View source for Ben-Hur (1959 film)

{{short description|Religious epic film}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Ben-Hur
| image          = Ben hur 1959 poster.jpg
| image_size     = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster by [[Reynold Brown]]
| screenplay     = [[Karl Tunberg]]{{Efn|Although Tunberg received sole credit for the screenplay, [[Maxwell Anderson]], [[S. N. Behrman]], [[Gore Vidal]] and [[Christopher Fry]] worked on the script in the course of development. See the [[#Writing|Writing]] section for more details.}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ]]''| [[Lew Wallace]]}}
| starring       = {{ubl|[[Charlton Heston]]|[[Jack Hawkins]]|[[Haya Harareet]]|[[Stephen Boyd]]|[[Hugh Griffith]]|[[Martha Scott]]|[[Cathy O'Donnell]]|[[Sam Jaffe]]}}
| director       = [[William Wyler]]
| producer       = [[Sam Zimbalist]]
| music          = [[Miklós Rózsa]]
| cinematography = [[Robert Surtees (cinematographer)|Robert L. Surtees]]
| editing        = {{ubl|[[John Dunning (film editor)|John D. Dunning]]|[[Ralph E. Winters]]}}
| studio         = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
| distributor    = [[Loews Cineplex Entertainment|Loew's, Inc.]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Ben-Hur |work=[[The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=52827 |access-date=July 6, 2013 |quote=Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. (Loew's Inc.); Distribution Company: Loew's Inc.}}</ref>
| released       = {{Film date|1959|11|18}}
| runtime        = 212 minutes (excluding [[overture]], [[intermission]], and [[entr'acte]])<ref>{{cite web |title=Ben Hur |publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/ben-hur-1 |access-date=July 18, 2015}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $15.2 million<ref name="sheldon">Sheldon Hall, ''Epics, Spectacles, and Blockbusters: A Hollywood History'' Wayne State University Press, 2010 p. 162</ref><ref name="Mannix"/>
| gross          = $146.9 million (initial release) <!-- Please refer to the Box office section -->
}}

'''''Ben-Hur''''' is a 1959 American [[List of religious films|religious]] [[epic film]] directed by [[William Wyler]], produced by [[Sam Zimbalist]], and starring [[Charlton Heston]] as the title character. A remake of [[Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925 film)|the 1925 silent film with a similar title]], it was adapted from [[Lew Wallace]]'s 1880 novel ''[[Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ]]''. The screenplay is credited to [[Karl Tunberg]], but includes contributions from [[Maxwell Anderson]], [[S. N. Behrman]], [[Gore Vidal]], and [[Christopher Fry]].

''Ben-Hur'' had the largest budget ($15.175 million), as well as the largest sets built, of any film produced at the time. [[Costume designer]] [[Elizabeth Haffenden]] oversaw a staff of 100 wardrobe fabricators to make the costumes, and a workshop employing 200 artists and workmen provided the hundreds of [[frieze]]s and statues needed in the film. Filming commenced on May 18, 1958, and [[Wrap (filmmaking)|wrapped]] on January 7, 1959, with shooting lasting for 12 to 14 hours a day and six days a week. [[Pre-production]] began in Italy at [[Cinecittà]] around October 1957, and [[post-production]] took six months. Under cinematographer [[Robert Surtees (cinematographer)|Robert L. Surtees]], executives at [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] made the decision to produce the film in a [[widescreen]] format. Over 200 camels and 2,500 horses were used in the shooting of the film, with some 10,000 extras. The sea battle was filmed using miniatures in a huge tank on the back lot at the [[Sony Pictures Studios|MGM Studios]] in [[Culver City, California]]. The nine-minute chariot race has become one of cinema's most famous [[Action film|action sequences]], and the score, composed and conducted by [[Miklós Rózsa]], was at the time the longest ever composed for a film, and was highly influential on cinema for over 15 years.

Following a $14.7 million marketing effort, ''Ben-Hur'' premiered at [[Loew's State Theatre (New York City)|Loew's State Theatre]] in [[New York City]] on November 18, 1959. It was the fastest-grossing, as well as the highest-grossing film of 1959, becoming the second highest-grossing film in history at the time, after ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''. It won a record eleven [[Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] (Wyler), [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor in a Leading Role]] (Heston), [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Actor in a Supporting Role]] (Griffith), and [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography – Color]] (Surtees); it also won [[Golden Globe Award]]s for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]], and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]] for Stephen Boyd. In 1998, the [[American Film Institute]] named it the 72nd best [[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies|American film]] and the second best American epic film in the [[AFI's 10 Top 10]]. In 2004, the [[National Film Preservation Board]] selected ''Ben-Hur'' for preservation by the [[National Film Registry]] of the [[Library of Congress]] for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-04-215/films-added-to-national-film-registry-for-2004/2004-12-28/|website=Library of Congress|access-date=2020-05-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|website=Library of Congress|access-date=2020-05-19}}</ref>

==Plot==
In the Prologue, a baby is born in Bethlehem among the shepherds and visited by Magi in a cave.

In A.D. 26,{{Efn|The movie at first begins in 1 BC, with a significant [[prologue]] recounting the [[Nativity of Jesus]], before its main title card, emphasizing the "A Tale of the Christ" subtext.}} [[Judah Ben-Hur]] is a wealthy Jewish prince and merchant in Jerusalem, living with his mother, Miriam, and his sister, Tirzah. The family's loyal slave, the merchant Simonides, pays a visit with his daughter, [[Esther (character)|Esther]]. Seeing each other for the first time since childhood, Judah and Esther fall in love, but she is betrothed to another. After several years away from Jerusalem, Judah's childhood friend Messala returns as commander of the [[Antonia Fortress|Fortress of Antonia]]. Messala believes in the glory of [[Roman Empire|Rome and its imperial power]], while Judah is devoted to his faith and the freedom of the Jewish people. This difference causes tension between the friends, and results in their split after Messala issues an ultimatum demanding that Judah deliver potential rebels to the Roman authorities.

During a parade for the new [[Prefect|governor]] of [[Iudaea Province|Judea]], [[Valerius Gratus]], loose tiles fall from the roof of Judah's house. Gratus is thrown from his horse and nearly killed. Although Messala knows this was an accident, he condemns Judah to the [[galley slave|galleys]] and imprisons Miriam and Tirzah. Simonides confronts Messala and is also imprisoned. Judah swears revenge upon Messala. As he and other slaves are marched to the galleys, they stop in [[Nazareth]] to water the Romans' horses. Judah begs for water, but the commander of the Roman detachment denies it to him. Judah collapses, but is revived when Jesus gives him water.

After three years as a galley slave, Judah is assigned to the flagship of the [[Roman Consul#Under the Empire|Roman Consul]] Quintus Arrius, who has been charged with destroying a fleet of [[Macedonia (Roman province)|Macedonian]] pirates. Arrius admires Judah's determination and self-discipline, and offers to train him as a [[gladiator]] or charioteer. Judah declines the offer. When the Roman fleet encounters the Macedonians, Arrius exempts Judah, among all the rowers, from being chained to the ship. Arrius' galley is rammed and sunk, but Judah frees as many other rowers as he can and rescues Arrius. Arrius believes he has lost the battle and attempts to [[Suicide#Ritual suicide|fall on his sword]], but Judah stops him. After they are rescued, Arrius is told his fleet had won a decisive victory. Arrius petitions Emperor [[Tiberius]] to free Judah, and [[Adoption in ancient Rome|adopts him as his son]].

Judah becomes a champion charioteer, then returns to Judea. Along the way, he meets [[Biblical Magi|Balthasar]] and Arab Sheik Ilderim. After noting Judah's prowess as a charioteer, the sheik asks him to drive his ''[[quadriga]]'' in a race before the new governor of Judea, [[Pontius Pilate]]. Judah declines, even after learning that Messala will compete. Judah returns to Jerusalem. He finds Esther and learns she is not married and that she still loves him. Miriam and Tirzah contracted [[leprosy]] in prison and were expelled from the city. The women beg Esther to conceal their condition from Judah, so Esther tells Judah they died. Judah smashes his family's [[mezuzah]], then seeks revenge by competing against Messala in the chariot race. Sheik Ilderim goads Messala into making an enormous wager on himself.

During the race, Messala drives a [[Scythed chariot|chariot with blades on the hubs]] to disable his competitors. He attempts to destroy Judah's chariot, but wrecks his own instead. He is dragged behind his horses and trampled by another chariot, while Judah wins the race. Before dying, Messala tells Judah to search for his family in the Valley of the Lepers.

Judah visits the leper colony, where he confronts Esther while she delivers supplies to his mother and sister. Esther convinces Judah to not see them. Judah visits Pilate and rejects his [[Property|patrimony]] and Roman citizenship. He returns with Esther to the leper colony, reveals himself to Miriam and learns that Tirzah is dying. Judah and Esther take Miriam and her daughter to see Jesus, but the [[trial of Jesus]] has begun. As Jesus is carrying his cross through the streets, he collapses. Judah recognizes him as the man who gave him water years before, and reciprocates. As Judah witnesses the crucifixion of Jesus, Miriam and Tirzah are miraculously healed.

==Cast==
{{div col}}
* [[Charlton Heston]] as [[Judah Ben-Hur]]
* [[Jack Hawkins]] as Quintus Arrius
* [[Haya Harareet]] as [[Esther (character)|Esther]]
* [[Stephen Boyd]] as Messala
* [[Hugh Griffith]] as [[Sheik Ilderim]]
* [[Martha Scott]] as Miriam
* [[Cathy O'Donnell]] as Tirzah
* [[Sam Jaffe]] as Simonides
* [[Finlay Currie]] as [[Balthazar (Magus)|Balthasar]]
* [[Frank Thring]] as [[Pontius Pilate]]
* [[Terence Longdon]] as Drusus
* [[George Relph]] as [[Tiberius Caesar]]
* [[André Morell]] as Sextus
* [[Laurence Payne]] as [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]]
* [[Claude Heater]] as [[Jesus Christ]] (uncredited)<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.claudeheater.com |title = Personal Website &#124; Claudeheater}}</ref>
* [[José Greci]] as [[Mary, mother of Jesus]] (uncredited)<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://westernboothill.blogspot.com/2017/06/rip-jose-greci.html|title = Boot Hill: RIP José Greci|date = June 2, 2017|access-date = November 13, 2018|archive-date = December 29, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191229054513/http://westernboothill.blogspot.com/2017/06/rip-jose-greci.html|url-status = dead}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Production==
{{main|Production of Ben-Hur (1959 film)}}

[[File:Ben Hur22.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''Ben-Hur'' filming site near [[Lifta]], intended to represent [[Jerusalem]]]]

