Of Biblical Proportions: The 65th Anniversary of "Ben-Hur"

by Michael Lyons

Growing up, it seemed that Ben-Hur was an Easter week tradition. One of the local stations in New York, sometime during the days leading up to Easter Sunday, would show Ben-Hur, sometimes spreading the epic film out over two nights.

When I got older, I came to appreciate this film as part of the season and as an example of powerful filmmaking and storytelling we just don't see anymore.

Based on the book by Lew Wallace, Ben-Hur is set in A.D. 26 in Jerusalem and tells the story of the title character, a Jewish prince, played by Charlton Heston, who is betrayed by his friend, Messala (Stephen Boyd), and sentenced to a condemned life as an enslaved person.

Through the act of a Roman Commander (Jack Hawkins), Judah Ben-Hur is able to return to a new life that eventually finds him the champion of the chariot races at the circus. He vows vengeance against Massala but finds his mind and faith are changed and renewed after a chance meeting with Jesus Christ, and witnessing his crucifixion changes him.

Celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, Ben-Hur is still just as powerful in its three-and-a-half-hour run time, telling a story of another time that's still relevant today.

In honor of the film's milestones, here are some quotes from those who worked on Ben-Hur and the critics who have greeted the film with acclaim:

 

"They asked me to do Ben-Hur. It was really not the kind of picture I...been making. But, I felt it would be intriguing to see if I could make a Cecil B. DeMille picture." - Director William Wyler

Left to right: Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd,

and director William Wyler on the set of Ben-Hur.

 

"...Mr. Wyler and his money-free producers have smartly and effectively laid stress on the powerful and meaningful personal conflicts that are strong in this heroic tale. As a consequence, their mammoth color movie, which opened at Loew's State last night, is by far the most stirring and respectable of the Bible-fiction pictures ever made." - Bosley Crowther, reviewing Ben-Hur for The New York Times, November 19, 1959

Ben-Hur playing at the Loew's State

Theater in New York.

 

“There was one particular point where I had to be dragged, and the company very kindly made a sort of a steel contraption that would give me some sort of protection around my stomach. They naturally did a dry run on this just to see whether or not it would work. I was down at the other end of the of the track, and I saw them go up on this dry run, and it looked all right, but when they got to the other end of it, they stopped, and they all got around, and they seemed like they were having the conference. So, I wondered what was going on, and finally, the young Italian doctor who was there [on the set] came walking down to me, and he said, ‘Steve, you want to die, go die.’” - Stephen Boyd, laughing, as he remembered filming the iconic chariot race sequence.

The chariot race scene in Ben-Hur.

 

“An extraordinary motion picture, greater in dimension and significance than any similar film of our time, Ben-Hur is more spectacular than any of the previous spectacles. More importantly, it is at the same time a highly rewarding dramatic experience, rich and complex in human values: a great adventure, full of excitement, visual beauty, thrills, and unsurpassed cinema artistry.” - from Ben-Hur movie review in The Hollywood Reporter, November 18, 1959.

Charlton Heston as Ben-Hur.

 

"You can be sure that they'll be showing Ben-Hur somewhere for a long, long time to come." - Charlton Heston.

The ending scene of Ben-Hur.

 

Oh, how right Mr. Heston was. From its days as a "road-show movie event" to its annual Easter season viewings today, appreciation, 65 years later, for Ben-Hur is deserved. It is a story of how our life’s events can change us and shape us, and how the power of kindness, forgiveness, and faith is unwavering.

 

 

 Sources:

Brainyquote.com

hollywoodreporter.com

IMDb.com

Youtube.com

For more of my articles, podcasts and to learn more about my book Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, visit: Words From Lyons