IMDb RATING
7.8/10
8K
YOUR RATING
A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.A Jewish prince seeks to find his family and revenge himself upon his childhood friend who had him wrongly imprisoned.
- Awards
- 4 wins
Nigel De Brulier
- Simonides
- (as Nigel de Brulier)
Reginald Barker
- Chariot Race Spectator
- (uncredited)
John Barrymore
- Chariot Race Spectator
- (uncredited)
Lionel Barrymore
- Chariot Race Spectator
- (uncredited)
Clarence Brown
- Chariot Race Spectator
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film had an "extra" cast like no other. Many Hollywood stars showed up on set to watch the shooting and were pressed into service as extras, especially in the chariot race. In addition, many who would later become Hollywood's top stars, but who were at the time just struggling actors, were also in the crowd scenes as extras. Among well-known and soon-to-be-well-known names "working" in the film were John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Marion Davies, Myrna Loy, John Gilbert, Douglas Fairbanks, Clark Gable, Harold Lloyd, Carole Lombard, Janet Gaynor, Fay Wray, Mary Pickford, Colleen Moore, Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Samuel Goldwyn and Rupert Julian.
- GoofsAt one point in the chariot race a man in modern clothing - light-colored shirt, long pants, dark shoes - can be seen running out of the crowd onto the track and waving his arms at the camera. That was assistant director William Wyler, who saw that one of the chariots - out of camera range - was approaching the curve of the track too fast and Wyler was signaling the director to have the crew cleaning up a crashed chariot to get out of the way.
- Quotes
Jerusalem citizen: What chance has a Jew against a Roman?
- Alternate versionsMusic and sound effects were dubbed into the silent film for a 1931 re-release.
- ConnectionsEdited into Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972)
Featured review
Silent Film Making at It's Best
The 1925 version of Ben-Hur is an outstanding example of silent film making at it's best. With the proverbial cast of thousands, it compares favorably with it's more expensive and lavish 1959 remake. Had the Academy Awards been given out at this time, Ben-Hur would undoubtedly have won it's share.
The video version that I saw was restored to it's original splendor complete with tints and two color technicolor sequences, They are quite spectacular and hold up quite well today. The birth of Christ sequence is most memorable.
The flagship sequences, the sea battle and the chariot race, are expertly staged and remain the most exciting parts of the picture. They are as good as those in the 1959 version.
The casting is, for the most part, excellent. Ramon Navarro as Judah and Francis X. Bushman as Messala stand out. The only problem is the casting of May McEvoy as Esther. With her blond hair, blue eyes and riglets, she looks more like a Mary Pickford want to be than a Jewish slave girl.
Despite all of it's well documented production problems, Ben-Hur still is one of the best movies of all time, silent or sound.
The video version that I saw was restored to it's original splendor complete with tints and two color technicolor sequences, They are quite spectacular and hold up quite well today. The birth of Christ sequence is most memorable.
The flagship sequences, the sea battle and the chariot race, are expertly staged and remain the most exciting parts of the picture. They are as good as those in the 1959 version.
The casting is, for the most part, excellent. Ramon Navarro as Judah and Francis X. Bushman as Messala stand out. The only problem is the casting of May McEvoy as Esther. With her blond hair, blue eyes and riglets, she looks more like a Mary Pickford want to be than a Jewish slave girl.
Despite all of it's well documented production problems, Ben-Hur still is one of the best movies of all time, silent or sound.
helpful•363
- beejer
- Jun 20, 2000
- How long is Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $3,950,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 23 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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By what name was Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) officially released in India in English?
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