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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ ()

Ben-Hur A Tale of the Christ (original title)
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A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.
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Writers:
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Photos and Videos

77 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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Ben-Hur
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Messala
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Esther
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Mary
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Princess of Hur
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Tirzah
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Iras
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Simonides (as Nigel de Brulier)
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Sheik Ilderim
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Sanballat
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Arrius
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Balthazar
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Amrah
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Joseph
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
Manuel Caballero ...
Roman Guard (uncredited)
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(uncredited)
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Roman Guard (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
William Donovan ...
Charioteer of Corinthian Bay Team (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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(uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Roman Guard (uncredited)
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Slave Girl (uncredited)
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Slave Girl (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
Harry Gordon ...
Centurion (uncredited)
Sid Grauman ...
Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
William Green ...
(uncredited)
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Crowd Member (uncredited)
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Slave Girl (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Slave Girl (uncredited)
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Slave Girl (uncredited)
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Charioteer (uncredited)
Mickey Millerick ...
(uncredited)
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Slave Girl (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
Claude Payton ...
Jesus Christ (uncredited)
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Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
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Extra (uncredited)
Leonora Summers ...
(uncredited)
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Charioteer (uncredited)
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Slave Girl (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Christiane Yves ...
Hedonist (uncredited)

Directed by

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Fred Niblo
Charles Brabin ... (uncredited)
Christy Cabanne ... (uncredited)
J.J. Cohn ... (uncredited)
Rex Ingram ... (uncredited)

Written by

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Lew Wallace ... (novel 'Ben-Hur, 1880' by) (as General Lew Wallace)
 
June Mathis ... (adaptation)
 
Carey Wilson ... (scenario)
 
Katherine Hilliker ... (titles) (as Katharine Hilliker) and
H.H. Caldwell ... (titles)

Produced by

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Kevin Brownlow ... producer
J.J. Cohn ... producer (uncredited)
David Gill ... producer
Samuel Goldwyn ... producer (uncredited)
Louis B. Mayer ... producer (uncredited)
Irving Thalberg ... producer (uncredited)

Music by

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Carl Davis
William Axt ... (uncredited)
David Mendoza ... (uncredited)

Cinematography by

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Clyde De Vinna ... (photography by) (as Clyde DeVinna)
René Guissart ... (photography by) (as Rene Guissart)
Percy Hilburn ... (photography by)
Karl Struss ... (photography by)
Paul Kerschner ... (uncredited)

Editing by

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Lloyd Nosler ... film editor

Editorial Department

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Grant Goodwin ... videotape editor
Ron Sayer ... tinting effects
Renata Bernabei ... assistant editor (uncredited)
Irene Coletta ... assistant editor (uncredited)
William Holmes ... assistant editor (uncredited)
Ben Lewis ... assistant editor (uncredited)
Harry Reynolds ... assistant editor (uncredited)
Aubrey Scotto ... assistant editor (uncredited)
Basil Wrangell ... assistant editor (uncredited)

Casting By

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Robert McIntyre ... (uncredited)

Art Direction by

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Horace Jackson ... (uncredited)
Harry Oliver ... (uncredited)

Set Decoration by

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Edwin B. Willis ... (uncredited)

Costume Design by

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Hermann J. Kaufmann

Makeup Department

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Max Factor ... body makeup artist (uncredited)
George Westmore ... makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management

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Liz Sutherland ... production manager
Harry E. Edington ... production manager (uncredited)
Dave Friedman ... unit production manager (uncredited)
Lawrence Marston ... production supervisor (uncredited)
Albert E. Smith ... unit producer: sea battle (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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B. Reeves Eason ... associate director (as Reeves Eason)
Alfred Raboch ... associate director (as Alfred L. Raboch)
Charles Stallings ... assistant director
Silas Clegg ... assistant director (uncredited)
Gabriellino D'Annunzio ... assistant director (uncredited)
B. Reeves Eason ... second unit director (uncredited)
Henry Hathaway ... assistant director (uncredited)
Al Lena ... assistant director (uncredited)
David Smith ... unit director: sea battle (uncredited)
William Wyler ... assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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Ferdinand P. Earle ... art effects
Cedric Gibbons ... settings
Horace Jackson ... settings
Carl Bolzic ... plasterer (uncredited)
Ferdinand P. Earle ... assistant art director (uncredited)
A. Arnold Gillespie ... set designer (uncredited)
Harold Grieve ... set designer (uncredited)
Andrew MacDonald ... set constructor (uncredited)
Camillo Mastrocinque ... art director: Italy (uncredited)
E.H. Tate ... painter (uncredited)
C.F. Wilhelm ... construction coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Mike Fairbairn ... dubbing editor

