By Isabel!e Yank

After watching the movie "Ben Hur", I realizedliving in Ancient Rome was hard, especially if youwere a Jew. The Romans took over your home andyoti were forced to leave. In the movie Ben Hur,Judah Ben Hur had to turn against his best friend,Messala when Messala wanted to rule the Jews. I

think that was very brave. He stayed true to who hewas, even if that meant betraying his best friend.

What I liked about the movie was that there was a

lot of drama. My favorite part in the movie was whenthey found out that Judah's sister and mother gotleprosy. It adds drama to the movie. Also it taught usthat leprosy was a big deal back then. It has a nicetouch of scariness. There was dramatic music in the

back round and the intense thought of what wouldJudah think lingering in our minds.

In the movie Ben Hur, my second favorite partwas when Judah's sister and mother went to the

valley of the lepers, and Judah went there to seethdm. His mother and sister were terrified that heknew what had happened to them. They startedcrying. This is a very touching and intense scene. Hefinally saw them for the fist time in five years.

I also like the part when Jesus saves Judah fromthirst. When the Roman soldiers wouldn't give Judahsome water, Jesus came and gave some to him. I like

this part because it shows you the beginning of Christand how Jesus helped people.

I think Ben Hur is a good movie. It has lots ofdrama. If I had to rate it, Iwould give it a 4 out of 5stars.

By: Michelle Lam

Ben Hur movie reflection

After watching the movie Ben Hur, Ialways want to watchthe movie again. Themovie is actually fun to watchbecause thereare so many events happening thatthemovie always gets me excited. When I watchothermovies I will not want to watch themovie again because it just gets boring. In the movie I always can't wait for the chariotracing part I like that partthe best because I like how it's so neatand it's funny howpeople are flying offtheir chariotsand get themselves all bloody. I like the choreographyofthat scene the best because it's so organized and so realistic. When I watched it alwaysgets you worked up it's like you arewatching a realchariotrace.

I also like how they act out the galleys scene because it is funny at certain parts.When all the rowers were being tested by Quintus Arrius for the speeds it was funny howthe soldiers were looking at Quintus Arrius like he was crazy. One ofmy other favoriteparts was the scene were before saving Quintus Arrius he was burning some enemy'sface with a fire so that he cold get pass to the edge ofthe boat to save Quintus Arrius. Ialso think that another funny part was when he copied what Quintus Arrius said. I alsoliked how he chained Arrius up so he would not kill himself. I also thought the partwearBen Hur stabbed one person in the back and the person fell ofthe ship.

Another one ofmy favorite fighting scenes is when he chokes people because itmakes a back stabbing scene.Becausethe peopledon't even know thathe's goingtochoke mem. But the partwhere they were looking for Ben Hut's mom and sister wasscary anddisgusting because the doorwas all rustyanddust was falling out ofthe top ofthe doorandit was so squeaky. And the background ofthe scenewas so like ajail place.Therewere so many doors, it wasdim lit andit was so scary and like a maze so youcould not escape.They also had these little slots that go up down on the door so that foodcould go in andout forthe people. It was sortoflike a hole for a dog. But it really lookedvery different from the jail cells that we have now.

The scenethat I most dislike in the movie Ben Hurwas when they hadto preparefor fighting the enemy's since they were spotted. Everyone was sortof frantic on the deckand the soldiersthat were getting ready to fire were reallyweird becausethe fire ballshardlywent a few feet so most ofit just landed in the water. Also a funny part in themovie was when the guy sawthatthey were goingto be rammed why get frantic? If theyrowed faster then they couldhave prevented to be rammed. They couldhave backedupor something more logical then that I alsothoughtthe part wereeveryoneis tryingto getfree is gross. Becausethe fact that a man hadno hand andthe waterthat turnedall bloodywas disgusting

I like how in the movie they showed us/ acted out that leprosy was a bad

disease. For example the part inthemovie where theywere lowering down food for themand notgoing down to theValley ofthelepers to giveit to them, and whenBenHurasked ifthere wasawaydown theyasked him"are youcrazy?" theyalso showed thisinthepart were theywenttothejail cells to go find themother and sister, Miriam andTirzah andtheycame outtheyjust said oneword "lepers" and came outvery frightened.I likehowthey made the setting ofthe scene verydeserted and the place were the lepersslept was verysquashed and youcould notevenstand upstrait to getaround the place.