[[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM) originally announced a remake of the 1925 silent film ''[[Ben-Hur (1925 film)|Ben-Hur]]'' in December 1952, ostensibly as a way to spend its Italian assets.{{Efn|MGM had extensive amounts of income in Italian [[lira]]. In the wake of World War II the Italian government banned the movement of lira out of Italy as a means of stabilizing the inflation-plagued Italian economy. Finding a way to spend this money in Italy would free up resources elsewhere for the studio.}}<ref name="Pryor">Pryor, Thomas M. "''Ben-Hur'' to Ride for Metro Again." ''[[The New York Times]].'' December 8, 1952.</ref> [[Stewart Granger]] and [[Robert Taylor (American actor)|Robert Taylor]] were reported to be in the running for the lead.<ref name="Pryor" /> Nine months later, MGM announced it would make the film in [[CinemaScope]], with shooting beginning in 1954.<ref>Pryor, Thomas M. "Metro to Produce 18 Films in '53–'54." ''[[The New York Times]].'' October 8, 1953.</ref> In November 1953, MGM announced it had assigned producer [[Sam Zimbalist]] to the picture and hired screenwriter Karl Tunberg to write it.<ref>Pryor, Thomas M. "Bank of America Wins Movie Suit." ''[[The New York Times]].'' November 4, 1953.</ref> [[Sidney Franklin (director)|Sidney Franklin]] was scheduled to direct, with [[Marlon Brando]] intended for the lead.<ref>Pryor, Thomas M. "Hollywood Dossier: New Market Analysis Is Set Up." ''[[The New York Times]].'' December 5, 1954.</ref> In September 1955, Zimbalist, who continued to claim that Tunberg's script was complete, announced that a $7 million, six- to seven- month production would begin in April 1956 in either Israel or Egypt in MGM's new 65mm widescreen process, [[Ultra Panavision 70|MGM Camera 65]].<ref>"Six Books Bought for Fox Films." ''[[The New York Times]].'' September 10, 1955.</ref> MGM, however, suspended production in early 1956, following Franklin's resignation.<ref>Pryor, Thomas M. "Sidney Franklin Resigns at M-G-M." ''[[The New York Times]].'' June 17, 1958.</ref>

By the late 1950s, the [[United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.|consent decree of 1948]] forcing film studios to divest themselves of theater chains<ref>''[[United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.]]'', 334 US 131 (1948)</ref> and the competitive pressure of television had caused significant financial distress at MGM.<ref name="BlockWilson411">Block and Wilson, p. 411.</ref> In a gamble to save the studio, and inspired by the success of [[Paramount Pictures]]' 1956 Biblical epic ''[[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments]]'',<ref name="BlockWilson411" /> studio head Joseph Vogel announced in 1957 that MGM would again move forward on a [[remake]] of ''Ben-Hur''.<ref>Eagan, pp.&nbsp;558–59.</ref> Filming started in May 1958 and wrapped in January 1959, and [[post-production]] took six months.<ref name="Eagan560" /> Although the budget for ''Ben-Hur'' was initially $7 million,<ref name="Eagen559"/> it was reported to be $10 million by February 1958,<ref name="HawkinsBustling" /> reaching $15.175 million by the time shooting began—making it the [[Timeline of most expensive films|costliest film]] ever produced up to that time.<ref name="Solomon207" /> When adjusted for inflation, the budget of ''Ben Hur'' was approximately ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|15175000|1959}}}} in [[constant dollars]].{{Inflation-fn|US}}

One notable change in the film involved the opening titles. Concerned that a roaring [[Leo the Lion (MGM)|Leo the Lion]] (the MGM mascot) would create the wrong mood for the sensitive and sacred [[Nativity of Jesus|nativity scene]], Wyler received permission to replace the traditional logo with one in which Leo the Lion is quiet.<ref name="Schumach">Schumach, Murray. "Metro Stills Leo for the First Time." ''[[The New York Times]].'' November 26, 1959.</ref> <!-- See DYK template - temp fix - It was the first time in MGM history that the lion logo was not seen roaring.<ref name="Schumach" /> -->

===Development===
Lew Wallace's 1880 novel, ''[[Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ]]'', ran to about 550 pages. Zimbalist hired a number of screenwriters to cut the story down and turn the novel into a script. According to [[Gore Vidal]], more than 12 versions of the script had been written by various writers by the spring of 1958.<ref name="Vidal73">Vidal, p. 73.</ref> Vidal himself had been asked to write a version of the script in 1957, refused, and been placed on [[Suspension (punishment)|suspension]] for his decision.<ref name="Vidal73" /> According to Vidal, Karl Tunberg was one of the last writers to work on the script. Other sources place Tunberg's initial involvement much earlier. Tunberg cut out everything in the book after the crucifixion of Jesus, omitted the sub-plot in which Ben-Hur fakes his death and raises a Jewish army to overthrow the Romans, and altered the manner in which the leperous women are healed.{{efn|Instead of being healed as Christ carries His cross, the women are healed after accidentally soaking in rainwater stained by the blood of Jesus after the crucifixion.}}<ref name="Morsberger">Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 482.</ref> According to Wyler, Vidal, their biographers (see bibliography below) and the sources that follow them, Zimbalist was unhappy with Tunberg's script, considering it to be "pedestrian"<ref name="Morsberger" /> and "unshootable".<ref name="Kaplan440">Kaplan, p. 440.</ref>

The writing effort changed direction when director Sidney Franklin fell ill and was removed from the production. Zimbalist offered the project to William Wyler, who had been one of 30 [[assistant director]]s on the 1925 film,<ref name="Making24">Freiman, p. 24.</ref> in early 1957.<ref>"Wyler Weighs Offer." ''[[The New York Times]].'' February 5, 1957.</ref> Wyler initially rejected it, considering the quality of the script to be "very primitive, elementary" and no better than [[Hack writer|hack work]].<ref name="Herman394">Herman, p. 394.</ref> Zimbalist showed Wyler some preliminary [[storyboard]]s for the chariot race and informed him that MGM would be willing to spend up to $10 million, and as a result, Wyler began to express an interest in the picture.<ref name="Herman395">Herman, p. 395.</ref> MGM permitted Wyler to start casting, and in April 1957, mainstream media outlets reported that Wyler was giving screen tests to Italian leading men, such as [[Cesare Danova]].<ref>Makiewicz, Don. "Tour Around the Lot." ''[[The New York Times]].'' April 7, 1957.</ref>

Wyler did not formally agree to direct the film until September 1957,<ref name="Herman395" /> and MGM did not announce his hiring until January 3, 1958.<ref>Pryor, Thomas M. "Debbie Reynolds Is Cast By M-G-M." ''[[The New York Times]].'' January 4, 1958.</ref> Even though he still lacked a leading man, Wyler took the assignment for many reasons: He was promised a base salary of $350,000 as well as 8 percent of the gross box office (or 3 percent of the net profits, whichever was greater),<ref>Herman, p. 393.</ref> and he wanted to work in Rome again (in [[Hollywood on the Tiber]], where he had filmed ''[[Roman Holiday]]'').<ref name="BlockWilson411" /><ref name="Eagen559">Eagen, p. 559.</ref> His base salary was, at the time, the largest ever paid to a director for a single film.<ref name="BlockWilson411" /> Professional competitive reasons also played a role in his decision to direct, and Wyler later admitted that he wished to outdo [[Cecil B. DeMille]],<ref name="Eagen559" /> and make a "thinking man's" Biblical epic.<ref>Eldridge, p. 15.</ref> In later years, William Wyler would joke that it took a Jew to make a good film about Christ.<ref name="Herman400"/>

===Writing===
[[File:Gore Vidal (c. 1976-1983).jpg|thumb|left|[[Gore Vidal]]]]

Wyler felt Tunberg's draft was too much of a morality play overlaid with current Western political overtones, and that the dialogue was too modern-sounding.<ref name="Madsen342">Madsen, p. 342.</ref> Zimbalist brought in playwright [[S. N. Behrman]] (who also wrote the script for ''[[Quo Vadis (1951 film)|Quo Vadis]]'') and then playwright [[Maxwell Anderson]] to write drafts.<ref name="Eagen559" /> Gore Vidal biographer [[Fred Kaplan (biographer)|Fred Kaplan]] states that British poet and playwright [[Christopher Fry]] was hired simultaneously with Vidal, although most sources (including Vidal himself) state that Vidal followed Anderson, and that Fry did not come aboard until Vidal was close to leaving the picture.<ref name="Kaplan442" /> Vidal arrived in Rome in early March 1958 to meet with Wyler.<ref name="Vidal73" />{{Efn|Vidal says he worked on the script for three months. Fry did not arrive in Rome until May 1958 and Vidal says he did not leave Rome until mid or late June, so Vidal's arrival in Rome can be deduced with some accuracy. See: Vidal, p. 73; Herman, pp.&nbsp;400–01.}} Vidal claimed that Wyler had not read the script, and that when he did so (at Vidal's urging) on his flight from the U.S. to Italy, he was upset with the modernist dialogue.<ref name="Vidal73" /><ref name="Herman396" /> Vidal agreed to work on the script for three months so that he would come off suspension and fulfill his contract with MGM,<ref name="Eagen559" /><ref name="Vidal73" /> although Zimbalist pushed him to stay throughout the entire production.<ref name="Kaplan442">Kaplan, p. 442.</ref> Vidal was researching a book on the 4th century Roman emperor [[Julian the Apostate|Julian]] and knew a great deal about ancient Rome.<ref name="Kaplan441">Kaplan, p. 441.</ref>

Vidal's working style was to finish a scene and review it with Zimbalist. Once Vidal and Zimbalist had come to agreement, the scene would be passed to Wyler.<ref name="Kaplan442" /> Vidal said he kept the structure of the Tunberg/Behrman/Anderson script, but rewrote nearly all the dialogue.<ref name="Kaplan445">Kaplan, p. 445.</ref> Vidal admitted to [[William Morris Agency|William Morris]] in March 1959 that Fry rewrote as much as a third of the dialogue which Vidal had added to the first half of the script. Vidal made one structural change which was not revised, however. The Tunberg script had Ben-Hur and Messala reuniting and falling out in a single scene. Vidal broke the scene in two, so that the men first reunite at the Castle Antonia and then later argue and end their friendship at Ben-Hur's home. Vidal also added small character touches to the script, such as Messala's purchase of a brooch for Tirzah and Ben-Hur's purchase of a horse for Messala.<ref name="Kaplan445" /> Vidal claimed that he worked on the first half of the script (everything up to the chariot race), and scripted 10 versions of the scene where Ben-Hur confronts Messala and begs for his family's freedom.<ref name="Herman400">Herman, p. 400.</ref><ref name="Giddins247">Giddins, p. 247.</ref>

