Directed by Fred Niblo
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, DVD, Warner Bros)
Silent version of the classic story tries to be reverential to the material, but instead is too serious and melodramatic. The acting here is some of the worst I can remember seeing in a silent film: long, drawn out scenes of emotional torment that ironically spark no emotional reaction. It is the story of a Jew who accidentally kills a Roman passing under his window during a parade, then becomes a galley slave who vows revenge on the childhood friend who arrested him. Their back story is completely absent, depriving us of the motivations that drive the entire film. Then there is the subplot of Jesus, almost an afterthought, who Judah wants desperately to make King so he can lead a rebellion against the hated Romans. Jesus is never shown, only his ghostly white hand healing lepers or raising a baby from the dead...again, emotionally distant. What's left is empty Hollywood spectacle: massive sets populated by hordes of extras.
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