I thinktheweird part in themoviewas when Jesus was giving BenHur water andthe soldierwas scared ofhim when Jesusstoodup. I think another funny part was whentheArabic person named Dderim went upto thespa and was betting with thepeople therethat Ben Hur was going to win not Massala. Then he drove a stick through the money toshowhow muchmoney there was.But beforethe mansigned the book he washesitantbecause there was a chance that Massala would loose so that dude should have not signedit and they did beta lotofmoney. Butit was very weird why Ilderim went to a spa outofall places to bet

But I mink it wasreally funny in the chariot racing part because the part were thesoldiers are allbacking up because they do not wantto get runoverbut unfortunately oneRomansoldier got runover.Also when Massala's chariot brokeand he wasbeingdragged by thereins thedriver tried nottobuthishorses kept trampling Massala. Andifyou looked inthestands youcould see theroman governor gasping and people trying tostop thehorses but it was too late. Andby thetimehe let goofthereins hewascompletely all bloody. Itwas a good thing hewore ahelmet orelse hiswhole head wouldhave been trampled as well.

What I learned about livingin ancient Rome wasthatit wasnot easy allthe timebecause ifyouwere poor you would live in avery horrible place. The prisons weredisgusting and sad because theywould whipyou and hurt youtill they figured youwerenothiding anysecret about anything and sometimes when youcame outofjail youcouldhave losta body part And atthattime you were under partially the control ofRomesoitwasnota really happy thing. Beingthere and beinghere nowwouldbe totally differentbecause life was reallydifferentbecause you hadto alsotrade a lot ofthings.

-Michelle Lam 601

Ben Hur

Movie Reflection

Written by Ruthie Figueroa 6-602 #9 date: 4/2/2010

The aspect of the movie that impressed me the most is the dialogue. You can actually

feel what they are feeling and the movie is really intense. The acting was very realistic and their

expressions were as if they were really feeling pain and anguish.

My first initial reaction to the movie was towards the tension between Judah and

Messala. The fact that they were childhood best friends and now enemies is tragic. Messala

was very unjust to Judah and his family. This was such a betrayal of friendship and loyalty. Due

to a loose roof tile which fell near the Roman governor as he was parading by the Roman

governor had Messala throw Judah's sister and mother into jail and threw Judah into slavery.

This was the beginning of many tragic events that cascade towards Judah and his family. He is

chained and whipped and his mother and sister contracts leprosy.

My favorite scene was when Jesus gave Judah water to drink. This was when Judah was

marching to the galleys and they stopped for water to drink, but the Roman solider told

everybody not to giveJudah water. When Judah was about to die of thirst Jesus came and gave

him water to drink. I chose this scene because as a Christian this tells me that Jesus is there for

you no matter what and always watches over you.

I learned that when living in Ancient Rome, if you had a disease, you would not have

been treated but would be casted out of the city. In the movie, Judah's sister and mother,

Tirrzah and Miriam, had leprosy and instead of being treated they were casted out of the city to

the Valley of the lepers. This was very cruel and inhumane. The government at that time did

not care for the individuals or those they thought unworthy.

In my opinion the saddest partof the movie was when they nailedJesus to the cross.

Jesus came to do the will of His Father, John 6:38-40, "Those who would behold the son and

believe in him will have eternal life."

The moment that reallytouched my heart was when Jesus' blood was in the water and

touched Tirrzah and Miriam and their leprosy was healed and gone. To me that means that

Jesus' blood washed away allof the shame and sickness. Ben Hur was one of the best movie I

have ever seen

"^JessicaCheng April 5, 2010Humanities 602

Ben-Hur Movie Reflection

Even though it maybe a movie from1959, the Ben-Hur movie is still so goodthat it'll impress anyone who sees it. I'm impressed at the dialogues and theintensity. Unlike other movies I've seen, the dialogues held the drama. Forexample, when Esther said, "...It's like you've turned into Messala!" By the timethe statement ended with the word, "Messala", shocked spread over me and, ofcourse, Ben-Hur (from the movie.) Messala is a Roman tribune that sentBen-Hur to the galleys and his family to prison. The name "Messala" was sohorrifying that it wasdreadful to use it, evento describe a person.Also, when thename was mentioned, the music also intensed to a shocking point.

