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Ben-Hur

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Ben-Hur

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• Drama
• Adventure

• 1959
• William Wyler
• 213 mins
• PG

Summary

Classic period epic starring Charlton Heston. Wealthy prince Judah Ben-Hur sets himself up against the tyranny of his Roman masters at the time of Christ, and is condemned to almost certain death as a galley slave by his childhood friend Messala. But the two men are fated to meet again.

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Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Peter Freedman

Back in 1959, this epic was the most costly movie ever made. Charlton Heston won his only best actor Oscar as the chariot-driving, galley-rowing Jewish nobleman who takes all that the Roman Empire can throw at him, thanks to his traitorous boyhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd). Some critics believe that William Wyler's box-office smash is no match for the 1925 silent version, but there's no denying that the chariot race is one of the most iconic sequences in Hollywood history - a thousand-strong force toiled for a year to construct the 18-acre arena, which was eventually filled with 8,000 extras. The film, in all, used over 300 sets, 40,000 tons of sand (for the chariot track) and swept up a record 11 Oscars, a total that was equalled in 1998 by James Cameron's Titanic and in 2004 by Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

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8.1/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameJudah Ben-HurCharlton HestonMessalaStephen BoydEstherHaya HarareetQuintus ArriusJack HawkinsSheik IlderimHugh GriffithMiriamMartha ScottTirzahCathy O'DonnellPontius PilateFrank ThringSimonidesSam JaffeBalthasarFinlay CurrieDrususTerence LongdonTiberiusGeorge RelphMalluchAdi BerberJosephLaurence PayneSextusAndré MorellChristClaude HeaterMaryJose Greci

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Crew

rolenameDirectorWilliam Wyler

Details

Released on

1960-03-27

Languages

English

Guidance

Some violence.

Available on

video, DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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