This vast fifteen-million-dollar epic was the most expensive film ever made to date. Shot in 70mm, the script was based on a 19th century novel by Civil War general Lew Wallace and set in the Roman Empire’s province of Judea.
Ostensibly a film about Jesus Christ, the story centres on the friendship between Messala (Stephen Boyd), commanding officer of the Roman legions, and Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), who lives as a rich Jewish prince and merchant in Jerusalem at the beginning of the first century.
Tensions develop between them and Messala contrives to have Judah framed and condemned to life as a galley slave and to send his mother and sister to prison, for the sake of his career.
Whilst in the galleys Ben-Hur rescues a Roman admiral (Jack Hawkins) during a sea battle and is adopted by him.
Making his way back to Jerusalem, he defeats Messala in a climactic chariot race and rescues his mother and sister who have become lepers. They are cured by Christ at the moment of the Crucifixion.
The bare bones of the plot do not even begin to reveal the pomp and pageantry of this film which was lucky enough to also have an extremely literate script, written with assistance from Christopher Fry, Gore Vidal and S N Berman (although screen credit was given to Karl Tunberg).
The film featured 350 speaking roles with over 50,000 extras. The chariot race – which cost $1 million alone to devise – was directed by Andrew Marton and Yakima Canutt.
The iconic race takes up 20 minutes of the film’s nearly four hours and took three months of filming on what was the largest single set ever constructed.
The picture won a record eleven Oscars in 1959, including Best Film, Best Actor (Heston), Best Director and Best Supporting Actor (Hugh Griffith as Sheik Ilderim who provides Ben-Hur with his team for the race).
TRIVIA
The role of Ben-Hur was turned down by Rock Hudson, Burt Lancaster and Marlon Brando before Heston accepted. It made him a matinee idol.
Judah Ben-Hur
Charlton Heston
Messala
Stephen Boyd
Esther
Haya Harareet
Quintus Arrius
Jack Hawkins
Sheik Ilderim
Hugh Griffith
Miriam
Martha Scott
Tirzah
Cathy O’Donnell
Pontius Pilate
Frank Thring
Simonides
Sam Jaffe
Balthasar
Finlay Currie
Drusus
Terence Longdon
Tiberius
George Relph
Malluch
Adi Berber
Joseph
Laurence Payne
Sextus
André Morell
Christ
Claude Heater
Mary
Jose Greci
Director
William Wyler
