An enslaved Judean prince (Charlton Heston) meets his Roman betrayer (Stephen Boyd), a former friend, in a... (Learn more)
Starring: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd (View All)
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Starring: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd
This 1959 version of Lew Wallace's best-selling novel, which had already seen screen versions in 1907 and 1926, went on to win 11 Academy Awards. Adapted by Karl Tunberg and a raft of uncredited writers including Gore Vidal and Maxwell Anderson, the film once more recounts the tale of Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), who lives in Judea with his family during the time that Jesus Christ was becoming known for his "radical" teachings. Ben-Hur's childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) is now an ambitious Roman tribune; when Ben-Hur refuses to help Messala round up local dissidents on behalf of the emperor, Messala pounces on the first opportunity to exact revenge on his onetime friend. Tried on a trumped-up charge of attempting to kill the provincial governor (whose head was accidentally hit by a falling tile), Ben-Hur is condemned to the Roman galleys, while his mother (Martha Scott) and sister (Cathy O'Donnell) are imprisoned. But during a sea battle, Ben-Hur saves the life of commander Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins), who, in gratitude, adopts Ben-Hur as his son and gives him full control over his stable of racing horses. Ben-Hur never gives up trying to find his family or exact revenge on Messala. At crucial junctures in his life, he also crosses the path of Jesus, and each time he benefits from it. The highlight of the film's 212 minutes is its now-legendary chariot race, staged largely by stunt expert Yakima Canutt. Ben-Hur's Oscar haul included Best Picture, Best Director for the legendary William Wyler, Best Actor for Heston, and Best Supporting Actor for Welsh actor Hugh Griffith as an Arab sheik. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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US Release Date
11/30/59
MPAA Rating
Rated G
Running Time
212 mins.
Locations
- Cinecitta Studios, Rome, Italy
Language
- English
Awards
- Winner of the Best Picture award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Sound award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture award at the 1959 New York Film Critics Circle [Festival Awards.
- Winner of the 100 Greatest American Movies award at the 1998 American Film Institute [Festival/Awar Awards.
- Winner of the Best Film - Any Source award at the 1959 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 1959 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the Best Editing award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Drama or Comedy Score award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture - Drama award at the 1959 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 1959 Directors Guild of America [Festival/A Awards.
- Winner of the Special Achievement award at the 1959 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the Best Color Art Direction award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1959 National Board of Review [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Winner of the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion award at the 1959 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the Special Citation award at the 1959 National Board of Review [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Picture award at the 1959 National Board of Review [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama award at the 1959 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the Best Actor award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Color Cinematography award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Color Costume Design award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Special Effects award at the 1959 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
Distributor
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM)
- MGM
- MGM Home Entertainment
- Turner Entertainment Company
- Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group