I alsowasimpressed bythe musicbecause it gave some cluesto the audiencewhat kind of moment the event is, such as depressing, lonely, or grateful. Themusic was also like foreshadowing the movie. Besides dialogues and music,suspense impressed me the most. For instance, when the boat was rowing, thedrum was beating, and QuintusArius was testing the rowers by increasing thespeed. As the rowers tried harder and harder, it was more suspenseful to seewhat would happen next. Another time when it was intense was when Ben-Hurwas chariot-racing with Messala. The less laps left, the more I wanted to say,"Hurry up! Hurry up!"At the end, the result was unbelievable, Ben-Hur won andMessala dies.

Because it was action-packed and suspenseful, the chariot scene was one ofmy favorite scenes. Another favorite scene of mine is the part were the Romanguards find out that Ben-Hur's motherand sisterhad become lepers. Whentheyfirst went into the cell, fear strucked the first man who saw the mother and sister.He didn't dare to go back in.

That's why, through out the movie, I learned that lepers was consideredworse than death. Lepers would be sent to the Valley of Lepers. The ancientRomans were so afraid that they would catch on the deadly disease that whentheysentdown food, theywould only put the food on a basket and bringit downon a pulley form a high cliff. I also learned that hatred is a horrible thing. It canbe anger, revenger, and disloyalty to people. Ben-Hur and Messala was bothfriends when they were little but, soon, -'hen Messala found out about Rome,they became rivals. Messala didn't care about Ben-Hur from then on, eventhough they were once best friends. For example, Messala knew that Ben-Hurwas innocent when he said a loose tile fell from the roof and nearly killed thenew governor. But, he completely ignored it and as a result, his punishment wasdeath.

As you can see, the Ben-Hur movie was very impressive and very intensewith excitement. My favorite scenes of the movie were the chariot scene and thepart where we learn Ben-Hur's mom and sister became lepers. The movie alsotaught me many things.

-^Christopher Tran

The movie "Ben Hur" impressed me in different ways and someparts change me in certain ways. It can make me cry, happy, excited,

and sometimes a little bored or frightened.

The movie was so good that it made me cry like when Messala

was dying from Judah's win in the chariot race. Also when Judah's

mom and sister got leprosy while being stuck in the dungeon without

being checked on. Also another time in the end when Judah's mom

and sister got the cure away by Jesus's blood flowing down the hill tocure them. A final time was when Jesus was walking up the hill with

the cross about to be nailed while Judah tries to save him but fails. So

yeah, it made me cry a lot for a movie.

The movie also was so good that it made me very happy in certain

ways. One part was in the beginning when Judah and Messala finally

met together again and had a little bit of fun. Another good part waswhen Judah rescued The General from drowning and saving his life.

The best parts was the cure of the leprosy and Judah wining the

chariot race with the four white stallions. Which made it a very

interesting movie for me.The movie was also good because it was very exciting at certain

parts because of the wild action and strong dialogues. At one certainpoint on the ship, I though that the Romans had lost when their shipwent down and the hopeless slaves trying to get away and from there,

it looked like a giant pool with swimming sharks and crying. Anotherpart was when the chariot race went on, Messala had a greek chariotwhich he used to destroy wheels, scare opponents , and drive chariotsInto esich other. As he tried to destroy Judah's wheel, he destroys

himself in victory.

The movie was also great because It gave off some frighteningparts too. When it came to the part when Judah might strike Messalawith the javelin. The other part was when Messala was dleing aftergetting trampled for a while from another chariot. But the most actionand frightening part was when Judah's mom and sister kept appearingat certain times as the Leper and on the first part, I thought they

would look pretty bad and in pain.That is why this movie was very interesting in many ways and it

had great action and dialogues.

! \

Ben Hur Movie Reflection By: Anna Yang

I love the movie Ben Hurl Ifs so interesting! Ithink that there's lots of action, but in the

way that's different from other movies. What I mean is that it's almost as if the action is

in the dialogue. That is what impresses me the most! It's like the words are an event

themselves; they have their own action, intensity, and all that stuff. But Ialso think that

the acting is good too. The actors and actresses make everything seem so real. What I

really like is the setting. Those props (palaces, costumes, homes, etc.) are so amazing

and they fit together so perfectly! Ithink that the palaces, dungeon, and also the horse

racing place are all so historical and ancient. But yet, it doesn't look as if it was reallyold;

it looks so natural!