Special Effects by

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A. Arnold Gillespie ... special effects

Visual Effects by

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Paul Eagler ... trick photography (uncredited)
Ferdinand P. Earle ... visual effects (uncredited)
William E. Hinckley ... analog film processing effects (uncredited)
Kenneth Gordon MacLean ... miniatures (uncredited)
Frank D. Williams ... traveling matte shots (uncredited)

Stunts

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B. Reeves Eason ... stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Buster Gallagher ... stunt double: Ramon Novarro (uncredited)
Frank McGrath ... stunt performer (uncredited)
Mickey Millerick ... stunts (uncredited)
Allen Pomeroy ... stunts (uncredited)
David Sharpe ... stunts (uncredited)
Spike Spackman ... stunts (uncredited)
Tom Tyler ... stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Silvano Balboni ... camera operator (uncredited)
John W. Boyle ... camera operator (uncredited)
Edoardo Bragaglia ... still photographer: Rome (uncredited)
H. Lyman Broening ... assistant camera (uncredited)
Clarence Sinclair Bull ... still photographer (uncredited)
Max Dupont ... assistant camera (uncredited)
Edward T. Estabrook ... cinematographer: Technicolor (uncredited)
Frank B. Good ... assistant camera (uncredited)
René Guissart ... cinematographer: Italy (uncredited)
Paul Ivano ... director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
Donald Biddle Keyes ... still photographer (uncredited)
Louis Kolb ... chief electrician (uncredited)
Ruth Harriet Louise ... still photographer (uncredited)
D.W. Martinelli ... additional photographer (uncredited)
George Meehan ... camera operator (uncredited)
Carlo Montuori ... assistant camera (uncredited)
Roy Musgrave ... cinematographer: Italy (uncredited)
George Gordon Nogle ... camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Ray Rennahan ... cinematographer: Technicolor (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser ... assistant camera (uncredited)
W. Steve Smith Jr. ... unit cinematographer: sea battle (uncredited)
E. Burton Steene ... camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Ethel P. Chaffin ... wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)
Erté ... costumes: Carmel Myers (uncredited)

Music Department

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Richard Bradford ... music recordist
Carl Davis ... conductor
Colin Matthews ... orchestrator
David Matthews ... orchestrator
David Nolan ... leader: The London Philharmonic Orchestra
Maurice Baron ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Edward Bowes ... composer: theme music (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Bess Meredyth ... continuity
Carey Wilson ... continuity

Additional Crew

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Charles B. Dillingham ... produced by arrangement with
Abraham L. Erlanger ... produced by arrangement with
Mickey Harding ... production assistant (as Micky Harding)
Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. ... produced by arrangement with
Colonel Braden ... technical advisor (uncredited)
Ferdinand P. Earle ... director: Nativity scene (uncredited)
Henry Hathaway ... assistant: Mr. Eason (uncredited)
Herbert Howe ... publicist: Mr. Novarro (uncredited)
Mrs. M.F. Lee ... script reader (uncredited)
Lou Marangella ... publicity agent (uncredited)
John M. Nickolaus ... laboratory supervisor (uncredited)
Emma Peterson ... set medic (uncredited)
Miss Remington ... copyist (uncredited)
Miss Underwood ... copyist (uncredited)
William Wyler ... assistant: Mr. Eason (uncredited)
Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

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, though conquered, Israelite. A slip of a brick during a Roman parade causes Judah to be sent off as a galley slave, his property confiscated and his mother and sister imprisoned. Years later, as a result of his determination to stay alive and his willingness to aid his Roman master, Judah returns to his homeland an exalted and wealthy Roman athlete. Unable to find his mother and sister, and believing them dead, he can think of nothing else than revenge against Messala. Written by Doug Sederberg

Plot Keywords
Taglines The Picture Every Christian Ought to See! See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (United States)
  • Ben-Hur (United States)
  • Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (Canada, English title)
  • Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (United Kingdom)
  • Ben-Hur (France)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 143 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $3,900,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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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. See more »
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. See more »
Movie Connections Edited into Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972). See more »
Quotes Jerusalem citizen: What chance has a Jew against a Roman?
See more »
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