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Select media
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Film details
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Featuring
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Country
USA
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Year
1959
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Genre
Action and Adventure
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Type
Film
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Category
Fiction
Introduction
“The biggest and best of Hollywood’s super spectacles.”
Time magazine, 1959
MGM’s 1925 version of Lew Wallace’s hugely popular novel Ben-Hur was one of the biggest hits of the silent era, but they outdid themselves with this lavish 1959 remake. Recreating ancient Judea and Rome at Cinecittà studios in Italy involved over 10,000 extras and – for the famed chariot race – the largest film set ever constructed, exemplifying a grandiose approach to filmmaking since lost to modern digital technology.
With the drama anchored by Charlton Heston’s imposing presence as the wealthy Jew whose vengeance against Roman imperialism is tempered by the teachings of Christ, director William Wyler always keeps the moral issues centre stage, resonating – perhaps surprisingly – with the contemporary civil rights struggle in the US. The film won a then-unprecedented 11 Oscars.
Directors Ridley Scott (Gladiator) and George Lucas have both described the impact the film had on them, the latter paying homage to its chariot sequence in 1999’s Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Cast & Credits
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Cast
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Judah Ben Hur
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Quintus Arrius
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Esther
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Messala
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Sheik Ilderim
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Miriam
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Tirzah
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Simonides
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Balthazar
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Pontius Pilate
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Drusus
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Tiberius
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Sextus
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[Quasteor]
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[Flavia]
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[Malluch]
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[Amrah]
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[Mary]
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[Joseph]
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[Spintho]
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[Metellus]
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[Marius]
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[aide to Tiberius]
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[Gaspar]
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[Melchior]
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[jailer]
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[The Christ]
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[Gratus]
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[chief of rowers]
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[rower 42]
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[rower 43]
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[rower 28]
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[leper]
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[Hortator]
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[captain of rescue ship]
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[doctor]
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[blind man]
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[Barca]
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[starter at race]
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[centurion]
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[officer]
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[soldier]
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[man in Nazareth]
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[villager]
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[Marcello]
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[Raimondo]
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[Decurian]
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[Corinthian charioteer]
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[Byzantine charioteer]
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[Syrian charioteer]
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[Lubian charioteer]
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[Athenian charioteer]
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[Egyptian charioteer]
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[Armenian charioteer]
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[old man]
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[seaman]
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[sportsman]
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[cavalry officer]
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[galley officer 1]
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[galley officer 2]
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[Mario]
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[Roman at bath]
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[Pilate's servant]
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Credits
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Unknown:
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Directed by
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©
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Production Company
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Produced by
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Unit Production Manager
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[Production Executive]
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[Production Supervisor]
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[Assistant Production Supervisor]
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2nd Unit Director
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2nd Unit Director
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[3rd Unit Director]
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[3rd Unit Director]
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Assistant Director
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Assistant Director
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[Assistant Director]
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[Assistant Director]
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[Assistant Director]
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[Casting]
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Screen Play by
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[Screenplay]
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[Screenplay]
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[Screenplay]
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[Screenplay]
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Based on the novel by
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Director of Photography
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Additional Photography
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Additional Photography
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Colour Consultant - Settings
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Colour Consultant - Costumes
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Camera Operator
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[Camera Operator]
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[Assistant Cameraman]
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[Assistant Cameraman]
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Grip
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[Stills]
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[Stills]
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Special Photographic Effects
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Special Photographic Effects
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Special Photographic Effects
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[Special Photographic Effects]
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[Special Photographic Effects]
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[Special Effects]
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[Special Effects]
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[Special Effects]
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[Editorial Co-ordinator]
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Film Editor
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Film Editor
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[Assistant Editor]
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Art Director
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Art Director
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[Design Research]
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Set Decorations
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[Scenic Artist]
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[Chariot Builders]
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Costumes Designed by
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[Wardrobe]
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Make-up by
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Hair Styles by
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[Make-up]
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Music by
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[Music Editor]
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Recording Supervisor
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Sound Recordist
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Sound Recordist
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[Sound Editor]
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[Chariot Master]
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[Stuntman]
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[Stuntman]
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[Stuntman]
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[Stuntman]
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[Stuntman]
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[Stuntman]
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[Stuntman]
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[Stuntman]
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[Stuntman]
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[Stuntman]
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[Stuntman]
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[Horse Trainer]
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[Unit Publicist]
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The Greatest Films of All Time 2012
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