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Son of God (film)

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Jump to: navigation, search


Son of God
Son of God film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Christopher Spencer
Produced by
Roma Downey
Mark Burnett

Screenplay by
Richard Bedser
Christopher Spencer
Colin Swash
Nic Young

Based on
New Testament
Starring
Diogo Morgado
Roma Downey
Darwin Shaw

Narrated by
Sebastian Knapp
Music by
Lorne Balfe
Hans Zimmer

Cinematography
Rob Goldie
Edited by
Robert Hall

Production
 company

Lightworkers Media

Distributed by
20th Century Fox

Release dates

February 21, 2014


Running time
 138 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$22 million[1]
Box office
$67.8 million[2]
Son of God is a 2014 American epic biblical drama film, produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. It was released to select theaters in the United States on February 21, 2014, and everywhere on February 28, 2014.[3] The film retells the life of Jesus and is an adaptation of the ten-hour miniseries The Bible,[4] which aired in March 2013 on the History channel.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Reception 4.1 Box office
4.2 Critical reception
5 References
6 External links

Plot[edit]
John, the last surviving disciple of Christ, is living in exile as he tells his story.
Jesus was born to a virgin. Three visiting wise men declare him the future King. Thirty years later, an adult Jesus Christ (Diogo Morgado) travels to Galilee and begins recruiting followers, from James, to his brother John, to Peter the fisherman, to Matthew the tax collector. These men and women would become his disciples. Through his teachings and numerous miracles, Jesus builds a huge following, who begin to call him the Messiah. He also draws the attention of the Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders. The Pharisees claim Jesus is blaspheming God by forgiving sins, something only God can do. Jesus responds by saying he is the son of God.
Jesus tells the disciples they are to travel to Jerusalem for the upcoming Passover holiday. He enters the city on the back of a donkey and is met by a huge crowd of supporters, who lay palm leaves in his path. Caiaphas, the head of the Pharisees, is afraid Jesus' presence in the city will further agitate the people, who are already in a near state of revolt against the oppressive Romans, led by Pontius Pilate. (Earlier, Pilate had warned Caiaphas that if there were any trouble from the Jews, Pilate would close the temple, thus cancelling Passover.) Upon entering the temple, Jesus sees the money changers and proceeds to upend their tables. This act draws cheers from the people and scorn from the Pharisees. Later, Jesus tells a little girl that every stone of the temple will soon fall. The Pharisees take this as a plan to destroy the temple and decide Jesus must be stopped.
Judas, one of Jesus' disciples, approaches the Pharisees. He also believes Jesus is going too far and wants to help. They give him 30 pieces of silver for his assistance. That night (the night before Passover), Jesus tells the disciples this will be their last supper together and says that one of them will betray him. Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas kisses Jesus' cheek, thereby identifying Jesus to the Pharisees and revealing Judas; betrayal, and Jesus is then arrested for blasphemy. The disciples then flee the garden to save themselves.
Caiaphas orders an immediate trial, even though it's late at night and not in public, which are violations of Jewish law. He is afraid an open trial on Passover will cause trouble, and Pilate will close the temple. Caiaphas asks Jesus if he is the son of God, and he answers "I am". This is all the Pharisees need to hear, and they immediately find Him guilty of blasphemy.
That morning, to a growing crowd, Caiaphas announces Jesus' guilt and reveals the penalty for blasphemy is death. Judas, horrified by what he has done, throws the silver at the Pharisees and runs off; he later hangs himself. Caiaphas believes if the Pharisees killed Jesus on Passover, it would start a riot, so he turns him over to the Romans for the punishment. Pilate tells Caiaphas that Jesus didn't break any Roman laws, but orders him to be lashed 40 times. Since it's Passover, Pilate says he will follow tradition and free a prisoner of the people's choosing, and if they choose Jesus, he will be set free. By this time, Jesus' mother Mary (Roma Downey) has arrived in Jerusalem to see what is happening to her son.
Pilate orders the crowd to enter his courtyard to choose whether to release Jesus or Barabbas, a convicted murderer. Since none of Jesus' followers were allowed into the courtyard, Caiaphas easily sways the vote so that Barabbas is set free. Pilate then asks what he should do with Jesus, and again Caiaphas sways the crowd to have him executed by way of crucifixion. Fearing a riot among the hostile people, Pilate orders the crucifixion, then literally washes his hands of the situation. A battered and bloodied Jesus then carries his cross to Golgotha and is nailed to it by the mocking Roman guards, who earlier had placed a crown of thorns on his head. Before the cross is put into place, Pilate orders a sign attached to it, reading: "The King of the Jews", much to Caiaphas' dismay. With John, Mary, and Mary Magdalene watching in horror, Jesus hangs from the cross for several agonizing hours. After forgiving the Romans,and the Pharisees who condemned him to death asking why God has forsaken him, and declaring "It is finished /"Accomplished, Jesus dies as the temple and earth shake by earthquake. While the curtains in the temple where god's spirit was supposed to be present, tear apart. He is then lowered from the cross and placed into a tomb, which is sealed off with a large rock.
Three days later, Mary Magdalene goes to visit the tomb, but is shocked to see the rock broken into pieces and the tomb empty. She sees a man by the tomb's entrance and realizes he is Jesus; Jesus has been resurrected. Mary goes to the disciples' hiding place and tells them the good news, but they don't believe her. Jesus then appears to them, and they all now believe, except "Doubting" Thomas. Once Thomas touches Jesus, then he believes. Forty days later, Jesus is speaking to his disciples and tells them to travel the world to spread his message. He then ascends into Heaven, and the disciples go their separate ways.
The movie concludes with an elderly John saying that all of the disciples were eventually killed for their beliefs, except him. He has been exiled to live alone on a deserted island until he dies. John then sees Jesus, who tells him he will not die, but have everlasting life, and Jesus will return one day.
Cast[edit]
Diogo Morgado as Jesus Christ
Roma Downey as Mary, mother of Jesus
Leila Mimmack as Young Virgin Mary
Joe Coen as Saint Joseph
Amber Rose Revah as Mary Magdalene
Darwin Shaw as Saint Simon Peter
Sebastian Knapp as Saint John
Said Bey as Saint Matthew
Matthew Gravelle as Saint Thomas
Paul Marc Davis as Simon the Pharisee
Joe Wredden as Judas Iscariot
Louise Delamere as Claudia
Simon Kunz as Nicodemus
Adrian Schiller as Caiaphas
Anas Cherin as Lazarus
Fraser Ayres as Barabbas
Greg Hicks as Pontius Pilate
Rick Bacon as Herod Antipas
Sanaa Mouziane as Martha
Production[edit]
The film features select scenes from the miniseries as well as footage not aired in the telecast.[4][5] However, the film does not include scenes featuring Satan (played by Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni) due to a controversy from the series that claimed the actor resembled the United States President Barack Obama.[6] The resemblance was first pointed out notably by Glenn Beck ahead of that episode's premiere.[7][8] The trailer for the film also shows some scenes from the miniseries featuring David (played by Langley Kirkwood), Adam (played by Paul Knops), destruction of the city of Sodom and Moses (played by Will Houston) parting the Red Sea.
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
On its first night of release, the film brought in $1.2 million in box office revenue in North American theaters, benefiting greatly from advance ticket sales.[9] It was predicted by Box Office Mojo that the film would likely make $27.5 million in North America in its first weekend of release;[10] it ended up making $26.5 million in its first weekend.[11]
As of May 13, 2014, the film has grossed $59,666,589 domestically and an additional $8,100,000 in foreign markets for a total sum of $67,800,064.[12]
Critical reception[edit]
The film has received negative reviews from critics. It currently holds a 21% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 66 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 10. The consensus states: "The faithful may find their spirits raised, but on purely cinematic terms, Son of God is too dull and heavy-handed to spark much fervor."[13] Another review aggregator, Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 37 based on 25 reviews.[14]
Nell Minow of Beliefnet gave the film a B grade, saying "It tells the story in a westernized, conventional manner that can seem superficial at times, more a cinematic Sunday School lesson than a movie. It is unlikely to persuade anyone, but it is undeniably moving and many believers will find it inspiring."[15] Jim Slotek of the Toronto Sun gave the film 3 stars. [16]
Ben Kenigsberg of The A.V. Club gave the film a mixed review, grading it a C and saying, "Unlike Gibson’s film, with its relentless and gory focus on Christ’s last days, Son Of God finds time for lessons along with its bloodletting. [...] Accompanied by a score that sounds recycled from The Fountain, the most famous scenes are trotted out: “I’ll give my stone to the first man who tells me that he has never sinned”; the loaves and fishes; the resurrection of Lazarus; the last supper. It’s unlikely Paul Verhoeven will ever get to make his historical Christ movie, but to the extent that Son Of God has a measure of dramatic impact, it’s how it illustrates the radicalism of Jesus’ message and the threat it posed to the establishment. At any rate, the core ideas are more compelling than the bad effects shots of Jerusalem, the cheesy CG water-walking, or whatever exchanges require the actors to emit something other than a declarative shout."[17]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "In ‘Son of God,’ the Bible told in low-budget, Hollywood style". The Washington Times. washingtontimes.com. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
2.Jump up ^ "Son of God (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
3.Jump up ^ Saba Hamedy (December 11, 2014). "'Exodus: Gods and Kings' expected to champion box office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Littleton, Cynthia (September 12, 2013). "‘The Bible’ Producers Resurrect Jesus for Expanded ‘Son of God’ Film". Variety.
5.Jump up ^ Kits, Borys (September 12, 2013). "20th Century Fox to Distribute Jesus Christ Movie 'Son of God'". The Hollywood Reporter.
6.Jump up ^ "'Bible' Producers Cut Satan Scenes From 'Son of God' Following Obama Controversy (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. February 17, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
7.Jump up ^ "Anyone else think the Devil in #TheBible Sunday on HIstory Channel looks exactly like That Guy?". @glennbeck. Twitter. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
8.Jump up ^ "Why does the devil in 'The Bible' look exactly like President Obama?". Daily Mail. February 28, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
9.Jump up ^ McNary, Dave (February 28, 2014). "Box Office: ‘Son of God’ Launches Strongly at Late-Night Shows". Variety. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
10.Jump up ^ Subers, Ray (February 28, 2014). "Forecast: 'Non-Stop,' 'Son of God' to End 'LEGO's Reign This Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
11.Jump up ^ "Box Office: 'Non-Stop' Soars To $30M, 'Son Of God' Earns $26.5M, 'Frozen' Crosses $1B". Forbes. February 3, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
12.Jump up ^ "Son of God (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
13.Jump up ^ "Son of God - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
14.Jump up ^ "Son of God Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
15.Jump up ^ Minow, Nell. "Son of God - Movie Mom". Beliefnet. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
16.Jump up ^ Slotek, Jim (February 27, 2014). "'Son of God' review: A satisfying Christ story". Toronto Sun. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
17.Jump up ^ Kenigsberg, Ben (February 27, 2014). "History Channel’s The Bible is cut into an equally chintzy film, Son Of God". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
External links[edit]
Official website
Son of God at the Internet Movie Database
Son of God at Rotten Tomatoes
Son of God at History vs. Hollywood
  


Categories: 2014 films
English-language films
2010s drama films
American films
American drama films
American epic films
Compilation films
Depictions of Adam and Eve
Depictions of John the Baptist
Depictions of Moses
Depictions of David
Film portrayals of Jesus' death and resurrection
Films about Evangelicalism
Films set in Palestine
Films set in Jerusalem
Films set in the Roman Empire
Portrayals of the Virgin Mary in film
Religious epic films
Portrayals of Jesus in film
20th Century Fox films





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Son of God (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


Son of God
Son of God film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Christopher Spencer
Produced by
Roma Downey
Mark Burnett

Screenplay by
Richard Bedser
Christopher Spencer
Colin Swash
Nic Young

Based on
New Testament
Starring
Diogo Morgado
Roma Downey
Darwin Shaw

Narrated by
Sebastian Knapp
Music by
Lorne Balfe
Hans Zimmer

Cinematography
Rob Goldie
Edited by
Robert Hall

Production
 company

Lightworkers Media

Distributed by
20th Century Fox

Release dates

February 21, 2014


Running time
 138 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$22 million[1]
Box office
$67.8 million[2]
Son of God is a 2014 American epic biblical drama film, produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. It was released to select theaters in the United States on February 21, 2014, and everywhere on February 28, 2014.[3] The film retells the life of Jesus and is an adaptation of the ten-hour miniseries The Bible,[4] which aired in March 2013 on the History channel.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Reception 4.1 Box office
4.2 Critical reception
5 References
6 External links

Plot[edit]
John, the last surviving disciple of Christ, is living in exile as he tells his story.
Jesus was born to a virgin. Three visiting wise men declare him the future King. Thirty years later, an adult Jesus Christ (Diogo Morgado) travels to Galilee and begins recruiting followers, from James, to his brother John, to Peter the fisherman, to Matthew the tax collector. These men and women would become his disciples. Through his teachings and numerous miracles, Jesus builds a huge following, who begin to call him the Messiah. He also draws the attention of the Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders. The Pharisees claim Jesus is blaspheming God by forgiving sins, something only God can do. Jesus responds by saying he is the son of God.
Jesus tells the disciples they are to travel to Jerusalem for the upcoming Passover holiday. He enters the city on the back of a donkey and is met by a huge crowd of supporters, who lay palm leaves in his path. Caiaphas, the head of the Pharisees, is afraid Jesus' presence in the city will further agitate the people, who are already in a near state of revolt against the oppressive Romans, led by Pontius Pilate. (Earlier, Pilate had warned Caiaphas that if there were any trouble from the Jews, Pilate would close the temple, thus cancelling Passover.) Upon entering the temple, Jesus sees the money changers and proceeds to upend their tables. This act draws cheers from the people and scorn from the Pharisees. Later, Jesus tells a little girl that every stone of the temple will soon fall. The Pharisees take this as a plan to destroy the temple and decide Jesus must be stopped.
Judas, one of Jesus' disciples, approaches the Pharisees. He also believes Jesus is going too far and wants to help. They give him 30 pieces of silver for his assistance. That night (the night before Passover), Jesus tells the disciples this will be their last supper together and says that one of them will betray him. Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas kisses Jesus' cheek, thereby identifying Jesus to the Pharisees and revealing Judas; betrayal, and Jesus is then arrested for blasphemy. The disciples then flee the garden to save themselves.
Caiaphas orders an immediate trial, even though it's late at night and not in public, which are violations of Jewish law. He is afraid an open trial on Passover will cause trouble, and Pilate will close the temple. Caiaphas asks Jesus if he is the son of God, and he answers "I am". This is all the Pharisees need to hear, and they immediately find Him guilty of blasphemy.
That morning, to a growing crowd, Caiaphas announces Jesus' guilt and reveals the penalty for blasphemy is death. Judas, horrified by what he has done, throws the silver at the Pharisees and runs off; he later hangs himself. Caiaphas believes if the Pharisees killed Jesus on Passover, it would start a riot, so he turns him over to the Romans for the punishment. Pilate tells Caiaphas that Jesus didn't break any Roman laws, but orders him to be lashed 40 times. Since it's Passover, Pilate says he will follow tradition and free a prisoner of the people's choosing, and if they choose Jesus, he will be set free. By this time, Jesus' mother Mary (Roma Downey) has arrived in Jerusalem to see what is happening to her son.
Pilate orders the crowd to enter his courtyard to choose whether to release Jesus or Barabbas, a convicted murderer. Since none of Jesus' followers were allowed into the courtyard, Caiaphas easily sways the vote so that Barabbas is set free. Pilate then asks what he should do with Jesus, and again Caiaphas sways the crowd to have him executed by way of crucifixion. Fearing a riot among the hostile people, Pilate orders the crucifixion, then literally washes his hands of the situation. A battered and bloodied Jesus then carries his cross to Golgotha and is nailed to it by the mocking Roman guards, who earlier had placed a crown of thorns on his head. Before the cross is put into place, Pilate orders a sign attached to it, reading: "The King of the Jews", much to Caiaphas' dismay. With John, Mary, and Mary Magdalene watching in horror, Jesus hangs from the cross for several agonizing hours. After forgiving the Romans,and the Pharisees who condemned him to death asking why God has forsaken him, and declaring "It is finished /"Accomplished, Jesus dies as the temple and earth shake by earthquake. While the curtains in the temple where god's spirit was supposed to be present, tear apart. He is then lowered from the cross and placed into a tomb, which is sealed off with a large rock.
Three days later, Mary Magdalene goes to visit the tomb, but is shocked to see the rock broken into pieces and the tomb empty. She sees a man by the tomb's entrance and realizes he is Jesus; Jesus has been resurrected. Mary goes to the disciples' hiding place and tells them the good news, but they don't believe her. Jesus then appears to them, and they all now believe, except "Doubting" Thomas. Once Thomas touches Jesus, then he believes. Forty days later, Jesus is speaking to his disciples and tells them to travel the world to spread his message. He then ascends into Heaven, and the disciples go their separate ways.
The movie concludes with an elderly John saying that all of the disciples were eventually killed for their beliefs, except him. He has been exiled to live alone on a deserted island until he dies. John then sees Jesus, who tells him he will not die, but have everlasting life, and Jesus will return one day.
Cast[edit]
Diogo Morgado as Jesus Christ
Roma Downey as Mary, mother of Jesus
Leila Mimmack as Young Virgin Mary
Joe Coen as Saint Joseph
Amber Rose Revah as Mary Magdalene
Darwin Shaw as Saint Simon Peter
Sebastian Knapp as Saint John
Said Bey as Saint Matthew
Matthew Gravelle as Saint Thomas
Paul Marc Davis as Simon the Pharisee
Joe Wredden as Judas Iscariot
Louise Delamere as Claudia
Simon Kunz as Nicodemus
Adrian Schiller as Caiaphas
Anas Cherin as Lazarus
Fraser Ayres as Barabbas
Greg Hicks as Pontius Pilate
Rick Bacon as Herod Antipas
Sanaa Mouziane as Martha
Production[edit]
The film features select scenes from the miniseries as well as footage not aired in the telecast.[4][5] However, the film does not include scenes featuring Satan (played by Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni) due to a controversy from the series that claimed the actor resembled the United States President Barack Obama.[6] The resemblance was first pointed out notably by Glenn Beck ahead of that episode's premiere.[7][8] The trailer for the film also shows some scenes from the miniseries featuring David (played by Langley Kirkwood), Adam (played by Paul Knops), destruction of the city of Sodom and Moses (played by Will Houston) parting the Red Sea.
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
On its first night of release, the film brought in $1.2 million in box office revenue in North American theaters, benefiting greatly from advance ticket sales.[9] It was predicted by Box Office Mojo that the film would likely make $27.5 million in North America in its first weekend of release;[10] it ended up making $26.5 million in its first weekend.[11]
As of May 13, 2014, the film has grossed $59,666,589 domestically and an additional $8,100,000 in foreign markets for a total sum of $67,800,064.[12]
Critical reception[edit]
The film has received negative reviews from critics. It currently holds a 21% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 66 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 10. The consensus states: "The faithful may find their spirits raised, but on purely cinematic terms, Son of God is too dull and heavy-handed to spark much fervor."[13] Another review aggregator, Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 37 based on 25 reviews.[14]
Nell Minow of Beliefnet gave the film a B grade, saying "It tells the story in a westernized, conventional manner that can seem superficial at times, more a cinematic Sunday School lesson than a movie. It is unlikely to persuade anyone, but it is undeniably moving and many believers will find it inspiring."[15] Jim Slotek of the Toronto Sun gave the film 3 stars. [16]
Ben Kenigsberg of The A.V. Club gave the film a mixed review, grading it a C and saying, "Unlike Gibson’s film, with its relentless and gory focus on Christ’s last days, Son Of God finds time for lessons along with its bloodletting. [...] Accompanied by a score that sounds recycled from The Fountain, the most famous scenes are trotted out: “I’ll give my stone to the first man who tells me that he has never sinned”; the loaves and fishes; the resurrection of Lazarus; the last supper. It’s unlikely Paul Verhoeven will ever get to make his historical Christ movie, but to the extent that Son Of God has a measure of dramatic impact, it’s how it illustrates the radicalism of Jesus’ message and the threat it posed to the establishment. At any rate, the core ideas are more compelling than the bad effects shots of Jerusalem, the cheesy CG water-walking, or whatever exchanges require the actors to emit something other than a declarative shout."[17]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "In ‘Son of God,’ the Bible told in low-budget, Hollywood style". The Washington Times. washingtontimes.com. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
2.Jump up ^ "Son of God (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
3.Jump up ^ Saba Hamedy (December 11, 2014). "'Exodus: Gods and Kings' expected to champion box office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Littleton, Cynthia (September 12, 2013). "‘The Bible’ Producers Resurrect Jesus for Expanded ‘Son of God’ Film". Variety.
5.Jump up ^ Kits, Borys (September 12, 2013). "20th Century Fox to Distribute Jesus Christ Movie 'Son of God'". The Hollywood Reporter.
6.Jump up ^ "'Bible' Producers Cut Satan Scenes From 'Son of God' Following Obama Controversy (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. February 17, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
7.Jump up ^ "Anyone else think the Devil in #TheBible Sunday on HIstory Channel looks exactly like That Guy?". @glennbeck. Twitter. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
8.Jump up ^ "Why does the devil in 'The Bible' look exactly like President Obama?". Daily Mail. February 28, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
9.Jump up ^ McNary, Dave (February 28, 2014). "Box Office: ‘Son of God’ Launches Strongly at Late-Night Shows". Variety. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
10.Jump up ^ Subers, Ray (February 28, 2014). "Forecast: 'Non-Stop,' 'Son of God' to End 'LEGO's Reign This Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
11.Jump up ^ "Box Office: 'Non-Stop' Soars To $30M, 'Son Of God' Earns $26.5M, 'Frozen' Crosses $1B". Forbes. February 3, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
12.Jump up ^ "Son of God (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
13.Jump up ^ "Son of God - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
14.Jump up ^ "Son of God Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
15.Jump up ^ Minow, Nell. "Son of God - Movie Mom". Beliefnet. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
16.Jump up ^ Slotek, Jim (February 27, 2014). "'Son of God' review: A satisfying Christ story". Toronto Sun. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
17.Jump up ^ Kenigsberg, Ben (February 27, 2014). "History Channel’s The Bible is cut into an equally chintzy film, Son Of God". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
External links[edit]
Official website
Son of God at the Internet Movie Database
Son of God at Rotten Tomatoes
Son of God at History vs. Hollywood
  


