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Ben-Hur, 1959

Ben-Hur

English

USA

Rating:8.2
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Profile of Ben-Hur

The mood of Ben-Hur is captivating, exciting, and tense. The plot centers around corrupt rulers, captivity, and a master warrior. It is a drama, period, and historical movie. Stylistically, Ben-Hur has a Hollywood tone and is epic. In approach, it is serious and realistic. The setting is the Roman Empire. Ben-Hur happens in ancient times. The movie is known for being groundbreaking, a classic, and an Oscar winner. It is especially suggested for a family outing. Note that Ben-Hur includes mild violent content.

Summary of Ben-Hur

Anno Domini: the seventh year of Augustus Caesar's reign. In the Roman province of Judea, Jews return to the city of their birth for the census. A bright star in the night over Bethlehem marks the birth of Jesus Christ. Years later, Roman commander Messala (Stephen Boyd), who was brought up in Judea, takes command of the Roman garrison in Jerusalem. His Jewish boyhood friend Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) greets him. Messala is delighted. But when Judah refuses to name Jewish patriots, Messala sentences him to the slave galleys and imprisons his mother, Miriam (Martha Scott), and sister, Tirzah (Cathy O'Donnell). Judah vows revenge.

In BEN-HUR, William Wyler's much-lauded epic, the story of Judah's search for his mother and sister and his quest for revenge intersects with crucial biblical events such as the Sermon on the Mount and the crucifixion. Wyler gets fine performances from Heston, Boyd, Jack Hawkins (as a Roman admiral who befriends Judah), and Hugh Griffith (as an Arab sheik who dreams of racing his beautiful white horses against Messala). Among BEN-HUR's vivid dramatic sequences are a violent sea battle and the famous chariot race that pits Judah against Messala in one of cinema's great action sequences.

Details

Language: English
Country: USA
Release date: 18 November 1959
Runtime: 212 min
Awards: Academy Awards

Awards

Charlton Heston for Best Actor at the 1959 Academy Awards
Awarded Best Art Direction at the 1959 Academy Awards
Robert Surtees for Best Cinematography at the 1959 Academy Awards
Awarded Best Costume Design at the 1959 Academy Awards
William Wyler for Best Director at the 1959 Academy Awards
John D. Dunning for Best Film Editing at the 1959 Academy Awards
Ralph E. Winters for Best Film Editing at the 1959 Academy Awards
Miklos Rozsa for Best Original Score at the 1959 Academy Awards
Awarded Best Picture at the 1959 Academy Awards
Awarded Best Sound at the 1959 Academy Awards
Awarded Best Sound Effects at the 1959 Academy Awards
Awarded Best Special Effects at the 1959 Academy Awards
Hugh Griffith for Best Supporting Actor at the 1959 Academy Awards

Cast and Crew

Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur
Charlton Heston

as Judah Ben-Hur

Jack Hawkins

as Quintus Arrius

Photos

Ben-Hur (1959)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Ben-Hur (1959)

Clips

Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur: Official Trailer

Users Reviews

In short, Ben-Hur is a wonderful movie and no part of the movie is anything less than outstanding. And yet, the sum of the parts manages to be even greater than the parts themselves. The direction, the acting, the writing, the stunts and effects,...
An epic, sure, but a bit lathargic
An epic if there ever was one. I can appreciate the ambition of the film making, but this isn't a film that has held up well over time. Rather than feeling sprawling and immersing, the epic felt rather drab. Scenes were dragged out and full of campy...
Likely to see
Not for me

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