I don't really have a favorite scene, I like the whole movie! But I really like the ending

because Ben Hur and his mother, sister, and girlfriend are together again in their own

home living happily ever after! It makes me happy that they are happy. The fact that Ben

HuKs mother and sister weren't lepers anymore also makes me feel happy for them! But

that also leads to how the Romans treated the lepers. It's so unfair! But Iguess if Iwere

a leper, Ialso wouldn't want to let people see me, especially the ones I love. Iwould

rather let them have the best impression of me in their minds. But of course, it would

cause me to have great grief... But still, the Romans treated lepers like they weren't

people! Iunderstand that they worry that they'll also become lepers, but it's still a bad

solution to throw the lepers out of town.

Anyways, I learned a lot about living in Ancient Rome. If Iweren't a Roman, Iguess I

would live under the Roman's control. Iwouldn't like the feeling of being controlled

because then Iwouldn't be free and cannot do anything Iwant. Iwould also have to pay

taxes to the Roman government. Ithink Iwould very much like to rebel but I know that I

would be punished. But if Iwere a Roman (and a very rich one), Iwould probably live a

happy life. Iwould have servants and get to order them around. Iwould get to do

practically whatever Iwanted (but of course there would be limits). Iwouldn't need todo work and Icould hold parties with my fellow Roman friends. But if you were a

prisoner in Ancient Rome, then you would be treated very badly. You weren't givenenough food and good clothes. You would also be forced to do work and was beatenoften. Therefore, for most non-Romans, living in Ancient Rome isn't that great! Even if

you were a Roman, if you did something wrong, the consequences were really bad.

The movie Ben Hur is one of the best movies I've ever seen!!

v/ »>\ ceM Gee

Ben Hur was a great movie. It had action, drama, gore, and other elements ofagreat movie. The best gore parts were when Ben Hur and the other slaves were in the "^galleys escaping while the enemies was invading the roman ship. The best drama waswell everywhere. They had a lot of tension too. It fells like you're holding your breath forsomething and the BOOM something happens that is probably unexpected.

I can't believe people back then were so cruel. They were cruel to Lepers becausethey won't even speak to them but the Lepers don't even try to because they don't wantto affect people. They were cruel to their prisoners because they give them scarce food,they don't check on them for health conditions, and they don't careabout their prisoners.Thankfully our government is well much fair since we actually care for the prisoners'even ifthey're criminals; we at least somewhat care for them because they are still people.

I actually liked the scenes in the chariot race because it was both gory, it was also

humorous. A lot of people lost because with Messala's Greek chariot, he had these kniveson his wheels, which he nearly destroyed Ben Hur's chariot, and demolished ofwhat I

think is 2 chariots. Even with Messala's knives on his wheel, Ben Hur still won. To me,

when Ben Hur and Messala were neck and neck together, Messala tried to gain speed bywhipping the horses, but after knowing that won't work, well he probably thought "if Ican't move, then why don't he move!" and he started whipping Ben Hur. That washilarious because well like I said, some thing unexpected will happen. Messala at the enddragged under a chariot, and was stomped by 6 horses, and after talking to Ben Hur after

the race, Messala died.

When the prisonerswere escaping the galleys, it was also though bloody andgross with a lot of gore, it was very dramatic. Before the battle, it was kind ofan act ofkindness when Quintus Arrius unchained Ben Hur to assure Ben Hur's freedom, ifthey

were to go down in the battle. Sure enough, the boat was rammed and the rowers werescrambling to escape, not wanting to be drowned. Ben Hur helped the others fight up tothe door. And as the boor to the gulley opened, someone lost his hand either when the

boat was rammed or he broke it opening the door.

I think when Ben Hur saved Quintus Arrius, it was like a gift in return, but it was more

than justa gift. Quintus Arrius saved Ben Hur's life, and Ben Hur saved Quintus Arrius'slife 2 times, by spearing someone who was going to spear Quintus Arrius and by jumpinginto the water to save the drowning Quintus Arrius. After Ben Hur saving a life for a life,Quintus Arrius returned to Rome and adopted Ben Hur. It was just so emotional becausejust for saving a life, Ben Hur was a proud bearer ofQuintus Arrius's name, which wasprobably great because Quintus Arrius is partofthe government.

I don't think Ben Hur was really happy about killing Messala because though hepracticallykilled his mom and sister because they became lepers; Messalawas still a

human, and an old friend. I would even be really sad that I just killed someone even if idetested that person.

