Making Sure We Win

[snopes]

A story is told about the noted director of biblical epics, Cecil B. DeMille. When they began working on the movie Ben Hur, DeMille talked to Charlton Heston -- the star of the movie -- about the all-important chariot race at the end. He decided Heston should actually learn to drive the chariot himself, rather than just using a stunt double. Heston agreed to take chariot-driving lessons to make the movie as authentic as possible.

Learning to drive a chariot with horses four abreast, however, was no small matter. After extensive work and days of practice, Heston returned to the movie set and reported to DeMille.

"I think I can drive the chariot all right, Cecil," said Heston, "but I'm not at all sure I can actually win the race."

Smiling slightly, DeMille said, "Heston, you just stay in the race, and I'll make sure you win."

That is such a great illustration of the spiritual race which we are all running as Christians. We are to run that race in such a way that we "win" because only the one who wins the race race receives the prize at the end (I Cor. 9:24).

The thought of having to win the race seems a little unsettling to us until we realize that God says the same thing to us that DeMille said to Heston: "You just stay in the race and I'll make sure you win." Our responsibility as Christians is to run the race with endurance (Heb. 12:3), to never quit, never give up. If we do that, God will make sure that we "win."

[Salamander]

Well yeah... unless you happen to be that guy who got killed while filming the scene!

(ssshhhhh)

[TB Tabby]

Originally Posted by snopes

"I think I can drive the chariot all right, Cecil," said Heston, "but I'm not at all sure I can actually win the race."

And then Cecil reminded him that it wasn't an actual chariot race, and to take his medication.

[Lgreywolf]

Originally Posted by TB Tabby

And then Cecil reminded him that it wasn't an actual chariot race, and to take his medication.

I'm so glad I finished my cereal before reading that! Quite nearly a YOMANK!

[Tarquin Farquart]

Does Ben-Hur count as a biblical epic though? I know Jesus features as a character but it isn't based on anything from the Bible.

[mcolakis]

Originally Posted by Tarquin Farquart

Does Ben-Hur count as a biblical epic though? I know Jesus features as a character but it isn't based on anything from the Bible.

No, it isn't about Biblical material per se, but the Christian message is pretty strong. It never actually says that Ben-Hur became a Christian, but it's heavily implied that he does.

[Lainie]

It's a Christian epic, not a Biblical epic. The Ten Commandments and The Greatest Story Ever Told are Biblical epics.

[rlobinske]

So basically, the glurge is saying the race is fixed.

[Tootsie Plunkette]

And the full title of the book is Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

By the way, nobody was killed making the Heston version, but someone was in the 1925 one.

And according to IMDb:

The chariot race segment was directed by legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt. Joe Canutt (Yak's son) doubled for Charlton Heston.

...which adds another twist to this glurge.

[Quantum Leap2]

I wanted 'ol Cecil to make sure I win the lottery, but heard he's no longer on this side of the rainbow...Boo Hoo

[Mouse]

So Cecil DeMille is God? Or did I miss the point of this glurge?

[vison]

Originally Posted by Mouse

So Cecil DeMille is God? Or did I miss the point of this glurge?

No, dear, you didn't.

There is never any point to glurge, so you can't miss it.

I read the title of the thread before realizing it was in the Glurge Gallery, and I thought it was going to be about the nutty superstitions and rituals sports fans have to make sure their team wins the big games.

My own lucky jerseys haven't been so lucky recently...

[inkrose115]

Originally Posted by vison

No, dear, you didn't.

There is never any point to glurge, so you can't miss it.

I'm not a noob but something inside me forces me to try and find meaning in glurge even though the effort it takes is so monumental it's headache inducing.

[MapleLeaf]

Surely a glurge about Charlton Heston would be more likely to go something like this:

-"I think I can fire the gun properly now, but I'm not sure I can kill the suspect."

-"You just aim kind of where you think the suspect should be, and I will make sure the suspect gets killed."

Also, Cecil B. DeMille wasn't even the director of Ben Hur!! William Wyler directed that movie!

[MidgardDragon]

That is such a great illustration of the spiritual race which we are all running as Christians.

....*groans*....

[Esprise Me]

After reading the title, I was relieved to find it had nothing to do with the absolute disaster that is our involvement in Iraq, with some little moral about how God will "make sure we win."

Still, this glurge passes the test. Let's see, it's got
1) Factual inaccuracies
2) A tortured pseudo-Christian analogy
3) A "moral" imperative
4) A conclusion that hints at something far darker than the rainbow Jesus puppies on the surface. (See, God really wants us all to win the race, and you don't have to have any special talents to do that. So if you lose any proverbial races, it's because you didn't deserve better and God doesn't love you.)

The only thing it's missing is atrocious spelling and grammar.

[DawnStorm]

Y'know in the movie, Massala had a nasty spoke sticking out of one of the chariot wheels. Tore up the wheels of all the other chariots IIRC.

Dawn--runnin' down a dream--Storm