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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
8 October 1927 (USA)
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Tagline:
The Picture Every Christian Ought to See! more
Plot:
Erstwhile childhood friends, Judah Ben-Hur and Messala meet again as adults, this time with Roman officer Messala as conqueror and Judah as a wealthy...
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Plot Keywords:
Revenge
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Vamp
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Anti Semitism
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Affection
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Sea Battle
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Awards:
1 win
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NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Thomas Meighan, The Lost Squadron at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum
(From Alternative Film Guide. 15 April 2009, 7:43 PM, PDT)
The Ultimate Guide to TCM's 31 Days of Oscar Begins Here
(From Rope Of Silicon. 31 January 2009, 5:56 PM, PST)
(From Alternative Film Guide. 15 April 2009, 7:43 PM, PDT)
The Ultimate Guide to TCM's 31 Days of Oscar Begins Here
(From Rope Of Silicon. 31 January 2009, 5:56 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Spectacular Silent Version of Wallace Classic!
more (41 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Ramon Novarro | ... | Judah Ben-Hur | |
| Francis X. Bushman | ... | Messala | |
| May McAvoy | ... | Esther | |
| Betty Bronson | ... | Mary | |
| Claire McDowell | ... | Princess of Hur | |
| Kathleen Key | ... | Tirzah | |
| Carmel Myers | ... | Iras | |
| Nigel De Brulier | ... | Simonides | |
| Mitchell Lewis | ... | Sheik Ilderim | |
| Leo White | ... | Sanballat | |
| Frank Currier | ... | Quintus Arrius | |
| Charles Belcher | ... | Balthazar | |
| Dale Fuller | ... | Amrah | |
| Winter Hall | ... | Joseph |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Ben-Hur (USA) (short title)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
143 min | Germany:151 min (restored version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (2-strip Technicolor) (some sequences) |
Black and White (tinted)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
All the religious scenes are in Technicolor, but the chariot race is not - an intense amount of lighting was required to shoot Technicolor, making it extremely difficult.
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Goofs:
Factual errors: When Ben Hur first sees Jesus and is given water, Jesus seems to be standing upright, but the arm giving Ben Hur the water seems to be be coming from originating from around his knee.
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Movie Connections:
Featured in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (41 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| Which DVD? | luvdmb4eva |
| Iras | 398 |
| What I Liked and Disliked | suel41452 |
| strange light | roman_g |
| Just Saw It: Part II | shandy8 |
| Two different Thames Silent versions | angmc43 |
Recommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
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With the record number of Oscars won by the William Wyler 1959 version of BEN-HUR, there is a tendency to overlook the monumental 1925 production, which established MGM as a studio to be reckoned with. Well, if you've never seen the earlier version, you may be in for a surprise...it is superior in nearly every way!
Certainly, some of the performances (particularly Francis X. Bushman's scenery-chewing Messala) are cartoonish, the film lacks the widescreen splendor and scope of it's successor, and the 'Wyler Touch', the infinite care the legendary director poured over every detail, is sorely missed. But there is an energy and sense of intimacy in Fred Niblo's version that is sorely lacking in the later version; the film, as a whole, is far closer in spirit to General Lew Wallace's novel; and young leading man Ramon Novarro (with a sexy intensity reminiscent of Tyrone Power), makes a far more charismatic and sympathetic Ben-Hur than Charlton Heston.
The 1959 version is remembered today almost exclusively for the chariot race, one of the most spectacular action sequences ever filmed. But what of the other 'set piece', the gigantic sea battle between the Roman and pirate fleets? The scene is completely artificial, obviously comprised of models and rear projections (watch the toy seamen jiggle as ships collide!) The 1925 version's chariot race is equally as exciting, and the sea battle used full-sized ships and hundreds of extras (shot in Italy, where a fire broke out on the ships during the shooting...the extras' panic on screen was NOT acting!)
With two-strip Technicolor to emphasize key scenes (the Nativity, the new Roman Consul's arrival in Jerusalem...yes, those ARE topless women leading the procession!), and a wonderful, stirring new musical score by Carl Davis, Fred Niblo's BEN-HUR is a treasure, a film you'll want to see again and again...Can you honestly say THAT about the '59 version?