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According to Widescreen Museum the highly touted 1.76/1 aspect ratio on the DVD is not correct and they show that some picture information
is missing. Uncredited screen writer Gore Vidal wanted to have the Judah/Massala fued a lover's quarrel. The son of Legendary stuntman Yakamet Canut did the chariot stunts for Heston and he almost fell off when the horse and chariot leapt over another chariot, the result of not wearing a harness as his father advised. The film makers made it a part of the action by having Heston climb back in. This film held the record for the most Academy Awards until tied by Titantic in 1998. Interestingly, the chariots race counter clockwise in the this 1959 version while in the 1926 silent version they race clockwise.
Follow Ups:
re stunts:I'd heard that the stuntman's widow agreed to leave the slightly clipped scene in the film.
Apparently, the shot is the one where a soldier, who's standing against the interior wall, leaps back against the wall to avoid a chariot but too hard and the momentum sends him back out under the chariot.It's not verified but I believe this is the version.
The scene purportedly remained in the film.The other nominee for dead stunt man was the charioteer who fell and tried to roll out of the track. There was a chariot out of place and his neck was broken. Or so the story goes.
The rumour was so rife in the day it has become an "urban legend". I have never heard anyone who should really know confirm it, but then I did not go nuts chasing it down.
In the DVD commentary Heston flatly states that no one was killed during the filming of the chariot race. He also declares as untrue that a red Faerrari is visible in one shot and that he was wearing a wrist watch.
Re: Aspect ratio.
Standard Cinemascope is 2:35/1,
Panavision (virtually the same as HDTV) is 1.85/1.
Ben Hur was over 3/1 and was correct on my Laserdisc. It was a bit like watching an image through a knight's visor.
The figure of 1.76/1 is a mystery to me.Re: Stunt men
Rumours were rife diring the filming that another stunt man was actually killed (he died later in hospital). No one wanted to do a retake on the race.I actually saw the original theatrical release in 70 MM at the Warner Theatre in DC. Huge screen and surround sound (the horses in the race circled 'round behind the audience). How many theatres were equiped to reproduce this effect I dunno.
Panavison is not 1.85/1. That aspect ratio is called "Academy Flat".
Panavision has an aspect ratio of 2.39/1, rounded by most people to 2.4/1.
but is Ultra PanaVision70 which is 2.76 to 1 (flying fingers got you Rico? I assume this was a typo) and even that is too narrow. My source is yours, the Widescreen Museum.
In fact, I had a special edition LaserDisk that claimed the actual ratio was more than 3 to 1. It certainly seemed it but I didn't pull out my yardstick.As for PanaVision and 1.85 to 1, you are technically correct. However PanaVision has become very closely associated in these latter days with 1.85 to 1, perhaps because of their support of matting (1.85:1) and their lenses for use in HDTV programming. I find the term PanaVision used increasingly to indicate 1.85 to 1, though it was not originally that ratio. PanaVision currently supports many formats as may be seen on their website.
Yes, that was a typo. There is a difference bewteen "Panavision" and "Filmed with Panavison equipment (or lenses)". Panavison is 2.4/1 and "Filmed in...) is usually Academy Flat, or 1.85/1.
MGM Camera 65 (their name for Ultra Panavision) did have a 1.76/1 aspect ratio and the DVD was using that to approximate the film. But as Widescreen Museum shows, it is not accurate.
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