangement, “Near Thy God to Thee,” just before the mortally wounded passenger liner descends into the icy depths of the North Atlantic.

“Heartbreakingly lurid account…” reported Paul V. Beckley of The New York Herald Tribune (12/17/58).

• On DVD: A Night to Remember (Criterion, 1998)

3. Titanic (20th Century-Fox, 1953)

The trio of Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch and Richard L. Breen scripted 1953’s Titanic, with Jean Negulesco occupying the director’s chair. Clifton Webb (Richard Ward Sturges), Barbara Stanwyck (Julie Sturges), Robert Wagner (Giff Rogers), Audrey Dalton (Annette Sturges), Thelma Ritter (Maude Young), Brian Aherne (Captain Edward Smith) and Richard Basehart (George Headley) top the cast.

Like James Cameron’s Titanic, the 1953 version deftly weaves fact and fiction. Titanic purists can take heart somewhat, as the production did a little research, employing actual conversations and other data that had been presented in the official inquiries conducted by the British Board of Trade and the United States Congress.

Titanic’s special effects are quite good for the era, effectively recreating the panic and terror of that clear, star-studded night in 1912. One of the best scenes comes when Clifton Webb as Sturges – standing tall on the slanting deck of the stricken Titanic – tells his son that he’s never been prouder of him.

Titanic won a single Oscar for Best Writing.

• On DVD: Titanic (20th Century-Fox, 2003)

4. Raise the Titanic (Associated Film, 1980)

Clive Cussler’s 1976 best-selling novel forms the basis of this action/adventure movie written by Eric Hughes and Adam Kennedy and directed by Jerry Jameson. Richard Jordan (Dirk Pitt), Jason Robards Jr. (Sandecker), David Selby (Seagram), Anne Archer (Dana Archibald) and Alec Guinness (Bigalow) head the cast.

Made for a staggering $36 million, Raise the Titanic was filmed in the United States, England, Greece and Malta. One of the film’s largest expenses was the construction of a $350,000 Titanic model and a $6 million water tank to go with it.

Raise the Titanic centers on the old ship and its alleged lost cargo – a rare mineral called byzanium which is instrumental in building a new American defense system. The Soviets want the cargo too, resulting in a frantic search involving adventurer Dirk Pitt and evil Russian commandos.

Raise the Titanic bombed at the box office, with the vast majority of critics sinking it as well. But for cinema fans who like their science fiction/adventure movies blended with a bit of historical lore, then Raise the Titanic may just hold water after all.

• On DVD: Man Friday/Raise the Titanic (Lions Gate, 2006)

5. Atlantic (Wardour Films, 1929)

Victor Kendall scripted this movie from Ernest Raymond’s play The Berg. Ewald Andre Dupont directed, with Franklin Dyall (John Rool), Madeleine Carroll (Monica), John Stuart (Lawrence) and Ellaline Terriss (Alice Rool) heading the cast.

Atlantic was lensed at British International Pictures Studios in the United Kingdom. Producers wanted to use the title Titanic, but were threatened with a lawsuit by White Star Lines, who apparently wanted no further publicity concerning the sinking of their prized ocean liner.

Interestingly, Atlantic was released in both silent and sound versions. The movie was also produced in English, French and German in order to attract a wider, international audience. Columbia Pictures released the movie in the United States in 1930.

Atlantic is a crude picture from the early days of British Talkies, with hammy stage actors booming out their lines. And although the doomed ship is named Atlantic, make no mistake that this is a primitive cinematic recreation of the Titanic disaster, complete with its own rendition of “Nearer Thy God to Thee.”

One of the best scenes comes with the lowering of Atlantic’s lifeboats. This sequence was filmed on an actual ocean liner which had been docked on the Thames River in London.

• On DVD: Titanic: Disaster in the Atlantic/The Titanic Chronicles (DVD International, 1999)

Ocean voyage, anyone?

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World War II – brutally waged from 1939 to 1945 – has been extremely fertile ground for the cinema. The first WW II movie, not surprisingly, appeared only two months after the start of hostilities. On November 3, 1939, the British-made The Lion Has Wings made its debut in the United Kingdom, paving the way for an onslaught of subsequent World War II movies that stretch from 1939 to the present day.

Here are seven classic World War II movies that every serious film buff should never miss. Bombs away!

