Ben-Hur and Its Four Film Adaptations in Reflection of the Changing American Society and Its Values Master’S Diploma Thesis
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Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Kristýna Bradová Ben-Hur and Its Four Film Adaptations in Reflection of the Changing American Society and its Values Master’s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Ph.D. 2018 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the Works Cited. …………………………………………….. Author’s signature Acknowledgement I would like to thank my supervisor, doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Ph.D., for patience, help and guidance during the writing process of this thesis. My thanks also belong to my husband, my family and friends for their love, support and encouragement. Table of Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 5 2 Chapter One: The Adaptation Theory .................................................................. 12 3 Chapter Two: Lew Wallace and His Novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ ........ 15 4 Chapter Three: The Importance of Ben-Hur in American Society .................... 21 5 Chapter Four: The Novel Ben-Hur and the Social and Political Issues of the Contemporary United States ....................................................................................... 25 6 Chapter Five: Ben Hur (1907) ................................................................................ 30 7 Chapter Six: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) ............................................... 34 7.1 Plot Summary ................................................................................................ 35 7.2 The Faithful Epic .......................................................................................... 36 8 Chapter Seven: Ben Hur (1959) .............................................................................. 47 8.1 Plot Summary ................................................................................................ 48 8.2 The Best-Known Adaptation ........................................................................ 49 9 Chapter Eight: Ben-Hur (2016) .............................................................................. 63 9.1 Plot Summary ................................................................................................ 64 9.2 The Globalised Judah Ben-Hur ..................................................................... 65 10 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 81 11 Works Cited ............................................................................................................. 87 12 Résumé ..................................................................................................................... 93 13 Resumé ..................................................................................................................... 95 1 Introduction The phenomenon of Ben-Hur has mirrored and influenced American society and culture for more than a century. Since the publication of the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of a Christ by General Lew Wallace in 1880, every generation of Americans was influenced by the Christian message and at the same time thrilled by the large number of action scenes, notably by the celebrated chariot race. The novel narrates the story of Jew Judah Ben-Hur who is unjustly accused of rebellion and sent to galleys. He survives slavery and returns to seek vengeance on Rome by winning the great chariot race over his former friend, Messala. Judah meets Jesus Christ and becomes his follower. Jesus heals Judah’s mother and sister from leprosy, and the family of Hur reunites to pursue Christian life of love and faith. The story of Judah Ben-Hur and Jesus Christ was also adapted to stage and later to screen in numerous versions. The theatre and film adaptations gradually replaced the Victorian novel, and nowadays, Ben-Hur is notably known as the successful 1959 film starring Charleton Heston as Judah. The first film adaptation, however, dates back to 1907 when the Kalem company filmed selected scenes from the novel without purchasing copyright. The copyright lawsuit which followed helped to form the legal system for adapting a novel into a film. The first feature film adaptation of Ben-Hur was introduced in 1925. Being the most ambitious project of the era, the silent version offered intense action scenes as well as the most faithful adapted plot. The best-known and the most successful adaptations was introduced in 1959. In the middle of the Cold War when Biblical epics were popular and served as an encouragement, William Wyler made almost four-hour long Ben Hur which broke the record of the Oscar awards and influenced generations of spectators. Finally, the 5 most recent version, introduced in 2016, reacts on the globalised world and new generation of young audience. Despite its new approach to the story and the use of modern film technologies, the film was a failure. Every film adaptation approaches the novel from a distinct angle and emphasises selected events, characters and issues which were relatable to contemporary society. However, all four films deal with the story of Judah Ben-Hur as their source material. All significant characters are included in three feature films, and the family of Judah appears in the short 1907 film. Adaptations also include all crucial events, notably the imprisonment of Judah, the chariot race and the crucifixion. Films picture Judea of the first century with its issues, religion and customs. The predominant theme of all adaptations is the Roman dominance over Jewish people and the clash of Jewish and Roman culture. As society was changing during the twentieth century, so were changing the film adaptations of Ben-Hur and the elements which films discussed in more detail. It is possible to observe altered perspectives on certain issues in individual adaptations. Drawing upon a large number of books, essays and articles dealing with the novel Ben-Hur, its author and adaptations, this diploma thesis aims to study the depiction of specific social and political issues present in four film adaptations of the novel. The thesis intends to study the issues of war and imperialism, slavery, Israel, Christianity, women and minorities presented in the films, and how they reflect American society of the era. The research question of the thesis is how the political and social climate in the United States influenced the depiction of given political and social issues in film adaptations of Ben-Hur. The thesis focuses on the given issues and compares them with political and social events which occurred in the United States in the time of introduction of the films. The master’s thesis argues that selected 6 political and social issues were either accentuated or sidelined because of the then discussed crucial questions in the United States. It is thus possible to claim that four film adaptations of Ben-Hur mirror and reflect American society of eras of their release. As Ben-Hur is a predominantly American phenomenon, its film versions naturally deal with significant issues relatable to local audience. Thus, the thesis focuses on the depiction of given social and political themes in adaptations and how they reflect American society in the 1910s, 1920s, 1950s and 2010s. In order to understand the concept of film adaptations, the first chapter deals with an overview of modern theories of adaptation which were applied to examined films. Numerous contemporary specialists who deal with the study of film adaptations are introduced as well as their theories which aid to analyse the film adaptations properly. Next chapter briefly discusses the life of Lew Wallace and provides an overview of the plot of the novel. It is relevant to be familiar with the basic plotline of the voluminous novel in order to observe the modifications and actualisations executed in the film adaptations. Following two chapters discuss the importance of Ben-Hur in American society and social and political issues present in the novel. As mentioned earlier, the Ben-Hur phenomenon is almost exclusively American, and it has influenced American society and culture since the publication of the novel. The third chapter observes the impact of the novel on the United States, notably at the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century. Next chapter analyses political and social phenomena present in the novel and how they reflected the then American society. One of numerous reasons for the popularity of the novel Ben-Hur was the presence of universal issues relatable for the readers. The chapter identifies and analyses the matters present in the novel. 7 In order to respect the chronological order of film adaptations, the thesis first deals with the 1907 film. Due to its limited length and technical performance, it is arguable if the film may be considered a proper adaptation. Ben Hur offers the choice of the best-known scenes of the accident and the arrest of the Hur family, but the chariot race is predominant. Instead of the consistent story, the film features the most attractive passages from the novel. However, the chapter considers reasons for filming the first film inspired by the novel, and also focuses on the lawsuit which formed the legal approach to film adaptations. The first full-length adaptation of Ben-Hur is discussed in the following chapter. The film, made in the “Roaring Twenties”,