Categories: 2014 films
English-language films
2010s drama films
American films
American drama films
American epic films
Compilation films
Depictions of Adam and Eve
Depictions of John the Baptist
Depictions of Moses
Depictions of David
Film portrayals of Jesus' death and resurrection
Films about Evangelicalism
Films set in Palestine
Films set in Jerusalem
Films set in the Roman Empire
Portrayals of the Virgin Mary in film
Religious epic films
Portrayals of Jesus in film
20th Century Fox films





Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



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Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















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Azərbaycanca
Български
Deutsch
Español
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한국어
Italiano
Nederlands
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Português
Русский
Simple English
தமிழ்
Українська
中文
Edit links
This page was last modified on 17 April 2015, at 03:27.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_God_(film)





























The Bible (miniseries)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from The Bible (TV miniseries))
Jump to: navigation, search


The Bible
The Bible - Title Card.jpg
Genre
Biblical
Drama
Created by
Roma Downey
Mark Burnett
Produced by
Roma Downey
 Mark Burnett
 Richard Bedser
 Dirk Hoogstra
 Julian P. Hobbs
Based on
The Bible
Narrated by
Keith David (US version)
Robert Powell (UK version)
Starring
Diogo Morgado
 Roma Downey
Darwin Shaw
 Andrew Scarborough
Music by
Hans Zimmer
Lorne Balfe
Lisa Gerrard
Cinematography
Christopher Titus King
 Rob Goldie
 Peter Greenhalgh
Editing by
Robert Hall
 Iain Kitching
 Tom Parsons
 Julian Rodd
 Dominic Strevens
Production company
Lightworkers Media
Budget
Under $22 million[1]
Country
United States
Language
English
Original channel
History
Original run
March 3, 2013 – March 31, 2013
Running time
440 minutes
No. of episodes
10
Followed by
A.D.: The Bible Continues
Official website
The Bible is a television miniseries based on the Bible. It was produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett[2][3] and was broadcast weekly between March 3 and March 31, 2013 on History channel.[4] It has since been adapted for release to theaters as a feature film (138 minutes), the 2014 American epic biblical drama Son of God.
Burnett, best known for producing prime-time hit reality shows, considers the scripted 10-hour series to be the "most important" project he has undertaken. The project was conceived by Burnett and Downey, who are married, after watching Cecil B. DeMille's version of The Ten Commandments for the first time since childhood.
The series is Mark Burnett's first scripted project.[5] In addition to Burnett and Downey, executive producers include Richard Bedser and History's Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs.[6] The first episode of the mini-series was seen by 13.1 million viewers, the largest cable television audience of 2013 to date.[7] The second installment continued "to deliver blockbuster ratings" for the network, attracting 10.8 million viewers. The third installment on March 17, 2013 was once again the No. 1 show on all of Sunday night television with 10.9 million total viewers. In addition, the series garnered 4.2 million adults 25–54 and 3.5 million adults 18–49.[8] In total, with subsequent airings, 'The Bible' has received more than 100 million cumulative views.[9]
The series received three Emmy Award nominations for best miniseries, and sound editing and sound mixing on July 18, 2013.[10]
Parts of the telecast – including unaired footage – has been turned into a feature film about the life of Jesus entitled Son of God.[11] A sequel series with the title A.D.: The Bible Continues airs on NBC.[12]


Contents  [hide]
1 Description
2 Development
3 Cast
4 Episodes
5 Reception 5.1 TV ratings
5.2 Critical reception
5.3 Distribution 5.3.1 Differences from the Bible
5.3.2 Lookalike controversy
5.4 Awards and nominations
6 Other media 6.1 International broadcasts
6.2 DVD release
6.3 Novel
6.4 Soundtrack
6.5 Theatrical release
7 Sequel – A.D.
8 See also
9 References
10 External links

Description[edit]
The series covers "Genesis to Revelation" in "one grand narrative,"[1] within five two-hour parts,[13] each containing two or three biblical stories told through live action and computer-generated imagery.[2][3] According to Burnett, it included "obvious" stories such as Noah's Ark, the Exodus, and the life of Jesus Christ.[2] Five hours are taken from the Old Testament, five from the New.[1] The series is based on the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.[3]
Downey and Burnett said their "greatest hope" in making the series was that it would "affect a new generation of viewers and draw them back to the Bible."[14]
"Part of what we hoped to accomplish with the series was to show the Bible is not simply a collection of unconnected stories which are often discussed and analyzed in snippets with chapter and verse numbers," the couple wrote in an op-ed in The Huffington Post. "Instead, we wanted to show how the Old Testament connects seamlessly to the New Testament. How they are one sweeping story with one grand, overriding message: God loves each one of us as if we were the only person in all the world to love."[15]
Development[edit]



Mark Burnett in 2009
In May 2011, The New York Times reported that Downey, Burnett and their production team were selecting stories for the series, with production scheduled to begin in 2012 for a 2013 broadcast.[2] The budget for the series was under $22 million.[1] Researchers and theologians were asked to verify accuracy.[2] Academic consultants included Craig A. Evans,[16] Helen Bond, Paula Gooder, Mark Goodacre and Candida Moss.[17] Shooting took place in Morocco and elsewhere.[3]
Burnett and Downey consulted "a wide range of pastors and academics," including their friend Joel Osteen, Joshua Garroway (a rabbi from Hebrew Union College), and a Catholic cardinal.[1] Geoff Tunnicliffe of the World Evangelical Alliance, read each episode's script and visited the set in Morocco: he "wanted to be sure that the final edits would hold together as a singular thematic message throughout the entire series" and "was not disappointed."[18] Another consultant, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly, applauded the couple's courage for making the series: "Let's face it, it takes some moxie to lift up the Bible in the middle of Hollywood. In fact, when they first proposed the project they were told to try and tell the story without mentioning Jesus. They refused."[19]
Other project advisors included:[20]
Rick Warren (pastor, Saddleback Church)
Erwin McManus (pastor, Mosaic)
Sam Rodriguez (National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference)
Paul Eshleman (Campus Crusade for Christ)
Bobby Gruenewald (YouVersion Bible)
Brad Lomenick (Catalyst)
Leith Anderson (president, National Association of Evangelicals)
Frank Wright (president, National Religious Broadcasters)
Tom Peterson (Catholics Come Home)
Gabe Lyons (founder of the Fermi Project)
Luis Palau (Christian evangelist)
George Wood (General Superintendent of the General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America)
Craig Groeschel (Life Church)
Denny Rydberg (Young Life)
Andrew Benton (president, Pepperdine University)
Days before the series premiere, Downey and Burnett authored an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal arguing that Bible teaching should be mandatory in U.S. public schools because "(t)he foundations of knowledge of the ancient world – which informs the understanding of the modern world – are biblical in origin."[21]
Cast[edit]
The cast is an "international ensemble" chosen to avoid "distracting the audience with recognizable celebrities"; many of the actors came from a background in London's theatre district.[1] For the purposes of this list, each hour is a whole episode.
Diogo Morgado as Jesus Christ (5 episodes)
Darwin Shaw as Peter (5 episodes)
Paul Brightwell as Malchus (4 episodes)
Roma Downey as Mother Mary (4 episodes)
Greg Hicks as Pontius Pilate (4 episodes)
Sebastian Knapp as John (4 episodes)
Amber Rose Revah as Mary Magdalene (4 episodes)
Adrian Schiller as Caiaphas (4 episodes)
Andrew Brooke as Antonius (3 episodes)
Louise Delamere as Claudia (3 episodes)
Matthew Gravelle as Thomas (3 episodes)
Simon Kunz as Nicodemus (3 episodes)
Joe Wredden as Judas (3 episodes)
Fraser Ayres as Barabbas (2 episodes)
Michael Legge as Stephen (2 episodes)
Paul Marc Davis as Simon (2 episodes)
Paul Freeman as Samuel (2 episodes)
Will Houston as Moses (2 episodes)
Joe Forte as Young Moses (1 episode)
Melia Kreiling as Bathsheba (2 episodes)
Dhaffer L'Abidine as Uriah (2 episodes)
Francis Magee as Saul (2 episodes)
Con O'Neill as Paul the Apostle (1 episode)[22]
Leila Mimmack as Young Mary (2 episodes)
Stephanie Leonidas as Rahab (1 episode)
Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni as Satan (2 episodes)
Gary Oliver as Abraham (2 episodes)
Josephine Butler as Sarah (2 episodes)
Andrew Scarborough as Joshua (2 episodes)
Clive Wood as Nathan (2 episodes)
Hara Yannas as Michal (2 episodes)
Jassa Ahluwalia as Young David (1 episode)
Nonso Anozie as Samson (1 episode)
Jake Canuso as Daniel (2 episodes)
Sam Douglas as King Herod (2 episodes)
Gerald Kyd as Cyrus the Great (1 episode)
Peter Guinness as King Nebuchadnezzar (1 episode)[23]
Langley Kirkwood as Old David (1 episode)
Paul Knops as Adam (1 episode)
Darcie Lincoln as Eve (1 episode)
Hugo Rossi as Isaac (1 episode)
Conan Stevens as Goliath (1 episode)
Kierston Wareing as Delilah (1 episode)
Lonyo as Guardian Angel (1 episode)
David Rintoul as Noah (1 episode)
Aharon Ipalé as Pharaoh (1 episode)
Sean Teale as Young Ramesses (1 episode)
Stewart Scudamore as Ramesses (1 episode)
Sean Knopp as Young Joshua (1 episode)
Shivani Ghai as Batya (1 episode)
Louis Hilyer as Aaron (1 episode)
Joanna Foster as Miriam (1 episode)
Soraya Radford as Hagar (1 episode)
Antonio Magro as Lot (1 episode)
Rachel Edwards as Lot's wife (1 episode)
Episodes[edit]

#
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
US Viewers
 (millions)

1
"Beginnings" Crispin Reece Richard Bedser, Alexander Marengo, Colin Swash, Nic Young March 3, 2013 13.10[24]
Noah tells of the Creation story and Fall while aboard the ark (Genesis 6-8); Abrahamic covenant; the Battle of the Vale of Siddim (Genesis 14); Hagar and Ismael (Genesis 16); birth of Isaac (Genesis 21); Abraham is tested (Genesis 22); Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19).
2
"Exodus" Crispin Reece Richard Bedser, Alexander Marengo March 3, 2013 13.10[24]
Moses learns of his roots, kills a soldier, and flees Egypt (Exodus 2); God speaks to Moses through the burning bush (Exodus 3); Moses returns to Egypt; ten Plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7-11); Moses leads the Israelites in The Exodus; Moses parts the Red Sea (Exodus 14); Moses receives the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 20)
3
"Homeland" Tony Mitchell Richard Bedser, Adam Rosenthal, Nic Young March 10, 2013 10.80[25]
Joshua becomes the leader of the Israelites (Deuteronomy 31; Joshua 1); the Israelites camp outside of Jericho; Joshua sends spies into Jericho (Joshua 2); Joshua invades and conquers Jericho (Joshua 6); Delilah betrays Samson, a hero of the Israelites who battled against the Philistines (Judges 16)
4
"Kingdom" Tony Mitchell Richard Bedser, Colin Swash, Nic Young March 10, 2013 10.80[25]
Samuel anoints Saul as king, a move that could throw the nation into civil war (1 Samuel 15); Saul is consumed with jealousy over the crown when David defeats Goliath (1 Samuel 17); King David ushers a golden age for Israel, but is soon seduced by power and lust for Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11); God forgives David, and Solomon builds God's temple in Jerusalem (1.Kings 6)
5
"Survival" Crispin Reece Richard Bedser, Nic Young March 17, 2013 10.90[8]
The Jews are enslaved in Babylon (Jeremiah 39); the image of gold and the three Hebrews in the blazing furnace (Daniel 3); Daniel is thrown into the lions’ den, but when his faith endures and God spares him (Daniel 6); the Jews are allowed to return to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36; Ezra 1)
6
"Hope" Crispin Reece Richard Bedser, Nic Young March 17, 2013 10.90[8]
During the time of Roman occupation, the Angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will bear a child (Luke 1); Joseph takes Mary to Bethlehem for the census, where Jesus is born (Luke 2); the Holy family escapes Herod’s order to kill Bethlehem’s male babies (Matthew 2); Judea comes under the ruthless rule of Pilate; John baptizes Jesus (Matthew 3); Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4); Jesus performs the miraculous catch of fish and calls Peter (Matthew 4)
7
"Mission" Christopher Spencer Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Nic Young March 24, 2013 10.30[26]
Jesus feeds crowds of thousands in Galilee (Matthew 14) and brings a dead man, Lazarus, back to life (John 11); Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey – a declaration that he is the Messiah; Jesus turns on the money-changers in the Temple (Mark 11)
8
"Betrayal" Christopher Spencer Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Colin Swash, Nic Young March 24, 2013 10.30[26]
Caiphas coaxes Judas into betraying Jesus; Jesus throws the disciples into turmoil at the Last Supper; Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14); Jesus is arrested and Malchus' ear is cut off by Peter and Jesus heals his ear; Jesus is confronted by the high priests at his Sanhedrin trial (Matthew 26)
9
"Passion" Christopher Spencer Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Abraham Christen Liando, Colin Swash, Nic Young March 31, 2013 11.70[27]
Peter denies Jesus (Luke 22) and Judas hangs himself; Pilate's wife has a dream and warns Pilate not to crucify Jesus (Matthew 27); Pilate has Jesus whipped 40 times and the crown of thorns are placed on Jesus' head (John 19); Jesus is condemned to death (Matthew 27); Jesus is crucified; Jesus is buried (John 19)
10
"Courage" Tony Mitchell Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Nic Young March 31, 2013 11.70[27]
Mary Magdalene goes to his tomb, a figure walks towards her – He is back (John 20); Jesus commissions the disciples to “go and preach to all” before he ascends (Acts 1). The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost (Acts 2); Stephen is stoned by the Pharisee Paul (Acts 7); Paul has a vision and experiences a miraculous change of faith on a journey to Damascus (Acts 9); martyrdom of the Disciples, John's survival and exile to Patmos, John receives a revelation – Jesus is coming back, and all who keep the faith will be rewarded
Reception[edit]
TV ratings[edit]
The opening episode of the series premiered to very high ratings.[28] The miniseries was watched by 13.1 million total viewers, according to Nielsen.[28] In Canada, the premiere was watched by 1.05 million viewers.[29] The second installment saw a ratings slippage, but still brought in 10.8 million viewers, tops in all television for the 8–10 p.m. time period.[25] Week three's installment, meanwhile, garnered 10.9 million total viewers.[8]
Critical reception[edit]
Reviews of The Bible have been mixed. It has had a "mixed or average reviews" rating at Metacritic, having a score of 44 out of 100 based on 13 critical reviews.[30] Rotten Tomatoes gives it a score of 13% indicating largely negative reviews. The general consensus reads "An earnest but shallow take on the Greatest Story ever Told, The Bible suffers from leaden pacing and mediocre special effects." Critic Matt Roush gave the series a negative review stating "The Bible tackles the most ubiquitous Bible stories in crude, broad strokes, with acting and writing taking a back seat to cheesy CGI spectacle that's likely to make one pine for the relative subtlety and craft of Cecil B. DeMille.". Critic Dennis Perkins was equally unfavorable, writing "The Bible offers little more than a rote Bible course-plodding, cheap, obvious, and largely bereft of the showmanship any religious epic worth its pillar of salt should understand."
Distribution[edit]
On March 19, 2013, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett offered remarks on the viewership and its anticipated diffusion. He said: "We've realized, on the journey around the country to churches and all over the place, many people cannot afford cable TV. And those people need to see this Bible series. So we're rushing the DVD out April 2nd, also immediately with Spanish subtitles. This is very important. And this is only for America and Canada. Now we're about to start around the world. This will be in every country of the world. More people will see this series than everything we ever made; together, combined. Billions of people will see this series. Billions."[31]
Differences from the Bible[edit]
In the introduction to each episode, the message is displayed “This program is an adaptation of Bible stories that changed our world. It endeavors to stay true to the spirit of the book.”[32] Roma Downey stated in an interview, “we had a great team of scholars and theologians helping us, making sure that we told these stories accurately and truthfully,”[33] However, many of the story elements in the series have been criticized as deviating from the events described in the traditional text, and using too many creative licenses. These are included below:
In the Bible, Noah's three sons are full grown men, whereas in the TV series they are depicted as boys. Also in the mini-series, Noah has a couple of young daughters but not in the Bible. Note: These young girls are not Noah's daughters but his daughters-in-law.
In the book of Genesis, the angelic visitors were approached by Lot who insisted that they stay with him. Then they feasted with Lot in his home. The series shows the angels approaching Lot, begging for help with no hospitality extended to them.[34] (Genesis 19:1-5)
The text describes a mob gathered outside of Lot's home wanting to rape his two angelic visitors, and Lot offering his daughters instead. The series omits this.[35][36] (Genesis 19:4-10)
At the destruction of Sodom, the series shows the angels slaughtering some of the city's inhabitants. Critics refer to these as "Ninja Angels". This is not in the text.[37] (Genesis 19:1-17)
The series shows Abraham traveling with Isaac, a very short distance to the place where he was to sacrifice his son. In the Bible it is a three-day journey and the two are accompanied by a donkey and two attendants.[38] (Genesis 22:1-4)
The series shows Sarah running after Abraham once she realizes he is going to sacrifice Isaac. This is not in the text.[39] (Genesis 22:1-19)
In the Binding of Isaac, the text describes a ram (adult) caught by its horns in a thicket. The miniseries depicts a juvenile lamb caught by its leg[40] (Genesis 22:13)
When Moses appeared to Pharaoh years later, the text shows Moses' brother Aaron releasing his shepherd staff onto the ground which turns into a snake wherein Pharaoh's magicians copying the trick. The series omits this.
After learning of Saul's and Jonathan's deaths at the hands of the Philistines, David swore revenge on his enemies by rallying the divided forces of Israel and driving the Philistines out of Judea for good. In the miniseries, this never happens.
After David's affair with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah the Hittite, he is confronted by Nathan. The series depicts David as resistant or even indignant, whereas in the text, David is remorseful for his sin and admits his guilt, leading him to write Psalm 51 and beg forgiveness from God[41] (2 Samuel 12:13, Psalms 51)
When the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem, Jeremiah is depicted as escaping unnoticed by the invaders. In the text Jeremiah is captured, bound in chains and later released[40] (Jeremiah 39:11-40:6)
The show depicts Daniel and his three compatriots being captured during the siege, when in fact, they were deported more than a decade before Jerusalem’s destruction[40] (Daniel 1; 2 Kings 24:10-16)
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship King Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue, the miniseries depicts them as being tied up, with a fire lit under them. In the text, the king orders the three to be thrown into a furnace that was heated seven times hotter than usual. In fact, the text describes the furnace as being so hot, that some of Nebuchadnezzar's "strongest soldiers" who threw them in there where killed by the flames while doing so.[42] (Daniel 3:19-23)
The miniseries's depicts the prophet Isaiah as a contemporary of Daniel, living during the time of the Babylonian exile. This is a major inconsistency with the text as Isaiah prophesied that Cyrus the Persian would release the captives after a period of time. This prophecy occurred 150 years before Cyrus was born, 180 years before Cyrus performed any of these feats, and 80 years before the Jews were taken into exile[43] meaning that Daniel, Cyrus and Isaiah could never have existed contemporaneously at the same time. (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; and 45:13).
In the miniseries' depiction of the Temptation of Christ, the Devil took Jesus to a high mountain when he tempted Jesus to throw himself down. In the text, the Devil tempted Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. The high mountain was where the devil tempted Jesus to worship him.[33][40] (Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13)
In the Bible, Jesus had Lazarus' sisters roll away the stone, and then he called for Lazarus to come out. In the miniseries, Jesus enters Lazarus' tomb and kisses him on the head, while not even addressing Lazarus, and gives a brand-new monologue. (John 11:38-44) [44]
Lookalike controversy[edit]
There have been claims of a resemblance of the actor in the role of Satan (Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni) to U.S. President Barack Obama. The resemblance was first pointed out notably by Glenn Beck ahead of the episode's premiere.[45][46]
This led the History Channel to announce,