1. The Bridge on the River Kwai (Columbia, 1957)

William Holden stars as Shears, an American “naval officer” who escapes from a brutal Japanese prison camp in Southeast Asia. Landing in Ceylon, Shears is recruited by British special ops Force 316, where he is ”persuaded” to lead a commando mission back to the camp in order to blow up a railway bridge spanning the river Kwai. The bridge is the handiwork of a British POW colonel, who has taken great pride in his engineering feat.

Also on board are Alec Guinness (Lt. Colonel Nicholson), Jack Hawkins (Major Warden), Sessue Hayakawa (Col. Saito), James Donald (Major Clipton), Geoffrey Horne (Lt. Joyce) and Ann Sears (Nurse).

Budgeted at $3 million, The Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed in Ceylon – now Sri Lanka. Sheffield Steel built the actual bridge for $250,000 while Chemical Industries blew it up, along with a locomotive and six railroad cars.

The Bridge on the River Kwai – winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Guinness) and Best Director (David Lean) – rates as one of the finest movies ever made. “Brilliant is the word, and no other,” opined film critic Bosley Crowther of The New York Times (12/19/57).

• Great line: “Do not speak to me of rules. This is war! This is not a game of cricket!” – Sessue Hayakawa

2. Patton (20th Century-Fox, 1970)

George C. Scott has the title role, portraying General George S. Patton Jr. (1885-1945) during his campaigns of World War II. Also in the cast are Karl Malden (General Bradley), Stephen Young (Captain Hansen), Michael Strong (General Carver) and Frank Latimore (Lt. Colonel Davenport).

Scripted by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North and directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, Patton is a sweeping $12 million historical epic, tracing the legendary general’s exploits from North Africa to the end of the war in Europe. George C. Scott is riveting as the legendary “Old Blood and Guts,” whose love of battle produced both equally ardent admirers and detractors.

Patton – complete with realistic battle scenes, including a memorable aerial attack on the general’s headquarters in North Africa – won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Scott, which he refused), Best Director and Best Writing.

• Great line: “Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!” – George C. Scott

3. Saving Private Ryan (DreamWorks, 1998)

Tom Hanks (Captain Miller) and Tom Sizemore (Sergeant Horvath) lead a squad of American Rangers on a mission to retrieve paratrooper Matt Damon (Private Ryan), whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Also along for the trek into D-Day hell are Edward Burns (Pvt. Reiben), Barry Pepper (Pvt. Jackson), Adam Goldberg (Pvt. Mellish) and Vin Diesel (Pvt. Caparzo).

Written by Robert Rodat and directed by Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan features some of the most grisly war scenes ever filmed. The bloody combat action begins at Dog Green Sector on Omaha Beach, June 6, 1944, where Hanks and his men are nearly cut to ribbons by withering enemy fire.

Saving Private Ryan won five Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Cinematography (Janusz Kaminski) and Best Sound Effects (Gary Rydstrom, Richard Hymns).

• Great line: “This Ryan better be worth it. He’d better go home and cure some disease or invent a longer-lasting light bulb or something.” – Tom Hanks

4. The Victors (Columbia, 1963)

The once blacklisted Carl Foreman, a U.S. Army Signal Corps veteran of WW II, produced, wrote and directed this sprawling, episodic movie that follows an American infantry squad from England to post-war Germany. Vincent Edwards (Baker), Albert Finney (Russian Soldier), George Hamilton (Trower), George Peppard (Chase), Eli Wallach (Sergeant Craig), Melina Mercouri (Magda), Jeanne Moreau (French Woman), Rosanna Schiaffino (Maria), Romy Schneider (Regine) and Elke Sommer (Helga) head the large, international cast.

The Victors, which took nearly a year to make, was filmed in Sweden, England, France and Italy. In Salerno, the production was hampered by strong earthquakes, which damaged sets and contaminated the drinking water.

The Victors features a number of memorable scenes: an American race riot at a Belgium nightclub; the execution of an Army deserter by firing squad as Frank Sinatra croons “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in the background; the brazen shooting of a puppy by a battle-hardened G.I.; and a searing knife fight between a Russian and an American soldier in post-war Berlin.

• Great line: “If you feel you need to report this pray your country is never occupied.” – French officer Maurice Ronet to Eli Wallach after forcing a band of surrendering German soldiers into a firefight.

5. Stalag 17 (Paramount, 1953)

William Holden stars as Sgt. J.J. Sefton, a smooth American operator who peddles his wares and services at a German prisoner-of-war camp in 1944, much to the displeasure of his fellow POW’s. Also in the cast are Don Taylor (Lt. Dunbar), Otto Preminger (Von Scherbach), Robert Strauss (Animal), Harvey Lembeck (Shapiro), Richard Erdman (Hoffy), Peter Graves (Price), Neville Brand (Duke) and Sig Ruman (Schulz).  

