Ben-Hur (1959)

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Lew Wallace (novel)
Karl Tunberg (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

10 December 1959 (Argentina)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A Tale of the Christ

Plot:

When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Roman | Jerusalem | Revenge | Prince

Awards:

Won 11 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 5 nominations

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Les Ballets Africains	...	Dancers at Roman Banquet (uncredited)
Ady Berber	...	Malluch (uncredited)
Marina Berti	...	Flavia (uncredited)
Hugh Billingsley	...	Mario (uncredited)
Jerry Brown	...	The Corinthian (uncredited)
Robert Brown	...	Chief of Rowers (uncredited)
Lando Buzzanca	...	Jewish Slave in the Desert (uncredited)
Joe Canutt	...	Sportsman (uncredited)
Otello Capanna	...	The Byzantine (uncredited)
Emile Carrer	...	Rower No. 28 (uncredited)
Richard Coleman	...	Metellus (uncredited)
Michael Cosmo	...	Raimondo (uncredited)
Alfredo Danesi	...	The Armenian (uncredited)
David Davies	...	Quaestor (uncredited)
Princess Carmen de Hohenlohe	...	Guest at Banquet (uncredited)
Victor De La Fosse	...	Galley Officer (uncredited)
Liana Del Balzo	...	Guest at Banquet (uncredited)
Mino Doro	...	Gratus (uncredited)
Michael Dugan	...	Seaman (uncredited)
Dino Fazio	...	Marcello (uncredited)
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Galley Officer (uncredited)
Giuliano Gemma	...	Roman in the Baths (uncredited)
John Glenn	...	Rower No. 42 (uncredited)
José Greci	...	Mary (uncredited)
Richard Hale	...	Gaspar (uncredited)
Claude Heater	...	Jesus - The Christ (uncredited)
John Horsley	...	Spintho (uncredited)
Eddie Juaregui	...	The Athenian (uncredited)
Bill Kuehl	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Duncan Lamont	...	Marius (uncredited)
Howard Lang	...	Hortator (uncredited)
Stevenson Lang	...	Blind Man (uncredited)
Lord Layton	...	Good Thief on Cross (uncredited)
John Le Mesurier	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Tutte Lemkow	...	Leper (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	...	The Lubian (uncredited)
Luigi Marra	...	The Syrian (uncredited)
Ferdy Mayne	...	Captain of Rescue Ship (uncredited)
Nona Medici	...	Guest at Banquet (uncredited)
Tiberio Mitri	...	Roman at Bath (uncredited)
Aldo Mozele	...	Barca (uncredited)
Thomas O'Leary	...	Starter at Race (uncredited)
Remington Olmstead	...	Decurian (uncredited)
Laurence Payne	...	Joseph (uncredited)
Aldo Pial	...	Cavalry Officer (uncredited)
Aldo Pini	...	Bad Thief on Cross (uncredited)
Diego Pozzetto	...	Villager (uncredited)
Edwin Richfield	...	Supplier to Leper Colony (uncredited)
Hector Ross	...	Officer (uncredited)
Maxwell Shaw	...	Rower No. 43 (uncredited)
Noel Sheldon	...	Centurion (uncredited)
Aldo Silvani	...	Man in Nazareth (uncredited)
Reginald Lal Singh	...	Melchior (uncredited)
Pietro Tordi	...	Pilate's Servant (uncredited)
Giuseppe Tosi	...	Chariot Driver (uncredited)
Ralph Truman	...	Aide to Tiberius (uncredited)
Raimondo Van Riel	...	Old Man (uncredited)
Stella Vitelleschi	...	Amrah (uncredited)
Dervis Ward	...	Jailer (uncredited)
Irina Wassilchikoff	...	Guest at Banquet (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen	...	The Egyptian - Chariot Racer (uncredited)

Directed by
William Wyler

Writing credits
Lew Wallace		(novel) (as General Lew Wallace)
Karl Tunberg		(screenplay)
Maxwell Anderson		contributing writer (uncredited)
S.N. Behrman		contributing writer (uncredited)
Christopher Fry		contributing writer (uncredited)
Gore Vidal		uncredited

Produced by
Sam Zimbalist	....	producer
J.J. Cohn	....	producer (uncredited)
Sol C. Siegel	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Joseph Vogel	....	executive producer (uncredited)
William Wyler	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa		(music by) (as Miklos Rozsa)

Cinematography by
Robert Surtees		(director of photography) (as Robert L. Surtees)

Film Editing by
John D. Dunning
Ralph E. Winters
Margaret Booth		(uncredited)

Casting by
Irene Howard		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Vittorio Valentini		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Edward C. Carfagno		(as Edward Carfagno)
William A. Horning

Set Decoration by
Hugh Hunt

Costume Design by
Elizabeth Haffenden

Makeup Department
Gabriella Borzelli	....	hair styles
Charles E. Parker	....	make-up (as Charles Parker)