I actually really found out how bad life back then was and I finally learned

another sad thing about the world, leprosy. This may not be as severe and scary as AIDS,but it is still very gross and really hard to imagine. The movie actually showed howscared people were back then and they made the lepers very realistic though they did notshow lost hands like they might have when they probably break their arms when doing atask.

At the end, though there was a lot of gore, the movie was just amazing! Theymade everything how I imagined it though they had made some very rude comments toowhich they probably did then anyway.

March 31,2010

Class 6-307

Ben Hur Movie Reflection

By Van Lupardi

When I first started to watch the movie, Ben Hur, I thought it was about the Roman wars

where Roman soldiers had to protect their territories of the empire for away from Rome. I

learned that the Romans were very smart because they allowed the people they conquered to

practice their religion as long as they also worshipped the Roman gods. They also taxed people

for money for the empire and made many laws for people to observe. They were cruel and

violent because they made slaves do many things and beat them often. My impression of life

in Ancient Rome is that in those days, they enjoyed big meals or feasts with a lot of bread and

people had to buy fresh food everyday because they had no refrigerator. Iwould not want to

live back then because life was hard.

The roofs of the homes had loose tiles on them and people walked everywhere. People had

jobs like money lenders or bankers, butchers, farmers, shepherds, and sold everything in the

market place. There were people who made clay pots and baskets to sell as containers and

writers who would write things for people for a fee. The market placewas a center of activityfor everyone.

In the movie, i thought that the part where Judah Ben Hur was threatening to kill Messalawas very intense. The dialogue was very descriptive and drew me into the scenes. It showed

affection among family members and friends, and how Rome was afraid of rebellion and so

they imprisoned many people and made them slavesto work in mines and on ships. The sceneof the battle on the sea with the shipswas very poorly produced inthe dialogue sectionbecause it was mostly an action scene. However, this is a criticalscene where Ben Hursaved

the consul's life and becomes his personal slave and later his adoptedson. The fight inthechariot race scene was very intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat.

I have a couple of favorite scenes and one of them is the chariot race because it has the

most intense moments and lots of action. Idid not know that chariotscould leap likethat. Ialso liked the scenewhere Jesus Christ gave Ben Hur water inorderto help him survive the tripas a slave. It made you wonder how important this person might be later in the movie. The

reaction of the guardshowed you that this person was goingto be important. The guardsoldierwas shocked to see Jesus Christ and he could not really lookat him.

The storyline Igot was that the Romans have conquered Judea and made the peopleslaves. They were tryingto keep down any uprising or what they thought was rebellion bythrowing many people in prison or to work on ships. Judah Ben Hurstarted out a rich man,

became a slave and his family was also sent to prison where they became lepers, then he

became a rich person again after he saved the consul's life at sea. Jesus Christ was crucified

because the Romans thought he was preachingabout another kingdom that they were afraid

would take over their empire. There were miracles at the end of the movie where Judah Ben

HuKs mother and sister were healed from being lepers.

tU/U. $>*fhUiIn this story Ben Hur it tells the tale of a man named Judah Ben-Hur and how he has lots of

hardships in his life. He goes from being a wealthy Jewish Prince to a slave in the galleys of ships, a

famed champion chariot driver, and a son of a Senator of Rome and back to an impoverished Prince. He

brings the downfall of Masala his childhood friend who becomes a cruel General in the Roman Army. In

this movie I have gathered the parts I liked and what Ihave learned. Ialso have my personal opinions

like my first reaction and what impressed me.

The part Iliked best in the movie was the Chariot Race. Ben Hur is racingagainst Masala who

has imprisoned him and his family. Masala is the current champion of the races and for Ben Hur to win

will bring great shame to Masala. During the race Masala has a chariot that has blades on its wheels to

destroy the other chariots in the race. Masala holdson to his charioteven after it breaks up. He holds

on to the reignsof his horses to show that he'll never give up. He is run over by the other chariots and

Judah wins the race while Masala is dying.

My first reaction to the movie was that Ithought it would be about two friends who become

enemies. For example, Isaw two happy guys Judah and Masala greeting each other and talking.Then

they start arguing about how Romans are better and over-rule the Jews. Also Masala ask Ben Hur to

betray his people and help him telling him "you either with me or against me."

