Saturday, 12 July 2014 04:50 pm
Neut-flix?
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deckardcanineAfter watching Quo Vadis (1951), I noticed something about the Netflix jacket description, which mirrors the Netflix site description:
Mervyn LeRoy's Hollywood epic recounts the sweeping saga of star-crossed lovers General Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor) and Lygia (Deborah Kerr). The smitten Marcus pursues Lygia, but to no avail. At the behest of Nero (Peter Ustinov), Lygia is given to Marcus, who makes it his mission to prove to her that his intentions are pure and true. But just as it seems love will prevail, Nero's atrocities threaten to destroy them and Rome forever.
That's all accurate enough as it goes, but if you have ever read the Henryk Sienkiewicz novel, seen any of the movies based on it, or even known the origin of the title, you know that it's omitting a big aspect of the film: Christianity. Lygia's devotion to the new cult drives a wedge between her and Marcus, until he comes to her defense when Nero ups the religious persecution. Peter and Paul appear as significant supporting characters, the former even experiencing a miracle in the course of the story. That's putting aside the brief New Testament synopsis at the beginning, which got me thinking of QV as a sort of spiritual (heh) successor to Ben-Hur -- except that QV came earlier, both in the '50s and in the silent era.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the Netflix description of Ben-Hur (1959):
Charlton Heston plays Judah Ben-Hur, a proud Jew who runs afoul of ambitious boyhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) in this 1959 epic that boasts an unforgettable chariot race and earned 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Heston) and Best Director (William Wyler). Condemned to life as a slave, Judah swears vengeance against Messala and escapes, later crossing paths with a gentle prophet named Jesus.
Ah, so they do mention Jesus, if somewhat subtly. That's fair; he's not the focus of the film for very long. But what about its 1925 predecessor?
Ben-Hur: The Silent Version
Before William Wyler's grand epic, this 1925 silent version of Ben-Hur stunned audiences with lavish sets and a spectacular chariot race. An orchestral score from acclaimed Hollywood composer Carl Davis is added to this version of Fred Niblo's film. The picture went on to become the third-highest-grossing silent film of all time. Ramon Novarro stars as Judah Ben-Hur, Francis X. Bushman plays Messala, and May McAvoy takes on the role of Esther.
Wow. They didn't even use the proper title of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
At this point, I have to assume that at least one Netflix writer likes to downplay Christian elements when feasible. It makes a certain sense from a commercial standpoint: You don't want to scare away non-Christian customers with the likelihood of a Sunday school lesson. But it also means that customers who want one may not know to check it out.
Besides, I've become well aware of the dilemma of censoring ads for controversial material. Remember when Zack and Miri Make a Porno was advertised as just Zack and Miri? Sure, it meant that kids wouldn't look in the paper and ask what a porno was, but I worried that some ignorant parents would take their kids to the movie and learn the hard way. Similarly, when Computer Gaming World received complaints for a cover that showed a character from Enter the Matrix chasing another with a gun, I thought, "Can't you appreciate a relatively mild warning?"
And in case you, my readers, feel turned off from QV because of the Christianity, know that director Mervyn LeRoy self-identified as Jewish. He took the job because it's a great story, and in the wake of WWII, it was easy for the audience to draw parallels between one religious persecution and another. You may avoid QV for another reason, such as a nearly 3-hour run time; you may wish it had been done differently, as by casting some of the bigger stars the studio considered (tho Ustinov would be hard to top); but I recommend it to anyone who agrees that epic films used to excel at everything instead of mainly just special effects. QV was a critical darling and box office success, paving the way for all other sword-and-sandals hits of the '50s and early '60s.
...Heck, that wouldn't have been a bad thing for Netflix to mention either.
Mervyn LeRoy's Hollywood epic recounts the sweeping saga of star-crossed lovers General Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor) and Lygia (Deborah Kerr). The smitten Marcus pursues Lygia, but to no avail. At the behest of Nero (Peter Ustinov), Lygia is given to Marcus, who makes it his mission to prove to her that his intentions are pure and true. But just as it seems love will prevail, Nero's atrocities threaten to destroy them and Rome forever.
That's all accurate enough as it goes, but if you have ever read the Henryk Sienkiewicz novel, seen any of the movies based on it, or even known the origin of the title, you know that it's omitting a big aspect of the film: Christianity. Lygia's devotion to the new cult drives a wedge between her and Marcus, until he comes to her defense when Nero ups the religious persecution. Peter and Paul appear as significant supporting characters, the former even experiencing a miracle in the course of the story. That's putting aside the brief New Testament synopsis at the beginning, which got me thinking of QV as a sort of spiritual (heh) successor to Ben-Hur -- except that QV came earlier, both in the '50s and in the silent era.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the Netflix description of Ben-Hur (1959):
Charlton Heston plays Judah Ben-Hur, a proud Jew who runs afoul of ambitious boyhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) in this 1959 epic that boasts an unforgettable chariot race and earned 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Heston) and Best Director (William Wyler). Condemned to life as a slave, Judah swears vengeance against Messala and escapes, later crossing paths with a gentle prophet named Jesus.
Ah, so they do mention Jesus, if somewhat subtly. That's fair; he's not the focus of the film for very long. But what about its 1925 predecessor?
Ben-Hur: The Silent Version
Before William Wyler's grand epic, this 1925 silent version of Ben-Hur stunned audiences with lavish sets and a spectacular chariot race. An orchestral score from acclaimed Hollywood composer Carl Davis is added to this version of Fred Niblo's film. The picture went on to become the third-highest-grossing silent film of all time. Ramon Novarro stars as Judah Ben-Hur, Francis X. Bushman plays Messala, and May McAvoy takes on the role of Esther.
Wow. They didn't even use the proper title of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
At this point, I have to assume that at least one Netflix writer likes to downplay Christian elements when feasible. It makes a certain sense from a commercial standpoint: You don't want to scare away non-Christian customers with the likelihood of a Sunday school lesson. But it also means that customers who want one may not know to check it out.
Besides, I've become well aware of the dilemma of censoring ads for controversial material. Remember when Zack and Miri Make a Porno was advertised as just Zack and Miri? Sure, it meant that kids wouldn't look in the paper and ask what a porno was, but I worried that some ignorant parents would take their kids to the movie and learn the hard way. Similarly, when Computer Gaming World received complaints for a cover that showed a character from Enter the Matrix chasing another with a gun, I thought, "Can't you appreciate a relatively mild warning?"
And in case you, my readers, feel turned off from QV because of the Christianity, know that director Mervyn LeRoy self-identified as Jewish. He took the job because it's a great story, and in the wake of WWII, it was easy for the audience to draw parallels between one religious persecution and another. You may avoid QV for another reason, such as a nearly 3-hour run time; you may wish it had been done differently, as by casting some of the bigger stars the studio considered (tho Ustinov would be hard to top); but I recommend it to anyone who agrees that epic films used to excel at everything instead of mainly just special effects. QV was a critical darling and box office success, paving the way for all other sword-and-sandals hits of the '50s and early '60s.
...Heck, that wouldn't have been a bad thing for Netflix to mention either.