Episode #1.1 (4 Apr. 2010)

About the struggle between the Roman Empire and its rebellious conquest Judaea, and two best friends caught in a terrible moment in history.

Director:

Steve Shill

Writer:

Alan Sharp

Stars:

Joseph Morgan, Stephen Campbell Moore, Emily VanCamp

1 win.

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Joseph Morgan	...	Judah Ben-Hur
Stephen Campbell Moore	...	Messala
Emily VanCamp	...	Esther
Kristin Kreuk	...	Tirzah
Ben Cross	...	Emperor Tiberius
Simón Andreu	...	Simonides
Alex Kingston	...	Ruth
James Faulkner	...	Marcellus
Art Malik	...	Sheikh Ilderim
Marc Warren	...	David
Lucía Jiménez	...	Athene
Miguel Angel Muñoz	...	Antegua
Kris Holden-Ried	...	Gaius (as Kris Holden Ried)
Michael Nardone	...	Hortator
Eugene Simon	...	Young Ben Hur

Storyline

Judah Ben-Hur lives in Jerusalem with his mother Ruth,sister Tirzah and his friend Messala,illegitimate son of the patrician Roman Marcellus who has virtually disowned the boy. On reaching manhood Messala becomes an officer in the Roman army and is part of a parade headed by governor Pontius Pilate which will march in triumph through Jerusalem to show Roman power. Judah's family watch but accidentally dislodge a tile from the roof which hits Pilate. The family steward David,a Zealot,exploits the accident to start a riot. Seeking to show the governor his power Messala has the family arrested. The women are imprisoned and Simonides,father of Judah's betrothed Esther,crucified - though he survives. Judah is sent as a galley slave in chains and on his way to the ship encounters Jesus. After three years as a galley slave Judah's intelligence impresses the admiral,wealthy Roman Quintus Arrius,and when the ship is involved in a battle with pirates Arrius has Judah's chains unlocked. Ony ...

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Plot Keywords:

friend | roman soldier | 1st century | tv mini series | period piece | 

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Taglines:

Rome made him a slave. Revenge set him free.

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK Canada Spain Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 April 2010 (Canada)

Filming Locations:

Ouarzazate, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Akkord Film Produktion GmbH, Drimtim Entertainment, FishCorb Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

184 min 184 min (2 parts)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

A pair of youths race with their horse-drawn carts using a track 20 feet constant wide, pretty straight, without a single pothole and with patent signs (and the distinctive marks) of having being smoothed by the blade of a modern grader.

User Reviews

I say: "Very well done!"

This version of Ben Hur focused on a portion of the epic version and successfully produced a very enjoyable movie in its own right. The 22 million dollar budget provided ample resources for the acting, sets and action. I had obtained this mini-series a while back but waited months to watch it believing it would be like all the other adolescent-like series emerging these days e.g. Merlin. I finally decided to watch it or give it to my nephew. I became instantly curious and engrossed and watched the entire 3 hour mini-series in one sitting. I watch too many movies and am ultra-sensitive to bad acting, silly fight scenes and gaffs in general. No leaps of faith for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the mini-series "Rome". And while I will not try to compare the two, I did notice similar elements albeit PG-13 vs Rome's graphic content. Discount the negative reviews and check it out for yourself.