What really impressed me were the reactionsof the characters. For example when the guard

and soldier goto get Ben HuKs mother andsisterout of jail and discover that they have Leprosy. They

walk intothe cell their jaws drops andtheireyes open wide.Also, when the prisoners of the ship are

about to be rammedwith another shipandthey arechained inthe galley. The way they their faces and

actions express that they know death is upon them.

What Ihave learned isthat no matter what happens in your life you have to be true to yourself

and what you believe. Ben Hur after beinga slavecould have chosen the easy life as a Senatorsson but

he couldn't leave his family and his people. Ittakes a lot to walkawayand discover what one is really

made of and believe.

Ben Hurhad to overcome a lot of hardships through his journey and still had more to come in

his life. Butyou knew he would be alright becausehe knew who he was and had his family restored and

healed with him. No matter what happened in his life he will always be a Princeof the Jews.

^

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Andy Dong4/5/10 "Ben Hur" Movie Reflection

The movie "Ben Hur" was a really exciting movie to me. It had a lot of great

dialogues and actions. I also liked the feelings and love that are in the movie. I also really

liked the dialogues in "Ben Hur" because I felt that there were feelings in them.

Whenever they said something, they would always say it with emotion like love or

sadness. They say it with confident and I can tell that they know and act their part really

well.

1 have many favorite scenes but 1 of them I liked the most. It was when Judah and

Messala were having the race to see who was better. That was my favorite scene because

it had the most competition feeling and it made me feel tight inside wondering who

would win. I felt that it was the most exciting part out of every part in the movie. Also, I

liked the part where Judah went to see his mother and sister in the Field of Lepers

because it showed that he really loved them and he didn't care what kind of diseases they

have. There was great emotionthere. Also, I liked the part when Judah tried to help Jesus

because it shows that Judah can still remember people that helped him and he can also

help them when it is possible.

I also liked the part where there is a lot of action like during the chariot race

because it is the most exciting part and I think the more the action, the better the movie is.

They also put feeling into the action, for example when Messala was whipping his horses,

it showed that he was really nervous that Judah was going to surpass him. Also, the

actions always have a meaning or reason like when Messala wouldn't give up and he kept

holding onto the reinsof the horses. It showed that he wasn't going to give up and let

Judah win.

From this movie, I have learned many new things about Ancient Rome. I have

learned that the Romans despise the Jews and the prisoner's family also gets locked up

even when they didn't do anything. I also learned that Leprosy was a serious disease at

that time and it was treated as if they had HIV/AIDS. Also, the king was believed to be

the most powerful god and no one can disobey anything he says or have more power. I

also learned that you are also able to adopt people and make them your own children.

Also, in the Fields of Lepers, I learned that people were so afraid of Lepers they told

Judah he was crazy to go in there and they had to drop the food in because they were

afraid to go near them.

To me, being able to watch the movie was a great experience because it was a

great and exciting movie. I liked many parts and loved the action and dialogues. I also

learned many new things about Ancient Rome from the movie. I thought that the movie

was awesome!

^hCelina Tran Movie Reflection

Ben Hur is a excellent movie that deserved to win eleven Academy Awards. There aremanythings that impressed me in the movie. I wasamazed atthe drama in the actors'dialogue andacting. The acting wasn't too dramatic, but it was alsodramatic enough toconvince anyone that this was actuallyhappening.When Judah fell to the groundofthirstiness, it looked like he was actually dehydrated. Another time, Esther was tellingJudah that he changedand it was true. He became angry and bitter, not like the man whowas oncekind and peace-loving. The acting anddialogue in the movie was very realistic,not like it was just somethingto watch.You could also feel like maybe you were one ofthe people watching the chariotrace or a servant in the Hur home, watching the Hurfamily eat.Something else that impressed me in the movie was the background. The chariotracelooked like it might have taken place in the Colleseum. How they demonstrated eachroundthat the horses raced thorugh was also Roman-like. The place for where the lepperslived was also quite impressive. The low groundsmade me happy to be well and alive. Italso made me want to cry since the people over there were so sick and unhappy. The jailcell was very simple, like the Romans were. The jail cells weren't developed enough toprevent everyone from escaping. They placed food through a little hole, which wasclever.