Vidal's claim about a homoerotic subtext is hotly debated. Vidal first made the claim in an interview in the 1995 documentary film ''[[The Celluloid Closet]]'', and asserted that he persuaded Wyler to direct Stephen Boyd to play the role as if he were a spurned homosexual lover.<ref>Joshel, Malamud, and McGuire, pp.&nbsp;37–38.</ref> Vidal said that he believed that Messala's vindictiveness could only be motivated by the feeling of rejection that a lover would feel, and claimed to have suggested to Wyler that Stephen Boyd should play the role that way, and that Heston be kept in the dark about the Messala character's motivations.<ref name="Herman400" /> Whether Vidal wrote the scene in question or had the acting conversation with Wyler, and whether Wyler shot what Vidal wrote, remain issues of debate.<ref name="Morsberger" /><ref name="Herman400" /><ref name="VidalAdvocate">[https://books.google.com/books?id=hWMEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PT67&dq=%22Gore%20Vidal%22%20%22Ben-Hur%22%20homosexual%20subtext&pg=PT67#v=onepage&q=%22Gore%20Vidal%22%20%22Ben-Hur%22%20homosexual%20subtext "Chuck Roast." ''The Advocate.'' June 25, 1996, p. 82.] Retrieved December 25, 2011.</ref> Wyler himself said that he did not remember any conversation about this part of the script or Boyd's acting with Gore Vidal,<ref name="Herman400" /> and that he discarded Vidal's draft in favor of Fry's.<ref name="Eagen559" /> Morgan Hudgens, publicity director for the film, however, wrote to Vidal in late May 1958 about the crucial scene, and implied there was a homosexual context: "... &nbsp;the big cornpone [the crew's nickname for Heston] really threw himself into your 'first meeting' scene yesterday. You should have seen those boys embrace!"<ref name="Kaplan444">Quoted in Kaplan, p. 444.</ref> Film critic [[F. X. Feeney]], in a comparison of script drafts, concludes that Vidal made significant and extensive contributions to the script.<ref>Feeney, pp.&nbsp;66–73.</ref>

The final writer on the film was Christopher Fry. Charlton Heston has claimed that Fry was Wyler's first choice as screenwriter, but that Zimbalist forced him to use Vidal.<ref name="Herman400" /> Whether Fry worked on the script before Vidal or not, sources agree that Fry arrived in Rome in early May 1958 and spent six days a week on the set, writing and rewriting lines of dialogue as well as entire scenes, until the picture was finished.<ref name="Herman401">Herman, p. 401.</ref> In particular, Fry gave the dialogue a slightly more formal and archaic tone without making it sound stilted and medieval.<ref name="Herman401" /> A highly publicized bitter dispute later broke out over screenplay credits to the film, involving Wyler, Tunberg, Vidal, Fry and the [[Writers Guild of America, West|Screen Writers' Guild]].{{Efn|See: [[Production of Ben-Hur (1959 film)]]}}<ref name="CreditUrged">"'Ben-Hur' Credit Is Urged for Fry." ''[[The New York Times]].'' October 29, 1959.</ref> In 1996, the ''Los Angeles Times'' published a brief letter from Charlton Heston taking issue with Vidal's version which, he wrote, "irritates the hell out of me".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://articles.latimes.com/1996-06-17/local/la-et-me-gore-vidal-charlton-heston-archive_1_gore-vidal-ben-hur-sam-zimbalist/2|title=Counterpunch: Gore Vidal responds to Charlton Heston|last=Vidal|first=Gore|date=June 17, 1996|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|access-date=August 25, 2016}}</ref> Three months later the paper published a 1,200 word response from Vidal, which included the statement that, with regard to the controversial scene's subtext, he had been delegated to inform Boyd (who was "delighted"), but that Wyler had warned "don't tell Chuck because he'll fall apart".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://articles.latimes.com/1996-06-17/local/la-et-me-gore-vidal-charlton-heston-archive_1_gore-vidal-ben-hur-sam-zimbalist|title=Counterpunch: Gore Vidal responds to Charlton Heston|last=Vidal|first=Gore|date=June 17, 1996|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|access-date=August 25, 2016}}</ref>

The final script ran 230 pages.<ref name="Hudgins" /> The screenplay differed more from the original novel than did the 1925 silent film version. Some changes made the film's storyline more dramatic. The role of Esther was greatly expanded from that of the novel to provide a strong onscreen love interest throughout the film. Other changes included incorporating an admiration for the Jewish culture and people (historical and modern), as well as representing the more pluralistic society of 1950s America rather than the "Christian superiority" view of Wallace's novel (though the movie retained a strongly positive religious portrayal of Early Christianity).<ref>Hezser, pp.&nbsp;136–38.</ref>

===Casting===
MGM opened a casting office in Rome in mid-1957 to select the 50,000 people who would act in minor roles and as extras in the film,<ref name="Making25">Freiman, p. 25.</ref> and a total of 365 actors had speaking parts in the film, although only 45 of them were considered "principal" performers.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> In casting, Wyler placed heavy emphasis on characterization rather than looks or acting history.<ref name="Parish">Parish, Mank, and Picchiarini, p. 27.</ref> He typically cast the Romans with British actors and the Jews with American actors to help underscore the divide between the two groups.<ref name="Solomon207">Solomon, p. 207.</ref><ref>Magill, p. 150.</ref> The Romans were the aristocrats in the film, and Wyler believed that American audiences would interpret British accents as patrician.<ref name="Herman402" />

Several actors were offered the role of [[Judah Ben-Hur]] before it was accepted by Charlton Heston. [[Burt Lancaster]] stated he turned down the role because he found the script boring<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=blIEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA80&dq=%22Burt%20Lancaster%22%20%22Ben-Hur%22%20violence&pg=PA85#v=onepage&q=%22Burt%20Lancaster%22%20%22Ben-Hur%22%20violence Alexander, p.&nbsp;84–85.]</ref> and belittling to Christianity.{{Efn|Buford also says MGM offered Lancaster $1 million to star in the picture, and to pay off $2.5 million in debts owed by Lancaster's production company. Still Lancaster refused. See: Buford, p. 190.}} [[Paul Newman]] turned it down because he said he didn't have the legs to wear a tunic.<ref name="ThomasRight">{{cite web|author=Right, Gordon|url=http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/52/benhur.php |title=Getting It Right the Second Time|publisher=British Lights Film Journal|date=May 2006|access-date=December 25, 2011}}</ref> [[Marlon Brando]],<ref name="ThomasRight" /> [[Rock Hudson]],{{Efn|Hudson's agent, [[Henry Willson]], refused to allow Hudson to take the role, believing that historical costume epics were not right for his client. See: Bret, p. 95; Gates and Thomas, p. 125.}} [[Geoffrey Horne]],{{Efn|Industry columnist [[Louella Parsons]] claimed that Horne was all but cast in the film, due to his performance in ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]''. See: Hofler, p. 320.}} and [[Leslie Nielsen]]<ref>Giddins, pp.&nbsp;247–48.</ref> were also offered the role, as were a number of muscular, handsome Italian actors (many of whom did not speak English).<ref>Herman, p.&nbsp;395–96.</ref> [[Kirk Douglas]] was interested in the role, but was turned down in favor of Heston,{{efn|This inspired Douglas to make ''[[Spartacus (film)|Spartacus]]'' a year later.<ref>Rode, p. 132.</ref>}} who was formally cast on January 22, 1958.<ref name="PryorHeston">Pryor, Thomas M. "Heston Will Star in M-G-M 'Ben-Hur'." ''[[The New York Times]].'' January 23, 1958.</ref> His salary was $250,000 for 30 weeks, a prorated salary for any time over 30 weeks, and travel expenses for his family.<ref name="Herman396">Herman, p. 396.</ref>

Stephen Boyd was cast as the antagonist, Messala, on April 13, 1958.<ref>Pryor, Thomas M. "Goetz to Produce 3 Columbia Films." ''[[The New York Times]].'' April 14, 1958.</ref> William Wyler originally wanted Heston for the role, but sought another actor after he moved Heston into the role of Judah Ben-Hur.<ref>McAlister, p. 324, n. 59.</ref> Because both Boyd and Heston had blue eyes, Wyler had Boyd outfitted with brown contact lenses as a way of contrasting the two men.<ref>"An Actor to Watch," ''Coronet,'' January 1, 1959, p. 22.</ref> [[Marie Ney]] was originally cast as Miriam, but was fired after two days of work because she could not cry on cue.<ref name="Herman402"/><ref name="PryorFrenke">Pryor, Thomas M. "Frenke Signs Pact With Seven Arts." ''[[The New York Times]].'' August 4, 1958.</ref> Heston says that he was the one who suggested that Wyler cast [[Martha Scott]] as Miriam, and she was hired on July 17, 1958.{{efn|Martha Scott had played the mother of Heston's Moses in ''The Ten Commandments'', and he'd worked with her previously on Broadway}}<ref>Heston, p. 196.</ref><ref>Pryor, Thomas M. "Seven Arts Unit Joins Paramount." ''[[The New York Times]].'' July 18, 1958.</ref> [[Cathy O'Donnell]] was Wyler's sister-in-law, and although her career was in decline, Wyler cast her as Tirzah.<ref name="Parish" />

More than 30 actresses were considered for the role of Esther.<ref name="PryorIsraeli">Pryor, Thomas M. "Israeli Actress Cast in 'Ben-Hur'." ''[[The New York Times]].'' May 17, 1958.</ref> The Israeli actress [[Haya Harareet]], a relative newcomer to film, was cast as Esther on May 16, 1958,<ref name="PryorIsraeli" /> after providing a 30-second silent screen test.<ref name="Pratt">Pratt, p. 135.</ref> Wyler had met her at the [[Cannes Film Festival]], where she impressed him with her conversational skills and force of personality.<ref>"An Actor to Watch," ''Coronet,'' January 1, 1959, p. 71.</ref> [[Sam Jaffe]] was cast as Simonides on April 3, 1958,<ref name="PryorSevenArts">Pryor, Thomas M. "Seven Arts Group Teaming With U.A." ''[[The New York Times]].'' April 4, 1958.</ref> and [[Finlay Currie]] was cast as Balthasar on the same day.<ref name="PryorSevenArts" /> Wyler had to persuade [[Jack Hawkins]] to appear in the film, because Hawkins was unwilling to act in another epic motion picture so soon after ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]''.<ref name="Madsen342" /> [[Hugh Griffith]], who gained acclaim in the post-World War II era in [[Ealing Studios]] comedies, was cast as the colorful [[Sheik Ilderim]].<ref>Monush, p. 296.</ref> The role of Jesus, whose face is never seen, was played by an uncredited [[Claude Heater]], an American opera singer performing with the [[Vienna State Opera]] in Rome when he was asked to do a screen test for the film.<ref>{{cite book|title=Opera News|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V_8EAAAAMAAJ|year=1960|publisher=Metropolitan Opera Guild|page=79}}</ref>

===Cinematography===
[[File:Chariot Race Ben-Hur.png|thumb|left|upright=1.35|The chariot race scene, illustrating the extremely wide [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] used (2.76:1).]]

