Ben-Hur (1959)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1958
Running Times: 212 mins
Format: Technicolor     35mm     65mm (shooting format)     70mm     Panavision     MGM Camera 65 (anamorphic)
Ratio: 2.76:1 (70mm anamorphic prints)     2.20:1 (70mm non-anamorphic prints)     2.35:1 (35mm anamorphic prints)
Sound: stereo

PRODUCTION
Production Company: MGM
Producer: Sam Zimbalist
Unit Production Manager: Edward Woehler

SCRIPT
Script: Karl Tunberg; Maxwell Anderson (uncredited), Christopher Fry (uncredited), Gore Vidal (uncredited)
Novel: A Tale of the Christ by General Lew Wallace

DIRECTION
Director: William Wyler
Assistant Director: Gus Agosti, Alberto Cardone
2nd Unit Directors: Andrew Marton, Yakima Canutt

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Robert L. Surtees
Additional Photography: Harold E. Wellman, Pietro Portalupi
Lenses: Panavision

EDITING
Editor: Ralph E. Winters, John D. Dunning

MUSIC
Music: Miklos Rozsa

SOUND
Recording Supervisor: Franklin Milton
Sound Recording: Sash Fisher, William Steinkamp

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Charles Parker
Hair: Gabriella Borzelli
Costume Designer: Elizabeth Haffenden
Costume Colour Consultant: Joan Bridge

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Photographic Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie, Lee LeBlanc, Robert R. Hoag

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Directors: William A. Horning, Edward Carfagno
Set Decorator: Hugh Hunt
Settings Colour Consultant: Charles K. Hagedon

LOCATIONS
Locations: Cinecitta Studios, Italy; Fiuggia, Italy; Folliano, Italy; Nettuno, Italy; Rome, Lazio, Italy

CAST
Charlton Heston (Judah Ben-Hur)
Jack Hawkins (Quintas Arrius)
Haya Harareet (Esther)
Stephen Boyd (Messala)
Hugh Griffith (Sheik Ilderim)
Martha Scott (Miriam)
Cathy O'Donnell (Tirzah)
Sam Jaffe (Simonides)
Finlay Currie (Balthasar)
Frank Thring (Pontius Pilate)
Terence Longden (Drusus)
George Relph (Tiberius)
Andre Morell (Sextus)
Edward J. Auregul (Athenian)
Ady Berber (Malluch)
Marina Berti (Flavia)
Hugh Billingsley (Mario)
Jerry Brown (The Corinthian)
Robert Brown (Chief of Rowers)
Joe Canutt (sportsman)
Otello Capanna (The Byzantine)
Emile Carrer (rower no. 28)
Richard Coleman (Metellus - uncredited)
Michael Cosmo (Raimondo)
Alfredo Danesi (Armenian)
David Davies (Quaestor)
Victor De La Fosse (galley officer)
Mino Doro (Gratus)
Mike Dugan (seaman)
Dino Fazio (Marcello)
Enzo Fiermonte (galley officer)
John Glenn (rower no. 42)
Jose Greco (Mary)
Richard Hale (Gaspar)
Claude Heater (The Christ)
John Horsley (Spintho)
Bill Kuehl (soldier)
Duncan Lamont (Marius)
Howard Lang (Hortator)
Stevenson Lang (blind man)
John Le Mesurier (doctor)
Tutte Lemkow (leper)
Cliff Lyons (Lublon)
Luigi Marra (Syrian)
Ferdy Mayne (captain of rescue ship)
Tiberio Mitri (Roman at bath)
Aldo Mozele (Barca)
Thomas O'Leary (starter at race)
Remington Olmstead (Decurian)
Laurence Payne (Joseph)
Aldo Pial (cavalry officer)
Diego Pozzetto (villager)
Hector Ross (officer)
Maxwell Shaw (rower no. 43)
Noel Sheldon (centurion)
Aldo Silvani (man in Nazareth)
Reginald Lal Singh (Melchior)
Pietro Tordi (Pilate's servant)
Ralph Truman (aide to Tiberius)
Raimondo Van Riel (old man)
Stella Vitelleschi (Amrah)
Dervis Ward (jailer)
Joe Yrigoyan (Egyptian)

Wealthy Jew Judah Ben-Hur has a comfortable life as a merchant in 1st century Jerusalem and is delighted at the return of his old friend Messala, now commanding officer of the Roman legions and right hand man to the new governor. But when Ben-Hur is wrongly blamed for an assassination attempt on the governor, he sees his mother and sister thrown in jail and he himself ends up on a slave galley. Ben-Hur swears revenge...

