MGM Pictures' most iconic epic film?
Some people will say "Gone with the Wind".
The most successful commercial blockbuster at the Oscars?
One would immediately think of The Lord of the Rings and Titanic.
But if you don't talk about another work that is also a phenomenon at the same time, some people will laugh.
Even "Bin Hun" does not know, what else to mention Hollywood?
The cost of 15 million US dollars, the global box office of 74.43 million US dollars, compared to today's tens of millions of cases can make hundreds of millions, it is not at all nothing.
So do the math.
According to a list data from the Box Office website, after taking into account factors such as the number of moviegoers and inflation, the more than $74 million of "Binxu" corresponds to $883.4 million.
880 million is not a big deal.
Note that people only count the North American box office.
Released in 1959, almost all box office statistics came from the North American market.
After the conversion of "Avatar", the North American box office was 760 million US dollars, and it was only 876.8 million US dollars. Avengers 4 was $843.3 million.
The more eye-catching results were at the Oscars.
Winning 11 awards in one go, the only latecomers who can be tied are "Titanic" and "Lord of the Rings 3: Invincible".
In that era, the cost of $15 million was a very exaggerated top-of-the-line production.
Because there are no computer special effects, many large scenes can only be shot in real time.
300 new buildings were built as sets;
Up to 1 million related props were produced;
Specially trained 78 white horses;
A circus involving 15,000 extras;
The disadvantage of computer special effects is that after many years of looking back, it will feel very fake, do not believe that you watch "Star Wars" to try; the advantage of real shooting is that no matter how many years have passed, the realism of the movie will not be reduced.
Watching "BinXu" again after 62 years, it is still shocking.
Being able to take charge of shooting this level of production, the director is not small.
In 1953, William Wheeler, who was already a big director, fired another "Roman Holiday", and then "Four Seas" won the Cannes Palme d'Or.
MGM was so confident in him that it put the last hope of the entire company in his hands.
In the 1950s, MGM went high and low, and in the early days it could still rely on song and dance films to support it, and in 1957, the profit record that lasted for 30 years was broken for the first time.
Coupled with the antitrust law depriving the distribution and cinema business, the departure of the founding hero Louis Meyer, MGM spent 15 million to shoot "Bin Hun", which is simply a desperate bet.
Moreover, the 1925 version of the silent film "BinXu" has always been considered an insurmountable classic.
Even in the late '50s, remakes weren't that easy.
Thanks to his strong directorial prowess and his experience as a small assistant in the 25th edition of Ben Hulk, William Wheeler managed to deliver an audio version that went beyond the classics.
The film's success helped MGM get through the storm temporarily, while bringing star Charles Heiston to the pinnacle of his career.
Paul Newman, who had the opportunity to serve as the male number one, could only sigh that he had missed an epic work.
Adapted from the best-selling novel Ben Hu: The Story of Christ, published in 1880, Bin Hu is not complicated and tells the story of revenge after the destruction of a rich second generation family during the Roman Empire.
Revenge plots have been common since Dumas's "The Count of Monte Cristo" in the 1740s, and even longer, there is also "lying down and tasting guts", which has experienced more than a hundred years and has almost become an old-fashioned existence.
Not to mention the present.
So what else is there to see in "Bin Hun"?
From the audiovisual experience to the spiritual core, it is impeccable.
The audiovisual aspect is mainly two scenes.
Both scenes are key turning points for the protagonist.
The first was a naval battle, in which MGM found an expert dedicated to the study of ancient Roman shipbuilding techniques to help the prop team restore the Roman warship.
The night battle did not affect the clarity of the picture, and William Wheeler used the burning light of the fire to illuminate the fierceness of the war.
At that time, the audience saw that scene, presumably stunned.
The second car and horse war is the absolute highlight.
The magnificent and atmospheric soundtrack of the entry, whose role can be comparable to stimulants, with spectacular live-action scenes swallowing mountains and rivers;
Then the footage of people turning over on their backs is shocking;
The decisive battle between brothers is like sitting on a needle;
In just 10 minutes, it has achieved the effect of a lot of blockbuster half-hour showdowns, which is enough to make people feel unfinished.
William Wheeler spent five weeks filming the scene, and his and the crew's efforts were exchanged for a classic scene in film history that is likely to be impossible to reproduce.
Because of the special effects in the future, the film company does not need to shoot at all, and the set and training horses are too wasteful of time, and directly in the studio to put a green screen can make a more shocking effect, but also more secure.
It is undeniable that the visual effects of the 2016 edition of "Bin Hu" are even more powerful, especially the naval battles. But many years later, with more powerful special effects, it is not the old version that is embarrassing.
In order to adapt to the changes of the times, the 2016 version has been greatly adapted and turned into a more thorough popcorn blockbuster. Word of mouth unsurprisingly collapsed, causing MGM to lose back the money it earned in 1959.
In terms of plot changes, the two versions still have their own advantages and disadvantages.
The new version adds the history of the protagonist's brother, although the rhythm is not as straightforward as the old version, but it can make the audience more sympathetic to the younger brother Mesara;
At the beginning of the old version, Mesara, who went to Join the army in Rome, was directly reunited with Binxu, and more time was spent portraying Binxu's experience of being in distress, so that the audience could better appreciate what kind of pain Binxu had experienced.
The new version reaches the second act, and the third act becomes a typical popcorn rhythm, wasting the sense of substitution at the beginning. This is also understandable, but diluting the core religious core makes the spiritual power of the whole movie lost.
The reason why "Bin Hun" is enduring is because the revenge plot is only a shell, and the real focus is to promote the religious spirit, which is essentially a "gospel movie".
The Passion of the Christ is a dark line in the plot that appropriately intersects with the main line.
Bin Hui was able to miraculously turn over, strictly speaking, to be born again, without the help of Jesus.
It is not uncommon for devout Christians to weep after watching the movie.
Wouldn't non-Christians find it ridiculous?
In particular, the ending has a fantasy element.
That depends on which angle to understand and interpret.
Binxu and Mesara are representatives of two currents of thought, the former being an unstoppable new age trend, and the latter being a firm belief that integration into the old system is the way to survive. The confrontation between the two in the movie is very strong.
The Roman Empire conquered other countries, but it was also invaded by the ideas of other countries. Over time, the ideas of the Romans gradually solidified, and they could no longer merge with the changing hearts of the people.
The power of resistance appeared.
Mesara did not regret until his death, symbolizing the doomed end of the Roman Empire.
Bin Hui treated slaves like friends, and his thinking was in line with the trend of the times. However, in order to complete the change of the times, he needs to experience extraordinary suffering and have a resolute will to finally succeed.
History is always very similar, the times are constantly changing, stubbornness is eventually eliminated, and a new wave of setbacks comes.
"Bin Hun" is just a matter of saying that Christian culture has replaced the changes in the old Western system.
In fact, don't think too much about anything else, it doesn't matter if it's a pure religious film.
Because even if you know that the theme has the intention of religious brainwashing, you have to sigh that this movie is really too TM Cow X.