Budgeted at $1.3 million, Stalag 17 – based on the Broadway play by former POW’s Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski – was filmed at the John Show Ranch in Woodland Hills, California, which served as the fictional German prison camp.

Stalag 17 features both comedy and drama. Regarding the former, one of the best scenes takes place when a drunken Animal pines for an imaginary Betty Grable. The drama comes when the prisoners snatch Lt. Dunbar from the Germans, hiding him in the camp’s water tower as they prepare to bust him out with a traitor still in their midst.

Stalag 17 won three Academy Awards: Best Actor (Holden), Best Director (Billy Wilder) and Best Supporting Actor (Strauss).

• Great line: “He’s a Nazi, Price is. For all I know his name is Preissinger or Preishoffer. Oh, sure, he lived in Cleveland. But when the war broke out, he came back to the Fatherland like a good little Bundist. He spoke our lingo, so they sent him to spy school and fixed him up with phony dog tags.” – William Holden 

6. The Great Escape (United Artists, 1963)

John Sturges directed this fact-based drama set at a model German POW camp in 1943. The new camp is supposedly “escape proof,” but that doesn’t prevent Steve McQueen (Hilts), James Garner (Hendley), Richard Attenborough (Bartlett), James Donald (Ramsey), Charles Bronson (Danny), Donald Pleasence (Blythe), James Coburn (Sedgwick), David McCallum (Ashley-Pitt), et al., from digging tunnels and making their way to freedom.

Budgeted at $4 million, The Great Escape was filmed on location in Germany. The movie provides some seriously taut drama, along with a thrilling motorcycle chase scene that features stuntman Bud Ekins (subbing for Steve McQueen) jumping several rows of barbed wire fence on his modified 1961 Triumph TR6 Trophy Bird.

• Great line: “Wait a minute. You aren’t seriously suggesting that I get through the wire…and case everything out…and don’t get picked up…to turn myself in and get thrown back in the cooler for a couple of months so you can get the information you need?” – Steve McQueen

7. The English Patient (Miramax, 1996)

Anthony Minghella directed this beautiful, haunting film adaptation of the Michael Ondaatje novel. Ralph Fiennes has the title role, playing a badly-burned Hungarian cartographer whose life during World War II is presented in flashbacks. Also in the cast are Juliette Binoche (Hana), Willem Dafoe (David Caravaggio), Kristin Scott Thomas (Katharine Clifton), Naveen Abdrews (Kip) and Colin Firth (Geoffrey Clifton).

The English Patient teems with romance and small-scale war action. One of the most searing scenes in the film is the plane crash in the North African desert, which sets the story in motion.

The English Patient won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Binoche) and Best Cinematography (John Seale).

• Great line: “I once heard of a captain who wore a patch over a good eye. The men fought harder for him.” – Ralph Fiennes.

Ben Hur must rate very highly in anyone’s ranking when it comes to a real epic tale, wrapped up with all that splendour and spectacle. It is no mean feat to turn out a movie like this and even those who aren’t attracted to the story content of Ben Hur, can’t deny the sheer artistry that went into the making of it.

It’s the seventh year of Augustus Caesar’s reign and in the Jews from Judea are making their way to their home cities for the census. A bright star in the Eastern sky announces the birth of Jesus Christ. A few years later a Roman Commander, Messala, who grew up in Judea, takes control of the area. His boyhood friend Ben Hur is there to meet him.

Ben Hur refuses to name Jewish patriots and is sent away on a slave galley and his mother is imprisoned. Ben Hur’s search for revenge and to find his mother and sister are mixed in with biblical stories like the Sermon on The Mount and The Crucifixion.

The most memorable scenes are the chariot race where Ben Hur is pitted against Messala and the violent sea battle in the galleys.

The stars of this movie as Charlton Heston as Ben Hur, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet and Hugh Griffith. The director of Ben Hur was William Wyler and the composer of the fabulous soundtrack is Miklos Rozsa.

Ben Hur is the one movie everyone thinks of when they talk about a Biblical epic. It is certainly over done and much too long but it has earned itself a place in Hollywood history. The movie is 50 years old but it is still intensely watchable and somehow captivating with its hundreds of different sets and huge number of extras. It cost a small fortune to produce but its magnificence as a Hollywood production still holds good today.

Ben Hur Title Music 1959

Ben Hur On The Galley Ship