History [C]hannel has the highest respect for President Obama. The Bible series was produced with an international and diverse cast of respected actors. It's unfortunate that anyone made this false connection. History’s "The Bible" is meant to enlighten people on its rich stories and deep history."[47]
Burnett and Downey responded in a joint statement,

This is utter nonsense. The actor who played Satan, Mehdi Ouazanni, is a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor. He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics – including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our President.[47]
Downey added separately,

"Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love for our president, who is a fellow Christian. False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of The Bible.[48]
Awards and nominations[edit]
The Bible was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards; Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie.[49] The 44th GMA Dove Awards gave a tribute to the miniseries in October 2013.[50] In 2014, The Bible won the honor of Home Media Magazine's Best Miniseries or TV Movie on Disc for the year.[51]
Other media[edit]
International broadcasts[edit]
 United States – History, March 3, 2013 – March 31, 2013
 Canada – History, March 3, 2013 – March 31, 2013
 Spain – Antena 3, March 25, 2013 – April 2013
 Finland – Alfa TV – Premiered December 1, 2013
 Colombia – Caracol TV, March 28, 2013 – April 2013
 Chile – Canal 13, March 29, 2013 – April 2013
 Portugal – SIC, March 30, 2013 – March 31, 2013[52]
 Greece – ANT1, April 29, 2013 – May 4, 2013
 Cyprus – ANT1, April 29, 2013 – May 4, 2013
 United Kingdom – Channel 5, November 30, 2013 – December 22, 2013[53]
 Australia – Nine Network – Premiered July 16, 2013
 Brazil – Rede Record – Premiered October 16, 2013
 Poland – Polsat – Premiered October 19, 2013
 Hong Kong – TVB Pearl – Premiered November 6, 2013
 Kenya – KTN – Premiered October 7, 2013
 France – Paris Première – Premiered December 8, 2013
 Ireland – TV3 (Ireland) December 21, 2013
 Slovakia – Slovenská televízia, Premiered December 23, 2013
 Russia – TV-3, Premiered January, 2014
 Italy – Rete 4 – Premiered March 23, 2014
 Costa Rica – Teletica Canal 7, April 17, 2014 – April 18, 2014
 Philippines – ABS–CBN – April 17, 2014 – April 19, 2014
 Peru – América Televisión, April 6, 2014 – April –, 2014
 Netherlands – EO – Premiered May 12, 2014
 Germany – VOX, April 17, 2014 – April 19, 2014
 Ecuador – Ecuavisa, Ecuavisa HD, April 5, 2014 – April 19, 2014
 Lebanon - LBCI, April 10, 2014 – April 20, 2014.
 United States – Telemundo, March 25, 2015
DVD release[edit]
The series became the biggest-selling miniseries on DVD in its first week of release, and biggest on Blu-ray and Digital HD of all time.[54] In its first week on home video, 'The Bible' series sold 525,000 copies. It was the fastest selling television show on DVD since 2008.[55] A Blu-ray version is also available via 20th Century Fox.
Novel[edit]
Roma Downey and Mark Burnett have also released a novelization of this miniseries, entitled A Story of God and All of Us: A Novel Based on the Epic TV Miniseries "The Bible." It debuted at No. 27 on the New York Times Best-Seller List.[56]
Soundtrack[edit]

The Bible: Music Inspired by the Epic Miniseries

Soundtrack album

A CD was released on March 12, 2013 with Christian music singers performing songs inspired by the miniseries:[57]
1.In Your Eyes – Francesca Battistelli
2.Live Like That – Sidewalk Prophets
3.This Side of Heaven – Chris August
4.Starting Line – Jason Castro
5.Love Come To Life – Big Daddy Weave
6.Crave – for King & Country
7.Fearless – Group 1 Crew
8.What Love Means – Everfound
9.Home – Dara Maclean
10.Wash Me Away – Point of Grace
11.Not For a Moment (After All) – Meredith Andrews
12.Mary, Did You Know? – Kenny Rogers with Wynonna
Theatrical release[edit]
Main article: Son of God (film)
Mark Burnett announced in April 2013 that a three-hour version is being prepared for global theatrical release. He claimed that he has had no distribution arrangements yet, though he could possibly release it himself.[11] In June 2013, Burnett elaborated that the film, which has already been edited, will focus exclusively on the life of Jesus, and will run two hours and fifteen minutes.[58] In September 2013, it was announced that 20th Century Fox will partner with Burnett on theatrical distribution, currently titled Son of God.[59][60] In October 2013, it was announced that Son of God will be released on February 28, 2014.[61]
Sequel – A.D.[edit]
Main article: A.D.: The Bible Continues
On December 17, 2013, it was announced that there would be a follow-up miniseries in 2015, titled A.D.: The Bible Continues, also produced by Burnett, Downey, and Bedser.[12][62] The limited series began airing on NBC on Easter Sunday, April 5. It airs in twelve weekly one-hour episodes. The story takes place immediately after the events of The Bible, beginning with the Crucifixion and Resurrection, and continues with the first ten chapters of the Book of Acts.[63][64]
See also[edit]
The Bible in film
Depiction of Jesus
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Marrapodi, Eric (March 2, 2013). "Reality TV Goliath takes up Bible miniseries challenge, hopes for better outcome". CNN Belief Blog (CNN). Retrieved 2013-03-03.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Carter, Bill (May 24, 2011). "Reality-TV Producer Mark Burnett Tackles the Bible". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). p. C1. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Elber, Lynn (May 24, 2011). "'The Bible': History Channel, Mark Burnett Creating CGI 10-Hour Miniseries". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
4.Jump up ^ Littleton, Cynthia. "Mark Burnett, Roma Downey promo 'Bible' mini to faithful". Variety (magazine). Retrieved February 18, 2013.
5.Jump up ^ Levin, Gary (May 24, 2011). "Mark Burnett to produce 'The Bible'". USA Today (Gannett Company). Retrieved August 28, 2011.
6.Jump up ^ Porter, Rick (May 24, 2011). "Mark Burnett producing 'The Bible' miniseries for History Channel". Zap2it. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
7.Jump up ^ Hibberd, James (2013-03-04). "Mark Burnett's 'The Bible' begets record ratings". Entertainment Weekly.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c d Patten, Dominic (March 19, 2013). "History’s ‘The Bible’ & ‘Vikings’ Rise In Week 3". Deadline Hollywood.
9.Jump up ^ "#1 TV on DVD in the last 5 years". Hollywood Jesus. 2013-04-08.
10.Jump up ^ Hayden, Erik. 'The Bible' Earns Three Emmy Nominations, The Hollywood Reporter, July 18, 2013.
11.^ Jump up to: a b "Mark Burnett Prepping ‘The Bible’ Miniseries For Theatrical Release". PMC. April 22, 2013.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Elavsky, Cindy (2013-11-17). "Celebrity Extra". King Features. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
13.Jump up ^ Lyons, Margaret (May 24, 2011). "Mark Burnett Declines to Make Bible Reality Show". New York (New York City, New York: New York Media, LLC). ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
14.Jump up ^ Crosby, Robert (2013-02-25). "From Survivor and Touched by an Angel to the Bible". Christianity Today.
15.Jump up ^ Downey, Roma; Burnett, Mark (2013-02-28). "Making The Bible a Daunting, Deep Experience". The Huffington Post.
16.Jump up ^ Evans, Craig. "Dr Craig A. Evans". Homepage. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
17.Jump up ^ Goodacre, Mark. "More Bible Series News and Video Clips". NT Blog. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
18.Jump up ^ Review: 'The Bible' – This Time, Hollywood Got It Right, a Christian Post review by Geoff Tunnicliffe, one of the film's consultants. Retrieved on 2013-03-03.
19.Jump up ^ Draper, Electa (2013-03-10). "Focus on the Family CEO Jim Daly consulted on TV mega-hit "The Bible"". Denver Post.
20.Jump up ^ About the Bible - Outreach.comRetrieved on 2013-03-04.
21.Jump up ^ "Roma Downey and Mark Burnett: Why Public Schools Should Teach the Bible - WSJ.com". The Wall Street Journal.
22.Jump up ^ "The Bible" Courage (TV episode 2013) at the Internet Movie Database
23.Jump up ^ Peter Guinness at the Internet Movie Database
24.^ Jump up to: a b Bibel, Sara (March 4, 2013). "History's 'The Bible' is the Number 1 Cable Entertainment Telecast of the Year". TV by the Numbers. A+E press release. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
25.^ Jump up to: a b c "History’s ‘The Bible’ & ‘Vikings’ Slip In Week 2, Still Tower Over Competition". Deadline Hollywood. 2013-03-12.
26.^ Jump up to: a b Andreeva, Nellie. "History’s ‘The Bible’ & ‘Vikings’ Slip In Week 4", Deadline Hollywood, March 26, 2013.
27.^ Jump up to: a b O'Connell, Mike (April 1, 2013). "TV Ratings: History's 'The Bible' Pulls 11.7 Million Viewers With Easter Ender". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
28.^ Jump up to: a b Collins, Scott. 'The Bible,' 'Vikings' premieres tell a ratings epic for History, Los Angeles Times, March 4, 2013.
29.Jump up ^ TV Feeds My Family: Good start for Screenies, Vikings and God
30.Jump up ^ The Bible - Season 1 Reviews - Metacritic
31.Jump up ^ Roma Downey and Mark Burnett Interview at The Bible Experience in New York (Video clip recorded March 19, 2013, located at YouTube)
32.Jump up ^ Owen, Rob. "Miniseries tries to stay true to spirit of the Good Book". Standard-Examiner. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
33.^ Jump up to: a b Higginbotham, Steve. "The Bible: The Mini-Series". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
34.Jump up ^ "The Bible: first episode, first impressions".
35.Jump up ^ Garvin, Glenn. "Reviews of ‘The Bible,’ ‘Red Widow’ and ‘Vikings’".
36.Jump up ^ Kovacs, Joe. "Just how unbiblical is 'The Bible'?".
37.Jump up ^ Hallowell, Billy. "Is The Bible TV Series Really Filled With Historical Inaccuracies?".
38.Jump up ^ McClarty, Jim. "The Bible according to the History Channel".
39.Jump up ^ Dawn, Randee. "One scholar takes issue with 'The Bible': 5 things the series got wrong".
40.^ Jump up to: a b c d Jonathan Merritt, Jonathan. "Inaccuracies in The Bible . . . the miniseries, not the book". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
41.Jump up ^ Murrell, Steve. "When Leaders Fail, Grace Must Abound". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
42.Jump up ^ Daniel 3:19-23
43.Jump up ^ Ross, Hugh. "Reasons To Believe: Fulfilled Prophecy". Retrieved April 3, 2013.
44.Jump up ^ "John 11 - The Death of Lazarus". Retrieved February 5, 2015.
45.Jump up ^ "Anyone else think the Devil in #TheBible Sunday on HIstory Channel looks exactly like That Guy?". @glennbeck. Twitter. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
46.Jump up ^ "Why does the devil in 'The Bible' look exactly like President Obama?". Daily Mail (London). 18 March 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
47.^ Jump up to: a b Makarechi, Kia (March 18, 2013). "'The Bible': Satan Actor Looks Like Obama In History Channel Miniseries". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
48.Jump up ^ O'Connell, Michael (March 18, 2013). "History, Mark Burnett Defend Satan's Similarity to President Obama in 'The Bible'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
49.Jump up ^ "Emmy nominations 2013: "House of Cards" makes history, "American Horror Story" leads" (PDF). CBS. 2013-07-18. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
50.Jump up ^ "44th Annual Dove Awards". Event occurs at 0:30. Up (TV network). Missing or empty |title= (help);
51.Jump up ^ http://homemediamagazine.com/award-winners-2014
52.Jump up ^ (two 5 hour episodes) "A Bíblia - - Sic - Sapo". SIC.
53.Jump up ^ http://www.channel5.com/shows/the–bible
54.Jump up ^ 'The Bible' Shatters Home Video Sales Records in First Week
55.Jump up ^ 'The Bible' sets DVD record: Fastest-selling miniseries ever
56.Jump up ^ "'The Bible' Miniseries Novel Hits National Best-Seller Lists". Charisma News. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
57.Jump up ^ "CD". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
58.Jump up ^ [1]
59.Jump up ^ [2]
60.Jump up ^ Variety http://variety.com/2013/film/news/fox-to-distribute-son-of-god-feature-from-bible-pair-1200608999/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
61.Jump up ^ [3]
62.Jump up ^ NBC Greenlights 12-Hour Miniseries 'A.D.'
63.Jump up ^ Dent Brant, Ginny. "‘A.D.: The Bible Continues’ slated for primetime". The Biblical Recorder.
64.Jump up ^ "About A.D. The Bible Continues". Lightworkers Media.
External links[edit]
Official website
The Bible - History Channel (official History Channel website)
The Bible at the Internet Movie Database


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The Bible (miniseries)

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The Bible
The Bible - Title Card.jpg
Genre
Biblical
Drama
Created by
Roma Downey
Mark Burnett
Produced by
Roma Downey
 Mark Burnett
 Richard Bedser
 Dirk Hoogstra
 Julian P. Hobbs
Based on
The Bible
Narrated by
Keith David (US version)
Robert Powell (UK version)
Starring
Diogo Morgado
 Roma Downey
Darwin Shaw
 Andrew Scarborough
Music by
Hans Zimmer
Lorne Balfe
Lisa Gerrard
Cinematography
Christopher Titus King
 Rob Goldie
 Peter Greenhalgh
Editing by
Robert Hall
 Iain Kitching
 Tom Parsons
 Julian Rodd
 Dominic Strevens
Production company
Lightworkers Media
Budget
Under $22 million[1]
Country
United States
Language
English
Original channel
History
Original run
March 3, 2013 – March 31, 2013
Running time
440 minutes
No. of episodes
10
Followed by
A.D.: The Bible Continues
Official website
The Bible is a television miniseries based on the Bible. It was produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett[2][3] and was broadcast weekly between March 3 and March 31, 2013 on History channel.[4] It has since been adapted for release to theaters as a feature film (138 minutes), the 2014 American epic biblical drama Son of God.
Burnett, best known for producing prime-time hit reality shows, considers the scripted 10-hour series to be the "most important" project he has undertaken. The project was conceived by Burnett and Downey, who are married, after watching Cecil B. DeMille's version of The Ten Commandments for the first time since childhood.
The series is Mark Burnett's first scripted project.[5] In addition to Burnett and Downey, executive producers include Richard Bedser and History's Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs.[6] The first episode of the mini-series was seen by 13.1 million viewers, the largest cable television audience of 2013 to date.[7] The second installment continued "to deliver blockbuster ratings" for the network, attracting 10.8 million viewers. The third installment on March 17, 2013 was once again the No. 1 show on all of Sunday night television with 10.9 million total viewers. In addition, the series garnered 4.2 million adults 25–54 and 3.5 million adults 18–49.[8] In total, with subsequent airings, 'The Bible' has received more than 100 million cumulative views.[9]
The series received three Emmy Award nominations for best miniseries, and sound editing and sound mixing on July 18, 2013.[10]
Parts of the telecast – including unaired footage – has been turned into a feature film about the life of Jesus entitled Son of God.[11] A sequel series with the title A.D.: The Bible Continues airs on NBC.[12]


Contents  [hide]
1 Description
2 Development
3 Cast
4 Episodes
5 Reception 5.1 TV ratings
5.2 Critical reception
5.3 Distribution 5.3.1 Differences from the Bible
5.3.2 Lookalike controversy
5.4 Awards and nominations
6 Other media 6.1 International broadcasts
6.2 DVD release
6.3 Novel
6.4 Soundtrack
6.5 Theatrical release
7 Sequel – A.D.
8 See also
9 References
10 External links

Description[edit]
The series covers "Genesis to Revelation" in "one grand narrative,"[1] within five two-hour parts,[13] each containing two or three biblical stories told through live action and computer-generated imagery.[2][3] According to Burnett, it included "obvious" stories such as Noah's Ark, the Exodus, and the life of Jesus Christ.[2] Five hours are taken from the Old Testament, five from the New.[1] The series is based on the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.[3]
Downey and Burnett said their "greatest hope" in making the series was that it would "affect a new generation of viewers and draw them back to the Bible."[14]
"Part of what we hoped to accomplish with the series was to show the Bible is not simply a collection of unconnected stories which are often discussed and analyzed in snippets with chapter and verse numbers," the couple wrote in an op-ed in The Huffington Post. "Instead, we wanted to show how the Old Testament connects seamlessly to the New Testament. How they are one sweeping story with one grand, overriding message: God loves each one of us as if we were the only person in all the world to love."[15]
Development[edit]