[[Robert Surtees (cinematographer)|Robert L. Surtees]], who had already filmed several of the most successful epics of the 1950s, was hired as cinematographer for the film.<ref>Sultanik, p. 299.</ref> Early on in the film's production, Zimbalist and other MGM executives made the decision to film the picture in a [[widescreen]] format. Wyler strongly disliked the widescreen format, commenting that "Nothing is ''out'' of the picture, and you can't fill it. You either have a lot of empty space, or you have two people talking and a flock of others surrounding them who have nothing to do with the scene. Your eye just wanders out of curiosity."<ref name="Herman406">Herman, p. 406.</ref> The cameras were also quite large, heavy, and difficult and time-consuming to move.<ref name="Herman406" /> To overcome these difficulties, Surtees and Wyler collaborated on using the widescreen lenses, film stocks, and projection technologies to create highly detailed images for the film.<ref name="Hall145">Hall and Neale, p. 145.</ref> Wyler was best known for [[Composition (visual arts)|composition in depth]], a visual technique in which people, props, and architecture are not merely composed horizontally but in [[depth of field]] as well. He also had a strong preference for long takes, during which his actors could move within this highly detailed space.<ref name="Hall145" />

The movie was filmed in a process known as "[[Ultra Panavision 70|MGM Camera 65]]". 1957's ''[[Raintree County (film)|Raintree County]]'' was the first MGM film to use the process.<ref name="Eldridge, p. 57">Eldridge, p. 57.</ref> The MGM Camera 65 used special 65mm [[Eastmancolor]] film stock with a 2.76:1 [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]].<ref name="Haines114">Haines, p. 114.</ref> [[70 mm film|70mm]] [[anamorphic]] camera lenses developed by the Mitchell Camera Company were manufactured to specifications submitted by MGM.<ref>Eyman, p. 351.</ref> These lenses squeezed the image down 1.25 times to fit on the image area of the film stock.<ref>Block and Wilson, p. 333.</ref> Because the film could be adapted to the requirements of individual theaters, movie houses did not need to install special, expensive 70mm projection equipment.<ref>Hall and Neale, p. 153.</ref> Six of the 70mm lenses, each worth $100,000, were shipped to Rome for use by the production.<ref name="Cyrino74">Cyrino, p. 74.</ref><ref name="Making31">Freiman, p. 31.</ref>{{Efn|Most sources agree that the lenses were worth $100,000 each. But at least one source puts the value of each lens at $250,000. See: Herman, p. 406.}}

===Principal photography===
{{quote box | quote = I spent sleepless nights trying to find a way to deal with the figure of Christ. It was a frightening thing when all the great painters of twenty centuries have painted events you have to deal with, events in the life of the best-known man who ever lived. Everyone already has his own concept of him. I wanted to be reverent, and yet realistic. Crucifixion is a bloody, awful, horrible thing, and a man does not go through it with a benign expression on his face. I had to deal with that. It is a very challenging thing to do that and get no complaints from anybody. | source = –Wyler on the difficulty of shooting the crucifixion scene.<ref name="Herman410">Herman, p. 410.</ref> | align = right | width = 220px | bgcolor = #c6dbf7;}}

[[Pre-production]] began at [[Cinecittà|Cinecittà Studios]] around October 1957.<ref name="HawkinsBustling" /> The MGM Art Department produced more than 15,000 sketches and drawings of costumes, sets, props, and other items needed for the film (8,000 alone for the costumes); [[Photostat machine|photostatted]] each item; and cross-referenced and catalogued them for use by the production design team and fabricators.<ref>Freiman, pp. 26, 30.</ref> More than a million props were ultimately manufactured.<ref name="Making27" /> Construction of miniatures for the entrance of Quintus Arrius into Rome and for the sea battle were under way by the end of November 1957.<ref name="AFIBenHur">[http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=52827 "Ben-Hur." AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. 2014.] Accessed March 13, 2014.</ref> MGM location scouts arrived in Rome to identify shooting locations in August 1957.<ref>Hawkins, Robert F. "Observations on the Italian Screen Scene." ''[[The New York Times]].'' August 4, 1957.</ref> Location shooting in Africa was actively under consideration, and in mid-January 1958, MGM said that filming in North Africa (later revealed to be [[Libya]]) would begin on March 1, 1958, and that 200 camels and 2,500 horses had already been procured for the studio's use there.<ref name="PryorVaried">Pryor, Thomas M. "Hollywood's Varied Vistas." ''[[The New York Times]].'' January 12, 1958.</ref> The production was then scheduled to move to Rome on April 1, where [[Andrew Marton]] had been hired as second unit director and 72 horses were being trained for the chariot race sequence.<ref name="PryorVaried" /> However, the Libyan government canceled the production's film permit for religious reasons on March 11, 1958, just a week before filming was to have begun.{{efn|The Libyan government learned that the production was scheduled to shoot in Israel. Libya, which was at war with Israel, had enacted legislation in 1957 banning any individual or company from doing business with Israel or Jews.}}<ref>Pryor, Thomas M. "Libya Cancels U.S. Film Permit." ''[[The New York Times]].'' March 12, 1958.</ref><ref>[http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=52827 "Ben-Hur," AFI Catalog of Feature Films, American Film Institute, 2014], accessed March 13, 2014; Otman and Karlberg, p. 33.</ref> It is unclear whether any second unit filming took place in Israel. A June 8, 1958, report in ''[[The New York Times]]'' said second unit director Andrew Marton had roamed "up and down the countryside" filming footage.<ref name="SchifferIsrael">Schiffer, Robert L. "Israel Screen Scene." ''[[The New York Times]].'' June 8, 1958.</ref> However, the [[American Film Institute]] claims the filming permit was revoked in Israel for religious reasons as well (although when is not clear), and no footage from the planned location shooting near Jerusalem appeared in the film.<ref name="AFIBenHur" />

Principal photography began in Rome on May 18, 1958.<ref name="Race213" /> The script was still unfinished when cinematography began, so that Wyler had only read the first 10 to 12 pages of it.<ref>Kaplan, p. 444.</ref> Shooting lasted for 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week. On Sundays, Wyler would meet with Fry and Zimbalist for story conferences. The pace of the film was so grueling that a doctor was brought onto the set to give a [[B vitamins|vitamin B complex]] injection to anyone who requested it (shots which Wyler and his family later suspected may have contained [[amphetamine]]s).<ref name="Herman403">Herman, p. 403.</ref> To speed things up, Wyler often kept principal actors on stand-by, in full costume and make-up, so that he could shoot pick-up scenes if the first unit slowed down. Actresses Martha Scott and Cathy O'Donnell spent almost the entire month of November 1958 in full leprosy make-up and costumes so that Wyler could shoot "leper scenes" when other shots did not go well.<ref name="Herman409" /> Wyler was unhappy with Heston's performances, feeling they did not make Judah Ben-Hur a plausible character, and Heston had to reshoot "I'm a Jew" 16 times.<ref name="Herman404">Herman, p. 404.</ref> Shooting took nine months, which included three months for the chariot race scene alone.<ref name="Solomon213">Solomon, p. 213.</ref> Principal photography ended on January 7, 1959, with filming of the crucifixion scene, which took four days to shoot.<ref name="Eagan560">Eagan, p. 560.</ref><ref name="Herman410" />

===Production design===
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.<ref name="Making26">Freiman, p. 26.</ref> Cinecittà Studios, a very large motion picture production facility constructed in 1937 on the outskirts of Rome, was identified early on as the primary shooting location.<ref name="HawkinsBustling">Hawkins, Robert F. "Viewed on the Bustling Italian Film Scene." ''[[The New York Times]].'' February 16, 1958.</ref> Zimbalist hired Wyler's long-term production supervisor, Henry Henigson, to oversee the film, and art directors [[William A. Horning]] and [[Edward Carfagno]] created the overall look of the film, relying on the more than five years of research which had already been completed for the production.<ref name="Freiman 29">Freiman, p. 29.</ref> A skeleton crew of studio technicians arrived in the summer of 1956 to begin preparing the Cinecittà soundstages and back lot.<ref name="Making26" />

[[File:Debbie Reynolds Auction - "Ben-Hur" costumes (1959) (5851596043).jpg|thumb|left|Costumes used in ''Ben-Hur'']]

The ''Ben-Hur'' production utilized 300 sets scattered over {{convert|148|acre|ha}} and nine [[sound stage]]s.<ref name="Cyrino73">Cyrino, p. 73.</ref> Several sets still standing from ''Quo Vadis'' in 1951 were refurbished and used for ''Ben-Hur''.<ref name="Cyrino73" /> By the end of the production more than {{convert|1000000|lb|kg}} of plaster and {{convert|40000|cuft|m3}} of lumber were used.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /><ref>Eagan, pp.&nbsp;559–60.</ref> The budget called for more than 100,000 costumes and 1,000 suits of armor to be made, for the hiring of 10,000 extras, and the procurement of hundreds of camels, donkeys, horses, and sheep.<ref name="Solomon207" /><ref name="Hudgins" /> [[Costume designer]] [[Elizabeth Haffenden]] oversaw a staff of 100 wardrobe fabricators who began manufacturing the costumes for the film a year before filming began. Special silk was imported from Thailand, the armor manufactured in [[West Germany]], and the woolens made and embroidered in the United Kingdom and various countries of South America. Many leather goods were hand-tooled in the United Kingdom as well, while Italian shoemakers manufactured the boots and shoes. The lace for costumes came from France, while costume jewelry was purchased in Switzerland.<ref name="Making30">Freiman, p. 30.</ref> More than {{convert|400|lb|kg}} of hair were donated by women in the [[Piedmont]] region of Italy to make wigs and beards for the production,<ref name="Making7">Freiman, p. 7.</ref> and {{convert|1000|ft|m}} of track laid down for the [[Camera dolly|camera dollies]].<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> A workshop employing 200 artists and workmen provided the hundreds of friezes and statues needed.<ref name="Hudgins" /> The mountain village of [[Arcinazzo Romano]],<ref name="Making7" /> {{convert|40|mi|km}} from Rome, served as a stand-in for the town of Nazareth.<ref name="Herman401" /> Beaches near [[Anzio]] were also used,<ref name="Making27" /> and caves just south of the city served as the leper colony.<ref name="Herman409">Herman, p. 409.</ref> Some additional desert panoramas were shot in [[Arizona]], and some close-up inserts taken at the MGM Studios, with the final images photographed on February 3, 1958.<ref name="Race213" />

[[File:Model Roman Ship from the movie Ben Hur.jpg|thumb|right|One of the miniature Roman galleys used in ''Ben-Hur'' in 1959.]]

