Rent Ben-Hur (1959)
3.8 of 5 from 196 ratings
3h 34min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
The numbers speak volumes: 100,000 costumes, 8,000 extras, 300 sets and a staggering budget in its day the largest in movie history. Ben-Hur's creators made it the best, the greatest Biblical-era epic ever. Charlton Heston brings a muscular physical and moral presence to the role of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman in Palestine whose heroic odyssey includes enslavement by the Romans, a bold escape from an embattled slave gallery, vengeance against his tormentors with Jesus Christ. Heston's charismatic performance brought him the Best Actor Oscar; the winner as 1959's Best Picture with the legendary William Wyler earning his third Best Director trophy, the film won a total 11 Academy Awards - a tally unequaled until 1977's Titanic set sail. - Actors:
- Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Sam Jaffe, Finlay Currie, Frank Thring, Terence Longdon, George Relph, André Morell
- Directors:
- William Wyler
- Producers:
- Sam Zimbalist, William Wyler
- Writers:
- Lew Wallace, Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, Maxwell Anderson, S.N. Behrman, Christopher Fry
- Others:
- Miklós Rózsa, Elizabeth Haffenden, Edward Carfagno, Ralph E. Winters, Hugh Hunt, Franklin E. Milton, Robert L. Surtees, Robert MacDonald, A. Arnold Gillespie, Milo Lory, John D. Dunning, William A. Horning
- Studio:
- Warner
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Cinema Afloat: Part 3, A Few More Screen Princes, A History of Gay Cinema: According to Hollywood, A History of The Classical World In Cinema, Acting Up: British Actors at the Oscars, Award Winners, Brando: A Centenary Celebration, Children & Family, Children's Books On Screen: Fantasy, Drama Films & TV, Films & TV by topic, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Audrey Hepburn, inema Paradiso's 2023 Centenary Club: Part 2, Oscar Nominations Competition 2024, Oscar's Two-Time Club, Oscars: Winners & Losers, Remembering: Bernard Hill, Spring On Screen: Films to Watch This Season, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to William Wyler, The Instant Expert's Guide to: Billy Wilder, Top 10 Best Last Films: World Cinema, Top 10 Best Picture Follow-Ups, Top 10 Films By Year, Top 10 Films of 1959, Top 100 AFI Movies, Top 100 AFI Thrills, Top Films
- Awards:
1960 Oscar Best Supporting Actor
1960 Oscar Best Cinematography Color
1960 Oscar Best Special Effects
1960 Oscar Best Art Direction Color
1960 Oscar Best Dramatic or Comedy Score
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 26/09/2011
- Run Time:
- 222 minutes
- Languages:
- Brazilian Portuguese Dolby Digital 1.0, Castilian Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Czech Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, German Dolby Digital 5.1, Hungarian Dolby Digital 1.0, Italian Dolby Digital 5.1, Polish Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles:
- Brazilian, Castillian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.76:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Commentary by Film Historian T. Gene Hatcher with Charlton Heston
- Music-Only Track Showcasing Miklos Rozsas Award-Winning Score
- Theatrical Trailers
- Disc 1:
- This disc includes the main feature part 1
- Special Features - Disc 2:
- This disc includes the main feature part 2
- Special Features - Disc 3:
- This disc includes special features
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Reviews (3) of Ben-Hur
Biblical Epic - Ben-Hur review by GI
Huge, lavish, spectacular and epic this won 11 oscars and remains today a wonderfully entertaining action drama set in biblical times and even though you might have to forgive the 'Sunday school' aspects of the story (it is after all subtitled 'A Tale of the Christ') it's a marvellous story. A story of betrayal, revenge and redemption set in Judea at the time of Christ where Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), a rich jew, refuses to help his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd), a Roman Tribune in Jerusalem, by betraying any Jewish rebels and gets sent to be a galley slave and his mother and sister are imprisoned. Vowing revenge Judah, against the odds, eventually returns to search for his family and to challenge Messala. The film has some wonderful set pieces including a naval battle and the cinematically famous chariot race, which is gripping, exciting and quite bloody considering when this film was made. Additionally it's a very moving film, at times very sad and a little shocking at times. Overall it's a beautiful film that never fails to enthral and to grip you even though it's a long film. There's romance, action, a touch of fantasy and mysticism and a superb recreation of the times. Brilliant score, superb support cast and wonderfully photographed this is a classic of modern cinema and definitely a film that should be on your list if you've never seen it, you will not be disappointed. (By the way it was bizarrely remade in 2016 and quite abysmally too so whatever you do avoid that version). A wonderful film.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Epic encounter - Ben-Hur review by MW
Masterfully constructed and magnificently filmed account of the friendship which turned to enmity between a Palestinian Jewish noble and his Roman overlord during the time of Christ. Charlton Heston, with his strong features and grave delivery, is the perfect hero and Stephen Boyd, handsome, sly and duplicitous, is the ideal villain. The scenes in which Jesus appears, although you never see his face, are done with surprising sensitivity. The celebrated chariot race, without the aid of CGI of course, remains one of the most thrilling episodes in all cinema.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Ben-Hurrrrrgghh! - Ben-Hur review by AM
Let's get this straight - the chariot race scene towards the end is one of the absolute classic sequences in all of cinema history. Worth watching just for that. And Heston brings his mighty presence to the film and gets his Oscar deservingly. But this is at least 45mins too long, and the "ooh look, it's Jesus!" finale almost ruins the film. I understand it's adaptation of a novel, and that novel had a subtitle of "A tale of the Christ" - so the Jesus story in the background in and out is kinda the whole point of the narrative (and a clear inspiration for Monty Python's Life of Brian, too!). But to be honest, it could have completely been left out and this still would have been a great story of a proud man, sold into slavery and rising again to have his revenge on the Roman who wronged him (Gladiator, anyone?).
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.