BEN-HUR: A TALE OF THE CHRIST (1925)

Ramon Navarro as Ben-Hur

BEN-HUR: A TALE OF THE CHRIST (1925). Director: Fred Niblo.

Long before the 1959 remake of this story there was this commendable silent version starring Ramon Navarro [Mata Hari] as Judah Ben-Hur and Francis X. Bushman as his hated nemesis, Messala. Ben-Hur has spectacular battle-at-sea scenes, a cast of what seems to be thousands, a very elaborate and expensive production, and a thrilling chariot race (even if it ends a little abruptly). The story is basically the same as the Charlton Heston version, although the boyishly vulnerable Navarro, despite some hammy moments, is more sympathetic as Ben-Hur. There is a long prologue depicting the birth of Christ and the journey of the Three Wise Men. While some viewers see silent films as being slow and boring, that is hardly the case with Ben-Hur. May McAvoy as Esther and Frank Currier as Quintus Arrias are also notable, while Bushman [The Phantom Planet], grimacing with the best of them, radiates intolerance and menace. This version of the film features an excellent new symphonic score composed by Carl Davis and beautifully orchestrated by Colin and David Mathews. While the score is sometimes derivative, it expertly embellishes each scene and adds a new dimension to an already memorable movie. Certain sequences were filmed in TechniColor.

Verdict: Exciting large scale silent film. ***.

CROWNED HEADS

CROWNED HEADS. Thomas Tryon. 1976.

Crowned Heads is a collection of four novellas that all deal in one twisted way or another with Old Hollywood and its strange, often grotesque, secrets. "Fedora" deals with a writer who once met the famous movie star of the same name, who is now a recluse, and uncovers the startling truth about her true identity. In "Lorna," the fifty-something actress Lorna Doone, who never quite made it in "A" pictures and who is a pyromaniac, shop-lifter and nympho, tries to escape reality in a Mexican resort, but winds up awash in a sea of sex and booze that causes her more anguish than anything else. [One funny-sad scene has Lorna "paying a call" on a handsome flamenco dancer half her age despite the fact he's expressed no interest in her whatsoever.] "Bobbitt" is an interesting story about the fate of a child star who once owned the world and is now forgotten, but while it's suspenseful and well done it's also a trifle cloying at times, especially at the finale. "Willie" deals with the final hours of a former star who makes the mistake of allowing certain "fans" into his home. This story seems to be inspired by the life of Clifton Webb and the death of Ramon Novarro, which is hardly in the best of taste. "Fedora" was made into a movie, but I've always thought that "Lorna" would have made a fascinating picture as well; it is easily the best novella of the quartet. In the first story it seems to take forever for Tryon to get to the revelation, and similarly Willie's segment is stretched out to inordinate length. For my money, "Lorna" is decidedly the best read in the book. As an actor, Tryon appeared in such films as The Unholy Wife, The Cardinal, and I Married a Monster from Outer Space.

Verdict: Well-written plumbing of Hollywood scandal. ***.

BEYOND PARADISE The Life of RAMON NAVARRO

BEYOND PARADISE: The Life of RAMON NAVARRO. Andre Soares. St. Martin's Press; 2002.

A solid, well-researched, exhaustive look into the life of Ramon Navarro, who became a star during the silent era (Ben-Hur), made a few memorable and unmemorable movies throughout the sound era, then had career and alcohol problems for the rest of his life. Soares wants to make sure that the details of his murder (which were grossly sensationalized) don't overshadow the man's life and art. Although it is clear that in many ways Novarro was the typical egotistical, self-absorbed Movie Star, Soares also sympathetically explores the likable aspects of Novarro's character, as well as his romantic and sexual life, and his unlikely attempts to be taken seriously as a singer. Navarro, while homosexual, did not marry a woman as many other gay male stars did, but due to his Catholic upbringing was conflicted over his orientation. Soares also provides details about his death, including comments from his killers.

Verdict: Absorbing read. ***1/2.