ellauri150.html on line 461: Ben-Hurista ei meinannut ensin löytyä kuin filmikäsikirjoitus. Synopsis: Judah Ben-Hur lives as a rich Jewish merchant prince in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 1st century. Together with the new governor Pontius Pilate, his old friend Messiah arrives as commanding officer of the Roman legions. At first they are happy to meet after a long time but their different politic views separate them. During the welcome parade a roof tile falls down from Judah's house and injures the governor. Although Messiah knows they are not guilty as such, he sends Judah to the galleys and throws his mother and sister into prison. What the fuck, their house was a menace! Good old Hammurabi would have had their heads off. But Judah swears to come back and take revenge. Genre: Adventure, Drama, History.
ellauri150.html on line 618: On learning that he is to go to Tyrus with neither a trial nor info about what's going to happen to his mother and sister, we learn that Ben-Hur's pacifism didn't survive the imprisonment. Since he hurts or kills only people who aren't of Nominal Importance, this is supposed to be tolerated. Judah demands info of Messala, and naturally doesn't get it. He protests his innocence of wanting to kill the governor; Messala knows that this is, at least, a plausible theory, but doesn't let it show. He says that Ben-Hur gave him exactly what he needed; the Jews will know that, if he can send his childhood friend to certain death at the galleys, he can do it to anyone. Judah starts to beg Messala, and gets this reply: "You beg me? Didn't I beg you for help?"
ellauri150.html on line 620: Ben-Hur swears vengeance when he gets back. Messala is puzzled, since the galleys are supposed to be a one-way trip.
ellauri150.html on line 623: The Romans taking prisoners to the galleys are not overly concerned about anyone surviving, especially not people who knocked out their governor. At a well some distance north of Jerusalem, soldiers get watered first, then horses, and then slaves—and not Ben-Hur. He asks God for help... and in response, a young man, whose face is always turned from the camera, comes and gives him water. The audience understands that this is Jesus Himself, come to answer Ben-Hur's prayer. The Roman in charge starts to tell Him not to give Ben-Hur water, but on seeing His face, the Roman changes his mind. Ben-Hur drinks deep until it's time to move it.
ellauri150.html on line 625: More than three years later, we see Ben-Hur working one of many oars. He is going by "41" (or is that XLI?), his seat number, and he is full of hate. A Roman consul, Quintus Arrius, has boarded the ship, and it goes to war almost immediately. The consul wants Ben-Hur for a charioteer, and doesn't understand why Ben-Hur has any other hopes of life after the galleys; if they succeed in battle, he'll keep rowing, and if they don't, he'll die chained to the oar. Ben-Hur makes clear that he believes God will help him, also that he dislikes the idea of dying chained to the oar; this has a delayed effect; at the time, "back to your oar," but the consul orders him unchained after all the galley slaves had been chained.
ellauri204.html on line 690: On October 4, 1974, Sexton had lunch with Kumin to revise galleys for Sexton's manuscript of The Awful Rowing Toward God, scheduled for publication in March 1975 (Middlebrook 396). On returning home she put on her mother's old fur coat, removed all her rings, poured herself a glass of vodka, locked herself in her garage, and started the engine of her car, ending her life by carbon monoxide poisoning. Narsistinen pelle.
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