Ben Hur

[Cartfall]

I happened to catch Ben Hur last night on the TCM channel last night. It has always been one of my favorite movies–big epic, grand theme,etc.

There are few driving scenes in it but there are two that stand out. Obviously the huge chariot race when Juda Ben Hur (driving white horses of course) wins over the Marsala the bad guy who drives black horses. You have to love the metaphor there. The second is a one chariot when Arielus, the Roman consul who adopts Ben Hur comes home in triumph in Rome.

I was especially interested in the chariots and the set up. Lotsa lines running back and forth between those horses. The chariots had what appeared to be a long pole mounted horizontally across the front . It was as along as the 4 horses were wide as a team. I assume this is what all the the horses were attached to indirectly.

What was very cool in the big chariot scene was the precision of the drivers in the parade lap at the beginning of the race . There were 8 or 10 teams with 4 horses each. They enter the circus (race course) in an absolutely straight line side by side. The circus itself is an a tight oval with 2 long straight aways. These guys went around that course at a walk keeping that line absolutely straight. The inside guys slowing, the outside guys going faster–it was incredible. Having ridden drill team, I cannot imagine trying to do this manuver with this number of horses, chariots and producing an absolutely straight line. These guys were GOOD. Obviously the race was well rehearsed and edited very well.

The charioteers come to the start line and stand with headers while Pontus Pilate gives his big speech and holds the hanky to start. Of course several teams break into a false start. These teams are backed up into place. I can’t imagine backing 4 when I have trouble with one without it pivoting. Amazing.

One historical point here that was a big snafu that any one who knows breeds and particularly one who drives ARabians!!!:D. Ben Hur is supposed to be driving 4 white Arabians. Not even close. These horses had big heads, no teacup muzzles, no dished faces. Not to say they weren;t nice looking horses, just not Arabs. Their tailsets were way too low and when they got excited the tails did the opposite thing of an Arabs. They did the Paso thing --tight at the top and curving outwards at the base of the tail.

I do not know what breed they were–but after the film TCM had a filler that was obviously old film shot during the shooting of Ben Hur. It showed a white horse being looked at in a village in Mexivo. The horse is hauling a huge cart of produce or hay. The next scene it is coming off of a horse van in El Cinematico (some sort of studios in Mexico). I can see where much of the movie could have been shot in Mexico–desert like the Mideast. Anyway, this film had no talking, just some really old music. It goes on to show the horse being trained to do tricks, being shod, etc. There are scenes where the horse is taught to drive in a pair on a chariot, then in 4 in harness. The team of 4 white horses then are seen jumping higher andhigher jumps while harnessed together. Eventually they are seen jumping an upside down chariot (there is a scene in the race when they must do this). It goes on to show actual filming of the race sequence with Charlton Heston actually driving the chariot. It was a nice touch afte having seen the movie. I enjoyed it probably more than the actual movie.

The breed of horse would probably be some breed foundin Mexico. Any ideas? I do not think they were actually gaited, but more Andalusion-ish.

[gothedistance]

[I]From Wikipedia:

The chariot race in Ben-Hur was directed by Andrew Marton, a Hollywood director who often acted as second unit director on other people’s films. Even by current standards, it is considered to be one of the most spectacular action sequences ever filmed. Filmed at Cinecittà Studios outside Rome long before the advent of computer-generated effects, it took over three months to complete, using 8000 extras on the largest film set ever built, some 18 acres. Eighteen chariots were built, with half being used for practice. The race took five weeks to film. Tour buses visited the set every hour.

The section in the middle of the circus, the spina, is a known feature of circi, although its size may be exaggerated to aid filmmaking. The golden dolphin lap counter was a feature of the Circus Maximus in Rome.

Charlton Heston spent four weeks learning how to drive a chariot. He was taught by the stunt crew, who offered to teach the entire cast, but Heston and Boyd were the only ones who took them up on the offer (Boyd had to learn in just two weeks, due to his late casting). At the beginning of the chariot race, Heston shook the reins and nothing happened; the horses remained motionless. Finally someone way up on top of the set yelled, “Giddy-up!” The horses then roared into action, and Heston was flung backward off the chariot.

[/I]Per the website http://www.lipizzan.con – the horses used by Heston in the chariot race were Lippizaner/Arab crosses. Don’t ya just love the internet? Also, since that sequence was filmed in Rome I doubt whether they had relocated horses from Mexico. They probably used a local European breeder/trainer who supplied the horses.

[Due_s_Mom]

I thought that was shot in Italy.

