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Ben-Hur (1959)
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Overview
Release Date:
10 December 1959 (Argentina) moreTagline:
A Tale of the Christ morePlot:
When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge. full summary | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)Awards:
Won 11 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 5 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(15 articles)
AFI Picks Top Films By Genre (From Studio Briefing. 18 June 2008, 10:35 AM, PDT)
Charlton Heston Dies at 84 (From PEOPLE.com. 6 April 2008, 9:00 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Still good after 40+ years, but made for a different audience. moreCast
(Complete credited cast)more
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
212 min | Sweden:219 min (1970) | Sweden:224 min (1962) | UK:222 min (1993 re-release) | 214 min (DVD edition)Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.76 : 1 moreCertification:
Canada:PG (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | China:(Banned) | USA:Approved (certificate #19158) (original rating) | Brazil:12 | Canada:G (video rating) | South Korea:All | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Australia:PG (alternate rating) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Norway:12 (1959) | Peru:PT | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) | USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | West Germany:16 | Iceland:12MOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The desert sequences were all set to be filmed in Libya until the Muslim Libyan authorities realized that the film was promoting Christianity. The unit was ordered out of the country, only to show up in Israel. moreGoofs:
Revealing mistakes: Just before the Roman galley is rammed, the condemned men behind Ben-Hur are clearly dummies. moreQuotes:
[first lines]Balthasar: [narrating] In the Year of our Lord, Judea - for nearly a century - had lain under the mastery of Rome. In the seventh year of the reign of Augustus Caesar, an imperial decree ordered every Judean each to return to his place of birth to be counted and taxed. The converging ways of many of them led to the gates of their capital city...
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FAQ
A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERSmore
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| Gladiator | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ | Braveheart | Alexander |
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Ben Hur, a Tale of the Christ, was hugely popular as a novel, a play and two movies. It was written in a less vulgar time about a very spiritual event. Seen today by moviegoers addicted to constant action and low frequency effects, it will seem ponderous, slow and pretentious. Well, it is a little. You have to pay attention to the dialogue or you won't get it at all. Some of the intimate scenes aren't all that great. Anyone that really pays attention can tell the sea battle is done with miniatures. It's still worth watching. As everyone ought to know by now, the chariot race is one-of-a-kind; nothing else comes close to that real live race where the main actors actually raced most of the time. I just watched this movie after lapse of about 10 years. I still enjoyed it. The sea battle is still fun even if you know the boats are about as big as a man. The few moments which have Christ on the screen are still moving. Just about all of the acting is good with only a few forgettable moments. Just be ready to spend about 4 hours in front of the screen listening to occasionally flowery dialog.