Remember, folks, this mini-Hur was made well over a century ago. It would be nearly two decades before the excellent 1926 version was produced. Still, this was a worthy effort for the time. It's a rare glimpse of Hollywood moviemaking in its infancy---interestingly, there are scene-change titles, but no dialogue cards---and this 13-minute incarnation gave audiences a taste of the 1880 Lew Wallace novel. (It also spares us the presence of the oft-overrated Charlton Heston.) If only for its historical value, this is worth at least one watch for film buffs.
