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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

Original title: Ben-Hur A Tale of the Christ
  • 1925
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 23m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
7.8K
YOUR RATING
Ramon Novarro and Carmel Myers in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.
Play trailer3:10
1 Video
74 Photos
ActionAdventureDrama

A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.

  • Directors
    • Fred Niblo
    • Charles Brabin
    • Christy Cabanne
  • Writers
    • Lew Wallace
    • June Mathis
    • Carey Wilson
  • Stars
    • Ramon Novarro
    • Francis X. Bushman
    • May McAvoy
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.8/10
    7.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Fred Niblo
      • Charles Brabin
      • Christy Cabanne
    • Writers
      • Lew Wallace
      • June Mathis
      • Carey Wilson
    • Stars
      • Ramon Novarro
      • Francis X. Bushman
      • May McAvoy
    • 64User reviews
    • 29Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:10
    Watch Trailer

    Photos74

    Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
    Claire McDowell in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
    Ramon Novarro in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
    Ramon Novarro and May McAvoy in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
    Ramon Novarro and Carmel Myers in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
    Window Card, 14 x 22
    Ramon Novarro and Francis X. Bushman in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
    Ramon Novarro and May McAvoy in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
    Ramon Novarro and May McAvoy in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
    Ramon Novarro and Claire McDowell in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
    Ramon Novarro and Claire McDowell in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
    Carmel Myers in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ramon Novarro
    Ramon Novarro
    • Ben-Hur
    Francis X. Bushman
    Francis X. Bushman
    • Messala
    May McAvoy
    May McAvoy
    • Esther
    Betty Bronson
    Betty Bronson
    • Mary
    Claire McDowell
    Claire McDowell
    • Princess of Hur
    Kathleen Key
    Kathleen Key
    • Tirzah
    Carmel Myers
    Carmel Myers
    • Iras
    Nigel De Brulier
    Nigel De Brulier
    • Simonides
    • (as Nigel de Brulier)
    Mitchell Lewis
    Mitchell Lewis
    • Sheik Ilderim
    Leo White
    Leo White
    • Sanballat
    Frank Currier
    Frank Currier
    • Arrius
    Charles Belcher
    Charles Belcher
    • Balthazar
    Dale Fuller
    Dale Fuller
    • Amrah
    Winter Hall
    Winter Hall
    • Joseph
    Reginald Barker
    Reginald Barker
    • Chariot Race Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    John Barrymore
    John Barrymore
    • Chariot Race Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Lionel Barrymore
    Lionel Barrymore
    • Chariot Race Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Clarence Brown
    Clarence Brown
    • Chariot Race Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Fred Niblo
      • Charles Brabin(uncredited)
      • Christy Cabanne(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Lew Wallace
      • June Mathis
      • Carey Wilson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film had an "extra" cast like no other. Many Hollywood stars showed up on set to watch the shooting and were pressed into service as extras, especially in the chariot race. In addition, many who would later become Hollywood's top stars, but who were at the time just struggling actors, were also in the crowd scenes as extras. Among well-known and soon-to-be-well-known names "working" in the film were John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Marion Davies, Myrna Loy, John Gilbert, Douglas Fairbanks, Clark Gable, Harold Lloyd, Carole Lombard, Janet Gaynor, Fay Wray, Mary Pickford, Colleen Moore, Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Samuel Goldwyn and Rupert Julian.
    • Goofs
      At one point in the chariot race a man in modern clothing - light-colored shirt, long pants, dark shoes - can be seen running out of the crowd onto the track and waving his arms at the camera. That was assistant director William Wyler, who saw that one of the chariots - out of camera range - was approaching the curve of the track too fast and Wyler was signaling the director to have the crew cleaning up a crashed chariot to get out of the way.
    • Quotes

      Jerusalem citizen: What chance has a Jew against a Roman?

    • Alternate versions
      Music and sound effects were dubbed into the silent film for a 1931 re-release.
    • Connections
      Edited into Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972)

    User reviews64

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Captivating silent epic
    This much lesser-known version of the Ben-Hur story from 1925 was the most expensive silent film ever made and benefits greatly from MGM's ability at the time to make films that looked amazingly grand and epic and still somehow manage to today. Even after seeing William Wyler's 1959 version and even with the advancements of modern CGI, the 83 year old "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" still looks unbelievably impressive with its massive sets and thousands of extras.

    The mythos that has surrounded "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" among film buffs over the years has reached a status almost as grand as the film itself. The deaths, bribes, and other stories surrounding the movie and in particular the famous chariot race sequence do nothing to detract from the film (although they do distract one from it) but instead increase one's fascination with the production. I'm not sure if there are any comprehensive books written on the film but I must seek one out eventually.

    The story doesn't need to be discussed because everyone knows it. It's an entertaining story that's really quite hard to do wrong and this movie is more entertaining and exciting than any other version I've seen. The theatricality demanded from silent film enhances the nature and feel of the story.

    This film was directed by Fred Niblo, famous for the Douglas Fairbanks vehicles "The Mark of Zorro" and the inferior "The Three Musketeers" and also director of several memorable silent films such as Greta Garbo vehicles "The Temptress" and "The Mysterious Lady" as well as "The Red Lily", an absolutely brilliant film by 1924 standards that is sadly hard to get a hold of (except on Turner Classic Movies which shows it on occasion). Niblo lost his way in the sound era but is on top form here directing this massive production. Of course, the chariot race deserves all its fame and recognition and remains exciting, vibrant, and captivating to this day.

    The restoration on the DVD released in the four-DVD set released in celebration of the 1959 film is spectacular as usual from the Turner team with the original (and well-chosen) tints and the exceptional Technicolor sequences restored. The film is in the public domain so I expect there must be some form of cheap black & white only copy which I urge anybody reading this to avoid watching. Another reason to watch this restored version is the terrific score by Carl Davis performed by the London Philharmonic orchestra.

    As good as William Wyler and Charlton Heston are, I'll take this Fred Niblo and Ramon Novarro over the 1959 version any day. A thrilling, captivating silent epic and one of the great silent American films.

    9/10
    helpful•42
    1
    • ametaphysicalshark
    • Jun 5, 2008

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 8, 1927 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • None
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ben-Hur
    • Filming locations
      • Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $3,950,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 23 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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