I was tempted to cover THE TEN COMMANDMENTS here but have written extensively about those visual effects on earlier posts, in both the John P.Fulton career retrospective and the Jan Domela tribute, so today I’ll upload some amazing matte shots from the 1959 MGM epic BEN HUR – arguably the grand daddy of all big Biblical showcases… and at no additional cost, I’ll throw in some choice mattes and hanging foreground miniatures from the old silent version of BEN HUR as well……. but wait, there’s more….phone in now and get a free set of steak knives… 😉
This one was BIG! An epic novel turned twice into epic films (though I’ve never seen the 1925 version) and only the biggest of the studios could handle it…MGM, where they had more stars than shone in heaven… or something along those lines. Shot for the most part on Italian locations and at the Cinecitta Studios in Rome, with post production carried out back in Hollywood. The film earned some eleven Oscars – I think a record only broken by one of my countryman’s recent efforts, a little art house indie not many people have heard of, known as LORD OF THE RINGS – THE RETURN OF THE KING by fellow kiwi Peter Jackson (and that deserved every one of those while I’m on it….go Pete!).
…Read the Full Article @ Matte Shot
A Tribute to Golden Era Special FX
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