I recently talked about one aspect of Ben-Hur (1959), but there’s so much more to say about this masterpiece of a film. One thing that has always stood out to me is the loving father-son relationship that develops between Roman Consul Quintus Arrius and Judah Ben-Hur.

Gaps to Be Filled

When they meet aboard a Roman galley, neither of them is where he wants to be. Arrius is there out of duty to Rome, and Ben-Hur is there in bondage to Rome. Both have lost someone dear to their hearts. Arrius lost his son, and Ben-Hur lost his mother and sister.

The motivation that drives them forward is interesting because this is where we see holes in each character’s life that can only be filled by the other. There’s one scene in particular that has a profound effect on them. It’s when Ben-Hur happens upon Arrius sleeping in his quarters. Their conversation reveals secrets they are reluctant to admit. Arrius claims that he lost his faith that life has any purpose, and we learn later that it’s because of his son’s untimely death.

Ben-Hur seems to be motivated by anger, but once he’s put to the test he reveals that it’s his faith in the God of Israel that really inspires him to keep going. He firmly declares that he won’t be in that galley forever. God will save him. Arrius forcefully declares that he will remain there as long as the Romans are victorious, and he will die chained to his oar if they are sunk.

But something changes after this pivotal scene. The Roman fleet engages the enemy at sea, and Arrius commands every slave to be chained to his oar except Ben-Hur. His love for his dead son seems to have been rekindled in some way he can’t define. And this act of charity rekindles Ben-Hur’s hope that God has not forsaken him.

Each man fills an emptiness in the other’s soul through their bond of loss and tragedy.

Saving Each Other

During the naval battle, an enemy ship smashes into Arrius’s ship. Ben-Hur bravely fights to save the lives of his fellow slaves who would otherwise drown. He even rescues Arrius from certain death at the hands of bloodthirsty pirates. And he shows mercy to Arrius by preventing him from drowning himself in the sea.

Ben-Hur sees himself in both of their plights. He, too, was a chained slave, but God seems to have intervened on his behalf in the nick of time to unlock his chain. So he returns the favor by unlocking them, too. And he was at his lowest point when he was being marched in chains through the desert and denied water by cruel guards. But the Son of God showed mercy on him back then by giving him life-saving water.

Through this harrowing experience at sea, Ben-Hur demonstrates the power of his faith in God. It resurfaces something in Arrius he thought he had lost forever. Seeing Ben-Hur save his life, bring him back to his fleet, and accept his fate as a slave, Arrius can’t help but be moved with compassion. He begins to see that this is no coincidence. Purpose returns to his heart. His own life was spared so that he could restore Ben-Hur to a place of honor in the world.

Love Restored

From the moment that Arrius learns that he was victorious in battle, even though he thought he had lost, everything changes. He wanted to drown himself because of the shame, but he was stopped by the very man he had saved from drowning. If it weren’t for Ben-Hur, Arrius would not have received the glory of Rome for his actions. Instead, he would have died thinking he was a failure. As a result of this marvelous realization, Ben-Hur is able to take the place of his dead son, and the two form a bond that starts to heal them of their deep sorrows.

Eventually, they come to this powerful scene in which Arrius formally adopts Ben-Hur as his own son and heir.

Happy Ending

I like the subtle moment at the end when Arrius steps down slightly so that Ben-Hur is above him. By lifting Ben-Hur, he has subordinated himself. And yet, the two men grow so much because of their brotherly love for each other. Ben-Hur isn’t fully healed yet. That comes at the end of the film. But he has already healed Arrius’ broken heart, and he carries that victory with him the rest of the film.

I love movies with multiple happy endings. Ben-Hur does a great job at generously granting happy endings throughout its enormous runtime. The joyous conclusion of Arrius’ story portends all of the wonderful events yet to come in Ben-Hur’s adventure. If you ever feel like a hopeless slave in a galley or even a disillusioned commander of a galley, have hope that you are not destined to suffer forever. Love conquers all, even if it comes unexpectedly like a Roman consul for a Jewish slave.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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