Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ by William Wyler

Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Cinema Release Date: October 1960
Directed by William Wyler
With Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, more
Time: 03h32min Production Year: 1959
Distributor: Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM)

Synopsis: Judah Ben-Hur, a prince of Judea, finds his childhood friend Messala, who became the head of the garrison of Jerusalem. But their characters couldnot help themselves to maintain their friendships. 

                                            Ben Hur Trailer 1959

Unbelievable classic in the history of world films, Ben Hur crowned with 11 Oscars. Till now, Ben-Hur remains a pillar, a key monument in the history of the film. Adapted from "A Tale of Christ", a novel written in 1880 by U.S. General Lew Wallace (who was brought to the screen 2 times before: first in 1907 by Sidney Alcott and the second in 1925 by Fred Niblo), this masterpiece tells the exceptional destiny of Judas Ben Hur. As a Jewish noble prince, he was betrayed by his childhood friend, the tribune Messala, just because he refused to assist the rebels to massacre Jews. Judas was condemned to the galleys by Messala, while his mother and sister were imprisoned and tortured. Drunk with vengeance, Judas would have to face his enemy during a memorable chariot race. Ben-Hur was a excellent film by combining spectacular bravura and touching intimate scenes. Ben-Hur, it's just a race to the faith that it has convinced my faith.

                                        Ben Hur Triumph Music

This flamboyant film took us back to ancient Rome and Nero, in which it told us the tragic fate of the first Christian martyrs. Featuring an outstanding cast (Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov ...) and unforgettable sequences (the circus, the burning of Rome ...), it finally became an fantastic movie.

This tells us the fate of Marcellus Gallio (played by Richard Burton), a young Roman soldier who witnessed the crucifixion of Christ and won his shirt while playing dice, a tunic that will soon be the object of desire and forever change the life of Marcellus. You should remember that this film was a sequel, titled "The Gladiators", which was filmed at the same time.

In 1923, filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille was the first filmmaker to advocate the prophet Moses on the screen in the first version of Ten Commandments. Thirty-three years later, in 1956, with greater capacity, he has the idea to remake a grandiose, with Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner as the main actor and actress. Three scenes remained cults: the burning bush, crossing the Red Sea and the gift of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. This film has received no votes, which did not prevent them to remain an essential classic.

                                          Ben Hur Rowing Music

Unjustly forgotten, it tells us the fate of the famous robber, who was released instead of Jesus and that until the end of his life he was constantly caught by this heavy past. Having received no votes, the film nevertheless features four giants (Anthony Quinn, Vittorio Gassman, Jack Palance and Ernest Borgnine) and contains a memorable scene: the crucifixion of Christ, in the background with the eclipse of the faith of Christians in the turbulent 1950s.