Rent Ben-Hur (1959)

3.8 of 5 from 192 ratings
3h 34min
Rent Ben-Hur Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
The numbers speak volumes: 100,000 costumes, 8,000 extras, 300 sets and a staggering budget in its day the largest in movie history. Ben-Hur's creators made it the best, the greatest Biblical-era epic ever. Charlton Heston brings a muscular physical and moral presence to the role of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman in Palestine whose heroic odyssey includes enslavement by the Romans, a bold escape from an embattled slave gallery, vengeance against his tormentors with Jesus Christ.
Heston's charismatic performance brought him the Best Actor Oscar; the winner as 1959's Best Picture with the legendary William Wyler earning his third Best Director trophy, the film won a total 11 Academy Awards - a tally unequaled until 1977's Titanic set sail.
Actors:
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Directors:
Producers:
Sam Zimbalist, William Wyler
Writers:
Lew Wallace, Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, Maxwell Anderson, S.N. Behrman, Christopher Fry
Others:
Miklós Rózsa, Elizabeth Haffenden, Edward Carfagno, Ralph E. Winters, Hugh Hunt, Franklin E. Milton, Robert L. Surtees, Robert MacDonald, A. Arnold Gillespie, Milo Lory, John D. Dunning, William A. Horning
Studio:
Warner
Genres:
Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama
Collections:
A Brief History of Cinema Afloat: Part 3, A Few More Screen Princes, A History of Gay Cinema: According to Hollywood, A History of The Classical World In Cinema, Acting Up: British Actors at the Oscars, Children's Books On Screen: Fantasy, Getting to Know: Audrey Hepburn, inema Paradiso's 2023 Centenary Club: Part 2, Oscar Nominations Competition 2024, Oscar's Two-Time Club, Oscars: Winners & Losers, Spring On Screen: Films to Watch This Season, The Instant Expert's Guide to William Wyler, The Instant Expert's Guide to: Billy Wilder, Top 10 Best Last Films: World Cinema, Top 10 Best Picture Follow-Ups, Top 10 Films By Year, Top 10 Films of 1959, Top 100 AFI Movies, Top 100 AFI Thrills
Awards:

1960 BAFTA Best Film

1960 Oscar Best Supporting Actor

1960 Oscar Best Director

1960 Oscar Best Editing

1960 Oscar Best Actor

1960 Oscar Best Cinematography Color

1960 Oscar Best Special Effects

1960 Oscar Best Art Direction Color

1960 Oscar Best Dramatic or Comedy Score

1960 Oscar Best Picture

1960 Oscar Best Costume Design Color

1960 Oscar Best Original Song

BBFC:
Release Date:
05/11/2001
Run Time:
214 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
Bulgarian, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Romanian, Spanish
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.76:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Scene Access
  • Interactive Menus
  • Feature-Length Audio Commentary by Charles Heston
  • Behind-The-Scenes Documentary Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic
  • Feature-Length Audio Commentary by Charlton Heston
  • On-The-Set Photo Gallery
  • Screen Tests of the final and near final cast
  • Trailer
BBFC:
Release Date:
26/09/2011
Run Time:
222 minutes
Languages:
Brazilian Portuguese Dolby Digital 1.0, Castilian Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Czech Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, German Dolby Digital 5.1, Hungarian Dolby Digital 1.0, Italian Dolby Digital 5.1, Polish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
Brazilian, Castillian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.76:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Commentary by Film Historian T. Gene Hatcher with Charlton Heston
  • Music-Only Track Showcasing Miklos Rozsas Award-Winning Score
  • Theatrical Trailers
Disc 1:
This disc includes the main feature part 1
- Special Features
Disc 2:
This disc includes the main feature part 2
- Special Features
Disc 3:
This disc includes special features

More like Ben-Hur

Reviews (3) of Ben-Hur

Biblical Epic - Ben-Hur review by GI

Spoiler Alert
17/09/2021

Huge, lavish, spectacular and epic this won 11 oscars and remains today a wonderfully entertaining action drama set in biblical times and even though you might have to forgive the 'Sunday school' aspects of the story (it is after all subtitled 'A Tale of the Christ') it's a marvellous story. A story of betrayal, revenge and redemption set in Judea at the time of Christ where Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), a rich jew, refuses to help his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd), a Roman Tribune in Jerusalem, by betraying any Jewish rebels and gets sent to be a galley slave and his mother and sister are imprisoned. Vowing revenge Judah, against the odds, eventually returns to search for his family and to challenge Messala. The film has some wonderful set pieces including a naval battle and the cinematically famous chariot race, which is gripping, exciting and quite bloody considering when this film was made. Additionally it's a very moving film, at times very sad and a little shocking at times. Overall it's a beautiful film that never fails to enthral and to grip you even though it's a long film. There's romance, action, a touch of fantasy and mysticism and a superb recreation of the times. Brilliant score, superb support cast and wonderfully photographed this is a classic of modern cinema and definitely a film that should be on your list if you've never seen it, you will not be disappointed. (By the way it was bizarrely remade in 2016 and quite abysmally too so whatever you do avoid that version). A wonderful film.

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

Epic encounter - Ben-Hur review by MW

Spoiler Alert
30/03/2016

Masterfully constructed and magnificently filmed account of the friendship which turned to enmity between a Palestinian Jewish noble and his Roman overlord during the time of Christ. Charlton Heston, with his strong features and grave delivery, is the perfect hero and Stephen Boyd, handsome, sly and duplicitous, is the ideal villain. The scenes in which Jesus appears, although you never see his face, are done with surprising sensitivity. The celebrated chariot race, without the aid of CGI of course, remains one of the most thrilling episodes in all cinema.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

Ben-Hurrrrrgghh! - Ben-Hur review by AM

Spoiler Alert
07/06/2020

Let's get this straight - the chariot race scene towards the end is one of the absolute classic sequences in all of cinema history. Worth watching just for that. And Heston brings his mighty presence to the film and gets his Oscar deservingly. But this is at least 45mins too long, and the "ooh look, it's Jesus!" finale almost ruins the film. I understand it's adaptation of a novel, and that novel had a subtitle of "A tale of the Christ" - so the Jesus story in the background in and out is kinda the whole point of the narrative (and a clear inspiration for Monty Python's Life of Brian, too!). But to be honest, it could have completely been left out and this still would have been a great story of a proud man, sold into slavery and rising again to have his revenge on the Roman who wronged him (Gladiator, anyone?).

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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