Mark Burnett in 2009
In May 2011, The New York Times reported that Downey, Burnett and their production team were selecting stories for the series, with production scheduled to begin in 2012 for a 2013 broadcast.[2] The budget for the series was under $22 million.[1] Researchers and theologians were asked to verify accuracy.[2] Academic consultants included Craig A. Evans,[16] Helen Bond, Paula Gooder, Mark Goodacre and Candida Moss.[17] Shooting took place in Morocco and elsewhere.[3]
Burnett and Downey consulted "a wide range of pastors and academics," including their friend Joel Osteen, Joshua Garroway (a rabbi from Hebrew Union College), and a Catholic cardinal.[1] Geoff Tunnicliffe of the World Evangelical Alliance, read each episode's script and visited the set in Morocco: he "wanted to be sure that the final edits would hold together as a singular thematic message throughout the entire series" and "was not disappointed."[18] Another consultant, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly, applauded the couple's courage for making the series: "Let's face it, it takes some moxie to lift up the Bible in the middle of Hollywood. In fact, when they first proposed the project they were told to try and tell the story without mentioning Jesus. They refused."[19]
Other project advisors included:[20]
Rick Warren (pastor, Saddleback Church)
Erwin McManus (pastor, Mosaic)
Sam Rodriguez (National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference)
Paul Eshleman (Campus Crusade for Christ)
Bobby Gruenewald (YouVersion Bible)
Brad Lomenick (Catalyst)
Leith Anderson (president, National Association of Evangelicals)
Frank Wright (president, National Religious Broadcasters)
Tom Peterson (Catholics Come Home)
Gabe Lyons (founder of the Fermi Project)
Luis Palau (Christian evangelist)
George Wood (General Superintendent of the General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America)
Craig Groeschel (Life Church)
Denny Rydberg (Young Life)
Andrew Benton (president, Pepperdine University)
Days before the series premiere, Downey and Burnett authored an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal arguing that Bible teaching should be mandatory in U.S. public schools because "(t)he foundations of knowledge of the ancient world – which informs the understanding of the modern world – are biblical in origin."[21]
Cast[edit]
The cast is an "international ensemble" chosen to avoid "distracting the audience with recognizable celebrities"; many of the actors came from a background in London's theatre district.[1] For the purposes of this list, each hour is a whole episode.
Diogo Morgado as Jesus Christ (5 episodes)
Darwin Shaw as Peter (5 episodes)
Paul Brightwell as Malchus (4 episodes)
Roma Downey as Mother Mary (4 episodes)
Greg Hicks as Pontius Pilate (4 episodes)
Sebastian Knapp as John (4 episodes)
Amber Rose Revah as Mary Magdalene (4 episodes)
Adrian Schiller as Caiaphas (4 episodes)
Andrew Brooke as Antonius (3 episodes)
Louise Delamere as Claudia (3 episodes)
Matthew Gravelle as Thomas (3 episodes)
Simon Kunz as Nicodemus (3 episodes)
Joe Wredden as Judas (3 episodes)
Fraser Ayres as Barabbas (2 episodes)
Michael Legge as Stephen (2 episodes)
Paul Marc Davis as Simon (2 episodes)
Paul Freeman as Samuel (2 episodes)
Will Houston as Moses (2 episodes)
Joe Forte as Young Moses (1 episode)
Melia Kreiling as Bathsheba (2 episodes)
Dhaffer L'Abidine as Uriah (2 episodes)
Francis Magee as Saul (2 episodes)
Con O'Neill as Paul the Apostle (1 episode)[22]
Leila Mimmack as Young Mary (2 episodes)
Stephanie Leonidas as Rahab (1 episode)
Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni as Satan (2 episodes)
Gary Oliver as Abraham (2 episodes)
Josephine Butler as Sarah (2 episodes)
Andrew Scarborough as Joshua (2 episodes)
Clive Wood as Nathan (2 episodes)
Hara Yannas as Michal (2 episodes)
Jassa Ahluwalia as Young David (1 episode)
Nonso Anozie as Samson (1 episode)
Jake Canuso as Daniel (2 episodes)
Sam Douglas as King Herod (2 episodes)
Gerald Kyd as Cyrus the Great (1 episode)
Peter Guinness as King Nebuchadnezzar (1 episode)[23]
Langley Kirkwood as Old David (1 episode)
Paul Knops as Adam (1 episode)
Darcie Lincoln as Eve (1 episode)
Hugo Rossi as Isaac (1 episode)
Conan Stevens as Goliath (1 episode)
Kierston Wareing as Delilah (1 episode)
Lonyo as Guardian Angel (1 episode)
David Rintoul as Noah (1 episode)
Aharon Ipalé as Pharaoh (1 episode)
Sean Teale as Young Ramesses (1 episode)
Stewart Scudamore as Ramesses (1 episode)
Sean Knopp as Young Joshua (1 episode)
Shivani Ghai as Batya (1 episode)
Louis Hilyer as Aaron (1 episode)
Joanna Foster as Miriam (1 episode)
Soraya Radford as Hagar (1 episode)
Antonio Magro as Lot (1 episode)
Rachel Edwards as Lot's wife (1 episode)
Episodes[edit]

#
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
US Viewers
 (millions)

1
"Beginnings" Crispin Reece Richard Bedser, Alexander Marengo, Colin Swash, Nic Young March 3, 2013 13.10[24]
Noah tells of the Creation story and Fall while aboard the ark (Genesis 6-8); Abrahamic covenant; the Battle of the Vale of Siddim (Genesis 14); Hagar and Ismael (Genesis 16); birth of Isaac (Genesis 21); Abraham is tested (Genesis 22); Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19).
2
"Exodus" Crispin Reece Richard Bedser, Alexander Marengo March 3, 2013 13.10[24]
Moses learns of his roots, kills a soldier, and flees Egypt (Exodus 2); God speaks to Moses through the burning bush (Exodus 3); Moses returns to Egypt; ten Plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7-11); Moses leads the Israelites in The Exodus; Moses parts the Red Sea (Exodus 14); Moses receives the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 20)
3
"Homeland" Tony Mitchell Richard Bedser, Adam Rosenthal, Nic Young March 10, 2013 10.80[25]
Joshua becomes the leader of the Israelites (Deuteronomy 31; Joshua 1); the Israelites camp outside of Jericho; Joshua sends spies into Jericho (Joshua 2); Joshua invades and conquers Jericho (Joshua 6); Delilah betrays Samson, a hero of the Israelites who battled against the Philistines (Judges 16)
4
"Kingdom" Tony Mitchell Richard Bedser, Colin Swash, Nic Young March 10, 2013 10.80[25]
Samuel anoints Saul as king, a move that could throw the nation into civil war (1 Samuel 15); Saul is consumed with jealousy over the crown when David defeats Goliath (1 Samuel 17); King David ushers a golden age for Israel, but is soon seduced by power and lust for Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11); God forgives David, and Solomon builds God's temple in Jerusalem (1.Kings 6)
5
"Survival" Crispin Reece Richard Bedser, Nic Young March 17, 2013 10.90[8]
The Jews are enslaved in Babylon (Jeremiah 39); the image of gold and the three Hebrews in the blazing furnace (Daniel 3); Daniel is thrown into the lions’ den, but when his faith endures and God spares him (Daniel 6); the Jews are allowed to return to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36; Ezra 1)
6
"Hope" Crispin Reece Richard Bedser, Nic Young March 17, 2013 10.90[8]
During the time of Roman occupation, the Angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will bear a child (Luke 1); Joseph takes Mary to Bethlehem for the census, where Jesus is born (Luke 2); the Holy family escapes Herod’s order to kill Bethlehem’s male babies (Matthew 2); Judea comes under the ruthless rule of Pilate; John baptizes Jesus (Matthew 3); Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4); Jesus performs the miraculous catch of fish and calls Peter (Matthew 4)
7
"Mission" Christopher Spencer Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Nic Young March 24, 2013 10.30[26]
Jesus feeds crowds of thousands in Galilee (Matthew 14) and brings a dead man, Lazarus, back to life (John 11); Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey – a declaration that he is the Messiah; Jesus turns on the money-changers in the Temple (Mark 11)
8
"Betrayal" Christopher Spencer Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Colin Swash, Nic Young March 24, 2013 10.30[26]
Caiphas coaxes Judas into betraying Jesus; Jesus throws the disciples into turmoil at the Last Supper; Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14); Jesus is arrested and Malchus' ear is cut off by Peter and Jesus heals his ear; Jesus is confronted by the high priests at his Sanhedrin trial (Matthew 26)
9
"Passion" Christopher Spencer Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Abraham Christen Liando, Colin Swash, Nic Young March 31, 2013 11.70[27]
Peter denies Jesus (Luke 22) and Judas hangs himself; Pilate's wife has a dream and warns Pilate not to crucify Jesus (Matthew 27); Pilate has Jesus whipped 40 times and the crown of thorns are placed on Jesus' head (John 19); Jesus is condemned to death (Matthew 27); Jesus is crucified; Jesus is buried (John 19)
10
"Courage" Tony Mitchell Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Nic Young March 31, 2013 11.70[27]
Mary Magdalene goes to his tomb, a figure walks towards her – He is back (John 20); Jesus commissions the disciples to “go and preach to all” before he ascends (Acts 1). The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost (Acts 2); Stephen is stoned by the Pharisee Paul (Acts 7); Paul has a vision and experiences a miraculous change of faith on a journey to Damascus (Acts 9); martyrdom of the Disciples, John's survival and exile to Patmos, John receives a revelation – Jesus is coming back, and all who keep the faith will be rewarded
Reception[edit]
TV ratings[edit]
The opening episode of the series premiered to very high ratings.[28] The miniseries was watched by 13.1 million total viewers, according to Nielsen.[28] In Canada, the premiere was watched by 1.05 million viewers.[29] The second installment saw a ratings slippage, but still brought in 10.8 million viewers, tops in all television for the 8–10 p.m. time period.[25] Week three's installment, meanwhile, garnered 10.9 million total viewers.[8]
Critical reception[edit]
Reviews of The Bible have been mixed. It has had a "mixed or average reviews" rating at Metacritic, having a score of 44 out of 100 based on 13 critical reviews.[30] Rotten Tomatoes gives it a score of 13% indicating largely negative reviews. The general consensus reads "An earnest but shallow take on the Greatest Story ever Told, The Bible suffers from leaden pacing and mediocre special effects." Critic Matt Roush gave the series a negative review stating "The Bible tackles the most ubiquitous Bible stories in crude, broad strokes, with acting and writing taking a back seat to cheesy CGI spectacle that's likely to make one pine for the relative subtlety and craft of Cecil B. DeMille.". Critic Dennis Perkins was equally unfavorable, writing "The Bible offers little more than a rote Bible course-plodding, cheap, obvious, and largely bereft of the showmanship any religious epic worth its pillar of salt should understand."
Distribution[edit]
On March 19, 2013, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett offered remarks on the viewership and its anticipated diffusion. He said: "We've realized, on the journey around the country to churches and all over the place, many people cannot afford cable TV. And those people need to see this Bible series. So we're rushing the DVD out April 2nd, also immediately with Spanish subtitles. This is very important. And this is only for America and Canada. Now we're about to start around the world. This will be in every country of the world. More people will see this series than everything we ever made; together, combined. Billions of people will see this series. Billions."[31]
Differences from the Bible[edit]
In the introduction to each episode, the message is displayed “This program is an adaptation of Bible stories that changed our world. It endeavors to stay true to the spirit of the book.”[32] Roma Downey stated in an interview, “we had a great team of scholars and theologians helping us, making sure that we told these stories accurately and truthfully,”[33] However, many of the story elements in the series have been criticized as deviating from the events described in the traditional text, and using too many creative licenses. These are included below:
In the Bible, Noah's three sons are full grown men, whereas in the TV series they are depicted as boys. Also in the mini-series, Noah has a couple of young daughters but not in the Bible. Note: These young girls are not Noah's daughters but his daughters-in-law.
In the book of Genesis, the angelic visitors were approached by Lot who insisted that they stay with him. Then they feasted with Lot in his home. The series shows the angels approaching Lot, begging for help with no hospitality extended to them.[34] (Genesis 19:1-5)
The text describes a mob gathered outside of Lot's home wanting to rape his two angelic visitors, and Lot offering his daughters instead. The series omits this.[35][36] (Genesis 19:4-10)
At the destruction of Sodom, the series shows the angels slaughtering some of the city's inhabitants. Critics refer to these as "Ninja Angels". This is not in the text.[37] (Genesis 19:1-17)
The series shows Abraham traveling with Isaac, a very short distance to the place where he was to sacrifice his son. In the Bible it is a three-day journey and the two are accompanied by a donkey and two attendants.[38] (Genesis 22:1-4)
The series shows Sarah running after Abraham once she realizes he is going to sacrifice Isaac. This is not in the text.[39] (Genesis 22:1-19)
In the Binding of Isaac, the text describes a ram (adult) caught by its horns in a thicket. The miniseries depicts a juvenile lamb caught by its leg[40] (Genesis 22:13)
When Moses appeared to Pharaoh years later, the text shows Moses' brother Aaron releasing his shepherd staff onto the ground which turns into a snake wherein Pharaoh's magicians copying the trick. The series omits this.
After learning of Saul's and Jonathan's deaths at the hands of the Philistines, David swore revenge on his enemies by rallying the divided forces of Israel and driving the Philistines out of Judea for good. In the miniseries, this never happens.
After David's affair with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah the Hittite, he is confronted by Nathan. The series depicts David as resistant or even indignant, whereas in the text, David is remorseful for his sin and admits his guilt, leading him to write Psalm 51 and beg forgiveness from God[41] (2 Samuel 12:13, Psalms 51)
When the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem, Jeremiah is depicted as escaping unnoticed by the invaders. In the text Jeremiah is captured, bound in chains and later released[40] (Jeremiah 39:11-40:6)
The show depicts Daniel and his three compatriots being captured during the siege, when in fact, they were deported more than a decade before Jerusalem’s destruction[40] (Daniel 1; 2 Kings 24:10-16)
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship King Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue, the miniseries depicts them as being tied up, with a fire lit under them. In the text, the king orders the three to be thrown into a furnace that was heated seven times hotter than usual. In fact, the text describes the furnace as being so hot, that some of Nebuchadnezzar's "strongest soldiers" who threw them in there where killed by the flames while doing so.[42] (Daniel 3:19-23)
The miniseries's depicts the prophet Isaiah as a contemporary of Daniel, living during the time of the Babylonian exile. This is a major inconsistency with the text as Isaiah prophesied that Cyrus the Persian would release the captives after a period of time. This prophecy occurred 150 years before Cyrus was born, 180 years before Cyrus performed any of these feats, and 80 years before the Jews were taken into exile[43] meaning that Daniel, Cyrus and Isaiah could never have existed contemporaneously at the same time. (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; and 45:13).
In the miniseries' depiction of the Temptation of Christ, the Devil took Jesus to a high mountain when he tempted Jesus to throw himself down. In the text, the Devil tempted Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. The high mountain was where the devil tempted Jesus to worship him.[33][40] (Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13)
In the Bible, Jesus had Lazarus' sisters roll away the stone, and then he called for Lazarus to come out. In the miniseries, Jesus enters Lazarus' tomb and kisses him on the head, while not even addressing Lazarus, and gives a brand-new monologue. (John 11:38-44) [44]
Lookalike controversy[edit]
There have been claims of a resemblance of the actor in the role of Satan (Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni) to U.S. President Barack Obama. The resemblance was first pointed out notably by Glenn Beck ahead of the episode's premiere.[45][46]
This led the History Channel to announce,

History [C]hannel has the highest respect for President Obama. The Bible series was produced with an international and diverse cast of respected actors. It's unfortunate that anyone made this false connection. History’s "The Bible" is meant to enlighten people on its rich stories and deep history."[47]
Burnett and Downey responded in a joint statement,

This is utter nonsense. The actor who played Satan, Mehdi Ouazanni, is a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor. He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics – including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our President.[47]
Downey added separately,

"Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love for our president, who is a fellow Christian. False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of The Bible.[48]
Awards and nominations[edit]
The Bible was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards; Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie.[49] The 44th GMA Dove Awards gave a tribute to the miniseries in October 2013.[50] In 2014, The Bible won the honor of Home Media Magazine's Best Miniseries or TV Movie on Disc for the year.[51]
Other media[edit]
International broadcasts[edit]
 United States – History, March 3, 2013 – March 31, 2013
 Canada – History, March 3, 2013 – March 31, 2013
 Spain – Antena 3, March 25, 2013 – April 2013
 Finland – Alfa TV – Premiered December 1, 2013
 Colombia – Caracol TV, March 28, 2013 – April 2013
 Chile – Canal 13, March 29, 2013 – April 2013
 Portugal – SIC, March 30, 2013 – March 31, 2013[52]
 Greece – ANT1, April 29, 2013 – May 4, 2013
 Cyprus – ANT1, April 29, 2013 – May 4, 2013
 United Kingdom – Channel 5, November 30, 2013 – December 22, 2013[53]
 Australia – Nine Network – Premiered July 16, 2013
 Brazil – Rede Record – Premiered October 16, 2013
 Poland – Polsat – Premiered October 19, 2013
 Hong Kong – TVB Pearl – Premiered November 6, 2013
 Kenya – KTN – Premiered October 7, 2013
 France – Paris Première – Premiered December 8, 2013
 Ireland – TV3 (Ireland) December 21, 2013
 Slovakia – Slovenská televízia, Premiered December 23, 2013
 Russia – TV-3, Premiered January, 2014
 Italy – Rete 4 – Premiered March 23, 2014
 Costa Rica – Teletica Canal 7, April 17, 2014 – April 18, 2014
 Philippines – ABS–CBN – April 17, 2014 – April 19, 2014
 Peru – América Televisión, April 6, 2014 – April –, 2014
 Netherlands – EO – Premiered May 12, 2014
 Germany – VOX, April 17, 2014 – April 19, 2014
 Ecuador – Ecuavisa, Ecuavisa HD, April 5, 2014 – April 19, 2014
 Lebanon - LBCI, April 10, 2014 – April 20, 2014.
 United States – Telemundo, March 25, 2015
DVD release[edit]
The series became the biggest-selling miniseries on DVD in its first week of release, and biggest on Blu-ray and Digital HD of all time.[54] In its first week on home video, 'The Bible' series sold 525,000 copies. It was the fastest selling television show on DVD since 2008.[55] A Blu-ray version is also available via 20th Century Fox.
Novel[edit]
Roma Downey and Mark Burnett have also released a novelization of this miniseries, entitled A Story of God and All of Us: A Novel Based on the Epic TV Miniseries "The Bible." It debuted at No. 27 on the New York Times Best-Seller List.[56]
Soundtrack[edit]