The sea battle was one of the first sequences created for the film,<ref name="Dunning253">Dunning, p. 253.</ref> filmed using miniatures in a huge tank on the back lot at the [[Sony Pictures Studios|MGM Studios]] in [[Culver City, California]], in November and December 1957.<ref name="PryorHeston" /><ref name="Cyrino73" /> More than 40 miniature ships<ref name="Making27" /> and two {{convert|175|ft|m|adj=on}} long Roman galleys, each of them seaworthy, were built for the live-action segment.<ref name="Hudgins" /> The ships were constructed based on plans found in Italian museums for actual ancient Roman galleys.<ref name="Freiman 29"/> An artificial lake with equipment capable of generating sea-sized waves was built at the Cinecittà studios to accommodate the galleys.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> A massive backdrop, {{convert|200|ft|m}} wide by {{convert|50|ft|m}} high, was painted and erected to hide the city and hills in the background.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> To make the scene bloodier, Dunning sought out Italian extras who had missing limbs, then had the makeup crews rig them with fake bone and blood to make it appear as if they had lost a hand or leg during the battle.<ref name="Dunning253" /> When Dunning edited his own footage later, he made sure that these men were not on screen for so long that audiences would be upset.<ref name="Dunning253" />{{efn|There was so much footage of the sea battle left over that Charlton Heston used it in his 1972 film ''[[Antony and Cleopatra (1972 film)|Antony and Cleopatra]]''.<ref>Rothwell, p. 156.</ref>}} The above-decks footage was integrated with the miniature work using [[Bipack|process shots]] and [[Matte (filmmaking)|traveling mattes]].<ref>Brosnan, p. 28.</ref>

One of the most lavish sets was the villa of Quintus Arrius, which included 45 working fountains and {{convert|8.9|mi|km}} of pipes.<ref name="Freiman 29">Freiman, p. 29.</ref> Wealthy citizens and nobles of Rome, who wanted to portray their ancient selves, acted as extras in the villa scenes.<ref name="Making25" /><ref name="Cyrino73" /> To recreate the ancient city streets of Jerusalem, a vast set covering {{convert|0.5|sqmi|km2|adj=on}} was built,<ref name="BlockWilson411" /> which included a {{convert|75|ft|m|adj=on}} high [[Jaffa Gate|Joppa Gate]].<ref name="Cyrino73" /> The sets were so vast and visually exciting that they became a tourist attraction, and various film stars visited during production.<ref name="BlockWilson411" /><ref>Raymond, p. 31.</ref> The huge sets could be seen from the outskirts of Rome, and MGM estimated that more than 5,000 people were given tours of the sets.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer">Hawkins, Robert F. "Answer to a Question: Quo Vadis, 'Ben-Hur'?" ''[[The New York Times]].'' January 11, 1959.</ref>

Dismantling the sets cost $125,000.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> Almost all the filmmaking equipment was turned over to the Italian government, which sold and exported it.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> MGM turned title to the artificial lake over to Cinecittà.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> MGM retained control over the costumes and the artificial lake background, which went back to the United States.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> The chariots were also returned to the U.S., where they were used as promotional props.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> The life-size galleys and pirate ships were dismantled to prevent them from being used by competing studios.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> Some of the horses were adopted by the men who trained them, while others were sold.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> Many of the camels, donkeys, and other exotic animals were sold to circuses and zoos in Europe.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" />

===Editing===
A total of {{convert|1100000|ft|m}} was shot for the film.<ref name="Race213">"'Ben-Hur to Race for 213 Minutes." ''[[The New York Times]].'' October 7, 1959.</ref> According to editor [[John Dunning (film editor)|John D. Dunning]], the first cut of the film was four and a half hours long.<ref name="Dunning253" />{{Efn|A mass media report in March 1959 indicated the running time was actually closer to five hours.<ref name="PryorExtras">Pryor, Thomas M. "Extras Negotiate for Pay Increases." ''[[The New York Times]].'' March 15, 1959.</ref>}} William Wyler stated that his goal was to bring the running time down to three and a half hours.<ref name="PryorExtras" /> The most difficult editing decisions, according to Dunning, came during scenes that involved Jesus Christ, as these contained almost no dialogue and most of the footage was purely reaction shots by actors.<ref>Dunning, pp.&nbsp;253–54.</ref> Dunning also believed that in the final cut the leper scene was too long and needed trimming. Editing was also complicated by the 70mm footage being printed. Because no editing equipment (such as the [[Moviola]]) existed which could handle the 70mm print, the 70mm footage would be reduced to 35mm and then cut. This caused much of the image to be lost.<ref>Dunning, p. 255.</ref> When the film was edited into its final form, it ran 213 minutes and included just {{convert|19000|ft|m}} of film.<ref name="Race213" />

===Musical score===
The film score was composed and conducted by [[Miklós Rózsa]], who had scored most of MGM's historical films of the 1950s.<ref name="Herman411">Herman, p. 411.</ref> Rózsa researched Greek and Roman music, incorporating this work into his score for authenticity. Rózsa himself directed the 100-piece MGM Symphony Orchestra during the 12 recording sessions (which stretched over 72 hours). The soundtrack was recorded in six-channel stereo.<ref name="Making30" /> More than three hours of music were composed for the film,<ref name="SoundTrack">[https://books.google.com/books?id=TggEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA19&dq=%22Ben-hur%22%20score%20%22Miklos%20Rosza%22&pg=PA19#v=onepage&q=%22Ben-hur%22%20score%20%22Miklos%20Rosza%22 "On the Sound Track." ''Billboard.'' July 20, 1959, p. 19.] Accessed December 27, 2011.</ref> and two-and-a-half hours of it were finally used, making it at the time the longest score ever composed for a motion picture. It was finally surpassed in 2021 by the near 4-hour long score of [[Zack Snyder's Justice League]].<ref name="Winkler329">Winkler, p. 329.</ref> The score contains no [[leitmotif]]s for the main characters. While not a leitmotif, the score does transition from full [[orchestra]] to [[pipe organ]] whenever Jesus Christ appears.<ref name="Making30" />

Rózsa won his third Academy Award for his score. {{As of|2001}}, it is the only musical score in the ancient and medieval epic genre of film to win an Oscar.<ref name="Winkler329"/> Like most film musical soundtracks, it was issued as an album for the public to enjoy as a distinct piece of music. The score was so lengthy that it had to be released in 1959 on three [[LP record]]s, although a one-LP version with [[Carlo Savina]] conducting the Symphony Orchestra of Rome was also issued. In addition, to provide a more "listenable" album, Rózsa arranged his score into a "''Ben-Hur'' Suite", which was released on Lion Records (an MGM subsidiary that issued low-priced records) in 1959.<ref name="SoundTrack" /><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=RAoEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA24&dq=%22Ben-Hur%22%20%22Lion%20Records%22&pg=PA24#v=onepage&q=%22Ben-Hur%22%20%22Lion%20Records%22 "Discourse." ''Billboard.'' November 23, 1959, p. 24.] Accessed April 21, 2012.</ref> This made the ''Ben-Hur'' film musical score the first to be released not only in its entirety but also as a separate album.<ref name="Winkler329"/>

The ''Ben-Hur'' score has been considered the best of Rózsa's career.<ref>MacDonald, p. 1966.</ref> The musical soundtrack to ''Ben-Hur'' remained deeply influential into the mid 1970s, when film music composed by [[John Williams]] for films such as ''[[Jaws (soundtrack)|Jaws]]'', ''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (soundtrack)|Star Wars]]'', and ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark (soundtrack)|Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' became more popular among composers and film-goers.<ref>Winkler, pp.&nbsp;329–30.</ref> Rózsa's score has since seen several notable re-releases, including by the [[Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra]] on [[Capitol Records]] in 1967, several of the tracks by the United Kingdom's [[National Philharmonic Orchestra|National Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus]] on [[Decca Records]] in 1977 and a [[Sony Music Entertainment|Sony Music]] reissue as a two-[[Compact Disc|CD]] set in 1991.<ref name="LinerNotes">{{cite magazine|url=http://filmscoremonthly.com/notes/ben_hur.html|author= DeWald, Frank K. |title= ''Ben-Hur''. Online Liner Notes.|magazine= Film Score Monthly|year=2012|access-date=April 21, 2012}}</ref> In 2012, ''[[Film Score Monthly]]'' [[WaterTower Music]] issued a limited edition five-CD set of music from the film. A two-CD set was released by Tadlow Music in 2017 of the complete motion picture score by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus.

==Chariot race sequence==
[[File:Ben-Hur wreckage.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Chariot wreckage in ''Ben-Hur'']]

The chariot race in ''Ben-Hur'' was directed by [[Andrew Marton]] and [[Yakima Canutt]],<ref>Wyler, p. 216.</ref> filmmakers who often acted as [[second unit]] directors on other people's films. Each man had an assistant director, who shot additional footage.<ref>Dunning, p. 252</ref> Among these were [[Sergio Leone]],<ref>Solomon, p. 15.</ref> who was senior assistant director in the second unit and responsible for retakes.<ref>Frayling, p. 97.</ref> William Wyler shot the "pageantry" sequence that occurs before the race, scenes of the jubilant crowd, and the victory scenes after the race concludes.<ref>Dunning, p. 251.</ref> The "pageantry" sequence before the race begins is a shot-by-shot remake of the same sequence from the 1925 silent film version.<ref name="Brownlow413">Brownlow, p. 413.</ref> Knowing that the chariot race would be primarily composed of [[close-up]] and [[medium shot]]s, Wyler added the parade in formation (even though it was not historically accurate) to impress the audience with the grandeur of the arena.<ref name="Herman402">Herman, p. 402.</ref>

===Set design===
The chariot arena was modeled on a historic [[Circus (building)|circus]] in Jerusalem.<ref name="Cyrino73" /> Covering {{convert|18|acre|ha}}, it was the largest film set ever built at that time.<ref name="Couglan">[https://books.google.com/books?id=RVUEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA119&dq=%22Ben-Hur%22%20chariot%20race%20%2218%20acres%22&pg=PA119#v=onepage&q=%22Ben-Hur%22%20chariot%20race%20%2218%20acres%22 Coughlan, p. 119.]</ref> Constructed at a cost of $1 million, it took a thousand workmen more than a year to carve the oval out of a rock quarry.<ref name="Freiman 29"/><ref name="Cyrino73" /> The racetrack featured {{convert|1500|ft|m|adj=on}} long straights and five-story-high grandstands.<ref name="Cyrino73" /> Over {{convert|250|mi|km}} of metal tubing were used to erect the grandstands.<ref name="HawkinsAnswer" /> [[Matte painting]]s created the illusion of upper stories of the grandstands and the background mountains.<ref name="Solomon210">Solomon, p. 210.</ref> More than {{convert|40000|ST|MT}} of sand were brought in from beaches on the Mediterranean to cover the track.<ref>Pomerance, p. 9.</ref> Other elements of the ''circus'' were also historically accurate. Imperial Roman racecourses featured a raised {{convert|10|ft|m|adj=on}} high ''spina'' (the center section), ''metae'' (columnar goalposts at each end of the ''spina''), dolphin-shaped lap counters, and ''carceres'' (the columned building in the rear which housed the cells where horses waited prior to the race).<ref name="Solomon210" /><ref name="Herman398">Herman, p. 398.</ref> The four statues atop the ''spina'' were {{convert|30|ft|m}} high.<ref name="Hudgins">Hudgins, Morgan. "'Ben-Hur' Rides Again." ''[[The New York Times]].'' August 10, 1958.</ref> A chariot track identical in size was constructed next to the set and used to train the horses and lay out camera shots.<ref name="Herman398" />

===Preparation===
[[File:Lipizzaner DSC02450.jpg|thumb|Lipizzan horses, like this one in [[Vienna]], were used for chariot teams in ''Ben-Hur''.]]

