Ben Hur Live as post-cinematic adaptation | Intellect Skip to content
1981
Looking Back, Stepping Forward: JAFP at 15
  • ISSN: 1753-6421
  • E-ISSN: 1753-643X

Abstract

was a live, arena-based version of the story from Lew Wallace’s novel (1880), best known via the 1959 film version directed by William Wyler, that premiered at London’s O2 Arena in 2009. Meant as the start of a world tour, the show was a financial flop and its run was cut short. I argue that this show was in fact an early example of a small genre of oversized productions – Arena Spectaculars – that bring together live versions of screen material in a specifically post-cinematic way. Since ’s financial failure there have been financially successful shows such as and ; their very titles showing their contingent and intertextual nature. Although seemingly niche, aberrant or even ridiculous, the arena spectacular can actually illuminate many things about the contemporary consumption of texts in a post-cinematic, networked and franchised economy of images.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/jafp_00069_1
2022-03-01
2024-04-26
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Anon. ( 1999), Millennium Experience: The Guide, exhibition catalogue, The Millennium Dome, London:, 31 December 1999–31 December 2000.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Anon. ( 2009a), Ben Hur Live Website, http://www.benhurlive.com. Accessed 14 April 2016.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Anon. ( 2009b), Walking with Dinosaurs Live Website, http://www.dinosaurlive.com. Accessed 14 April 2016.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Anon. ( 2012a), Batman Live Website, http://www.batmanlive.com. Accessed 14 April 2016.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Anon. ( 2012b;), ‘ Meta-evaluation of the impact and legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. ’, UK Government, 19 July, http://www.gov.uk/government/news/olympic-games-legacy-boosts-economy-by-billions. Accessed 13 May 2015.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Anon. ( 2013;), ‘ Olympic Games legacy boosts economy by billions. ’, UK Government, 19 July, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/olympic-games-legacy-boosts-economy-by-billions. Accessed 18 April 2016.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Anon. ( 2020;), ‘ Audience of the future. ’, UK Research and Innovation, https://www.ukri.org/innovation/industrial-strategy-challenge-fund/audience-of-the-future/. Accessed 3 January 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Anon. ( 2022;), ‘ Strictly Come Dancing: The Live Tour 2022. ’, The O2 Website, http://www.theo2.co.uk/events/detail/strictly-come-dancing-the-live-tour-2022. Accessed 7 February 2022.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Auslander, Philip. ( 1999), Liveness, London:: Routledge;.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Baudry, Jean-Louis. ( 1986;), ‘ Ideological effects of the basic cinematographic apparatus. ’, in P. Rosen. (ed.), Narrative, Apparatus, Ideology, New York:: Columbia University Press;, pp. 28698.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Bellour, Raymond. ( 2012;), ‘ The cinematic spectator: A special memory. ’, in I. Christie. (ed.), Audiences, Amsterdam:: Amsterdam University Press;, pp. 20617.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Benjamin, Walter. ( 1999;), ‘ The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction. ’, in Arendt, H.. (ed.), Illuminations (trans. H.,, Zorn.), London:: Pimlico;, pp. 21953.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Benson, Scott. ( 1993), Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic, USA:: Turner Home Entertainment;.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Bolter, Jay David, and Grusin, Richard. ( 2000), Remediation, Cambridge, MA:: MIT Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Boyle, Danny. (dir.) ( 2012), Isles of Wonder: The Opening Ceremony to the London 2012 Olympic Games, F. C. Boyce;, London:, 27 July.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Comolli, Jean-Louis. ( 1980;), ‘ Machines of the visible. ’, in T. de Lauretis, and S. Heath. (eds), The Cinematic Apparatus, London:: Macmillan Press;, pp. 12142.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Cousins, Mark. ( 2011), The Story of Film, London:: Pavilion;.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Domokos, John. ( 2009;), ‘ Ben Hur Live: “We have erotic scenes, religion…and that chariot race”. ’, The Guardian, 16 September, http://www.theguardian.com/stage/video/2009/sep/16/ben-hur-live-o2-arena. Accessed 14 April 2016.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Ellis, Samantha. ( 2003;), ‘ Ben-Hur, London, 1902. ’, The Guardian, 8 October http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/oct/08/theatre. Accessed 14 April 2016.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Espinoza, Javier. ( 2010;), ‘ Mr. Abraham, your chariot awaits. ’, The Wall Street Journal, 9 April, https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304198004575171591936275062. Accessed 4 February 2022.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Faris, Scott. (dir.) ( 2007), Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular, W. Brown, O2 Arena;, London:, 14–19 August 2018.