Production Management
Edward Woehler	....	unit production manager
J.J. Cohn	....	production manager (uncredited)
Dave Friedman	....	production manager (uncredited)
Henry Henigson	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gus Agosti	....	assistant director
Yakima Canutt	....	second unit director
Alberto Cardone	....	assistant director
Andrew Marton	....	second unit director
Sergio Leone	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Mario Soldati	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Richard Thorpe	....	third unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ken Adam	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Mentor Huebner	....	primary conceptual artist and production illustrator (uncredited)
Harold Michelson	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Italo Tomassi	....	head scenic painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Sash Fisher	....	sound recordist
Franklin Milton	....	recording supervisor
William Steinkamp	....	sound recordist
Van Allen James	....	co-supervising sound editor (uncredited)
Milo B. Lory	....	special sound effects (uncredited)
Mauro Zambuto	....	sound engineer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Doug Hubbard	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special photographic effects
Robert R. Hoag	....	special photographic effects
Lee LeBlanc	....	special photographic effects
Robert MacDonald	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)
Matthew Yuricich	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Bill Babcock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Brown	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Canutt	....	stunt double: Charlton Heston (uncredited)
Joe Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tap Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Michael Dugan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Juaregui	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Glenn Randall Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd Stockman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen	....	stunt double: Stephen Boyd (uncredited)
Ian Yule	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Piero Portalupi	....	additional photography (as Pietro Portalupi)
Harold E. Wellman	....	additional photography
Eric Carpenter	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Nino DiGiovanni	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Edward Phillips	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Piero Portalupi	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
John Schmitz	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Edward Wahrman	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Harold E. Wellman	....	camera operator: third unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jack Martell	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Joan Bridge	....	color consultant: costumes
Charles K. Hagedon	....	color consultant: settings
Fredric Steinkamp	....	associate editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Eugene Zador	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Oscar Doob	....	publicist (uncredited)
Morgan Hudgins	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Ralph McCutcheon	....	horse trainer (uncredited)
Glenn H. Randall Sr.	....	horse trainer (uncredited)
Howard Strickling	....	publicity director: MGM (uncredited)
Dan S. Terrell	....	publicist (uncredited)
Mauro Zambuto	....	set engineer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presented by)
• Loew's (as Loew's Incorporated) (copyright owners)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1959) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1959) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1960) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1960) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1961) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1971) (USA) (TV) (pan/scan)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1977) (Finland) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (Finland) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1997) (Finland) (TV)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2002) (UK) (TV) (BBC2)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• V8 (2003) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Veronica (2004) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2004) (Finland) (TV)
• Net5 (2005) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Nothing's New Video (2005) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD) (4-disc collector's edition)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (new 35mm & 70mm prints)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (19??) (West Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Varus Video (19??) (Russia) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes and dollies
• Danesi Brothers of Rome  chariot makers (uncredited)
• Steinheil  lenses manufactured by (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

212 min | Sweden:219 min (1970) | Sweden:224 min (1962) | UK:222 min (1993 re-release) | 214 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.76 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) | Dolby (1993 re-release)

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | China:(Banned) | South Korea:All | Brazil:12 | USA:Approved (certificate #19158) (original rating) | Canada:G (video rating) | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Australia:PG (alternate rating) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Norway:12 (1959) | Peru:PT | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) | USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | West Germany:16 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Anzio, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The large "island" in the stadium was great for filming, since a backdrop of a stone wall is cheaper to film than a backdrop of thousands of extras. However, such an "island" in a real stadium prevents spectators from viewing the race properly at all angles and would not normally exist.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The mezuzah shown at the entrance to Ben-Hur's home is mounted diagonally. That practice was not adopted until the middle ages, by Ashkenazi Jews, as a compromise between the rules offered by 2 medieval Rabbis.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Balthasar: [narrating] In the Year of our Lord, Judea - for nearly a century - had lain under the mastery of Rome. In the seventh year of the reign of Augustus Caesar, an imperial decree ordered every Judean each to return to his place of birth to be counted and taxed. The converging ways of many of them led to the gates of their capital city...

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Archie's Fun House: Flying Fools/Birthday Dinner (#1.10)" (????)

The pinnacle of film making

I own over 2,000 movies on DVD or VHS. I have gone to many many more movies that have not been worthy of my collection, thus my exposure to film has been extensive. I mention this because through every film I have seen; I still come back to a film from 1959 as the greatest achievement in cinematic history. I have seen great films like: Return of the King, Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart and many more. While the modern films are wonderful and have a fantastic richness to them, they still are a "small" notch below Ben-Hur. Today's films use a lot of computer effects for their battles scenes, their backgrounds, and even computer images for the stunts of their actors. Yet, Ben-Hur did it all without computers. I am still fascinated by the chariot race. Never, in film history, has anything matched the depth and excitement of the chariot race. Remember folks, this is 1959, nothing is computer generated. Some may say the naval battle scenes look a bit cheesy, but again it was 1959 and the scenes still work today. What can you say about the acting? Every single actor is wonderful. Heston is in top form as Ben-Hur. Steven Boyd is incredible playing the merciless Messala. Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Martha Scott--all fantastic in their roles. Each performing the role of a life time. The actors are fantastic, but William Wyler brings more out of each actor than any director ever could in this day and age. Wyler had no computer animation to rely on, he had no high tech special effects crew, he had no computer program to fill in extras. Wyler had to find thousands of extras for many scenes and maintain control. Did you ever see Steven Boyd better? Probably not. Did you ever see any of the actors (except Heston, who is an acting marvel) better in any other role? Wyler just pulled the greatest performance out of each actor. The story: fantastic from beginning to end. While the film is over 3 hours long, you do not feel that it is that long. Every scene is lovingly crafted: the reunion between Messala and Judah, the trek to the gallows, the rowing scene, the naval battle, the chariot race, the Messala death scene, the reunion with Judah and his family, etc. After seeing thousands and thousands of movies, I always come back to Ben-Hur. This is the mark of fantastic movie making. Today's film makers could learn a lot by watching this film and "learning" about acting, directing, and screen writing.