Ben-Hur (1959)
88%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: Won 11 Oscars
29 wins & 16 nominations total
Uneven, but in terms of epic scope and grand spectacle, Ben-Hur still ranks among Hollywood’s finest examples of pure entertainment
Ben-Hur is a classic Hollywood epic that has stood the test of time, but let’s be real, it’s also a bit of a snooze-fest. Clocking in at almost four hours, it’s like waiting for a slow-moving train to pass by. However, the chariot race scene is still pretty epic and worth the wait. Plus, who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned tale of a man taking on the tyranny of the Romans? Overall, it’s a classic that’s worth watching, but maybe have a cup of coffee on hand to keep you awake.
Production Company(ies)
La Parti Productions, Les Armateurs Maybe Movies
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Corner of Via di Salone and Via delle Case Rosse, Salone Caves, Rome, Lazio, Italy
MPAA / Certificate
G
Year of Release
1959
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.75 : 1
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Runtime:3h 23m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 18, 1959 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 13, 2005
Genre(s)
Adventure/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, directed by William Wyler, written by Lew Wallace, Karl Tunberg, Adventure, Drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Hollywood Reporter, ReelViews, Daily Telegraph (UK), TIME Magazine, Chicago Reader, Time Out, JWR, produced by Sam Zimbalist, MPAA rating G, Roman Empire, slavery, Jesus, chariot race, sword and sandal epic, biblical backdrop, grand spectacle, powerful and gripping, strong performances, impressive world-building, kinetic energy, heart-pounding action sequences, groundbreaking, masterful, uneven narrative
Worldwide gross: $74,437,720
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $859,427,259
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 126
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 93,721,620
US/Canada gross: $74,432,704
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $859,369,346
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 20
US/Canada opening weekend: $241,792
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $2,791,631
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,168
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $15,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $173,183,822
Production budget ranking: 172
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $93,259,488
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $592,983,948
ROI to date (est.): 223%
ROI ranking: 585
Jack Hawkins – Quintus Arrius
Stephen Boyd – Messala
Haya Harareet – Esther
Hugh Griffith – Sheik Ilderim
Martha Scott – Miriam
Director(s)
William Wyler
Writer(s)
Lew Wallace, Karl Tunberg
Producer(s)
Sam Zimbalist
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 11 Oscars
29 wins & 16 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (8)
William Wyler never lets spectacle and size interfere with the elemental passions and conflicts of his human story. The spectacular aspects emerge naturally from the story — the time and place and the customs of the society in which the characters live.
November 19, 2018
Jack Harrison
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
Clocking in at three hours forty-two minutes, Ben-Hur overstays its welcome. Still, despite scenes that occasionally run too long, the movie doesn’t start to drag until after the chariot race and many of the early scenes are engaging.
October 7, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
Although it is a spectacle film, the story of how a man takes on the tyranny of the Romans, with all sorts of horrible consequences to himself and his family, is powerful and gripping.
January 1, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Martin Chilton
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The biggest and the best of Hollywood’s super-spectacles.
August 22, 2008
TIME Staff
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Entire new frontiers in boredom were opened up by this MGM whopper from 1959.
December 13, 2006
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The movie could be trying to say that for some people religion is an escape from their sexuality, but it seems unlikely.
January 26, 2006
Scott Meek
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Death by spectacle
May 8, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
James Wegg
JWR
62 years later, there’s not much to say more than this is; an absolute masterpiece. What was accomplished narratively and technically all those years ago is a work of film geniuses. [Full review in Spanish]
February 11, 2021 | Rating: 10/10
Victor Pineyro
Seventh Art Studio
Perhaps best known for the intensely climactic and lengthy chariot race, resulting in urban legend stuntmen deaths and one of the most widely recognized sequences ever filmed.
August 15, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
One of Wyler’s greatest achievements is the way he portrays Jesus Christ, made with elegance and genius. [Full Review in Spanish]
July 24, 2019 | Rating: 4.5/5
Juan Luis Caviaro
Espinof
Watching it was like waiting at a railroad crossing while an interminable freight train lumbers past, often stopping completely for a while.
July 11, 2019
Dwight MacDonald
Esquire Magazine
The chariot race still holds up.
April 12, 2019 | Rating: A
Rachel Wagner
rachelsreviews.net…
Plot
Judah Ben-Hur lives as a rich Jewish prince and merchant in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 1st century. Together with the new governor his old friend Messala arrives as commanding officer of the Roman legions. At first they are happy to meet after a long time but their different politic views separate them. During the welcome parade a roof tile falls down from Judah’s house and injures the governor. Although Messala knows they are not guilty, he sends Judah to the galleys and throws his mother and sister into prison. But Judah swears to come back and take revenge.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Ben-Hur.
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