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Ben-Hur (1959)

TV_PG 212 min  -  Action | Adventure | Drama  -   16 December 1959 (UK)
8.2
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Ratings: 8.2/10 from 81,578 users  
Reviews: 310 user | 79 critic

When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Lew Wallace (novel), Karl Tunberg (screenplay)
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charlton Heston ...
Jack Hawkins Jack Hawkins ...
Haya Harareet Haya Harareet ...
Stephen Boyd ...
Hugh Griffith ...
Martha Scott Martha Scott ...
Cathy O'Donnell Cathy O'Donnell ...
Sam Jaffe Sam Jaffe ...
Finlay Currie Finlay Currie ...
Balthasar / Narrator
Frank Thring Frank Thring ...
Terence Longdon Terence Longdon ...
George Relph George Relph ...
André Morell André Morell ...
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Storyline

Judah Ben-Hur lives as a rich Jewish prince and merchant in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 1st century. Together with the new governor his old friend Messala arrives as commanding officer of the Roman legions. At first they are happy to meet after a long time but their different politic views separate them. During the welcome parade a roof tile falls down from Judah's house and injures the governor. Although Messala knows they are not guilty, he sends Judah to the galleys and throws his mother and sister into prison. But Judah swears to come back and take revenge. Written by Matthias Scheler <tron@lyssa.owl.de>  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Roman | Galley | Jerusalem | Revenge  | See more »

Taglines:

The Entertainment Experience of a Lifetime! See more »

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(UK) See more »

Also Known As:

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$15,900,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$90,000,000 (Worldwide) (January 1989)
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Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

 | Sweden: (1970)  | Sweden: (1962)  | UK: (1993 re-release)  | (DVD edition)  | (2005 DVD)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) | Dolby (1993 re-release)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.76 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

William Wyler was an assistant director on the original Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and 34 years later directed its remake, Ben-Hur. See more »

Goofs

Revealing mistakes: When Esther and Tirzah and Miriam seek shelter, the storm is violent enough to cause earth to fall in front of the cave, and the sound of the wind is deafening. Yet trees visible in the background (from the mouth of the cave) do not so much as sway in the breeze. See more »

Quotes

Messala: By what magic do you bear the name of a Consul of Rome?
Judah Ben-Hur: You were the magician, Messala. When my ship was sunk, I saved the Consul's life.
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Crazy Credits

The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion is shown in a still-frame to appear looking peaceful at the beginning rather than roaring. See more »