The Best Picture of 1959 is…..”Ben Hur.” This religious epic film tells the story of Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy Jewish prince and merchant who is condemned to slavery when he defies a powerful Roman military leader, who also happens to be a childhood friend. Director William Wyler (“Friendly Persuasion” 1956) and the MGM brass went all-out in putting together this film with the highest production values.
Charlton Heston brings his commanding screen presence and persona and acting skills to the title role. It it difficult to imagine anyone else playing Judah Ben-Hur. The talented supporting cast includes Jack Hawkins as the Roman Consul, Haya Harareet is Judah’s love interest, Stephen Boyd is Judah’s nemesis Messala, Hugh Griffith is Sheik Ilderim, Sam Jaffe as Simonides, and Martha Scott does a return engagement of sorts as Ben-Hur’s mother. She played the mother of Heston’s Moses in “The Ten Commandments” (1956). Others include Jose Greci as Mary and Claude Heater as Jesus Christ.
The outstanding screenplay was penned by Karl Tunberg, adapted from Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.” (Wallace was a Civil War general for the Union Army and governor of the New Mexico Territory for a time.) The book was made into a stage play in 1899, premiering on Broadway, and touring cities in the U. S., U. K., and Australia for years until 1920. When the motion picture industry started, a silent one-reel adaptation came out in 1907. A full-length silent film starring Ramon Navarro was released in 1925. After the definitive 1959 movie, others versions were released in 2003 (animated), 2010 (television miniseries), and 2016 (feature film starring Jack Huston).
“Ben-Hur” was nominated for twelve Academy Awards and won eleven: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Heston), Best Supporting Actor (Griffith), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography (Robert L. Surtees), Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Musical Score (Miklos Rozsa), and Best Special Effects. (It lost out only on Best Screenplay.) Filming took place at Cinecitta Studios in Rome and at MGM Studios in Culver City. The famous chariot racing scene was directed by Andrew Marton and Yakima Canutt. (One urban legend has a stuntman killed during filming; This is completely false.)
The very watchable movie classic “Ben-Hur” was a massive block buster at the box office for producer Sam Zimbalist and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was the highest-grossing film of 1959, and saved MGM from bankruptcy. “Ben-Hur” is a delightful viewing at a 212 minute running time, excluding overture and intermission.
Ben-Hur (1959)
cinema
My Review
The Best Picture of 1959 is…..”Ben Hur.” This religious epic film tells the story of Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy Jewish prince and merchant who is condemned to slavery when he defies a powerful Roman military leader, who also happens to be a childhood friend. Director William Wyler (“Friendly Persuasion” 1956) and the MGM brass went all-out in putting together this film with the highest production values.
Charlton Heston brings his commanding screen presence and persona and acting skills to the title role. It it difficult to imagine anyone else playing Judah Ben-Hur. The talented supporting cast includes Jack Hawkins as the Roman Consul, Haya Harareet is Judah’s love interest, Stephen Boyd is Judah’s nemesis Messala, Hugh Griffith is Sheik Ilderim, Sam Jaffe as Simonides, and Martha Scott does a return engagement of sorts as Ben-Hur’s mother. She played the mother of Heston’s Moses in “The Ten Commandments” (1956). Others include Jose Greci as Mary and Claude Heater as Jesus Christ.
The outstanding screenplay was penned by Karl Tunberg, adapted from Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.” (Wallace was a Civil War general for the Union Army and governor of the New Mexico Territory for a time.) The book was made into a stage play in 1899, premiering on Broadway, and touring cities in the U. S., U. K., and Australia for years until 1920. When the motion picture industry started, a silent one-reel adaptation came out in 1907. A full-length silent film starring Ramon Navarro was released in 1925. After the definitive 1959 movie, others versions were released in 2003 (animated), 2010 (television miniseries), and 2016 (feature film starring Jack Huston).
“Ben-Hur” was nominated for twelve Academy Awards and won eleven: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Heston), Best Supporting Actor (Griffith), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography (Robert L. Surtees), Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Musical Score (Miklos Rozsa), and Best Special Effects. (It lost out only on Best Screenplay.) Filming took place at Cinecitta Studios in Rome and at MGM Studios in Culver City. The famous chariot racing scene was directed by Andrew Marton and Yakima Canutt. (One urban legend has a stuntman killed during filming; This is completely false.)
The very watchable movie classic “Ben-Hur” was a massive block buster at the box office for producer Sam Zimbalist and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was the highest-grossing film of 1959, and saved MGM from bankruptcy. “Ben-Hur” is a delightful viewing at a 212 minute running time, excluding overture and intermission.