Ben-Hur (1959)

◄ Ben-Hur (1959)

Anachronisms

The calf in the stable is a Holstein, a breed that did not exist at the time, and was unknown in the area until 1922.
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As they are preparing for the chariot race, a raised platform is shown which is made of galvanized steel.
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During the scene in which Judah and Messala are talking in the courtyard of Judah's home, road noise from motorcycles can be heard in the background.
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Sheik Ilderim pins a Star of David onto Ben Hur's belt before the race, obviously to goad the Romans. The Star of David didn't become a symbol of Judaism until the Middle Ages, in Eastern Europe.
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Romans did not take slaves for their galleys. Galley slaves did not exist until the 16th century.
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Modern books with covers can be seen, at a time when only scrolls were used.
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The mezuzah shown at the entrance to Ben-Hur's home is mounted diagonally. That practice was not adopted until the middle ages, by Ashkenazi Jews, as a compromise between the rules offered by 2 medieval Rabbis.
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Tire tracks from the camera truck are visible in the sand of the circus during the chariot race.
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A close-up of the saw-toothed wheel hubs, just before the race shows the modern welding.
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Audio/visual unsynchronised

When the audience first sees Ben-Hur and Messala together and they both throw a spear at the wall, the sound of Ben-Hur's voice does not match up with his lips.
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As Pontius Pilate comes out to watch the chariot race, as he takes his seat. A Roman officer behind calls out orders to attention to his men, but no sound is heard from the officer - it has been dubbed out in post production.
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Continuity

During the chariot race, when we see the third fish lowered, the following shot shows briefly the fishes and the third is still up.
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During the chariot race, shadow lengths/directions clearly show that passage of time (filming) inconsistent with length of "actual" race.
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Ben-Hur presents ring to be returned to Rome. Pontius Pilate moves so that he is always facing the camera as the angle reverses.
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When Ben-Hur's and Messala's chariots lock wheels, Messala's wheel shatters. In the shot of the overturning chariot, the wheel is intact.
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When Messala breaks a tile on Ben Hur's terrace, we can see a broken tile at his feet whereas on the shot before there was no tile.
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In the chariot race Ben Hur and Messala are side by side for several laps. When they turn corners they remain side by side.
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A pretty good breeze is blowing the sheik's robe around when he comes to visit Judah just before the race starts, but the wind and his garments are abruptly still in the second slightly tighter shot.
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During the race, just before the first chariot goes down, the left wheel of that chariot is removed by Messala's chariot, but in the next shot you can view both wheels intact before it goes down.
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During the ship battle, a slave is released from below and is missing his left hand. About ten seconds later, he is seen running through the ship with his left hand still attached.
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When Judah visits Messala after the chariot race, as he enters the room he lays his wreath on a chair next to the door. When he leaves, the wreath is missing.
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Crew or equipment visible

The shadow of the camera can be seen on Christ's back as Ben Hur is leaving Nazareth to go to the galleys (widescreen version).
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Factual errors

Most of the Roman soldiers seen are not displaying the Roman Army's "Winged Lightning" symbol on their shields.
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Due to the relative widths of the horses pulling the chariots and the chariots themselves, there is actually no way that the cutting hubs on Messala's wheels could actually make contact with the wheels of any other chariots.
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Incorrectly regarded as goofs

Jesus' ministry seems to last 5 years in this movie. Although this is traditionally seen as lasting only 3 years, the Bible gives no such specific chronology, Making it 5 years is a reasonable artistic decision.
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One of the chariot heralds has been claimed to be wearing a watch, but other viewers report that this is an oddly positioned shadow.
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A character refers to the Roman Emperor as "The Divine Tiberius." Although Tiberius was never deified, he claimed descent from the Roman deities Jupiter and Venus, so he was "divine" in that sense.
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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.
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Just before the Roman galley is rammed, the condemned men behind Ben-Hur are clearly dummies.
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When Christ is carrying His cross, the Latin title Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum ("Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews") is written backwards. A Roman soldier is shown carrying the title ahead of Him, with the Latin characters reversed (from right to left). A few moments later the title appears again, only this time the Latin is written correctly (from left to right).
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It is well documented that Messala's horses in the chariot race were dyed black (their natural color was brown). They appear solid black during the pre-race procedures. During the race, when the horses are running flat out, most of the dye wore off and in closeups, they appear to be brown.
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Spoilers

The goofs below may give away important plot points.

Continuity

Nine chariots start the chariot race. After the first crash, there appear still to be nine chariots in the race. After the third crash, six are shown, but as Ben Hur passes to catch up, clearly there is a total of seven in the race. After five have crashed, five are left. Messala is the sixth chariot to crash, but Ben Hur and three others finish the race. Thus, nine chariots start the race, six crash, and four finish.
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Continuity

Messala damages Ben-Hur's chariot with his saw-toothed wheel-hubs, but when Ben-Hur drives up to Pontius Pilate to receive his prize, his chariot is undamaged.
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Revealing mistakes

During the scene in which Judah and the Consul are rescued from the water, the waves breaking in the background reveal the end of the studio.
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Revealing mistakes

An establishing shot of Jerusalem in the opening sequence shows a hooded Ben-Hur, long before he is born. The scene appears again later in the film as Judah Ben-Hur returns to Jerusalem from Rome.
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