Ben-Hur (1959)
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A Jewish prince finds his faith and freedom tested after being forced into slavery by the Roman Empire.
The story
In AD 26 Jerusalem, Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy Jewish prince, lives a life of devotion to his faith and people. His life takes a drastic turn when his childhood friend, Messala, who has embraced the power of Rome, uses a legal pretext to have Judah condemned to the galleys. Imprisoned and forced into labor, Judah faces a series of hardships, including a life-threatening ordeal at sea. During his period of servitude, he experiences a brief, mysterious encounter with a man who offers him water. Now a slave of the Romans, Judah must navigate the complexities of his new life while his family remains in peril.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince, is separated from his family when his friend Messala, a Roman tribune, has him condemned to the galleys. During his enslavement, Judah is rescued by Quintus Arrius and becomes his ward and a champion charioteer. After a period of service, Judah returns to Jerusalem to find his family imprisoned as lepers. He eventually enters a legendary chariot race against Messala, where Messala is killed in a horrific accident. Following a period of internal conflict and the rejection of Roman citizenship, Judah eventually finds his family and witnesses the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He realizes that the man who gave him water in the desert was Jesus, and he ultimately finds peace through the act of forgiveness.
- First release year
- 1959
- Runtime (minutes)
- 212
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- William Wyler
- Writers
- Karl Tunberg · screenplay; Maxwell Anderson · contribution; S. N. Behrman · contribution; Gore Vidal · contribution; Christopher Fry · contribution
- Cast and characters
- 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
- Genres
- religious epic; drama; action
- Themes
- faith; forgiveness; identity; conflict between East and West
- Tone and mood
- epic; spiritual; dramatic
- Setting
- Ancient Judea and Rome, circa 26 AD.
- Premise and plot tags
- biblical; historical; chariot race; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
- Reception
- The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews, being praised for its scale, acting, and its famous chariot race. It was a major commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1959.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 8.20 · scale: 10 · review count: 116; Metacritic · score: 90 · scale: 100 · review count: 9
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · Win; Academy Award · Best Director · Win; Academy Award · Best Actor in a Leading Role · Win; Academy Award · Best Actor in a Supporting Role · Win; Academy Award · Best Cinematography – Color · Win; Golden Globe Award · Best Motion Picture – Drama · Win; Golden Globe Award · Best Director · Win; Golden Globe Award · Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture · Win; BAFTA Award · Best Film · Win; New York Film Critics Circle Award · Best Film · Win; Directors Guild of America Award · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Motion Picture · Win
- Production trivia
- The film had the largest budget and largest sets of any film produced at the time.; The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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