Erstwhile childhood friends, Judah Ben-Hur and Messala meet again as adults, this time with Roman officer Messala as conqueror and Judah as a wealthy, though conquered, Israelite. A slip of a brick during a Roman parade causes Judah to be sent off as a galley slave, his property confiscated and his mother and sister imprisoned. Years later, as a result of his determination to stay alive and his willingness to aid his Roman master, Judah returns to his homeland an exalted and wealthy Roman athlete. Unable to find his mother and sister, and believing them dead, he can think of nothing else than revenge against Messala.
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Ramon Novarro
Judah Ben-Hur
Francis X. Bushman
Messala
May McAvoy
Esther
Betty Bronson
Mary
Claire McDowell
Princess of Hur
Kathleen Key
Tirzah
Carmel Myers
Iras
Nigel De Brulier
Simonides
Mitchell Lewis
Sheik Ilderim
Leo White
Sanballat
Director
Fred Niblo
Tagline
"Amazing! Thrilling! Colossal! Mighty!"
Status
Released
Original Language
EN
Budget
$3,900,000
Revenue
$9,000,000
Production
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
sykobanana
April 24, 2021
What an epic. Watching this, you can see why Wyler wanted to remake it in the 50s. In this, you can see the emotions of the characters that are much more fleshed out compared to the first (unauthorised) screen version. Set design and costumes are grand, though the hairstyling is reminiscent of the 1920s (but maybe Romans were into that). The score is typical silent movie fare. Colourising...
Tourma
November 8, 2023
What an amazing, absolutely beautiful film. Especially for nearly a century ago, but for any movie ever. The backgrounds, the grand sets, the sheer amounts of extras, and the animation of the stars and the coloring of the biblical scenes. Just...wow. And topless women! Its got everything. (not Mary) WI first heard about this version after seeing a video on TCM about silent films. Gonna...
CinemaSerf
July 27, 2024
With the Roman legions securely ensconced in his Judaean homeland, Prince "Judah Ben-Hur" (Ramon Navarro) hopes that the arrival of his childhood friend "Messala" (Francis X. Bushman) might make things a bit easier for his conquered people. Fat chance! His erstwhile friend is far more concerned with impressing his boss and keeping the locals under control. An incident during the arrival procession...
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