Planning for the chariot race took nearly a year to complete.<ref name="Cyrino73" /> Seventy-eight horses were bought and imported from [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] and [[Sicily]] in November 1957, exercised into peak physical condition, and trained by Hollywood animal handler Glenn Randall to pull the ''quadriga'' (a Roman Empire chariot drawn by four horses abreast).<ref name="Making27">Freiman, p. 27.</ref><ref name="Cyrino73" /> [[Andalusian horse]]s played Ben-Hur's Arabians, while the others in the chariot race were primarily [[Lipizzan]]s.<ref>Solomon, pp. 207, 210.</ref> A [[veterinarian]], a harness maker, and 20 stable boys were employed to care for the horses and ensure they were outfitted for racing each day.<ref name="Making27" /> The firm of Danesi Brothers<ref name="Making28">Freiman, p. 28.</ref> built 18 chariots,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wz8EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Ben-Hur%22%20eighteen%20chariots&pg=PA71|title=''Ben-Hur'' Rides a Chariot Again|publisher=Life magazine|page=71|date=January 19, 1959}}</ref> nine of which were used for practice,<ref name="Making28" /> each weighing {{convert|900|lb|kg}}.<ref name="Solomon207" /> Principal cast members, stand-ins, and stunt people made 100 practice laps of the arena in preparation for shooting.<ref name="Solomon213" />

Heston and Boyd both had to learn how to drive a chariot. Heston, an experienced horseman, took daily three-hour lessons in chariot driving after he arrived in Rome and picked up the skill quickly.{{efn|Heston also learned swordfighting, how to throw a [[javelin]], camel riding, and rowing.<ref>Raymond, pp.&nbsp;32–33.</ref>}}<ref name="Herman401" /><ref name="Solomon129">Solomon, p. 129.</ref> Heston was outfitted with special contact lenses to prevent the grit kicked up during the race from injuring his eyes.<ref name="Solomon129" /> For the other charioteers, six actors with extensive experience with horses were flown in from Hollywood, including Giuseppe Tosi, who had once been a bodyguard for [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy]].<ref name="Making25" />

===Filming===
The chariot scene took five weeks (spread over three months) to film at a total cost of $1 million<ref name="Herman405"/> and required more than {{convert|200|mi|km}} of racing to complete.<ref name="Couglan" /> Marton and [[Yakima Canutt]] filmed the entire chariot sequence with stunt doubles in long shot, edited the footage together, and showed the footage to Zimbalist, Wyler, and Heston to show them what the race should look like and to indicate where close-up shots with Heston and Boyd should go.<ref name="Herman405">Herman, p. 405</ref> Seven thousand extras were hired to cheer in the stands.<ref name="BlockWilson411" /><ref name="Couglan" />{{Efn|There is dispute over the number of extras used in the chariot race scenes. At least one non-contemporary source puts the number at 15,000. See: Cyrino, p. 73.}} Economic conditions in Italy were poor at the time, and as shooting for the chariot scene wound down only 1,500 extras were needed on any given day. On June 6, more than 3,000 people seeking work were turned away. The crowd rioted, throwing stones and assaulting the set's gates until police arrived and dispersed them.<ref>"Romans in Mob Scene Not in 'Ben Hur' Script." ''United Press International.'' June 7, 1958.</ref> Dynamite charges were used to show the chariot wheels and axles splintering from the effects of Messala's barbed-wheel attacks.<ref name="Solomon210" /> Three lifelike dummies were placed at key points in the race to give the appearance of men being run over by chariots.<ref name="Didinger157">Didinger, p. 157</ref>

The cameras used during the chariot race also presented problems. The 70mm lenses had a minimum focusing distance of {{convert|50|ft|m}}, and the camera was mounted on a small Italian-made car so the camera crew could keep in front of the chariots. The horses, however, accelerated down the {{convert|1500|ft|m|adj=on}} straight much faster than the car could, and the long focal length left Marton and Canutt with too little time to get their shots. The production company purchased a more powerful American car, but the horses were still too fast, and even with a head start, the filmmakers only had a few more seconds of shot time. As filming progressed, vast amounts of footage were shot for this sequence. The ratio of footage shot to footage used was 263:1,<!--for the whole movie, or just this scene, as the text implies?--> one of the highest ratios ever for a film.<ref name="Didinger157" />

One of the most notable moments in the race came from a near-fatal accident when stunt man Joe Canutt, Yakima Canutt's son, was tossed into the air by accident; he incurred a minor chin injury.<ref name="Raymond32" /> Marton wanted to keep the shot, but Zimbalist felt the footage was unusable. Marton conceived the idea of showing that Ben-Hur was able to land on and cling to the front of his chariot, then scramble back into the ''quadriga'' while the horses kept going.<ref name="Herman407">Herman, p. 407</ref> The long shot of Canutt's accident was cut together with a close-up of Heston climbing back aboard, resulting in one of the race's most memorable moments.<ref>Canutt and Drake, pp.&nbsp;16–19.</ref> Boyd did all but two of his own stunts.<ref name="Eagan560" /> For the sequence where Messala is dragged beneath a chariot's horses and trampled, Boyd wore steel armor under his costume and acted out the close-up shot and the shot of him on his back, attempting to climb up into the horses' harness to escape injury. A dummy was used to obtain the trampling shot in this sequence.<ref name="Raymond32">Raymond, p. 32.</ref>

Several [[urban legend]]s exist regarding the chariot sequence. One claims that a stuntman died during filming, which [[Nosher Powell]] claims in his autobiography,<ref>Powell, p.254.</ref> and another states that a red [[Ferrari]] can be seen during the chariot race. The book ''Movie Mistakes'' claims this is a myth.<ref>Sandys, p. 5.</ref> Heston, in a DVD commentary track for the film, mentions that a third urban legend claims that he wore a wristwatch during the chariot race, but points out that he wore leather [[bracer]]s up to the elbow.<ref name="Nichols">Nichols, Peter M. "Home Video: All of 'Ben-Hur' and Its Secrets." ''[[The New York Times]].'' March 16, 2001.</ref>

According to film historians, dozens of horses were killed during the production of the film.<ref name=Hagopian>{{Cite web |last=Hagopian |first=Kevin Jack |title=Film Notes -Ben Hur |url=https://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/webpages4/filmnotes/fnf98n5.html |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=www.albany.edu}}</ref> B. Reeves Eason, the second-unit director of ''Ben-Hur'', reportedly ordered horses be shot and killed, without seeking veterinary care. Francis X. Bushman, the film's leading man, said, "If it limped, they shot it."<ref name=Hagopian />

==Release==
[[File:Persconferentie in het Carltonhotel door filmactrice Haya Harareet, Bestanddeelnr 911-6572.jpg|thumb|right|Haya Harareet promoting the film in Amsterdam in October 1960]]

A massive $14.7 million marketing effort helped promote ''Ben-Hur.''<ref name="BlockWilson324"/> MGM established a special "Ben-Hur Research Department" which surveyed more than 2,000 high schools in 47 American cities to gauge teenage interest in the film.<ref name="Doherty">Doherty, p. 189.</ref> A high school study guide was also created and distributed.<ref name="Doherty" /> Sindlinger and Company was hired to conduct a nationwide survey to gauge the impact of the marketing campaign.<ref>Dowdy, p. 6.</ref> In 1959 and 1960, more than $20 million in candy; children's tricycles in the shape of chariots; gowns; hair [[barrette]]s; items of jewelry; men's ties; bottles of perfume; "Ben-Her" and "Ben-His" towels; toy armor, helmets, and swords; umbrellas; and hardback and paperback versions of the novel (tied to the film with cover art) were sold.<ref name="Solomon213" /><ref name="Herman411" />

''Ben-Hur'' premiered at [[Loews Cineplex Entertainment|Loew's]] State Theatre in [[New York City]] on November 18, 1959. Present at the premiere were William Wyler, Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, Martha Scott, [[Ramon Novarro]] (who played Judah Ben-Hur in the 1925 silent film version), [[Spyros Skouras]] (president of the [[20th Century Fox]]), [[Barney Balaban]] (president of [[Paramount Pictures]]), [[Jack L. Warner]] (president of [[Warner Bros.]]), [[Leonard Goldenson]] (president of the [[American Broadcasting Company]]), [[Moss Hart]] (playwright), [[Robert Kintner]] (an ABC Television executive), [[Sidney Kingsley]] (playwright), and [[Adolph Zukor]] (founder of Paramount Pictures).<ref>{{cite news |title=Notables at Premiere |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/19/archives/notables-at-premiere-skouras-warner-zukor-and-balaban-attend-benhur.html |work=The New York Times |page=50 |date=November 19, 1959 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===Box office===
During its initial release the film earned $33.6 million in North American [[gross rental|theater rentals]] (the distributor's share of the box office), generating approximately $74.7 million in box office sales. It was number one at the monthly US box office for six months.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=September 7, 1960|page=4|last=Wear|first=Mike|title='Ben-Hur' Champ for Sixth in Row; 'Psycho,' 'Oceans' Close Behind; Aug. B.O. Great Via Blockbusters|url=https://archive.org/details/variety220-1960-09/page/n3/mode/2up|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Outside of North America, it earned $32.5 million in rentals (about $72.2 million at the box office) for a worldwide total of $66.1 million in rental earnings, roughly equivalent to $146.9 million in box office receipts.<ref name="BlockWilson324">Block and Wilson, p. 324.</ref> It was the fastest-grossing film<ref name="BlockWilson411" /> as well as the highest-grossing film of 1959,<ref>Stempel, p. 23.</ref> in the process becoming the second-highest-grossing film of all-time (at that time) behind ''Gone with the Wind''.<ref name="Thomas (1963)">{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=Bob |work=[[The Robesonian]] |title=Movie Finances Are No Longer Hidden From Scrutiny |date=August 1, 1963 |page=[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QsBVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iUANAAAAIBAJ&pg=7022,1836881 10]|via=[[Google News Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2016/03/16/ben-hur-summers-last-tentpole-gets-a-trailer/|title='Ben-Hur,' Summer's Last Tentpole, Gets A Trailer|author=Scott Mendelson|work=[[Forbes]]|date=March 16, 2016|access-date=March 17, 2016}}</ref> ''Ben-Hur'' saved MGM from financial disaster,<ref name="Malone23">Malone, p. 23.</ref> making a profit of $20,409,000 on its initial release,<ref name="Mannix">{{Citation | title = The Eddie Mannix Ledger | publisher = Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study | place = Los Angeles}}</ref> and another $10.1 million in profits when re-released in 1969.<ref name="BlockWilson411" /> By 1989, ''Ben-Hur'' had earned $90 million in worldwide theatrical rentals.<ref>Ross, pp. 278–79.</ref>