Another thing that impressed me was how the movie directormade it look like ithappened way back. The background was marvelous, the chariot racing stadium didn'tlook like it happened in a baseball stadium. The ships reminded me of the Vikings forsome reason, but that's another subject. When the Romans fought the Macedonianpirates, it looked so scary but at the same time, not that modernized. They didn't haveguns but they did have very simple fire cannons. They ate with their fingers, not withspoons and forks. The clothing they wore was either robes or how the Arabians dressed.Messala and Judah hug the Roman way, arms grasping the other's arms, not arms aroundthe body.One ofmy favorite scenes is the chariot race. I liked that scene because it had a lot ofaction and it was hard to keep your eyes offthe screen. It was not like the jockeys-and-racehorses-wim-that-announcer-teUmg-you-eveiythmg-that's-happenm races, it wasthe kind where you rode in a cool half-of-the-car-with-only-the-back-end and you were ingreat danger. You could get ridden over by many horses and chariots that had people whodidn't care about your life, they only wanted to win, so there's no way that they weregoing to stop and turn to dodge you so that you wouldn't get hurt You could even getkilled like Messala! I liked the chariot race because it had tons ofaction. When you say achariot race,most people would just think ofthese really slow people and horses sincechariot race sounds very old fashioned. Actually, it has tons ofaction with horses movingat a hundred miles per hour (being dramatic). There's enough tension to keep people'seyes glued to the movie.Another one ofmy favorite scenes is when Tirzah and Miriam realize that they were nolonger leppers. I liked it because they were very happy and their problem was solved.They looked so happy, they had tears in their eyes and were touching their faces to feelthe no longer bumpy skin and once again smooth. It made me happy that many of themwere no longer outcasts.

One scene that I disliked was the fighting on the Roman ship. The galley slaves wereforced to untie their chains or get sunk along with the ship. There was so much blood thatmade me sick. At one point, it looked like a bloody ocean, creepy! Actually, the fightingpartwas pretty cool, but it also made me wonder ifany lives were lost producing this partofthe film. If some lives were lost, then it would definitely be one reason why I dislikethis partofthe film. I also didn't like the blood. Maybe it put interest in violent-lovingpeople, but I didn't really like it.I learned a lot about the Romans daily life. They sat in a weird way, on their side and onehand holding their head up, the other is holding their food. They ate with their hands andservants brought food to them. I also saw how they dressed, in robes. Arabians had theseheaddresses things. I think that's how you call them. The women wore dresses... allwomen had to.

I also learned about how Romans treated anyone who refused to side with them. Theytook them away as prisoners or galley slaves, but only useful/young men. Old men andwomen weren't strong so they had to stay in jail. The men who are owned by theRomans, they became gladiators or chariot drivers.I also learned about leppers. I knew what they were since I read Bible stories, but I neverthought that they actually had a Valley ofthe Leppers. I thought they were just forced tobe outcasts. I saw how they passed food to them too. They used a pulley, the loadcontained food packages. They also covered themselves completely with scarves andbands, probably to hide their condition as much as possible. That was how thetownspeople identified the leppers, either they dressed normally but everyone could seeclearlythat they had leprosy or cover themselves so much that everyone could see thatthey were most likely leppers. They also became so terribly afraidofnormal people, theirpresences made them want to cower and run away.I also learned about how the chariot races looked like. How they demonstrated eachround the horses passed was a fish with sharp teeth turned down, tail up. I also saw howGreek chariots looked like. I imagined them to be quite big, since I read in The Sea ofMonsters that they could fit two people and in the 1700s the carriages that carried peoplewere very big.. Actually, they could barely fit one and had two wheels. They had peoplewith stretchersready for fallen chariot drivers. In the beginning, several soldiers onhorses led the horses and chariots aroundthe track (walking). It's amazing that theycreated such a straight, round line, with several hoof prints. The winner was presentedwith a laurel which was made of leaves.

Some things that I wonder about the movie were how many lives were killed to producethis movie. Was Messalakilled? Sure, he was the "bad guy" but I still hoped that hewasn't really dead. Also the chariot drivers, and the warriors that were fighting(Macedonian pirates and Romans). I also wonder how they suddenly made a lepper into awell person. Basically, I wonder about how they made the movie, the place where theychariot raced, the ships, the storm within the battle between the piratesand Romans, andthe jail cellsOverall, I think the movie was a very good movie. The music matched the scene, good orbad, creepy or happy. The actors had drama and it was realistic. I think I enjoyedwatching this movie very much.

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