Ben-Hur (1959 film)

Ben-Hur is a 1959 film directed by William Wyler and is, today, the best-known version of the film based on the 1880 book by Lew Wallace, '.

Related Topics:
1959 - William Wyler - 1880 - Lew Wallace

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It was produced in grand style with over 300 sets scattered over 340 acres (1.4 km²), and featured Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur and Stephen Boyd as Messala.

Related Topics:
Charlton Heston - Stephen Boyd

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It premiered at Loews Theater in New York City on November 18, 1959.

Related Topics:
Loews Theater - New York City - November 18 - 1959

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This version won a stunning 11 Academy Awards (a number matched only by two other movies in the history of Academy Awards - Titanic in 1997 and ' in 2003).

Related Topics:
Academy Awards - Titanic - 1997 - 2003

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The movie was filmed in a process known as "MGM Camera 65", a 70 mm anamorphic print with an aspect ratio of 2.76:1, considered to be one of the widest prints ever made, having a width of almost three times its height. This allowed for spectacular panoramic shots in addition to four-channel audio.

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Even by today's standards, the chariot race in Ben-Hur is considered to be one of the most spectacular action sequences ever filmed. Filmed long before the advent of computer-generated effects, it took over three months alone to film, including 8000 extras on the largest film set ever built, some 18 acres (73,000 m²). The visually astonishing MGM Camera 65 process and excellent cinematography by Robert Surtees made the chariot race one of the most memorable scenes in modern cinema.

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This was a successful attempt to save MGM from bankruptcy.

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MGM received over 40 scripts. Much of the final script comes from the uncredited Gore Vidal who, in response to Wlyer's concern that a disagreement over politics was not enough to drive the film, created a homoerotic subtext between the two men. The subtext is in the final film, and was explained to Boyd. However, protests from Heston in the 1990s has erased the important contribution that Vidal had to the film

Related Topics:
Gore Vidal - 1990s

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