===Critical reception===
''Ben-Hur'' received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release.<ref name="Macdonald">Wreszin and Macdonald, p. 13.</ref> [[Bosley Crowther]], writing for ''[[The New York Times]]'', called ''Ben-Hur'' "a remarkably intelligent and engrossing human drama".<ref name="Crowther">{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/19/archives/the-screen-benhur-a-blockbuster-mgm-spectacle-opens-at-the-loews.html |title=The Screen: 'Ben-Hur,' a Blockbuster |work=The New York Times |page=50 |date=November 19, 1959}}</ref> While praising the acting and William Wyler's "close-to" direction, he also had high praise for the chariot race: "There has seldom been anything in movies to compare with this picture's chariot race. It is a stunning complex of mighty setting, thrilling action by horses and men, panoramic observation and overwhelming use of dramatic sound."<ref name="Crowther" /> Jack Gaver, writing for [[United Press International]], also had praise for the acting, calling it full of "genuine warmth and fervor and finely acted intimate scenes".<ref>{{cite news |last=Gaver |first=Jack |title=Ben-Hur' Grandiose, Gripping Spectacle |agency=United Press International |date=November 20, 1959}}</ref> Philip K. Scheuer of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called it "magnificent, inspiring, awesome, enthralling, and all the other adjectives you have been reading about it".<ref name="Scheuer">Scheuer, Philip K. (November 25, 1959). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82998850/philip-k-scheuers-review-of-ben-hur/ "Magnificent 'Ben-Hur' Inspiring in Premiere"]. ''Los Angeles Times''. Part I, pp. 2, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82999069/philip-k-scheuers-review-of-ben-hur/ 9] – via [[Newspapers.com]]. {{Open access}}</ref> He also called the editing "generally expert" although at times abrupt.<ref name="Scheuer" /> Ronald Holloway, writing for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', called ''Ben-Hur'' "a majestic achievement, representing a superb blending of the motion picture arts by master craftsmen", and concluded that "''Gone With the Wind'', Metro's own champion all-time top grosser, will eventually have to take a back seat".<ref name="Holloway">{{cite news |last=Holloway |first=Ronald |url=https://variety.com/1959/film/reviews/ben-hur-2-1200419494/ |title=Film Reviews: Ben-Hur |work=Variety |date=November 17, 1959 |page=6}}</ref> The chariot race "will probably be preserved in film archives as the finest example of the use of the motion picture camera to record an action sequence. The race, directed by Andrew Marton and Yakima Canutt, represents some 40 minutes {{sic}}{{efn|The chariot race lasts just over 8-and-a-half minutes. The entire circus sequence lasts just over 28-and-a-half minutes.}} of the most hair-raising excitement that film audiences have ever witnessed."<ref name="Holloway" />

There was some criticism, however. Crowther felt the film was too long.<ref name="Crowther" /> Scheuer, while mostly praising the film, felt that its biggest fault was "overstatement", and that it hammered home at points long after they had been made. He singled out the galley rowing sequence, Jesus's journey to the place of crucifixion, and nearly all the sequences involving the lepers. He also lightly criticized Charlton Heston for being more physically than emotionally compelling.<ref name="Scheuer" /> [[John McCarten]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' was more critical of Heston, writing that he "speaks English as if he'd learned it from records".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=McCarten |first=John |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1959/12/05/the-childrens-hours |title=The Children's Hours |magazine=The New Yorker |date=December 5, 1959 |page=153 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Film critic [[Dwight Macdonald]] also was largely negative.<ref name="Macdonald"/> He found the film so uninvolving and lengthy that he said, "I felt like a motorist trapped at a railroad crossing while a long freight train slowly trundles by."<ref>Wreszin and Macdonald, p. 16.</ref> British film critic John Pym, writing for ''[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]'', was equally dismissive, calling the film a "four-hour Sunday school lesson".<ref>Pym, p. 91.</ref> Many French and American film critics who subscribed to the [[auteur theory]] of filmmaking saw the film as confirmation of their belief that William Wyler was "merely a commercial craftsman" rather than a serious artist.<ref name="Herman394" />

In December 1959, in her review for the London ''[[The Sunday Times|Sunday Times]]'', the veteran English film critic [[Dilys Powell]] expressed many serious reservations about the film, but she still lavished praise on the film:
{{quote|It is the best chariot race in the world, and no mistake. By now everybody has said so, and ... [my] only hope is that admiration may have special force when it is extorted from somebody who dislikes chariot races, shrinks from Biblical fiction and detests films ... which include the Crucifixion ...
... of the parts of this long, opulent film with its colour, its bright, sharp images, its stunning spectacle and its size ... I cannot complain. I still find that the whole is alien from me ...
... Nevertheless, if we must have films of this kind this is the one to have. After all, the spectacular scenes remain: the sea-fight, the Triumph, a magnificent storm and, of course, the chariot race—a scene superbly shot, superbly edited, superb in every way. I have never seen anything of its sort to touch it for excitement.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Perry, George |author2=Powell, Dilys |title=The Golden Screen: Fifty Years of Films |location=London |publisher=[[Pavilion Books]] |year=1989 |pages=158–159 |isbn=978-1-851-45342-9}}</ref>}}

The [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported that 86% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 51 reviews collected, with an average rating of 8.30/10. The critics consensus reads, "Uneven, but in terms of epic scope and grand spectacle, ''Ben-Hur'' still ranks among Hollywood's finest examples of pure entertainment."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/benhur |title=Ben-Hur (1959) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date=May 26, 2021}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 90 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/ben-hur-1959 |title=Ben-Hur (1959) Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=October 27, 2019}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{| class="infobox" style="width: 23em; font-size: 85%;"
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" | [[32nd Academy Awards]]
|-
| '''1. [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]''' – [[Sam Zimbalist]] <small>([[List of posthumous Academy Award winners and nominees|posthumous award]])</small>
|-
| '''2. [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]''' – [[William Wyler]]
|-
| '''3. [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor in a Leading Role]]''' – [[Charlton Heston]]
|-
| '''4. [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Actor in a Supporting Role]]''' – [[Hugh Griffith]]
|-
| '''5. [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction-Set Decoration – Color]]''' – [[Edward Carfagno|Edward C. Carfagno]] and [[William A. Horning]] <small>([[List of posthumous Academy Award winners and nominees|posthumous award]])</small> (art direction); [[Hugh Hunt]] (set decoration)
|-
| '''6. [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography – Color]]''' – [[Robert Surtees (cinematographer)|Robert L. Surtees]]
|-
| '''7. [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design – Color]]''' – [[Elizabeth Haffenden]]
|-
| '''8. [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]''' – [[John Dunning (film editor)|John D. Dunning]] and [[Ralph E. Winters]]
|-
| '''9. [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound Recording]]''' – [[Franklin Milton]], MGM Studio Sound Department
|-
| '''10. [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Music – Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture]]''' – [[Miklós Rózsa]]
|-
| '''11. [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Special Effects]]''' – [[A. Arnold Gillespie]], [[Robert MacDonald (visual effects)|Robert MacDonald]], and [[Milo Lory]]
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" | [[17th Golden Globe Awards]]
|-
| '''1. [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]]'''
|-
| '''2. [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]]''' – [[William Wyler]]
|-
| '''3. [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]]''' – [[Stephen Boyd]]
|}
''Ben-Hur'' was nominated for 12 [[Academy Awards]] and [[List of Academy Award-winning films|won an unprecedented 11]]. {{asof|2022||df=}}, only ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'' in 1998 and ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'' in 2004 have matched the film's wins.<ref name="Oscars1960">{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1960 |title=The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners |access-date=August 21, 2011 |work=oscars.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706094204/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/32nd-winners.html |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Dirks |first=Tim |title=Academy Awards Summaries |work=[[Filmsite.org]] |publisher=[[AMC Networks]] |url=http://www.filmsite.org/oscars2.html |access-date=June 24, 2012}}</ref> The only category that ''Ben-Hur'' did not win was for [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] (losing to ''[[Room at the Top (1959 film)|Room at the Top]]''), and most observers attributed this to the controversy over the writing credit.<ref name="Eagan560" /><ref name="Herman412">Herman, p. 412</ref> MGM and [[Panavision]] shared a special technical Oscar in March 1960 for developing the Camera 65 photographic process.<ref>Clark, p. 151.</ref>

''Ben-Hur'' also won three [[Golden Globe Award]]s – [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]] for Stephen Boyd – and received a Special Achievement Award (which went to Andrew Marton for directing the chariot race sequence).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1960 |title=Winners & Nominees 1960 |website=Golden Globes |access-date=August 7, 2021}}</ref> Heston was nominated for a Golden Globe in the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]] category, but did not win. The picture also won the [[BAFTA Award for Best Film]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://awards.bafta.org/award/1960/film |title=Film in 1960 |website=BAFTA.org |access-date=August 7, 2021}}</ref> the [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Weiler |first=A. H. |title='Ben-Hur,' Stewart, Audrey Hepburn Cited by Critics |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/12/29/archives/benhur-stewart-audrey-hepburn-cited-by-critics-mgm-movie-voted-best.html |work=The New York Times |page=21 |date=December 29, 1959 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> and the [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Motion Picture]] for [[William Wyler]]'s masterful direction.<ref>Sennett, p. 289.</ref>

''Ben-Hur'' also appears on several "best of" lists generated by the [[American Film Institute]], an independent non-profit organization created by the [[National Endowment for the Arts]] in 1967. The "[[AFI 100 Years... series]]" were created by juries consisting of over 1,500 artists, scholars, critics, and historians, with movies selected based on the film's popularity over time, historical significance, and cultural impact. ''Ben-Hur'' appeared at #72 on the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies|100 Movies]], #49 on the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills|100 Thrills]], #21 on the [[AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores|Film Scores]], #56 on the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers|100 Cheers]] and #2 on the [[AFI's 10 Top 10]] [[Epic film]] lists. In 2004, the [[National Film Preservation Board]] selected ''Ben-Hur'' for preservation by the [[National Film Registry]] for being a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" motion picture.<ref>Van Gelder, Lawrence. "Arts, Briefly." ''[[The New York Times]].'' December 29, 2004.</ref> It was listed as number 491 on [[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'s 500 Greatest films of all time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cinemarealm.com/best-of-cinema/empires-500-greatest-movies-of-all-time/ |title=500 Greatest films of all time |website=Empire |access-date=July 17, 2016}}</ref>