I stayed up and watched it last night too and Tivoed the training scene to show my husband

Before reading here I was wondering if that team were Anglo Arabs as they were too big and the conformation was wrong to be purebreds.

[Cartfall]

[QUOTE=gothedistance;3327981]
Per the website http://www.lipizzan.con – the horses used by Heston in the chariot race were Lippizaner/Arab crosses. Don’t ya just love the internet? Also, since that sequence was filmed in Rome I doubt whether they had relocated horses from Mexico. They probably used a local European breeder/trainer who supplied the horses.[/QUOTE]

So it was filmed in Italy. I am not sure why I thought it was Mexico. Just struck me that way. But if you think about Spaghetti Westerns of the 60s and early 70s, it was an honest connection.

My husband asked if they were Lipizanners and I told him not full, but perhaps crosses when we watched the film. Okay half correct is okay.

[JSwan]

One of my favorite movies. The book is good too.

There is a scene of Heston handling a team earlier in the movie. He encounters a team being trained to race and the driver makes errors and is chastised by the owner.

If I recall correctly - they were named after stars. In the closeup where the owner says goodnight to his horses - they do seem to be Arabians. Guess they used Arabians for that scene and the crosses for the actual race? When Heston takes over the reins from the clueless driver, the horses perform beautiful turns and are quite elegant. (to my admittedly untrained eye)

[springer]

I LOVE that movie. One of the greatest movies ever made. Still gives me goosebumps every time I watch those 4 white horses racing along side the 4 blacks. Too cool! This is a great thread. I would love to hear more trivia about the horses-

[Thomas_1]

I get in serious trouble when I sit watching period films and make comment about the driving vehicles etc!

My wife swears I’m the only person in the world who watches the lesbian sex scene in the double brougham with matched pair in Tipping the Velvet and makes comment on the horses and carriage.

[kearleydk]

ben hur

Did you catch the sequence on lining up the horses before going out onto the track? Somebady posted it on You tube a while back but it’s gone now. Teams came down a long hall, turned 90 degrees and backed up against the wall. VERY impressive. There was also some snippets of footage of horses rearing and plunging and getting up on top of other teams and so forth. I bet there was a good bit of that left on the cutting room floor.

Oh I counted carefully. There were nine teams in the race so 36 horses in the parade scene.

[kearleydk]

Cartfall

Cartfall, you have a PM re Wagons Ho.

[Cartfall]

[QUOTE=kearleydk;3330286]
Did you catch the sequence on lining up the horses before going out onto the track? Somebady posted it on You tube a while back but it’s gone now. Teams came down a long hall, turned 90 degrees and backed up against the wall. VERY impressive. There was also some snippets of footage of horses rearing and plunging and getting up on top of other teams and so forth. I bet there was a good bit of that left on the cutting room floor.

Oh I counted carefully. There were nine teams in the race so 36 horses in the parade scene.[/QUOTE]

Oh yes I did see that scene and had forgotten it. Very cool to back up like that–again with 4 horses.

[Cartfall]

[QUOTE=J Swan;3328204]
One of my favorite movies. The book is good too.

There is a scene of Heston handling a team earlier in the movie. He encounters a team being trained to race and the driver makes errors and is chastised by the owner.

If I recall correctly - they were named after stars. In the closeup where the owner says goodnight to his horses - they do seem to be Arabians. Guess they used Arabians for that scene and the crosses for the actual race? When Heston takes over the reins from the clueless driver, the horses perform beautiful turns and are quite elegant. (to my admittedly untrained eye)[/QUOTE]

I must have missed that earlier scene. But you know they may have edited it out of the version shown. You know sometimes I will see a movie with a scene in it that was never in a earlier version or some will be missing.

But I must disagree with you when those 4 horses come into the tent looking more Arabian. That is when I really decided they were not full bred Arabian. Faces and heads way too big and straight. Don;t get me wrong, they were absolutely gorgeous, not just pure Arabs.

[Foxtrot_s]

That chariot scene was, IMO, the greatest horse scene ever shot.
Next would be the Man from Snowy River coming down the mountain.

[Cartfall]

Speaking of the man from Snowy river scene,

I can’t remember what exactly the story goes, but somehow this weekend, this scene came up in conversation at the McNabb wagon train. But somehow somewhere they came to know or meet the trainer of the horses and riders for the Man from Snowy River. There were 4 or 5 horses used in that movie. But the horse used in that scene was a true Aussie mountain pony. It seems to me they said the kid who played Jim Craig rode the scene himself.

Our host, Clancy McNabb, did a similar ride on the last day of our wagon train down a pretty steep slope.