The Bible: Music Inspired by the Epic Miniseries

Soundtrack album

A CD was released on March 12, 2013 with Christian music singers performing songs inspired by the miniseries:[57]
1.In Your Eyes – Francesca Battistelli
2.Live Like That – Sidewalk Prophets
3.This Side of Heaven – Chris August
4.Starting Line – Jason Castro
5.Love Come To Life – Big Daddy Weave
6.Crave – for King & Country
7.Fearless – Group 1 Crew
8.What Love Means – Everfound
9.Home – Dara Maclean
10.Wash Me Away – Point of Grace
11.Not For a Moment (After All) – Meredith Andrews
12.Mary, Did You Know? – Kenny Rogers with Wynonna
Theatrical release[edit]
Main article: Son of God (film)
Mark Burnett announced in April 2013 that a three-hour version is being prepared for global theatrical release. He claimed that he has had no distribution arrangements yet, though he could possibly release it himself.[11] In June 2013, Burnett elaborated that the film, which has already been edited, will focus exclusively on the life of Jesus, and will run two hours and fifteen minutes.[58] In September 2013, it was announced that 20th Century Fox will partner with Burnett on theatrical distribution, currently titled Son of God.[59][60] In October 2013, it was announced that Son of God will be released on February 28, 2014.[61]
Sequel – A.D.[edit]
Main article: A.D.: The Bible Continues
On December 17, 2013, it was announced that there would be a follow-up miniseries in 2015, titled A.D.: The Bible Continues, also produced by Burnett, Downey, and Bedser.[12][62] The limited series began airing on NBC on Easter Sunday, April 5. It airs in twelve weekly one-hour episodes. The story takes place immediately after the events of The Bible, beginning with the Crucifixion and Resurrection, and continues with the first ten chapters of the Book of Acts.[63][64]
See also[edit]
The Bible in film
Depiction of Jesus
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Marrapodi, Eric (March 2, 2013). "Reality TV Goliath takes up Bible miniseries challenge, hopes for better outcome". CNN Belief Blog (CNN). Retrieved 2013-03-03.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Carter, Bill (May 24, 2011). "Reality-TV Producer Mark Burnett Tackles the Bible". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). p. C1. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Elber, Lynn (May 24, 2011). "'The Bible': History Channel, Mark Burnett Creating CGI 10-Hour Miniseries". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
4.Jump up ^ Littleton, Cynthia. "Mark Burnett, Roma Downey promo 'Bible' mini to faithful". Variety (magazine). Retrieved February 18, 2013.
5.Jump up ^ Levin, Gary (May 24, 2011). "Mark Burnett to produce 'The Bible'". USA Today (Gannett Company). Retrieved August 28, 2011.
6.Jump up ^ Porter, Rick (May 24, 2011). "Mark Burnett producing 'The Bible' miniseries for History Channel". Zap2it. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
7.Jump up ^ Hibberd, James (2013-03-04). "Mark Burnett's 'The Bible' begets record ratings". Entertainment Weekly.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c d Patten, Dominic (March 19, 2013). "History’s ‘The Bible’ & ‘Vikings’ Rise In Week 3". Deadline Hollywood.
9.Jump up ^ "#1 TV on DVD in the last 5 years". Hollywood Jesus. 2013-04-08.
10.Jump up ^ Hayden, Erik. 'The Bible' Earns Three Emmy Nominations, The Hollywood Reporter, July 18, 2013.
11.^ Jump up to: a b "Mark Burnett Prepping ‘The Bible’ Miniseries For Theatrical Release". PMC. April 22, 2013.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Elavsky, Cindy (2013-11-17). "Celebrity Extra". King Features. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
13.Jump up ^ Lyons, Margaret (May 24, 2011). "Mark Burnett Declines to Make Bible Reality Show". New York (New York City, New York: New York Media, LLC). ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
14.Jump up ^ Crosby, Robert (2013-02-25). "From Survivor and Touched by an Angel to the Bible". Christianity Today.
15.Jump up ^ Downey, Roma; Burnett, Mark (2013-02-28). "Making The Bible a Daunting, Deep Experience". The Huffington Post.
16.Jump up ^ Evans, Craig. "Dr Craig A. Evans". Homepage. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
17.Jump up ^ Goodacre, Mark. "More Bible Series News and Video Clips". NT Blog. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
18.Jump up ^ Review: 'The Bible' – This Time, Hollywood Got It Right, a Christian Post review by Geoff Tunnicliffe, one of the film's consultants. Retrieved on 2013-03-03.
19.Jump up ^ Draper, Electa (2013-03-10). "Focus on the Family CEO Jim Daly consulted on TV mega-hit "The Bible"". Denver Post.
20.Jump up ^ About the Bible - Outreach.comRetrieved on 2013-03-04.
21.Jump up ^ "Roma Downey and Mark Burnett: Why Public Schools Should Teach the Bible - WSJ.com". The Wall Street Journal.
22.Jump up ^ "The Bible" Courage (TV episode 2013) at the Internet Movie Database
23.Jump up ^ Peter Guinness at the Internet Movie Database
24.^ Jump up to: a b Bibel, Sara (March 4, 2013). "History's 'The Bible' is the Number 1 Cable Entertainment Telecast of the Year". TV by the Numbers. A+E press release. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
25.^ Jump up to: a b c "History’s ‘The Bible’ & ‘Vikings’ Slip In Week 2, Still Tower Over Competition". Deadline Hollywood. 2013-03-12.
26.^ Jump up to: a b Andreeva, Nellie. "History’s ‘The Bible’ & ‘Vikings’ Slip In Week 4", Deadline Hollywood, March 26, 2013.
27.^ Jump up to: a b O'Connell, Mike (April 1, 2013). "TV Ratings: History's 'The Bible' Pulls 11.7 Million Viewers With Easter Ender". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
28.^ Jump up to: a b Collins, Scott. 'The Bible,' 'Vikings' premieres tell a ratings epic for History, Los Angeles Times, March 4, 2013.
29.Jump up ^ TV Feeds My Family: Good start for Screenies, Vikings and God
30.Jump up ^ The Bible - Season 1 Reviews - Metacritic
31.Jump up ^ Roma Downey and Mark Burnett Interview at The Bible Experience in New York (Video clip recorded March 19, 2013, located at YouTube)
32.Jump up ^ Owen, Rob. "Miniseries tries to stay true to spirit of the Good Book". Standard-Examiner. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
33.^ Jump up to: a b Higginbotham, Steve. "The Bible: The Mini-Series". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
34.Jump up ^ "The Bible: first episode, first impressions".
35.Jump up ^ Garvin, Glenn. "Reviews of ‘The Bible,’ ‘Red Widow’ and ‘Vikings’".
36.Jump up ^ Kovacs, Joe. "Just how unbiblical is 'The Bible'?".
37.Jump up ^ Hallowell, Billy. "Is The Bible TV Series Really Filled With Historical Inaccuracies?".
38.Jump up ^ McClarty, Jim. "The Bible according to the History Channel".
39.Jump up ^ Dawn, Randee. "One scholar takes issue with 'The Bible': 5 things the series got wrong".
40.^ Jump up to: a b c d Jonathan Merritt, Jonathan. "Inaccuracies in The Bible . . . the miniseries, not the book". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
41.Jump up ^ Murrell, Steve. "When Leaders Fail, Grace Must Abound". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
42.Jump up ^ Daniel 3:19-23
43.Jump up ^ Ross, Hugh. "Reasons To Believe: Fulfilled Prophecy". Retrieved April 3, 2013.
44.Jump up ^ "John 11 - The Death of Lazarus". Retrieved February 5, 2015.
45.Jump up ^ "Anyone else think the Devil in #TheBible Sunday on HIstory Channel looks exactly like That Guy?". @glennbeck. Twitter. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
46.Jump up ^ "Why does the devil in 'The Bible' look exactly like President Obama?". Daily Mail (London). 18 March 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
47.^ Jump up to: a b Makarechi, Kia (March 18, 2013). "'The Bible': Satan Actor Looks Like Obama In History Channel Miniseries". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
48.Jump up ^ O'Connell, Michael (March 18, 2013). "History, Mark Burnett Defend Satan's Similarity to President Obama in 'The Bible'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
49.Jump up ^ "Emmy nominations 2013: "House of Cards" makes history, "American Horror Story" leads" (PDF). CBS. 2013-07-18. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
50.Jump up ^ "44th Annual Dove Awards". Event occurs at 0:30. Up (TV network). Missing or empty |title= (help);
51.Jump up ^ http://homemediamagazine.com/award-winners-2014
52.Jump up ^ (two 5 hour episodes) "A Bíblia - - Sic - Sapo". SIC.
53.Jump up ^ http://www.channel5.com/shows/the–bible
54.Jump up ^ 'The Bible' Shatters Home Video Sales Records in First Week
55.Jump up ^ 'The Bible' sets DVD record: Fastest-selling miniseries ever
56.Jump up ^ "'The Bible' Miniseries Novel Hits National Best-Seller Lists". Charisma News. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
57.Jump up ^ "CD". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
58.Jump up ^ [1]
59.Jump up ^ [2]
60.Jump up ^ Variety http://variety.com/2013/film/news/fox-to-distribute-son-of-god-feature-from-bible-pair-1200608999/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
61.Jump up ^ [3]
62.Jump up ^ NBC Greenlights 12-Hour Miniseries 'A.D.'
63.Jump up ^ Dent Brant, Ginny. "‘A.D.: The Bible Continues’ slated for primetime". The Biblical Recorder.
64.Jump up ^ "About A.D. The Bible Continues". Lightworkers Media.
External links[edit]
Official website
The Bible - History Channel (official History Channel website)
The Bible at the Internet Movie Database


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Films set in ancient Egypt
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A.D.: The Bible Continues

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 2015 miniseries. For the 1985 miniseries, see A.D. (miniseries).

A.D.: The Bible Continues
ADTheBiblePoster.png
Promotional image with the tagline:
The Crucifixion Was Only The Beginning

Genre
Biblical drama
Created by
Roma Downey
Mark Burnett

Directed by
Ciaran Donnelly
Tony Mitchell
Brian Kelly
Rob Evans
Paul Wilmshurst

Produced by
Roma Downey
Mark Burnett
Richard Bedser

Based on
The Bible
Starring
Juan Pablo Di Pace
Chipo Chung
Babou Ceesay
Emmett J. Scanlan
Will Thorp

Cinematography
Tim Fleming
Toby Moore

Editing by
Robert Hall
David Fisher
John Richards
Nick Arthurs
Iain Erskine
Tim Murrell
Oral Norrie Ottey
Steve Singleton
Jamie Trevill

Production company
Lightworkers Media
Country
United States
Language
English
Original channel
NBC
Original run
April 5, 2015 – present
Running time
46 minutes
No. of episodes
3
Preceded by
The Bible
Official website
A.D.: The Bible Continues is a television miniseries, based on the Bible, and a sequel to the 2013 miniseries. It is produced by Roma Downey, Mark Burnett, and Richard Bedser.[1] The limited series began airing on NBC on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015, in twelve weekly one-hour episodes. The story takes place immediately after the events of The Bible miniseries, beginning with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, and continues with the first ten chapters of the Book of Acts.[2][3]


Contents  [hide]
1 Cast
2 Development
3 Critical reception
4 Episodes
5 References
6 External links

Cast[edit]
Juan Pablo Di Pace as Jesus
Adam Levy as Peter
Richard Coyle as Caiaphas
Vincent Regan as Pontius Pilate
Greta Scacchi as Mother Mary
Babou Ceesay as John
Chipo Chung as Mary Magdalene
Will Thorp as Cornelius the Centurion
Emmett J. Scanlan as Saul of Tarsus
Jodhi May as Leah, wife of Caiaphas
Joanne Whalley as Claudia, wife of Pontius Pilate
Ken Bones as Annas
Kevin Doyle as Joseph of Arimathea
Helen Daniels as Maya, daughter of Peter
Fraser Ayers as Simon the Zealot
Andrew Gower as Caligula
Development[edit]
On December 17, 2013, it was announced that there would be a follow-up miniseries to The Bible in 2015.[1]
In anticipation of the global event, a number of companion materials were released in an effort by Palam Fidelis Publishing to engage thoughtful, religious discussion by offering "Family Discussion Guides" for each episode.[4]
Critical reception[edit]
A.D.: The Bible Continues has received mixed reviews from critics. On the aggregate website Metacritic, eleven critics have given it a score of 55 out of 100, based on "mixed or average reviews".[5] On Rotten Tomatoes, the miniseries received a 4.8 out of 10 rating from twelve reviewers. Their consensus states, "Attempts to offer a fresh look at a traditional tale notwithstanding, A.D.: The Bible Continues doesn't do enough to set itself apart from its many predecessors."[6]
Episodes[edit]

#
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
U.S. viewers
 (millions)

1
"The Tomb Is Open" Ciaran Donnelly Simon Block April 5, 2015 9.68[7]
After the public calls for Jesus to be crucified and Peter denies knowing him, Jesus is sent to Pontius Pilate to have the final say. Pilate, in order to maintain the peace and satisfy his people, orders the crucifixion of Jesus. Overcome with guilt for betraying Jesus, Judas hangs himself in the wastelands. Caiaphas defends his decision to send Jesus to Pilate with his father-in-law Annas. The act will send a message to all who oppose Roman law. Annas suggests a quicker death. Pilate grants two requests – Jesus' expedited death and Joseph of Arimathea's petition to claim the body. Claudia, Pilate's wife, warns that he will regret crucifying Jesus, who soon dies on the cross. Jerusalem trembles and the temple's holy veil splits. A soldier arrives to ensure Jesus' death and Joseph offers his tomb as a final resting place. There, he, Mother Mary, John, and Mary Magdalene clean the body and pray before closing the tomb. Caiaphas requests that Pilate posts soldiers outside the tomb and place a Roman seal across the front, which will carry the death penalty if broken. Pilate agrees. Peter admits denying Jesus to John and Mary Magdalene, as the remaining disciples gather at the safe house. They all argue over the next course of action and Mother Mary reminds them of the prophesied return of Jesus. They decided to leave the city if he doesn't return on the third day. Soon, another tremble and the tomb illuminates behind its seal. An angel, dressed as a warrior, appears on top of the tomb and exposes its sword, a sign to the Roman guards to not interfere. Later, Caiaphas receives news that the Roman seal has been broken, the tomb opened, and Jesus is gone.
2
"The Body Is Gone" Ciaran Donnelly Simon Block April 12, 2015 7.75[8]
Mary Magdalene sneaks to Joseph's tomb and finds it open. Nothing is inside but the shroud Jesus wore on the cross, left perfectly folded. She returns to the safe house to tell the others. Caiaphas listens to Reuben and the other guards try to explain what happened – a warrior angel broke the seal and moved the massive stone. Caiaphas thinks some followers of Jesus must have raided the tomb in an attempt to fake a resurrection. Caiaphas gives his men strict orders to say they fell asleep on duty if asked and instructs Reuben to find Jesus' body immediately. Caiaphas then lies to Pilate that Jesus is dead in the tomb, however a tomb guard reports otherwise after Caiaphas leaves. After being left at the empty tomb by Peter and John, Mary Magdalene is visited by Jesus, who is without stain. She returns to the chaotic safe house to report the news. Jesus appears to his disciples, and, later to a doubting Thomas, before guards storm the safe house and the disciples scatter into the city. Pilate orders the deaths of most of Caiaphas' guards, as Reuben and Caiaphas search the city for the body of Jesus. The disciples make it to the coast of the Sea of Galilee, where Peter finds it difficult catching fish. A man appears and instructs him to cast the net on the right side of the boat. The net quickly becomes filled with fish, and the men confirm their adviser to be Jesus. He suggests they return to Jerusalem, wait there, then spread the word. Jesus then climbs a hill and disappears in a bright light. Angry over the death of his men, Caiaphas confronts Pilate, who then kills the tomb guards in front of him as a lesson in "civic administration".
3
"The Spirit Arrives" Ciaran Donnelly Andy Rattenbury April 19, 2015 6.36[9]
Leah comforts her distressed husband Caiaphas by saying his men's deaths was Pilate's order to quash any rumor of resurrection. Pilate confesses to Claudia about killing the soldiers in the palace, which is preparing for King Herod Antipas' visit. Upon his arrival, Antipas asks Caiaphas why the city feels as it is about to erupt. He assures the king that it has nothing to do with the recent crucifixion, but Antipas says Caiaphas mishandled to entire thing by involving the Romans and warns to not do it again. Peter's daughter Maya joins him at the safe house, and she suggests prayer to be the disciples' solution for their future missions. After the Holy Spirit fills them, they confidently set out to spread the word. Despite Caiaphas ensuring the widow of a guard that his murderer will be found, Leah tells her to leave the city. Claudia remains distant from Pilate, but asks Cornelius to look after him during the Festival of Pentecost. The disciples enter the temple and heal a crippled man in the name of Jesus, only to be beaten by Reuben and his men. Although Peter and John are arrested, they are proud their mission has begun. An assassination attempt is made on Pilate, which results in the death of the Roman soldier Drusus. Pilate orders the deaths of those in the vicinity of the crime. Upon seeing the dead bodies of his townspeople, Caiaphas knows he must stand up for himself and them against the ruthless Romans.
4
"The Wrath"[10]   April 26, 2015 
5
"The First Martyr"[10]   May 3, 2015 
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Bibel, Sara (December 12, 2014). "NBC Announces Midseason Schedule: Premieres of 'Allegiance', 'A.D.'. 'Odyssey', 'The Slap' & 'One Big Happy'; 'The Night Shift' Takes Over Monday 10PM Timeslot". Zap2it. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
2.Jump up ^ Dent Brant, Ginny. "‘A.D.: The Bible Continues’ slated for primetime". The Biblical Recorder. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
3.Jump up ^ "About A.D. The Bible Continues". Lightworkers Media. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
4.Jump up ^ A.D.: The Bible Continues - Family Discussion Guide
5.Jump up ^ "A.D.: The Bible Continues". Metacritic. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
6.Jump up ^ "A.D.: The Bible Continues: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
7.Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (April 7, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: '60 Minutes' Adjusted Up; 'American Odyssey' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
8.Jump up ^ Bibel, Sara (April 14, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Up; 'Mad Secretary', 'The Good Wife' & '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
9.Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (April 21, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'Secrets & Lies', & 'A.D.: The Bible Continues' Adjusted Up; 'ACM Awards', & 'American Odyssey' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
10.^ Jump up to: a b "Shows A-Z - ad the bible continues on nbc". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
External links[edit]

Portal icon Christianity portal
Portal icon Television portal
Official website
A.D.: The Bible Continues - NBC (official NBC website)
A.D.: The Bible Continues at the Internet Movie Database


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Mark Burnett










































































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v ·
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NBC programming (current and upcoming)






















































































  


Categories: English-language films
2015 television films
American television miniseries
Films set in ancient Egypt
NBC network shows
Television programs based on the Bible




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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.D.:_The_Bible_Continues
















A.D.: The Bible Continues

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 2015 miniseries. For the 1985 miniseries, see A.D. (miniseries).

A.D.: The Bible Continues
ADTheBiblePoster.png
Promotional image with the tagline:
The Crucifixion Was Only The Beginning

Genre
Biblical drama
Created by
Roma Downey
Mark Burnett

Directed by
Ciaran Donnelly
Tony Mitchell
Brian Kelly
Rob Evans
Paul Wilmshurst

Produced by
Roma Downey
Mark Burnett
Richard Bedser

Based on
The Bible
Starring
Juan Pablo Di Pace
Chipo Chung
Babou Ceesay
Emmett J. Scanlan
Will Thorp

Cinematography
Tim Fleming
Toby Moore

Editing by
Robert Hall
David Fisher
John Richards
Nick Arthurs
Iain Erskine
Tim Murrell
Oral Norrie Ottey
Steve Singleton
Jamie Trevill

Production company
Lightworkers Media
Country
United States
Language
English
Original channel
NBC
Original run
April 5, 2015 – present
Running time
46 minutes
No. of episodes
3
Preceded by
The Bible
Official website
A.D.: The Bible Continues is a television miniseries, based on the Bible, and a sequel to the 2013 miniseries. It is produced by Roma Downey, Mark Burnett, and Richard Bedser.[1] The limited series began airing on NBC on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015, in twelve weekly one-hour episodes. The story takes place immediately after the events of The Bible miniseries, beginning with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, and continues with the first ten chapters of the Book of Acts.[2][3]


Contents  [hide]
1 Cast
2 Development
3 Critical reception
4 Episodes
5 References
6 External links

Cast[edit]
Juan Pablo Di Pace as Jesus
Adam Levy as Peter
Richard Coyle as Caiaphas
Vincent Regan as Pontius Pilate
Greta Scacchi as Mother Mary
Babou Ceesay as John
Chipo Chung as Mary Magdalene
Will Thorp as Cornelius the Centurion
Emmett J. Scanlan as Saul of Tarsus
Jodhi May as Leah, wife of Caiaphas
Joanne Whalley as Claudia, wife of Pontius Pilate
Ken Bones as Annas
Kevin Doyle as Joseph of Arimathea
Helen Daniels as Maya, daughter of Peter
Fraser Ayers as Simon the Zealot
Andrew Gower as Caligula
Development[edit]
On December 17, 2013, it was announced that there would be a follow-up miniseries to The Bible in 2015.[1]
In anticipation of the global event, a number of companion materials were released in an effort by Palam Fidelis Publishing to engage thoughtful, religious discussion by offering "Family Discussion Guides" for each episode.[4]
Critical reception[edit]
A.D.: The Bible Continues has received mixed reviews from critics. On the aggregate website Metacritic, eleven critics have given it a score of 55 out of 100, based on "mixed or average reviews".[5] On Rotten Tomatoes, the miniseries received a 4.8 out of 10 rating from twelve reviewers. Their consensus states, "Attempts to offer a fresh look at a traditional tale notwithstanding, A.D.: The Bible Continues doesn't do enough to set itself apart from its many predecessors."[6]
Episodes[edit]

