Ben-Hur (1959)

After 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) (as General Lew Wallace), Karl Tunberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd

Top Rated Movies #212 | Won 11 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charlton Heston	...	Judah Ben-Hur
Jack Hawkins	...	Quintus Arrius
Haya Harareet	...	Esther
Stephen Boyd	...	Messala
Hugh Griffith	...	Sheik Ilderim
Martha Scott	...	Miriam
Cathy O'Donnell	...	Tirzah
Sam Jaffe	...	Simonides
Finlay Currie	...	Balthasar / Narrator
Frank Thring	...	Pontius Pilate
Terence Longdon	...	Drusus
George Relph	...	Tiberius Caesar
André Morell	...	Sextus

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.

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Plot Keywords:

whip | person on fire | baldness | talking to a horse | leper colony | 

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Taglines:

The World's Most Honored Motion Picture

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leslie Nielsen made a screen test for the part of Messala, part of which can be seen in the documentary Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic (1993).

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Goofs

In the market scene following the argument between Messala and Judah, a person is heard saying in the background 'kidhar jaata hai bhai, kidhar jaata hai' which is Hindi for 'where are you going brother, where?'. Hindi language originated much later in the 17-18th century. However, this cannot be considered a goof since the entire film is spoken in a language (English) which didn't exist in the 1st century either.

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Quotes

Quintus Arrius: Your eyes are full of hate, forty-one. That's good. Hate keeps a man alive. It gives him strength.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

The first DVD release had an "Intermission" title card printed in a different font from the one used in the theatrical film and on the second, 4-disc DVD release.

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Connections

Referenced in Bowling for Columbine (2002)

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Soundtracks

Love Theme / Ring For Freedom
Composed and Conducted by Miklós Rózsa

User Reviews

A must watch movie for every movie buff

Great and entertaining period drama. Great acting by all the stars. Must watch movie

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 November 1959 (Canada)

Also Known As:

William Wyler's Ben-Hur

Filming Locations:

Anzio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$241,792, 14 April 2019

Gross USA:

$74,422,622

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$74,427,638

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

212 min 219 min (1970) 224 min (1962) 222 min (1993 re-release) 214 min (DVD) 222 min (2005 DVD)

Sound Mix:

6-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.66 : 1