Ben-Hur (1959 movie)

Ben-Hur is an epic movie of the sword and sandal genre released in 1959. It was directed by William Wyler. It stars Charlton Heston as Ben-Hur and Stephen Boyd as Messala. It is set in Ancient Rome and Ancient Judea. It tells of two men - one a Jewish prince and the other a Roman tribune - whose friendship turns to bitter hatred. The climax of the movie is a 9-minute chariot race and the crucifixion of Jesus. The movie won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The movie is based on the 1880 novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace. Two silent movies on the same subject were made in 1907 and 1925, and another sound movie on the same subject was made in 2016.

Cast
Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur
Jack Hawkins as Quintus Arrius
Haya Harareet as Esther
Stephen Boyd as Messala
Hugh Griffith as Sheik Ilderim
Finlay Currie as Balthasar and the narrator
Frank Thring as Pontius Pilate
José Greci as the Virgin Mary

Story
The story is about Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince and merchant in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 1st century. Judah's childhood friend Messala returns home as an ambitious commanding officer of the Roman legions. The two men realize that they have changed and hold very different views. During a military parade, a tile falls from the roof of Judah's house. It barely misses the Roman governor. Although Messala knows that they are not guilty, he condemns the Ben-Hur family. Without trial, Judah is sent to the Roman galleys for life; his mother and sister are imprisoned and all the family property is confiscated.

Through good fortune, Judah survives and returns to Jerusalem, where he seeks revenge against his one-time friend and redemption for his family. Running in parallel with Ben-Hur's narrative is the unfolding story of Jesus,Powell, Allan (1999) Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee. Westminster/John Knox Press p25  who comes from the same region and is a similar age.  The two reflect themes of betrayal, conviction and redemption. With the Crucifixion, Ben-Hur recognizes that the Christ stands for a different goal than revenge, and he becomes Christian, turning to supporting the new religion with money which he has inherited, inspired by love and the talk of keys to a greater kingdom than any on earth.

References

Notes

Category:1950s epic movies
Category:Movies based on books
Category:1959 movies
Category:Peplum movies
Category:MGM movies
Category:American epic movies
Category:Movies directed by William Wyler
Category:Movies set in the 1st century
Category:Movies set in Ancient Rome
Category:Movies set in Israel
Category:Movies set in Jerusalem
Category:Movies about Jews and Judaism
Category:Movies about Christianity
Category:Movies about miscarriage of justice
Category:Movies about slavery
Category:Movies about revenge
Category:Movies about atonement
Category:Movies about child death