#
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
U.S. viewers
 (millions)

1
"The Tomb Is Open" Ciaran Donnelly Simon Block April 5, 2015 9.68[7]
After the public calls for Jesus to be crucified and Peter denies knowing him, Jesus is sent to Pontius Pilate to have the final say. Pilate, in order to maintain the peace and satisfy his people, orders the crucifixion of Jesus. Overcome with guilt for betraying Jesus, Judas hangs himself in the wastelands. Caiaphas defends his decision to send Jesus to Pilate with his father-in-law Annas. The act will send a message to all who oppose Roman law. Annas suggests a quicker death. Pilate grants two requests – Jesus' expedited death and Joseph of Arimathea's petition to claim the body. Claudia, Pilate's wife, warns that he will regret crucifying Jesus, who soon dies on the cross. Jerusalem trembles and the temple's holy veil splits. A soldier arrives to ensure Jesus' death and Joseph offers his tomb as a final resting place. There, he, Mother Mary, John, and Mary Magdalene clean the body and pray before closing the tomb. Caiaphas requests that Pilate posts soldiers outside the tomb and place a Roman seal across the front, which will carry the death penalty if broken. Pilate agrees. Peter admits denying Jesus to John and Mary Magdalene, as the remaining disciples gather at the safe house. They all argue over the next course of action and Mother Mary reminds them of the prophesied return of Jesus. They decided to leave the city if he doesn't return on the third day. Soon, another tremble and the tomb illuminates behind its seal. An angel, dressed as a warrior, appears on top of the tomb and exposes its sword, a sign to the Roman guards to not interfere. Later, Caiaphas receives news that the Roman seal has been broken, the tomb opened, and Jesus is gone.
2
"The Body Is Gone" Ciaran Donnelly Simon Block April 12, 2015 7.75[8]
Mary Magdalene sneaks to Joseph's tomb and finds it open. Nothing is inside but the shroud Jesus wore on the cross, left perfectly folded. She returns to the safe house to tell the others. Caiaphas listens to Reuben and the other guards try to explain what happened – a warrior angel broke the seal and moved the massive stone. Caiaphas thinks some followers of Jesus must have raided the tomb in an attempt to fake a resurrection. Caiaphas gives his men strict orders to say they fell asleep on duty if asked and instructs Reuben to find Jesus' body immediately. Caiaphas then lies to Pilate that Jesus is dead in the tomb, however a tomb guard reports otherwise after Caiaphas leaves. After being left at the empty tomb by Peter and John, Mary Magdalene is visited by Jesus, who is without stain. She returns to the chaotic safe house to report the news. Jesus appears to his disciples, and, later to a doubting Thomas, before guards storm the safe house and the disciples scatter into the city. Pilate orders the deaths of most of Caiaphas' guards, as Reuben and Caiaphas search the city for the body of Jesus. The disciples make it to the coast of the Sea of Galilee, where Peter finds it difficult catching fish. A man appears and instructs him to cast the net on the right side of the boat. The net quickly becomes filled with fish, and the men confirm their adviser to be Jesus. He suggests they return to Jerusalem, wait there, then spread the word. Jesus then climbs a hill and disappears in a bright light. Angry over the death of his men, Caiaphas confronts Pilate, who then kills the tomb guards in front of him as a lesson in "civic administration".
3
"The Spirit Arrives" Ciaran Donnelly Andy Rattenbury April 19, 2015 6.36[9]
Leah comforts her distressed husband Caiaphas by saying his men's deaths was Pilate's order to quash any rumor of resurrection. Pilate confesses to Claudia about killing the soldiers in the palace, which is preparing for King Herod Antipas' visit. Upon his arrival, Antipas asks Caiaphas why the city feels as it is about to erupt. He assures the king that it has nothing to do with the recent crucifixion, but Antipas says Caiaphas mishandled to entire thing by involving the Romans and warns to not do it again. Peter's daughter Maya joins him at the safe house, and she suggests prayer to be the disciples' solution for their future missions. After the Holy Spirit fills them, they confidently set out to spread the word. Despite Caiaphas ensuring the widow of a guard that his murderer will be found, Leah tells her to leave the city. Claudia remains distant from Pilate, but asks Cornelius to look after him during the Festival of Pentecost. The disciples enter the temple and heal a crippled man in the name of Jesus, only to be beaten by Reuben and his men. Although Peter and John are arrested, they are proud their mission has begun. An assassination attempt is made on Pilate, which results in the death of the Roman soldier Drusus. Pilate orders the deaths of those in the vicinity of the crime. Upon seeing the dead bodies of his townspeople, Caiaphas knows he must stand up for himself and them against the ruthless Romans.
4
"The Wrath"[10]   April 26, 2015 
5
"The First Martyr"[10]   May 3, 2015 
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Bibel, Sara (December 12, 2014). "NBC Announces Midseason Schedule: Premieres of 'Allegiance', 'A.D.'. 'Odyssey', 'The Slap' & 'One Big Happy'; 'The Night Shift' Takes Over Monday 10PM Timeslot". Zap2it. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
2.Jump up ^ Dent Brant, Ginny. "‘A.D.: The Bible Continues’ slated for primetime". The Biblical Recorder. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
3.Jump up ^ "About A.D. The Bible Continues". Lightworkers Media. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
4.Jump up ^ A.D.: The Bible Continues - Family Discussion Guide
5.Jump up ^ "A.D.: The Bible Continues". Metacritic. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
6.Jump up ^ "A.D.: The Bible Continues: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
7.Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (April 7, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: '60 Minutes' Adjusted Up; 'American Odyssey' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
8.Jump up ^ Bibel, Sara (April 14, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Up; 'Mad Secretary', 'The Good Wife' & '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
9.Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (April 21, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'Secrets & Lies', & 'A.D.: The Bible Continues' Adjusted Up; 'ACM Awards', & 'American Odyssey' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
10.^ Jump up to: a b "Shows A-Z - ad the bible continues on nbc". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
External links[edit]

Portal icon Christianity portal
Portal icon Television portal
Official website
A.D.: The Bible Continues - NBC (official NBC website)
A.D.: The Bible Continues at the Internet Movie Database


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NBC network shows
Television programs based on the Bible




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The Ten Commandments (1956 film)

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The Ten Commandments
10Command56.jpg
Original theatrical release poster

Directed by
Cecil B. DeMille
Produced by
Cecil B. DeMille
Henry Wilcoxon
(associate producer)
Screenplay by
Æneas MacKenzie
Jesse L. Lasky, Jr.
Jack Gariss
Fredric M. Frank
Based on
Prince of Egypt
 by Dorothy Clarke Wilson
Pillar of Fire
 by J.H. Ingraham
On Eagle's Wings
 by A.E. Southon
The Holy Scriptures
Starring
Charlton Heston
Yul Brynner
Anne Baxter
Edward G. Robinson
Yvonne De Carlo
Debra Paget
John Derek
Narrated by
Cecil B. DeMille
Music by
Elmer Bernstein
Cinematography
Loyal Griggs, A.S.C.
Edited by
Anne Bauchens

Production
 company

Motion Picture Associates

Distributed by
Paramount Pictures

Release dates

October 5, 1956 (Salt Lake City preview)
November 8, 1956 (New York City premiere)
November 14, 1956 (Los Angeles premiere)


Running time
 220 minutes[1]
(with intermission)
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$13 million[2]
Box office
$122.7 million[3]
(initial release)
The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American religious epic film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot in VistaVision (color by Technicolor), and released by Paramount Pictures. It dramatizes the biblical story of the life of Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince who becomes the deliverer of his real brethren, the enslaved Hebrews, and therefore leads the Exodus to Mount Sinai, where he receives, from God, the Ten Commandments. It stars Charlton Heston in the lead role, Yul Brynner as Rameses, Anne Baxter as Nefretiri, Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora, Debra Paget as Lilia, and John Derek as Joshua; and features Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Sethi, Nina Foch as Bithiah, Martha Scott as Yochabel, Judith Anderson as Memnet, and Vincent Price as Baka, among others.
Filmed on location in Egypt, Mount Sinai and the Sinai Peninsula, the film was DeMille's last and most successful work.[4] It is a partial remake of his 1923 silent film of the same title, and features one of the largest sets ever created for a film.[4] At the time of its release on November 8, 1956, it was the most expensive film made.[4]
In 1957, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (John P. Fulton, A.S.C.).[5] Charlton Heston was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) for his role as Moses.[5] Yul Brynner won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his role as Rameses and his other roles in Anastasia and The King and I.[5] It is also one of the most financially successful films ever made, grossing approximately $122.7 million at the box office during its initial release; it was the most successful film of 1956 and the second-highest grossing film of the decade. According to Guinness World Records, in terms of theatrical exhibition it is the seventh most successful film of all-time when the box office gross is adjusted for inflation.
In 1999, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is now considered one of the greatest films of all time. In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten Top Ten"—the best ten films in ten American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. The film was listed as the tenth best film in the epic genre.[6][7]


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Writing
3.2 Casting
3.3 Art direction
3.4 Special effects
4 Release
5 Reception 5.1 Box office
5.2 Critical response
5.3 Accolades
6 Popularity
7 Home media
8 Television broadcast
9 See also
10 References
11 External links

Plot[edit]
Pharaoh Rameses I of Egypt has ordered the death of all firstborn Hebrew males after hearing the prophecy of the Deliverer, but a Hebrew woman named Yochabel saves her infant son by setting him adrift in a basket on the Nile. Bithiah, the Pharaoh's daughter, who had recently lost her husband and the hope of ever having children of her own, finds the basket and decides to adopt the boy even though her servant, Memnet, recognizes the child is Hebrew and protests.
Prince Moses grows up to become a successful general, winning a war with Ethiopia and then entering Egypt into an alliance with them. Moses loves Nefretiri, who is the princess betrothed to the next Pharaoh. She also reciprocates his love. An incident occurs when an elderly woman is almost crushed to death when her sash gets caught under the slab of stone, prompting Moses to scold overseer Baka. Moses frees the elderly woman, not realizing that she is his natural mother, Yochabel. While working on the building of a city for Pharaoh Sethi's jubilee, Moses meets the stonecutter Joshua, who tells him of the Hebrew God.
Moses institutes numerous reforms concerning the treatment of the slaves on the project, and eventually Prince Rameses, Moses's "brother", charges him with planning an insurrection, pointing out that the slaves are calling him the "Deliverer". Moses defends himself against the charges, arguing that he is simply making his workers more productive by making them stronger and happier and proves his point with the impressive progress he is making. Rameses is later charged by Sethi with finding out whether there really is a Hebrew fitting the description of the Deliverer.



Nefretiri learns from Memnet that Moses is the son of Hebrew slaves
Nefretiri learns from Memnet that Moses is the son of Hebrew slaves. Nefretiri kills Memnet but reveals the story to Moses only after he finds the piece of Levite cloth he was wrapped in as a baby, which Memnet had kept. Moses goes to Bithiah to learn the truth. Bithiah evades his questions, but Moses follows her to the home of Yochabel and thus learns the truth, while also meeting his true brother, Aaron, and sister, Miriam.
Although Moses feels no real change from this revelation, he spends time working amongst the slaves to learn more of their lives. Nefretiri urges him to return to the palace to help his people when he becomes pharaoh, to which he agrees after he completes a final task. The master builder Baka steals Lilia, who is engaged to the stonecutter Joshua. Joshua rescues Lilia by causing a commotion in Baka's stables. Joshua strikes Baka in the process and gets captured; he is then whipped by Baka for this insult. Moses strangles Baka and frees Joshua, confessing to Joshua that he too is Hebrew. The confession is witnessed by the ambitious Hebrew chief overseer Dathan. In exchange for his freedom, riches and Lilia, Dathan tells about this to Rameses, who then arrests Moses. Brought in chains before Sethi, Moses explains that he is not the Deliverer, but would free the slaves if he could. Bithiah tells her brother Sethi the truth about Moses, and Sethi reluctantly orders his name stricken from all records and monuments, and Rameses is declared the next Pharaoh. Rameses, well aware of his father's (and Nefretiri's ) devotion to Moses, decides not to execute him. He instead banishes Moses to the desert, where Nefretiri will never know if he survives, or perhaps finds another love. He also tells him that Yochabel had died after delivering a robe of Levite cloth for Moses.



Moses becomes a shepherd and marries Sephora in the land of Midian
Moses makes his way across the desert, nearly dying of hunger and thirst before he comes to a well in the land of Midian. At the well, he defends seven sisters from Amalekites who try to push them away from the water. Moses finds a home in Midian with the girls' father Jethro, a Bedouin sheik, who reveals that he is a follower of "He who has no name", whom Moses recognizes as the God of Abraham. Moses impresses Jethro and the other sheiks with his wise and just trading, and marries Jethro's eldest daughter Sephora.
While herding sheep in the desert Moses finds Joshua, who has escaped from the copper mines of Ezion-Geber that he was sent to after the death of Baka. Moses sees the burning bush on the summit of Mount Sinai and hears the voice of God. God charges Moses to return to Egypt and free His chosen people. In the meantime, in Egypt, Sethi dies, his last word being Moses's name. Before he dies, he hands over the reins to his son Ramseses, who becomes Rameses II.
At Pharaoh's court, Moses comes before Rameses to win the slaves' freedom, turning his staff into a cobra. Jannes does the same with his staves, but Moses' snake devours his. Rameses decrees that the Hebrews be given no straw to make their bricks, but to make the same tally as before on pain of death. As the Hebrews prepare to stone Moses in anger, Nefretiri's retinue rescues him. He spurns her when she attempts to renew her relationship with him by saying that he is on a mission and is also married.
As Moses continues to challenge Pharaoh's hold over his people, Egypt is beset by divine plagues. Moses turns the river Nile to blood at a festival of Khnum and brings burning hail down upon Pharaoh's palace. Moses warns him the next plague to fall upon Egypt will be summoned by Pharaoh himself. Enraged at the plagues and Moses' continuous demands, as well as his generals and advisers telling him to give in, Rameses orders all first-born Hebrews to die. Nefretiri warns Sephora to escape with her son Gershom on a passing caravan to Midian, and Moses tells the Queen that it is her own son who will die. In an eerily quiet scene, the Angel of Death creeps into Egyptian streets in a glowing green mist, killing all the firstborn of Egypt, including the adult son of Pharaoh's top general, and Pharaoh's own child. The Hebrews who have marked their doorposts and lintels with lamb's blood are eating a hasty meal and preparing to depart. Bithiah reunites with Moses and decides to go with him and his people when they leave. Broken and despondent, Pharaoh orders Moses to leave with the Hebrews. In the following day, the Hebrews, now homeless and uprooted, begin their exodus from Egypt with Dathan, reluctantly, also among them.
Rameses spends the next three days begging Seker to call life back into the body of his son. Nefretiri goads him into such a rage that he arms himself and gathers the elite Egyptian forces and pursues the former slaves to the shore of the Red Sea. When the people see the Egyptian troops heading for them, they beg Moses to save them. With God's help, he puts out a pillar of fire. Held back by this pillar, the Egyptian forces helplessly watch as Moses parts the waters. As the Hebrews race over the seabed, the pillar of fire then dies down and the army follows them in hot pursuit. The Hebrews make it to the far shore as the waters close on the Egyptian army, drowning every man and horse, except Rameses, who looks on in despair. All he can do is return to Nefretiri, confessing to her, "His god is God".
The former slaves camp at the foot of Sinai and wait as Moses again ascends the mountain with Joshua. During his absence, the Hebrews lose faith. Urged by Dathan, they build a golden calf as an idol to take back to Egypt, hoping to win Rameses' forgiveness. They force Aaron to help fashion the gold plating. The people indulge their most wanton desires in an orgy of sinfulness, except for a few still loyal to Moses, including Sephora and Bithiah.
High atop the mountain, Moses witnesses God's creation of the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments. When Moses finally climbs down and meets Joshua, they both behold their people's iniquity. Moses hurls the tablets at the idol in a rage. The idol explodes, and Dathan and his followers are killed. After God forces them to endure forty years' exile in the desert to kill off the rebellious generation, the Hebrews are about to arrive in the land of Canaan. An elderly Moses, who is not allowed to enter the promised land, because of his disobedience to God at the waters of Strife, appoints Joshua to succeed him as leader, says a final good bye to Sephora, and goes forth to his destiny.
Cast[edit]
Charlton Heston as Moses
Yul Brynner as Rameses II
Anne Baxter as Nefretiri
Edward G. Robinson as Dathan
Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora
Debra Paget as Lilia
John Derek as Joshua
Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Sethi
Nina Foch as Bithiah
Martha Scott as Yochabel
Judith Anderson as Memnet
Vincent Price as Baka
John Carradine as Aaron
Olive Deering as Miriam
Babette Bain as Little Miriam[8]
Douglass Dumbrille as Jannes
Frank de Kova as Abiram
Henry Wilcoxon as Pentaur
Eduard Franz as Jethro
Donald Curtis as Mered
Lawrence Dobkin as Hur Ben Caleb
H. B. Warner as Amminadab
Julia Faye as Elisheba
Lisa Mitchell as Jethro's daughter (Lulua)
Noelle Williams as Jethro's daughter
Joanna Merlin as Jethro's daughter
Pat Richard as Jethro's daughter
Joyce Vanderveen as Jethro's daughter
Diane Hall as Jethro's daughter
Abbas El Boughdadly as Rameses' Charioteer
Fraser Heston as The Infant Moses
John Miljan as The Blind One
Francis J. McDonald as Simon
Ian Keith as Rameses I
Paul De Rolf as Eleazar
Woodrow Strode as King of Ethiopia
Tommy Duran as Gershom
Eugene Mazzola as Rameses' Son
Ramsay Hill as Korah
Joan Woodbury as Korah's Wife
Esther Brown as Princess Tharbis
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
The final shooting script was written by Æneas MacKenzie, Jesse L. Lasky, Jr., Jack Gariss, and Fredric M. Frank.[9] It also contained material from the books Prince of Egypt by Dorothy Clarke Wilson, Pillar of Fire by Joseph Holt Ingraham, and On Eagle's Wings by Arthur Eustace Southon.[10] Henry Noerdlinger, the film's researcher, consulted ancient historical texts such as the Midrash Rabbah, Philo's Life of Moses, and the writings of Josephus and Eusebius in order to "fill in" the missing years of Moses' life,[10] and as the film's last opening title card states, "the Holy Scriptures."
The expression "the son of your body" for a biological offspring is based on inscriptions found in Mehu's tomb.[11]
Casting[edit]
Charlton Heston, who previously worked for DeMille in The Greatest Show on Earth, won the part of Moses after he impressed DeMille (at an audition) with his knowledge of ancient Egypt. Interestingly enough, though Moses most likely lived sometime in the early New Kingdom, it was Old Kingdom Egyptian facts Heston used at his audition that won him his legendary role. Heston's newborn son, Fraser (born February 12, 1955), appeared as the infant Moses and was three months old during filming.[12]
The part of Nefretiri, the Egyptian throne princess, was considered "the most sought after role of the year" in 1954.[13] Ann Blyth, Vanessa Brown, Joan Evans, Rhonda Fleming, Colleen Gray, Jane Griffiths, Audrey Hepburn, Jean Marie, Vivien Leigh, Jane Russell, and Joan Taylor were considered for the part.[14] DeMille liked Audrey Hepburn but dismissed her because of her figure, which was considered too slim for the character's Egyptian gowns.[15] Anne Baxter (who was considered for the part of Moses' wife) was cast in the role.[16]
Judith Ames, Anne Bancroft, Anne Baxter, Shirley Booth, Diane Brewster, Peggie Castle, June Clayworth, Linda Darnell, Laura Elliot, Rhonda Fleming, Rita Gam, Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Green, Barbara Hale, Allison Hayes, Frances Lansing, Patricia Neal, Marie Palmer, Jean Peters, Ruth Roman, Barbara Rush, and Elizabeth Sellers were considered for the part of Sephora.[17] Grace Kelly, DeMille's first choice, was unavailable.[17] DeMille was "very much impressed" with Yvonne De Carlo's performance as a "saintly type of woman" in MGM's Sombrero.[18][19] He "sensed in her a depth, an emotional power, a womanly strength which the part of Sephora needed and which she gave it."[20] Sephora is the Douay–Rheims version of the name of Zipporah.[21]
Merle Oberon and Claudette Colbert were considered for the role of Bithiah before DeMille chose Jayne Meadows (who declined) and finally cast Nina Foch, on the suggestion of Henry Wilcoxon, who had worked with her in Scaramouche.[22]
For the role of Memnet, Flora Robson was considered and Bette Davis was interviewed (DeMille's casting journal also notes Marjorie Rambeau and Marie Windsor)[23] but DeMille chose Judith Anderson after screening Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca.)[22]
DeMille was reluctant to cast anyone who had appeared in 20th Century Fox' The Egyptian,[24] a rival production at the time.[25] Several exceptions to this are the casting of John Carradine and Mimi Gibson (in credited supporting roles) and Michael Ansara and Peter Coe (in uncredited minor roles), who appeared in both films.
Art direction[edit]



