A must see classic

Ben-Hur

Year of Release: 1959
Cast: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith, Haya Harareet, Martha Scott,
Sam Jaffe
Director: William Wyler
Writer: Karl Tunberg
Running Time: 212 Minutes (3 hours, 32 minutes)
Academy Awards: Best Picture, Actor (Heston), Supporting Actor (Griffith), Director (Wyler), Art
Direction/Set Decoration (Color), Cinematography (Color), Costume Design (Color), Editing,
Sound, Special Effects, Original Dramatic/Comedy Score.
Academy Award Nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay.

Quite possibly the biggest and most spectacular epic in Hollywood history, Ben-Hur is set in Biblical
times. It tells the story of Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), a noble Jew from Judea whose life is
turned upside-down when his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) returns to Judea as an
official in the Roman army. When he refuses to help Messala and the Romans in thier new
governorship of Judea, Ben-Hur's family is unjustly imprisoned and he is sent to be a galley slave on
Roman warships. He eventually saves the life of a Roman nobleman (Jack Hawkins), who accepts
him as a son and adopts him. Ben-Hur becomes a great chariot racer and esteemed nobleman in
Rome, but he eventually leaves and goes back to Judea to try to find his family and get his revenge on
Messala. Ben-Hur's life crosses paths with the Lord several times along the way. The movie
features incredible performances all around, most notably from Charlton Heston (who received a
Best Actor Oscar for the role) and Stephen Boyd. Hugh Griffith received an Oscar as Best
Supporting Actor for his role as the sheik who provides Ben-Hur with the means to get revenge on
Messala. The direction by William Wyler (who received the third Best Director Academy Award of
his career for this movie) is absolutely brilliant. Some of the greatest crowd scenes ever captured on
film are present in Ben-Hur, and the spectacular chariot race is possibly the greatest action sequence
of all time. The breathtaking sets, costumes, and cinematography are beyond compare and help add
to the realistic look of the film. Ben-Hur's 11 Academy Awards is the all-time record (now tied by
Titanic) for most Oscar wins. This is not a boring historical movie; this is a spellbinding epic with
plenty of action to hold your interest from beginning to end. Moving, inspirational, and unforgettable,
Ben-Hur is a masterpiece, and it is one of the greatest movies of all time.