The epic to end all epics and quite deserving of its monumental reputation. This is film making on teh grandest scale imaginable, from the staggering sets to the legendary chariot race, from the towering performances to the sheer scale of the crowd scenes. Even now its amazing to watch and even despite the best efforts of teh marvellous Gladiator (2000) it's simply never been beaten.

Germany
Laserdisc Distributor: Warner Home Video (50004LD)

UK
Theatrical Distributor: MGM

USA
Theatrical Distributor: MGM
Laserdisc Distributor: MGM Home Video (ML100004); MGM Home Video (ML101525)
DVD Distributor: Warner Home Video (65506)

Argentina
Rating: Atp

Finland
Rating: K-12

France
Rating: U

Netherlands
Rating: AL

Norway
Rating: 11

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: PG

USA
Rating: G

1959
National Board of Review, USA
Best Supporting Actor (Hugh Griffith) - winner

New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Best Film - winner

1960
Academy Awards, USA
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Charlton Heston) - winner
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Hugh Griffith) - winner
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color (Edward C. Carfagno, William A. Horning, Hugh Hunt) - winner
Best Cinematography, Color (Robert Surtees) - winner
Best Costume Design, Color (Elizabeth Haffenden) - winner
Best Director (William Wyler) - winner
Best Effects, Special Effects (A. Arnold Gillespie, Milo B. Lory, Robert MacDonald) - winner
Best Film Editing (John D. Dunning, Ralph E. Winters) - winner
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Miklos Rozsa) - winner
Best Picture (Sam Zimbalist) - winner
Best Sound (Franklin Milton (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer SSD)) - winner
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Karl Tunberg) - nominated

British Academy Awards
Best Film from any Source (William Wyler) - winner

Directors Guild of America, USA
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (Gus Agosti, Alberto Cardone, William Wyler) - winner

Golden Globes, USA
Best Motion Picture: Drama - winner
Best Motion Picture Director (William Wyler) - winner
Best Supporting Actor (Stephen Boyd) - winner
Special Award (Andrew Marton - for directing the chariot race) - winner

Writers Guild of America, USA
Best Written American Drama (Karl Tunberg) - winner

1961
David di Donatello Awards, Italy
Migliore Produzione Straniera - winner

1959
November
18: USA - theatrical release

1960
March
30: Japan - theatrical release

October
14: West Germany - theatrical release

1961
March
3: Finland - theatrical release

1962
February
20: Sweden - theatrical release

1969
August
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical re-release

1993
March
Day Unknown: USA - laserdisc release

1994
May
Day Unknown: USA - laserdisc release

1998
March
26: Australia - theatrical re-release (Melbourne)

May
14: Australia - theatrical re-release (Sydney)

June
17: France - theatrical re-release

2001
March
13: USA - DVD release (Warner Home Video (65506))

The World's Most Honored Motion Picture

REMAKE OF
Ben Hur (1907)
Ben-Hur (1925)

SEE ALSO
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998)
Behind the Planet of the Apes (1998)
Gladiator (2000)
The Magic Christian (1969)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
The Mummy (1999)
The Mummy Returns (2001)
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
Small Soldiers (1998)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962)
Tron (1982)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
100 Years at the Movies (1994)
Academy Awards: Oscar's Best (NO DATE)
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998)
The Celluloid Closet (1995)

MAGAZINES

Entertainment Weekly no.587 (16 March 2001) p.49
review (New To DVD: Ben-Hur (A-) by Steve Daly)

Monthly Film Bulletin February 1960 p.18
credits, synopsis, review

Radio Times 19 December 1987 - 1 January 1988 pp.30; 125
review; credits

Sight and Sound no.29 (Spring 1960) pp.94-5
article (A Seat at the Circus by Philip Oakes)

BOOKS

The 50 Greatest Jewish Movies: A Critic's Ranking of the Very Best - Kathryn Bernheimer (Secaucus, New Jersey: Carol Publishing (1998)) pp.46-51
article

The Parade's Gone By - Kenneth Brownlow (New York: Ballantine (1969))
article

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

the bible; miracles; politics; revenge; rome; book into film; chariot races; christianity; jesus christ; leprosy; religion; caves

Last Updated: 21 April, 2010