 The Ten Commandments (shortened version) written in 10th century BC characters, like on DeMille's tablets
Commentary for the film's DVD edition chronicles the historical research done by DeMille and associates. Katherine Orrison says that many details of Moses' life left out of the Bible are present in the Qur'an, which was sometimes used as a source. She also presents some coincidences in production. The man who designed Moses' distinctive rust-white-and-black-striped robe used those colors because they looked impressive, and only later discovered that these are the actual colors of the Tribe of Levi. Arnold Friberg would later state that he was the one who designed Moses' costume. As a gift, after the production, DeMille gave Moses' robe to Friberg, who had it in his possession until his death in 2010. Moses' robe as worn by Charlton Heston was hand-woven by Dorothea Hulse, one of the world's finest weavers. She also created costumes for The Robe, as well as textiles and costume fabrics for Samson and Delilah, David and Bathsheba, and others.
Jesse Lasky Jr., a co-writer on The Ten Commandments, described how DeMille would customarily spread out prints of paintings by Lawrence Alma-Tadema to inform his set designers on the look he wanted to achieve. Arnold Friberg, in addition to designing sets and costumes, also contributed the manner in which Moses ordained Joshua to his mission at the end of the film: by the laying on of hands, placing his hands on Joshua's head. Friberg, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, demonstrated the LDS manner of performing such ordinations, and DeMille liked it.
Pharaoh is usually shown wearing the red-and-white crown of Upper and Lower Egypt or the nemes royal headdress. For his pursuit of the Israelites, he wears the blue Khepresh helmet-crown, which the pharaohs wore for battle.
Sets, costumes and props from the film The Egyptian were bought and re-used for The Ten Commandments. As the events in The Egyptian take place 70 years before the reign of Rameses II, an unintentional sense of continuity was created.
An Egyptian wall painting was also the source for the lively dance performed by a circle of young women at Seti's birthday gala. Their movements and costumes are based on art from the Tomb of the Sixth Dynasty Grand Vizier Mehu.[26]
Some of the film's cast members, such as Baxter, Paget, Derek, and Foch, wore brown contact lenses, at the behest of DeMille, in order to conceal their light-colored eyes which were considered inadequate for their roles.[27] Paget once said that, "If it hadn't been for the lenses I wouldn't have got the part."[27] However, she also said that the lenses were "awful to work in because the Kleig lights heat them up".[27] When DeMille cast Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora, she was worried about having to wear these contact lenses; she also believed that her gray eyes were her best feature.[28] She asked DeMille to make an exception for her. He agreed, expressing the idea that De Carlo's role was special, and that Moses was to fall in love with her.[28]
Special effects[edit]
The special photographic effects in The Ten Commandments were created by John P. Fulton, A.S.C. (who received an Academy Award for his effects in the film), head of the special effects department at Paramount Pictures, assisted by Paul Lerpae, A.S.C. in Optical Photography (blue screen "travelling matte" composites) and Farciot Edouart, A.S.C., in Process Photography (rear projection effects).[29] Fulton’s effects included the building of Sethi’s Jubilee treasure city, the Burning Bush, the fiery hail from a cloudless sky, the Angel of Death, the composites of the Exodus, the Pillar of Fire, the giving of the Ten Commandments, and the tour de force, the parting of the Red Sea.[30] The parting of the Red Sea was considered the most difficult special effect ever performed up to that time.[30] This effect took about six months of VistaVision filming, and combined scenes shot on the shores of the Red Sea in Egypt, with scenes filmed at Paramount Studios in Hollywood of a huge water tank split by a U-shaped trough, into which approximately 360,000 gallons of water were released from the sides, as well as the filming of a giant waterfall also built on the Paramount backlot to create the effect of the walls of the parted sea out of the turbulent backwash.[31] All of the multiple elements of the shot were then combined in Paul Lerpae's optical printer, and matte paintings of rocks by Jan Domela concealed the matte lines between the real elements and the special effects elements.[32] Unlike the technique used by ILM for Raiders of the Lost Ark and Poltergeist of injecting poster paints into a glass tank containing a salt water inversion layer, the cloud effects for the The Ten Commandments were formed with white Britt smoke filmed against a translucent sky backing, and colors were added optically.[33] Striking portraits of Charlton Heston as Moses and three women in front of menacing clouds were photographed by Wallace Kelly, A.S.C. in Farciot Edouart’s process (rear projection) department, in what are still considered unforgettable scenes.[33] DeMille used these scenes to break up the montage, framing his subjects like a Renaissance master.[33] An abundance of blue screen spillage or "bleeding" can be seen, particularly at the top of the superimposed walls of water, but rather than detracting from the shot, this (unintentionally) gives the scene an eerie yet spectacular appearance. The parting of the Red Sea sequence is considered by many to be one of the greatest special effects of all time.[34]
DeMille was reluctant to discuss technical details of how the film was made, especially the optical tricks used in the parting of the Red Sea. It was eventually revealed that footage of the Red Sea was spliced with film footage (run in reverse) of water pouring from large U-shaped trip-tanks set up in the studio backlot.[35][36][37]
Release[edit]





Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner at the New York premiere



Anne Baxter at the New York premiere



Yvonne De Carlo and Bob Morgan, her husband, at the New York premiere

The Ten Commandments premiered at New York City's Criterion Theatre on November 8, 1956.[38] Among those who attended the premiere were Cecil B. DeMille and his daughter Cecilia DeMille Harper, Charlton Heston and his wife Lydia Clarke, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo and her husband Bob Morgan, Martha Scott and her husband and son, John Wayne and his wife Pilar Pallete, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, and Barney Balaban. It played on a roadshow basis with reserved seating until mid-1958, when it finally entered general release.[39] It was re-released in 1966 and 1972, and one more time in 1990 with a restored print.[40]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
The Ten Commandments was the highest-grossing film of 1956 and the second most successful film of the decade. By April 1957, the film had earned an unprecedented $10 million from engagements at just eighty theaters, averaging about $1 million per week, with more than seven million people paying to watch it.[39] During its initial release, it earned theater rentals (the distributor's share of the box office gross) of $31.3 million in North America and $23.9 million from the foreign markets, for a total of $55.2 million (equating to approximately $122.7 million in ticket sales).[3] It was hugely profitable for its era, earning a net profit of $18,500,000,[41] against a production budget of $13.27 million (the most a film had cost up to that point).[2]
By the time of its withdrawal from distribution at the end of 1960, The Ten Commandments had overtaken Gone with the Wind at the box office in the North American territory,[42] and mounted a serious challenge in the global market—the worldwide takings for Gone with the Wind were reported to stand at $59 million at the time.[43] Gone with the Wind would be re-released the following year as part of the American Civil War Centennial, and reasserted its supremacy at the box office by reclaiming the US record.[42] Also at this time, Ben-Hur—another biblical epic starring Charlton Heston released at the end of 1959—would go on to eclipse The Ten Commandments at the box office.[3][44] A 1966 reissue earned $6,000,000,[45] and further re-releases brought the total American theater rentals to $43 million,[46] equivalent to gross ticket sales of $89 million at the box office.[40] Globally, it ultimately collected $90,066,230 in revenues up to 1979.[47]
It remains one of the most popular films ever made. Adjusted for inflation, it has earned a box office gross equivalent to $2 billion at 2011 prices, according to Guinness World Records; only Gone with the Wind (1939), Avatar (2009), Star Wars (1977), Titanic (1997), The Sound of Music (1965), and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) have generated higher grosses in constant dollars.[48]
Critical response[edit]



As Mr. DeMille presents it in this three-hour-and-thirty-nine-minute film, which is by far the largest and most expensive that he has ever made, it is a moving story of the spirit of freedom rising in a man, under the divine inspiration of his Maker. And, as such, it strikes a ringing note today.
Bosley Crowther for The New York Times[49]
The Ten Commandments received generally positive reviews after its release, although some reviewers noted its divergence from the biblical text. Bosley Crowther for The New York Times was among those who lauded DeMille's work, acknowledging that "in its remarkable settings and décor, including an overwhelming facade of the Egyptian city from which the Exodus begins, and in the glowing Technicolor in which the picture is filmed—Mr. DeMille has worked photographic wonders."[49] Variety described the "scenes of the greatness that was Egypt, and Hebrews by the thousands under the whip of the taskmasters" as "striking," and believed that the film "hits the peak of beauty with a sequence that is unelaborate, this being the Passover supper wherein Moses is shown with his family while the shadow of death falls on Egyptian first-borns."[50]
The film's cast was also complimented. Variety called Charlton Heston an "adaptable performer" who, as Moses, reveals "inner glow as he is called by God to remove the chains of slavery that hold his people."[50] It considered Yul Brynner "expert" as Rameses, too.[50] Anne Baxter's performance as Nefretiri was criticized by Variety as leaning "close to old-school siren histrionics,"[50] but Crowther believed that it, along with Brynner's, is "unquestionably apt and complementary to a lusty and melodramatic romance."[49] The performances of Yvonne De Carlo and John Derek were acclaimed by Crowther as "notably good."[49] He also commended the film's "large cast of characters" as "very good, from Sir Cedric Hardwicke as a droll and urbane Pharaoh to Edward G. Robinson as a treacherous overlord."[49]
Leonard Maltin, a contemporary film critic, gave the film four out of four stars and described it as "vivid storytelling at its best... parting of the Red Sea, writing of the holy tablets are unforgettable highlights."[51]
Rotten Tomatoes retrospectively collected 32 reviews and gave the film a rating of 91%, with the site's consensus stating: "Bombastic and occasionally silly but extravagantly entertaining, Cecil B. DeMille's all-star spectacular is a muscular retelling of the great Bible story."[52]
Accolades[edit]
The Ten Commandments won the Academy Award for Best Special Effects (John P. Fulton).[53] It was also nominated for Best Color Art Direction (art directors Hal Pereira, Walter H. Tyler, and Albert Nozaki and set decorators Sam Comer and Ray Moyer), Best Color Cinematography (Loyal Griggs), Best Color Costume Design (Edith Head, Ralph Jester, John Jensen, Dorothy Jeakins, and Arnold Friberg), Best Film Editing (Anne Bauchens), Best Motion Picture (Cecil B. DeMille), and Best Sound Recording (Paramount Studio Sound Department and sound director Loren L. Ryder).[53] Paramount submitted the names of Yvonne De Carlo, John Derek, and Debra Paget for the supporting player categories (even though they received star billing in the film) at the 29th Academy Awards,[54] but the actors did not receive nominations.
Charlton Heston's performance as Moses was ranked as the 4th Best Performance by a Male Star of 1956 by The Film Daily's Filmdom's Famous Five Poll.[55] Heston was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama[56] and later won the Fotograma de Plata Award for Best Foreign Performer in 1959.[57]
Yul Brynner won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his performance as Rameses.[58]
Cecil B. DeMille won many special awards for the film. He received, among others, the Los Angeles Examiner Award,[59] the Boxoffice Blue Ribbon Award for the Best Picture of the Month (January 1957),[60] the Photoplay Achievement Award,[59] and The Christian Herald's Reader's Award for the Picture of the Year (1957).[59]
The Maryland State Council of the American Jewish Congress awarded the Stephen S. Wise Medallion to DeMille for "most inspiring film of the year."[59][61] Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Edward G. Robinson, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Nina Foch, and Martha Scott also received awards for their acting.[61][62][63]
The film was also included in several of the annual top ten film lists, such as those featured in The Film Daily and Photoplay.[59]
American Film Institute recognitionAFI's 10 Top 10 – #10 Epic film
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – Nominated
AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – #79
AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores – Nominated
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes: "Oh, Moses, Moses, you stubborn, splendid, adorable fool!" – Nominated
AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains: Moses – #43 Hero
AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – Nominated
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – Nominated
Popularity[edit]
Critics have argued that considerable liberties were taken with the biblical story of Exodus, compromising the film's claim to authenticity, but neither this nor its nearly four-hour length has had any effect on its popularity. In fact, many of the supposed inaccuracies were actually adopted by DeMille from extra-biblical ancient sources, such as Josephus, the Sepher ha-Yashar, and the Chronicle of Moses. Moses's career in Ethiopia, for instance, is based on ancient midrashim.[64] For decades, a showing of The Ten Commandments was a popular fundraiser among revivalist Christian Churches, while the film was equally treasured by film buffs for DeMille's "cast of thousands" approach and the heroic but antiquated early-talkie-type acting.
Home media[edit]



 The artist's rendering of Charlton Heston as Moses was bulked up to modern physique standards when the DVD was released
The Ten Commandments has been released on DVD in the United States on four occasions: the first edition (Widescreen Collection) was released on March 30, 1999 as a two-disc set,[65] the second edition (Special Collector's Edition) was released on March 9, 2004 as a two-disc set with commentary by Katherine Orrison,[66] the third edition (50th Anniversary Collection) was released on March 21, 2006 as a three-disc set with the 1923 version and special features,[67] and the fourth edition (55th Anniversary Edition) was released on DVD again in a two-disc set on March 29, 2011 and for the first time on Blu-ray in a two-disc set and a six-disc limited edition gift set with the 1923 version and DVD copies.[68] In 2012, the limited edition gift set won the Home Media Award for Best Packaging (Paramount Pictures and JohnsByrne).[69]
Television broadcast[edit]
The film has been broadcast annually on the ABC network since 1973, traditionally during the Passover and Easter holidays, and for much of that period ABC has aired it on Easter Sunday.
Unlike many lengthy films of the day, which were usually broken up into separate airings over at least two nights, ABC elected to show the entire film in one night and has done so every year it has carried The Ten Commandments with one exception; in 1997, ABC elected to split the movie in two and aired half of it in its normal Easter Sunday slot, which that year was March 30, with the second half airing as counterprogramming to the other network offerings on April 1, which included CBS' coverage of the NCAA Men's College Basketball National Championship Game.[70]
The length of the film combined with the necessary advertisement breaks has varied over the years, and as of 2015 ABC's total run time for The Ten Commandments stands at four hours and forty-four minutes. This requires the network to overrun into the 11:00 pm timeslot that belongs to the local affiliates, thus delaying their late local news and/or any other programming the station may air in the overnight hours. When the film has aired on Easter Sunday, the local ABC affiliates are given the ability to tape delay the showing an hour ahead to 8 p.m. ET/PT to keep their schedules in line for early evening (though at the cost of delaying their local newscasts to 1:00 a.m.), while stations in the Central and Mountain zones often air the film live with the Eastern time zone feed to keep their late local news as close to its regular time as possible, since both areas' Big Three affiliates air their late news at 10:00 pm local time.
In more recent years, ABC chose to air other programming on Easter night and instead aired The Ten Commandments the night before as part of its Saturday night lineup, with the broadcast starting at 8:00 pm Eastern. In 2015, for the first time in several years, the network returned to airing the film on Easter Sunday night, which fell on April 5.[71]
In 2010, the film was broadcast in high definition for the first time, which allowed the television audience to see it in its original VistaVision aspect ratio.
Ratings by year (between 2007 and 2014)
Year
Airdate
Rating
Share
Rating/Share
 (18–49)
Viewers
 (millions)
Rank
 (timeslot)
Rank
 (night)

2007 April 7, 2007 TBA 7.87 TBA TBA TBA TBA
2008 March 22, 2008 4.7 9 2.3/7 7.91 1 1
2009 April 11, 2009 4.2 8 1.7/6 6.81 1 1
2010[72] April 3, 2010 TBA TBA 1.4/5 5.88 2 3
2011[73] April 23, 2011 1.6/5 7.05 1 1
2012[74] April 7, 2012 6.90 TBA TBA
2013[75] March 30, 2013 1.2/4 5.90 2 2
2014[76] April 19, 2014 1.0/4 5.87 1 1
2015[77] April 5, 2015 1.4/5 6.80 TBA TBA