===Broadcast===
The film's first telecast took place on Sunday, February 14, 1971.<ref name="Cowley">Cowley, p. ii.</ref> In what was a television first for a Hollywood film, it was broadcast over five hours (including commercials) during a single evening by CBS,<ref>''The Alfred I. Du Pont-Columbia University Survey of Broadcast Journalism'', p. 98; Segrave, p. 82.</ref>{{efn|[[Victor Davis Hanson]] erroneously states it was telecast over four nights. See: Cowley, p. ii.}} preempting all of that network's regular programming for that one evening. It was watched by 85.82 million people for a 37.1 average rating.<ref>{{cite magazine |title='GWTW' Knocks ABC out of first for week, Sets Modern Nielsen Record |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1976/1976-11-15-BC.pdf |magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=November 15, 1976 |page=56 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> It was one of the highest-rated movies ever screened on television at the time (behind the broadcast premieres of ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]'' and ''[[Bridge on the River Kwai]]'').<ref>Kramer, p. 45.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hit Movies on U.S. TV Since 1961|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=January 24, 1990|page=160}}</ref>

===Home media===
''Ben-Hur'' has been released on home video on several occasions. A two-sided single disc [[widescreen]] release occurred in the United States on March 13, 2001.<ref name="Nichols" /> This release included several featurettes, including a commentary by Charlton Heston, a making-of documentary (made for a [[laserdisc]] release in 1993), screen tests, and a photo gallery.<ref name="Nichols" /> This edition was released soon thereafter as a two-disc set in other countries. The film saw another DVD release on September 13, 2005.<ref name="Kehr">{{cite news |last=Kehr |first=Dave |title=New DVD's |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/13/movies/new-dvds.html |work=The New York Times |date=September 13, 2005}}</ref> This four-disc edition included remastered images and audio, an additional commentary, two additional featurettes, and a complete version of [[Ben-Hur (1925 film)|the 1925 silent version of ''Ben-Hur'']].<ref name="Kehr" /> A boxed "Deluxe Edition", issued in the U.S. in 2002, included postcard-sized reprints of [[lobby card]]s, postcard-sized black-and-white stills with machine-reproduced autographs of cast members, a matte-framed color image from the film with a 35mm film frame mounted below it, and a {{convert|27|by|40|in|cm|adj=on}} reproduction film poster.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nichols |first=Peter |title=Home Video: Old Favorites in a New Format |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/04/movies/home-video-old-favorites-in-a-new-format.html |work=The New York Times |page=E35 |date=January 4, 2002}}</ref>

In 2011, [[Warner Home Video]] released a 50th anniversary edition on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, making it the first home release where the film is present on its original aspect ratio.<ref>{{cite news |last=Taylor |first=Charles |title=Other New Releases |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9C03E6D8173CF93BA2575AC0A9679D8B63.html |work=The New York Times |date=September 18, 2011}}</ref> For this release, the film was completely restored frame by frame from an 8K scan of the original 65mm negative. The restoration cost $1 million, and was one of the highest resolution restorations ever made by Warner Bros.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.ca/Ben-Hur-Anniversary-Ultimate-Collectors-Edition/dp/B0054RFUTU|title=Ben-Hur (50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] |publisher=Amazon |access-date=March 18, 2014}}</ref> A new musical soundtrack-only option and six new featurettes (one of which was an hour long) were also included.<ref>{{cite web|title='Ben-Hur (50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition)'|url=http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6482_7-10000620-5.html|work=[[CNET]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=March 18, 2014|date=December 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319001102/http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6482_7-10000620-5.html|archive-date=March 19, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Ban in China===
The movie was banned in China under the regime of [[Mao Zedong]] for containing "propaganda of superstitious beliefs, namely Christianity."{{cn|date=April 2021}}

==Comic book adaptation==
* ''[[Dell Comics|Dell]] [[Four Color]]'' #1052 (November 1959)<ref>{{gcdb issue|id=15318|title=Dell Four Color #1052}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://stephenboydblog.com/2016/05/11/ben-hur-dell-movie-classic-comic-book-from-1959/ | title=Ben-Hur Dell Movie Classic Comic Book from 1959| date=May 11, 2016}}</ref> • 32 pages in full color, plus covers • Published by [[Dell Publishing|Dell Publishing Co., Inc.]] • Designed and produced by [[Western Publishing|Western Printing and Lithographing Co.]] • Copyright © 1959 by [[Loew's Incorporated]] • (Cover painting by [[Sam Savitt]] • Drawn by [[Russ Manning]]) [ Authorized movie tie-in ]

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1959]]
* [[List of historical drama films]]
* [[List of films set in ancient Rome]]
* [[List of films featuring slavery]]
* [[List of Academy Award records]]

==References==
;Notes
{{notelist|25em}}

;Citations
{{reflist|25em}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin|25em}}
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* {{cite book|last=Altman|first=Rick|title=Sound Theory, Sound Practice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uSPZkqjNvnkC|year=1992|publisher=Psychology Press|location=Florence, Ky|isbn=978-0-415-90457-5}}
* "An Actor to Watch." ''Coronet.'' January 1, 1959.
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* "''Ben-Hur'' Rides a Chariot Again." ''Life.'' January 19, 1959.
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* {{cite book|last=Dunning|first=John D.|chapter='Good Stuff' Never Changes: John D. Dunning|title=First Cut: Conversations With Film Editors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MzACShdrWBMC|editor-first=Gabriella|editor-last=Oldham|location=Berkeley, Calif.|publisher=University of California Press|year=1995|isbn=0-520-07586-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Eagan|first=Daniel|title=America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry|url=https://archive.org/details/americasfilmlega0000eaga|url-access=registration|year=2010|publisher=Continuum|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8264-2977-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Eldridge|first=David|title=Hollywood's History Films|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9pD4p0AJSkgC|year=2006|publisher=I.B. Tauris|location=London|isbn=978-1-84511-061-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Eyman|first=Scott|title=The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution 1926–1930|url=https://archive.org/details/speedofsoundholl00eyma|url-access=registration|year=1997|publisher=Simon and Schuster|location=New York|isbn=978-1-4391-0428-6}}
* Feeney, F.X. "Ben-Gore: Romancing the Word With Gore Vidal." ''Written By.'' December 1997 – January 1998.
* {{cite book|last=Frayling|first=Christopher|title=Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans From Karl May to Sergio Leone|location=London|publisher=I.B. Tauris|year=2006|isbn=978-1-84511-207-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Freiman|first=Ray|title=The Story of the Making of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vLoYHAAACAAJ|year=1959|publisher=Random House|location=New York}}
* {{cite book|last=Gates|first=Phyllis|title=My Husband, Rock Hudson|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B5kDHAAACAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Headline Book Publishing|isbn=978-0-7472-3146-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Giddins|first=Gary|title=Warning Shadows: Home Alone with Classic Cinema|url=https://archive.org/details/warningshadowsho0000gidd|url-access=registration|year=2010|publisher=W. W. Norton|location=New York|isbn=978-0-393-33792-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Haines|first=Richard W.|title=Technicolor Movies: The History of Dye Transfer Printing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DFXhGtNKh0wC|year=1993|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-7864-1809-1}}
* {{cite book|last1=Hall|first1=Sheldon|last2=Neale|first2=Stephen|title=Epics, Spectacles, and Blockbusters: A Hollywood History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jhvrSwOOsRgC|year=2010|publisher=Wayne State University Press|location=Detroit|isbn=978-0-8143-3008-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Heater|first=Claude|title=Fatal Flaws of the Most Correct Book on Earth|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KKNW23AYbwQC|year=2007|location=Maitland, Florida|publisher=Xulon Press|isbn=978-1-60266-494-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Herman|first=Jan|title=A Talent for Trouble: The Life of Hollywood's Most Acclaimed Director, William Wyler|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OIQumuY6auEC|year=1997|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-306-80798-5}}
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* {{cite book|last1=Hezser|first1=Catherine|chapter=Ben Hur and Ancient Jewish Slavery|title=A Wandering Galilean: Essays in Honour of Seán Freyne|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5I8zfmwEjjUC&pg=PA561|year=2009|publisher=Brill Academic Publishers|location=Boston|isbn=978-90-04-17355-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Hickman|first=Roger|title=Miklós Rózsa's Ben-Hur: A Film Score Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUKSAAAAQBAJ|year=2011|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Lanham, Md.| isbn=978-1-4616-6968-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Hofler|first=Robert|title=The Man who Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson|url=https://archive.org/details/manwhoinventedro00hofl|url-access=registration|year=2005|location=New York|publisher=Carroll & Graf|isbn=978-0-7867-1607-4}}
* {{cite book|last1=Joshel|first1=Sandra R.|last2=Malamud|first2=Margaret|last3=Jr.|first3=Donald T. McGuire|title=Imperial Projections: Ancient Rome in Modern Popular Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3NCIYRRIVUC|year=2005|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore|isbn=978-0-8018-8268-5}}
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* {{cite book|last=Monush|first=Barry|title=Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=toTIb1Ek2WwC|year=2003|publisher=Applause Theatre & Cinema Books|location=New York|isbn=978-1-55783-551-2}}
* {{cite book|last1=Morsberger|first1=Robert Eustis|last2=Morsberger|first2=Katharine M.|title=Lew Wallace, Militant Romantic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a3ZbAAAAMAAJ|year=1980|publisher=McGraw-Hill|location=New York|isbn=978-0-07-043305-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Mustazza|first=Leonard|title=The Literary Filmography: Preface, A-L|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZgMWAQAAIAAJ|year=2006|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-7864-2503-7}}
* "On the Sound Track." ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]].'' July 20, 1959.
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* {{cite book|last=Pomerance|first=Murray|title=American Cinema of the 1950s: Themes and Variations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jY2qkegkhc4C|year=2005|publisher=Rutgers University Press|location=New Brunswick, New Jersey|isbn=978-0-8135-3673-6}}
* {{cite book|last1=Powell|first1=Nosher|last2=Hall|first2=William|title=Nosher|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f6EpAAAACAAJ|year=2001|publisher=John Blake Publishing, Limited|isbn=978-1-85782-491-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Pratt|first=Douglas|title=Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!, Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DTUw1SDQECoC|location=New York|publisher=UNET 2 Corporation|year=2004|isbn=1-932916-00-8}}
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* Vidal, Gore. "How I Survived the Fifties." ''[[The New Yorker]]''. October 2, 1995.
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{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ben-Hur (1959 film)}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* ''Ben-Hur'' essay by Gabriel Miller at [[National Film Registry]] [https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/ben_hur.pdf]
* ''Ben-Hur'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pages 558-560 [https://books.google.com/books/about/America_s_Film_Legacy.html?id=deq3xI8OmCkC]

* {{IMDb title|0052618}}
* {{AFI film|52827}}
* {{amg movie|4794}}
* {{tcmdb title|id=2761}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|benhur/reviews}}

{{Ben-Hur}}
{{William Wyler}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''Ben-Hur''
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestPicture 1941-1960}}
{{BAFTA Best Film 1948-1960}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestMotionPictureDrama 1951-1960}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film}}
}}

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{{Good article}}

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