Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

Synopsis

Betrayed by his Roman friend Messala, Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur is enslaved while his family is imprisoned. After surviving the galleys, he returns for vengeance, culminating in a spectacular chariot race and a spiritual encounter with Jesus Christ. Boasting a cast of thousands and massive sets, this MGM production was the most expensive silent film ever made, setting a new standard for epics and featuring one of the most thrilling action sequences in history.

Critique

Fred Niblo’s epic defined the scale of Hollywood spectacle. With a cast of thousands and the most expensive production of the silent era, it established MGM’s reputation for grandeur. The Technicolor sequences and the heart-stopping chariot race, filmed with dangerous realism, set a benchmark for action that stood for decades. Beyond the spectacle, its handling of the Christ narrative solidified the biblical epic as a commercial genre. It is a monument to the studio system’s ambition, proving cinema could rival the scope of history and religion itself.

Technical sheet

Director

Fred Niblo

Year

1925

Country

United States

Running time

143 min

Genre

Adventure, Drama, Romance, Action

Written by

Carey Wilson, Lew Wallace, June Mathis

Cinematography

Clyde De Vinna, René Guissart, Karl Struss

Cast

Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy, Betty Bronson, Claire McDowell, Kathleen Key

Production

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Music

Newly composed original score

Licensing