What is Paramount Pictures Ben-Hur?
Paramount Pictures' "Ben-Hur" is a classic Hollywood epic film that was directed by William Wyler. The movie was released in 1959 and starred Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, and Haya Harareet in lead roles. It's a tale of revenge set in the era of the Roman Empire, where a Jewish prince named Judah Ben-Hur is wrongfully accused of a crime he did not commit. The movie follows his journey of survival, revenge, and redemption.
The film has won a whopping 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Charlton Heston. The movie's legacy is not just limited to its numerous awards, but it also set a benchmark for Hollywood spectacles of grandeur, with its mesmerizing chariot race scene and unforgettable score by Miklós Rózsa.
The movie is a remake of a silent film from 1925, which was also based on Lew Wallace's best-selling novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ." The book and the story were adapted to the screen several times and have become a timeless classic since its release.
Paramount Pictures' "Ben-Hur" is a must-watch for anyone who loves epic movies. It's a masterful piece of cinema that stands the test of time and continues to inspire new generations of film enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions about paramount pictures ben-hur
Epic drama about an aristocratic Jew living in Judaea who incurs the wrath of a childhood friend, now a Roman tribune. Although forced into slavery on a galley and compelled to witness the cruel persecution of his family, he survives, harbouring dreams of vengeance. A battle at sea and a chariot race are among the memorable sequences. The film used 300 sets at Rome's Cinecitta Studios and won a record 11 Oscars.Ben-Hur / Film synopsis
Not only did Ben-Hur save MGM from financial ruin, it inspired the other studios to spend more money on giant blockbusters than they'd previously been willing to do. Cleopatra and Lawrence of Arabia were soon to follow.
Sam ZimbalistBen-Hur / Producer
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic religious film directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist, and starring Charlton Heston as the title character.
Rome
Entrance to Cinecittà in Rome, the largest film studio in Europe, where Ben-Hur was filmed. Italy was MGM's top choice for hosting the production. However, a number of countries - including France, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom - were also considered.
Ben-Hur is able to come to a final realization only through a direct witness of the power of Jesus Christ. Christians for over a century have found encouragement in this sweeping story, and its theological message of the spiritual authority of God's power is as relevant today as it was when first written.
This beautifully crafted film begins with the birth of Christ and demonstrates a journey of faith of one man, Judah Ben-Hur, who goes from prince to prisoner to champion charioteer to Christian. This is a film that every family should see and cherish as a defender of faith and Christian values.
It was based, of course, on American writer Lew Wallace's 1880 adventure novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, which had already been filmed as a silent epic, under the same title, in 1925. (Then as now, remakes were big business in Hollywood.)
Wallace wrote that he chose the name Ben-Hur "because it was biblical, and easily spelled, printed and pronounced." The name appears once in the Bible (Hebrew: בן־חור), as the name of one of King Solomon's twelve district governors (1 Kings 4:8). In Hebrew the word "bén" means son.
The novel intertwines the life of Jesus with that of a fictional protagonist, the young Jewish prince named Judah Ben-Hur, who suffers betrayal, injustice, and brutality, and longs for a Jewish king to vanquish Rome.
Ben-Hur, American dramatic film, released in 1959, that was arguably the best of Hollywood's biblical epics. In addition to being a huge commercial success, it set a record for most Academy Award wins (11).
Ben-Hur followed the procession to Calvary and was one of the many people to witness the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. In the moments before Jesus died he shared a vision with Ben-Hur to convince the young man that it was his will that this all happen and that Ben-Hur allow the crucifixion to proceed.
Ben-Hur is a story of a fictional hero named Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman who was falsely accused and convicted of an attempted assassination of the Roman governor of Judaea and consequently enslaved by the Romans. He becomes a successful charioteer.
The novel intertwines the life of Jesus with that of a fictional protagonist, the young Jewish prince named Judah Ben-Hur, who suffers betrayal, injustice, and brutality, and longs for a Jewish king to vanquish Rome.