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Freiman, Ray. ( 1959), The Story of the Making of Ben-Hur, New York:: Random House;.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Gibson, Owen. ( 2012;), ‘ Olympic opening ceremony will recreate countryside with real animals. ’, The Guardian, 12 June, http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jun/12/london-2012-olympic-opening-ceremony. Accessed 18 April 2016.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Gilmore, James H., and Pine, B. Joseph II. ( 2011), The Experience Economy, Boston, MA:: Harvard Business Review Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Griffith, David Wark. ( 1916), Intolerance, USA:: Triangle;.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Gunning, Tom. ( 1990;), ‘ The cinema of attraction: Early film, its spectator and the avant-garde. ’, in T. Elsaesser. (ed.), Early Cinema: Space, Frame, Narrative, London:: British Film Institute;, pp. 5667.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Hart, William S.. ( 1994), My Life East and West, Chicago, IL:: The Lakeside Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Holding, Eric. ( 2000), Mark Fisher: Staged Architecture, London:: Wiley-Academy;.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Hoyle, Ben. ( 2009;), ‘ Franz Abraham on Ben Hur Live. ’, The Times, 11 September, http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/stage/theatre/article1869578.ece. Accessed 14 April 2016.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Hyde, Marina. ( 2012;), ‘ Olympic Games opening ceremony: Irreverent and idiosyncratic. ’, The Guardian, 28 July, http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympic-games-opening-ceremony-british. Accessed 14 April 2016.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Kiralfy, Bolossy. ( 1988), Creator of Great Musical Spectacles: An Autobiography (ed. Barker B. M..), Ann Arbor, MI:: UMI Research Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Klawans, Stuart. ( 1999), Film Follies, London:: Continuum International Publishing;.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. McKinley, Philip. (dir.) ( 2009), Ben Hur Live, S. McKenna, O2 Arena;, London:, 15–19 September.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Metz, Christian. ( 1982), The Imaginary Signifier: Psychoanalysis and the Cinema (trans. C.,, Britton,, A.,, Williams,, B.,, Brewster, and A.,, Guzzetti.), Bloomington, IN:: Indiana University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. The Millennium Experience ( 2000), The Millennium Dome;, London:, 31 December 1999–31 December 2000.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Mulvey, Laura. ( 1975;), ‘ Visual pleasure and narrative cinema. ’, Screen, 16:3, pp. 618.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Niblo, Fred. ( 1925), Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, USA:: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer;.
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Olcott, Sidney. ( 1907), Ben Hur, USA:: Kalem Company;.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Rodowick, David Norman. ( 2007), The Virtual Life of Film, Cambridge, MA:: Harvard University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Rooney, David. ( 2012;), ‘ Opening ceremony of the London Olympics: Review. ’, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 July, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/olympic-games-opening-ceremony-london-danny-boyle-355545. Accessed 14 April 2016.
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Scott, Ridley. ( 2000), Gladiator, USA:: Dreamworks;.
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Shaviro, Steven. ( 2010), Post Cinematic Affect, Winchester:: O Books;.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Sugg Ryan, Deborah. ( 2010;), ‘ Spectacle, the public, and the crowd: Exhibitions and pageants in 1908. ’, in M. Hatt, and M. O’Neil. (eds), The Edwardian Sense, New Haven, CT:: The Yale Center for British Art;, pp. 4371.
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Van Laast, Anthony. (dir.) ( 2011), Batman Live, A. Heinberg;, O2 Arena, London:, 24 August–4 September.
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Vardac, Nicholas. ( 1949), Stage to Screen, New York:: Da Capo Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Walking With Dinosaurs ( 1999, UK:: BBC Television;).
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Wallace, Lew. ( 1996), Ben Hur, London:: Wordsworth Classics;.
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Williams, Zoe. ( 2012;), ‘ Olympic opening ceremony a Labour party broadcast? Yup, that’s about right. ’, The Guardian, 28 July, http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/28/zoe-williams-olympic-opening-ceremony. Accessed 18 April 2016.
    [Google Scholar]
  49. Wyler, Wiliam. ( 1959), Ben-Hur, USA:: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer;.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Whitby, Richard. ( 2022;), ‘ Ben Hur Live as post-cinematic adaptation. ’, Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance, 15:1&2, pp. 6175, https://doi.org/10.1386/jafp_00069_1
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/jafp_00069_1
Loading
/content/journals/10.1386/jafp_00069_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error