See also[edit]
The Ten Commandments (1923 film)
List of films featuring slavery
Van Orden v. Perry
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Louvish 2008, p. 481.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Reported budgets: Hall & Neale 2010, p. 159. "... a record $13,266,491".
Birchard 2004, ch. 70. The Ten Commandments. "$13,272,381".
3.^ Jump up to: a b c Block & Wilson 2010, p. 327.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c "Life Magazine - Nov 12, 1956, pg. 115.". Life. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c "Internet Movie Database – Awards for The Ten Commandments (1956)". Retrieved November 17, 2011.
6.Jump up ^ American Film Institute (June 17, 2008). "AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
7.Jump up ^ "Top 10 Epic". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
8.Jump up ^ "Riselle Bain: Called by the spotlight". heraldtribune.com. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014. "When legendary director Cecile B. DeMille was screening schoolchildren for the role of Moses' older sister Miriam, he asked Riselle Bain if she could recite a poem from memory. . . . Bain completed all four verses of “Daffodils,” and that's the short version of how she wound up in the 1956 classic The Ten Commandments, . . . She would likely have introduced herself as Babette, her second name, which is how she is credited in the DeMille film and her other Hollywood endeavors." (front page newspaper story with video, Sarasota, Florida) Photo as Miriam.
9.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 36.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Eyman 2010, p. 440.
11.Jump up ^ The Tomb of Mehu at Saqqara in Egypt
12.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 29.
13.Jump up ^ Parsons, Louella (June 4, 1954). "Joan Bennett Gets Top Role in Bogart Film". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
14.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 54.
15.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 61.
16.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 49.
17.^ Jump up to: a b Orrison 1999, p. 54-55.
18.Jump up ^ Hopper, Hedda (December 29, 1956). "Yvonne DeCarlo Settles Down to Domestic Life". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
19.Jump up ^ Nelson, Valerie J. (January 11, 2007). "Actress Yvonne De Carlo, of 'Munsters' fame, dies". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
20.Jump up ^ DeMille 1959, p. 416.
21.Jump up ^ Noerdlinger 1956, p. 70.
22.^ Jump up to: a b Orrison 1999, p. 51.
23.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 53.
24.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 7.
25.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 6.
26.Jump up ^ Party Time in Ancient Egypt
27.^ Jump up to: a b c Belser, Emily (June 1, 1955). "Now Stars Change Eyes Just Like Pair Of Shoes". The Miami News. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
28.^ Jump up to: a b Katherine Orrison's audio commentary for The Ten Commandments 50th Anniversary Collection DVD (2006)
29.Jump up ^ The Ten Commandments (Motion picture) credits: DeMille, Cecil B.
30.^ Jump up to: a b Brosnan, John (1974). Movie Magic (1st ed.).St. Martin’s Press, Inc.: New York. Pp. 77-80. ISBN 0356046990.
31.Jump up ^ The Ten Commandments (Documentary: “Making Miracles”) (Six-Disc Limited Edition Blu-Ray/DVD Combo) Cecil B. DeMille / Paramount. Hollywood, California: Paramount Pictures.2011
32.Jump up ^ Matte Shot – A Tribute to Golden Era Special FX: The Wild and Wonderful World of John P. Fulton. http://nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.com/2010/08/wild-and-wonderful-world-of-john.html Retrieved 5 July 2014.
33.^ Jump up to: a b c Mandell, Paul R. (April 1983) "Parting the Red Sea (and Other Miracles)". American Cinematographer, pp. 125-126.
34.Jump up ^ Stanbury, Patrick, (5 April 2004) Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic. Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
35.Jump up ^ Den of Geek. "Top 50 Movie Special Effects Shots". Retrieved January 2, 2009.
36.Jump up ^ PBS. "NOVA Online/Special Effects/All About Special Effects/Trivia Quiz (Answers)". Retrieved January 2, 2009.
37.Jump up ^ "The Parting Of The Red Sea". The Art & Science of Movie Special Effects. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
38.Jump up ^ Eyman, Scott (2010). Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 1439180415.
39.^ Jump up to: a b "The Ten Commandments (1956) – Notes". TCM database. Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
40.^ Jump up to: a b Block & Wilson 2010, p. 392.
41.Jump up ^ Steinberg, Cobbett (1980). Film Facts. New York: Facts on File, Inc. p. 23. ISBN 0-87196-313-2.
42.^ Jump up to: a b Hall & Neale 2010, pp. 160–161.
43.Jump up ^ Oviatt, Ray (April 16, 1961). "The Memory Isn't Gone With The Wind". Toledo Blade. p. 67–68.
44.Jump up ^ Block & Wilson 2010, p. 324.
45.Jump up ^ Holston, Kim R. (2012). Movie Roadshows: A History and Filmography of Reserved-Seat Limited Showings, 1911–1973. McFarland. ISBN 0786460628.
46.Jump up ^ Stempel, Tom (2001). American Audiences on Movies and Moviegoing. University Press of Kentucky. p. 24. ISBN 9780813121833.
47.Jump up ^ Birchard 2004, ch. 70. The Ten Commandments.
48.Jump up ^ Glenday, Craig, ed. (2011). Гиннесс. Мировые рекорды 2012 [Guinness World Records 2012] (in Russian). Translated by P.I. Andrianov & I.V. Palova. Moscow: Astrel. p. 211. ISBN 978-5-271-36423-5.
49.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Crowther, Bosley. New York Times Film Reviews: Best Picture Picks from the 1950s. The New York Times Company. ISBN 1625395590.
50.^ Jump up to: a b c d "Review: "The Ten Commandments"". Variety. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
51.Jump up ^ Maltin, Leonard (2009). Leonard Maltin's 2010 Movie Guide. Penguin. ISBN 1101108762.
52.Jump up ^ The Ten Commandments at Rotten Tomatoes
53.^ Jump up to: a b "The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
54.Jump up ^ "Paramount Reduces 'Ten' Billings Of De Carlo, Derek, Paget To Get 'Em In Oscar Race". Variety. January 4, 1957.
55.Jump up ^ Bahn, Chester B. (December 26, 1956). "Brynner, Magnani Cop Filmland's Poll Stevens' Direction of 'Giant' Votes Year's Best In National Poll Of Critics; Perkins Is '56 Discovery; 3 Honors To Strasberg". The Sandusky Register. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
56.Jump up ^ "The Ten Commandments (1 nomination)". goldenglobes.org. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
57.Jump up ^ "Palmarés década 50 - Fotogramas de Plata". fotogramas.es. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
58.Jump up ^ "National Board of Review of Motion Pictures - Awards - Best Actor". nbrmp.org. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
59.^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Register of the Cecil B. DeMille Photographs, ca. 1900s-1950s, 1881-1959". Brigham Young University. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
60.Jump up ^ "Boxoffice Magazine - February 16, 1957, pg. 26.". Boxoffice. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
61.^ Jump up to: a b "Hollywood Report: Baltimore". Boxoffice. May 4, 1957. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
62.Jump up ^ "DeMille Honored For Bible Movie". Spokane Daily Chronicle. March 19, 1957. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
63.Jump up ^ "Jewish Award For DeMille". The Spokesman-Review. March 20, 1957. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
64.Jump up ^ L. Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, Philadelphia 1967; A. Shinan, "Moses and the Ethiopian Woman: Sources of a Story in The Chronicle of Moses", Scripta Hierosolymitana 27 (1978).
65.Jump up ^ Jacobson, Colin. "The Ten Commandments (1956) - DVD Movie Guide". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
66.Jump up ^ "The Ten Commandments (Special Collector's Edition)". DVD Talk. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
67.Jump up ^ "The Ten Commandments - 50th Anniversary Collection". DVD Talk. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
68.Jump up ^ Tom Woodward (January 12, 2011). "Paramount has revealed official details on the 1956 Charlton Hestone movie". DVD Active. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
69.Jump up ^ "Home Media Award Winners by Category". Home Media Magazine. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
70.Jump up ^ TV Guide listings for March 29-April 4, 1997.
71.Jump up ^ http://www.channelguidemagblog.com/index.php/2015/02/27/abc-to-broadcast-the-ten-commandments-on-easter/
72.Jump up ^ Robert Seidman (April 4, 2010). "TV Ratings: Duke Blows Past West Virginia, Moses". TV by the Numbers.
73.Jump up ^ "Network Overnight Daily TV Nielsen Ratings – Saturday, April 23, 2011". Television-Ratings.INFO. April 25, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
74.Jump up ^ Berman, Marc. "The Ten Commandments Lifts ABC to Saturday Victory". TV Media Insights. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
75.Jump up ^ "TV Ratings Saturday: NCAA Basketball Easily Wins Pre-Easter Saturday". TV by the Numbers. March 31, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
76.Jump up ^ "TV Ratings Saturday: Moses Knocks Out 'UFC on FOX' as 'The Ten Commandments' Wins Night; 'Dateline' & '48 Hours' Rise". TV by the Numbers. April 20, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
77.Jump up ^ "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Madam Secretary' Slides, 'The Good Wife' Stays at Low + 'American Odyssey' Premieres Soft as 'A.D.: The Bible Continues' Tops Night". TV by the Numbers. April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
BibliographyBirchard, Robert (2004). Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813123240.
Block, Alex Ben; Wilson, Lucy Autrey, eds. (2010). George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780061963452.
DeMille, Cecil B. (1959). The Autobiography of Cecil B. DeMille. Prentice Hall. ISBN 0824057570.
Eyman, Scott (2010). Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1439180415.
Hall, Sheldon; Neale, Stephen (2010). Epics, spectacles, and blockbusters: a Hollywood history. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-3008-1.
Louvish, Simon (2008). Cecil B. DeMille: A Life in Art. Macmillan. ISBN 0312377339.
Noerdlinger, Henry (1956). Moses and Egypt. University of Southern California Press. ISBN 1258130270.
Orrison, Katherine (1999). Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments. Vestal Press. ISBN 1461734819.
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Ten Commandments (film).
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Ten Commandments
Official website
The Ten Commandments at the Internet Movie Database
The Ten Commandments at the TCM Movie Database
The Ten Commandments at Box Office Mojo
The Ten Commandments at Rotten Tomatoes


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The Ten Commandments (1956 film)

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The Ten Commandments
10Command56.jpg
Original theatrical release poster

Directed by
Cecil B. DeMille
Produced by
Cecil B. DeMille
Henry Wilcoxon
(associate producer)
Screenplay by
Æneas MacKenzie
Jesse L. Lasky, Jr.
Jack Gariss
Fredric M. Frank
Based on
Prince of Egypt
 by Dorothy Clarke Wilson
Pillar of Fire
 by J.H. Ingraham
On Eagle's Wings
 by A.E. Southon
The Holy Scriptures
Starring
Charlton Heston
Yul Brynner
Anne Baxter
Edward G. Robinson
Yvonne De Carlo
Debra Paget
John Derek
Narrated by
Cecil B. DeMille
Music by
Elmer Bernstein
Cinematography
Loyal Griggs, A.S.C.
Edited by
Anne Bauchens

Production
 company

Motion Picture Associates

Distributed by
Paramount Pictures

Release dates

October 5, 1956 (Salt Lake City preview)
November 8, 1956 (New York City premiere)
November 14, 1956 (Los Angeles premiere)


Running time
 220 minutes[1]
(with intermission)
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$13 million[2]
Box office
$122.7 million[3]
(initial release)
The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American religious epic film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot in VistaVision (color by Technicolor), and released by Paramount Pictures. It dramatizes the biblical story of the life of Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince who becomes the deliverer of his real brethren, the enslaved Hebrews, and therefore leads the Exodus to Mount Sinai, where he receives, from God, the Ten Commandments. It stars Charlton Heston in the lead role, Yul Brynner as Rameses, Anne Baxter as Nefretiri, Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora, Debra Paget as Lilia, and John Derek as Joshua; and features Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Sethi, Nina Foch as Bithiah, Martha Scott as Yochabel, Judith Anderson as Memnet, and Vincent Price as Baka, among others.
Filmed on location in Egypt, Mount Sinai and the Sinai Peninsula, the film was DeMille's last and most successful work.[4] It is a partial remake of his 1923 silent film of the same title, and features one of the largest sets ever created for a film.[4] At the time of its release on November 8, 1956, it was the most expensive film made.[4]
In 1957, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (John P. Fulton, A.S.C.).[5] Charlton Heston was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) for his role as Moses.[5] Yul Brynner won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his role as Rameses and his other roles in Anastasia and The King and I.[5] It is also one of the most financially successful films ever made, grossing approximately $122.7 million at the box office during its initial release; it was the most successful film of 1956 and the second-highest grossing film of the decade. According to Guinness World Records, in terms of theatrical exhibition it is the seventh most successful film of all-time when the box office gross is adjusted for inflation.
In 1999, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is now considered one of the greatest films of all time. In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten Top Ten"—the best ten films in ten American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. The film was listed as the tenth best film in the epic genre.[6][7]


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Writing
3.2 Casting
3.3 Art direction
3.4 Special effects
4 Release
5 Reception 5.1 Box office
5.2 Critical response
5.3 Accolades
6 Popularity
7 Home media
8 Television broadcast
9 See also
10 References
11 External links

Plot[edit]
Pharaoh Rameses I of Egypt has ordered the death of all firstborn Hebrew males after hearing the prophecy of the Deliverer, but a Hebrew woman named Yochabel saves her infant son by setting him adrift in a basket on the Nile. Bithiah, the Pharaoh's daughter, who had recently lost her husband and the hope of ever having children of her own, finds the basket and decides to adopt the boy even though her servant, Memnet, recognizes the child is Hebrew and protests.
Prince Moses grows up to become a successful general, winning a war with Ethiopia and then entering Egypt into an alliance with them. Moses loves Nefretiri, who is the princess betrothed to the next Pharaoh. She also reciprocates his love. An incident occurs when an elderly woman is almost crushed to death when her sash gets caught under the slab of stone, prompting Moses to scold overseer Baka. Moses frees the elderly woman, not realizing that she is his natural mother, Yochabel. While working on the building of a city for Pharaoh Sethi's jubilee, Moses meets the stonecutter Joshua, who tells him of the Hebrew God.
Moses institutes numerous reforms concerning the treatment of the slaves on the project, and eventually Prince Rameses, Moses's "brother", charges him with planning an insurrection, pointing out that the slaves are calling him the "Deliverer". Moses defends himself against the charges, arguing that he is simply making his workers more productive by making them stronger and happier and proves his point with the impressive progress he is making. Rameses is later charged by Sethi with finding out whether there really is a Hebrew fitting the description of the Deliverer.



Nefretiri learns from Memnet that Moses is the son of Hebrew slaves
Nefretiri learns from Memnet that Moses is the son of Hebrew slaves. Nefretiri kills Memnet but reveals the story to Moses only after he finds the piece of Levite cloth he was wrapped in as a baby, which Memnet had kept. Moses goes to Bithiah to learn the truth. Bithiah evades his questions, but Moses follows her to the home of Yochabel and thus learns the truth, while also meeting his true brother, Aaron, and sister, Miriam.
Although Moses feels no real change from this revelation, he spends time working amongst the slaves to learn more of their lives. Nefretiri urges him to return to the palace to help his people when he becomes pharaoh, to which he agrees after he completes a final task. The master builder Baka steals Lilia, who is engaged to the stonecutter Joshua. Joshua rescues Lilia by causing a commotion in Baka's stables. Joshua strikes Baka in the process and gets captured; he is then whipped by Baka for this insult. Moses strangles Baka and frees Joshua, confessing to Joshua that he too is Hebrew. The confession is witnessed by the ambitious Hebrew chief overseer Dathan. In exchange for his freedom, riches and Lilia, Dathan tells about this to Rameses, who then arrests Moses. Brought in chains before Sethi, Moses explains that he is not the Deliverer, but would free the slaves if he could. Bithiah tells her brother Sethi the truth about Moses, and Sethi reluctantly orders his name stricken from all records and monuments, and Rameses is declared the next Pharaoh. Rameses, well aware of his father's (and Nefretiri's ) devotion to Moses, decides not to execute him. He instead banishes Moses to the desert, where Nefretiri will never know if he survives, or perhaps finds another love. He also tells him that Yochabel had died after delivering a robe of Levite cloth for Moses.



Moses becomes a shepherd and marries Sephora in the land of Midian
Moses makes his way across the desert, nearly dying of hunger and thirst before he comes to a well in the land of Midian. At the well, he defends seven sisters from Amalekites who try to push them away from the water. Moses finds a home in Midian with the girls' father Jethro, a Bedouin sheik, who reveals that he is a follower of "He who has no name", whom Moses recognizes as the God of Abraham. Moses impresses Jethro and the other sheiks with his wise and just trading, and marries Jethro's eldest daughter Sephora.
While herding sheep in the desert Moses finds Joshua, who has escaped from the copper mines of Ezion-Geber that he was sent to after the death of Baka. Moses sees the burning bush on the summit of Mount Sinai and hears the voice of God. God charges Moses to return to Egypt and free His chosen people. In the meantime, in Egypt, Sethi dies, his last word being Moses's name. Before he dies, he hands over the reins to his son Ramseses, who becomes Rameses II.
At Pharaoh's court, Moses comes before Rameses to win the slaves' freedom, turning his staff into a cobra. Jannes does the same with his staves, but Moses' snake devours his. Rameses decrees that the Hebrews be given no straw to make their bricks, but to make the same tally as before on pain of death. As the Hebrews prepare to stone Moses in anger, Nefretiri's retinue rescues him. He spurns her when she attempts to renew her relationship with him by saying that he is on a mission and is also married.
As Moses continues to challenge Pharaoh's hold over his people, Egypt is beset by divine plagues. Moses turns the river Nile to blood at a festival of Khnum and brings burning hail down upon Pharaoh's palace. Moses warns him the next plague to fall upon Egypt will be summoned by Pharaoh himself. Enraged at the plagues and Moses' continuous demands, as well as his generals and advisers telling him to give in, Rameses orders all first-born Hebrews to die. Nefretiri warns Sephora to escape with her son Gershom on a passing caravan to Midian, and Moses tells the Queen that it is her own son who will die. In an eerily quiet scene, the Angel of Death creeps into Egyptian streets in a glowing green mist, killing all the firstborn of Egypt, including the adult son of Pharaoh's top general, and Pharaoh's own child. The Hebrews who have marked their doorposts and lintels with lamb's blood are eating a hasty meal and preparing to depart. Bithiah reunites with Moses and decides to go with him and his people when they leave. Broken and despondent, Pharaoh orders Moses to leave with the Hebrews. In the following day, the Hebrews, now homeless and uprooted, begin their exodus from Egypt with Dathan, reluctantly, also among them.
Rameses spends the next three days begging Seker to call life back into the body of his son. Nefretiri goads him into such a rage that he arms himself and gathers the elite Egyptian forces and pursues the former slaves to the shore of the Red Sea. When the people see the Egyptian troops heading for them, they beg Moses to save them. With God's help, he puts out a pillar of fire. Held back by this pillar, the Egyptian forces helplessly watch as Moses parts the waters. As the Hebrews race over the seabed, the pillar of fire then dies down and the army follows them in hot pursuit. The Hebrews make it to the far shore as the waters close on the Egyptian army, drowning every man and horse, except Rameses, who looks on in despair. All he can do is return to Nefretiri, confessing to her, "His god is God".
The former slaves camp at the foot of Sinai and wait as Moses again ascends the mountain with Joshua. During his absence, the Hebrews lose faith. Urged by Dathan, they build a golden calf as an idol to take back to Egypt, hoping to win Rameses' forgiveness. They force Aaron to help fashion the gold plating. The people indulge their most wanton desires in an orgy of sinfulness, except for a few still loyal to Moses, including Sephora and Bithiah.
High atop the mountain, Moses witnesses God's creation of the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments. When Moses finally climbs down and meets Joshua, they both behold their people's iniquity. Moses hurls the tablets at the idol in a rage. The idol explodes, and Dathan and his followers are killed. After God forces them to endure forty years' exile in the desert to kill off the rebellious generation, the Hebrews are about to arrive in the land of Canaan. An elderly Moses, who is not allowed to enter the promised land, because of his disobedience to God at the waters of Strife, appoints Joshua to succeed him as leader, says a final good bye to Sephora, and goes forth to his destiny.
Cast[edit]
Charlton Heston as Moses
Yul Brynner as Rameses II
Anne Baxter as Nefretiri
Edward G. Robinson as Dathan
Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora
Debra Paget as Lilia
John Derek as Joshua
Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Sethi
Nina Foch as Bithiah
Martha Scott as Yochabel
Judith Anderson as Memnet
Vincent Price as Baka
John Carradine as Aaron
Olive Deering as Miriam
Babette Bain as Little Miriam[8]
Douglass Dumbrille as Jannes
Frank de Kova as Abiram
Henry Wilcoxon as Pentaur
Eduard Franz as Jethro
Donald Curtis as Mered
Lawrence Dobkin as Hur Ben Caleb
H. B. Warner as Amminadab
Julia Faye as Elisheba
Lisa Mitchell as Jethro's daughter (Lulua)
Noelle Williams as Jethro's daughter
Joanna Merlin as Jethro's daughter
Pat Richard as Jethro's daughter
Joyce Vanderveen as Jethro's daughter
Diane Hall as Jethro's daughter
Abbas El Boughdadly as Rameses' Charioteer
Fraser Heston as The Infant Moses
John Miljan as The Blind One
Francis J. McDonald as Simon
Ian Keith as Rameses I
Paul De Rolf as Eleazar
Woodrow Strode as King of Ethiopia
Tommy Duran as Gershom
Eugene Mazzola as Rameses' Son
Ramsay Hill as Korah
Joan Woodbury as Korah's Wife
Esther Brown as Princess Tharbis
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
The final shooting script was written by Æneas MacKenzie, Jesse L. Lasky, Jr., Jack Gariss, and Fredric M. Frank.[9] It also contained material from the books Prince of Egypt by Dorothy Clarke Wilson, Pillar of Fire by Joseph Holt Ingraham, and On Eagle's Wings by Arthur Eustace Southon.[10] Henry Noerdlinger, the film's researcher, consulted ancient historical texts such as the Midrash Rabbah, Philo's Life of Moses, and the writings of Josephus and Eusebius in order to "fill in" the missing years of Moses' life,[10] and as the film's last opening title card states, "the Holy Scriptures."
The expression "the son of your body" for a biological offspring is based on inscriptions found in Mehu's tomb.[11]
Casting[edit]
Charlton Heston, who previously worked for DeMille in The Greatest Show on Earth, won the part of Moses after he impressed DeMille (at an audition) with his knowledge of ancient Egypt. Interestingly enough, though Moses most likely lived sometime in the early New Kingdom, it was Old Kingdom Egyptian facts Heston used at his audition that won him his legendary role. Heston's newborn son, Fraser (born February 12, 1955), appeared as the infant Moses and was three months old during filming.[12]
The part of Nefretiri, the Egyptian throne princess, was considered "the most sought after role of the year" in 1954.[13] Ann Blyth, Vanessa Brown, Joan Evans, Rhonda Fleming, Colleen Gray, Jane Griffiths, Audrey Hepburn, Jean Marie, Vivien Leigh, Jane Russell, and Joan Taylor were considered for the part.[14] DeMille liked Audrey Hepburn but dismissed her because of her figure, which was considered too slim for the character's Egyptian gowns.[15] Anne Baxter (who was considered for the part of Moses' wife) was cast in the role.[16]
Judith Ames, Anne Bancroft, Anne Baxter, Shirley Booth, Diane Brewster, Peggie Castle, June Clayworth, Linda Darnell, Laura Elliot, Rhonda Fleming, Rita Gam, Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Green, Barbara Hale, Allison Hayes, Frances Lansing, Patricia Neal, Marie Palmer, Jean Peters, Ruth Roman, Barbara Rush, and Elizabeth Sellers were considered for the part of Sephora.[17] Grace Kelly, DeMille's first choice, was unavailable.[17] DeMille was "very much impressed" with Yvonne De Carlo's performance as a "saintly type of woman" in MGM's Sombrero.[18][19] He "sensed in her a depth, an emotional power, a womanly strength which the part of Sephora needed and which she gave it."[20] Sephora is the Douay–Rheims version of the name of Zipporah.[21]
Merle Oberon and Claudette Colbert were considered for the role of Bithiah before DeMille chose Jayne Meadows (who declined) and finally cast Nina Foch, on the suggestion of Henry Wilcoxon, who had worked with her in Scaramouche.[22]
For the role of Memnet, Flora Robson was considered and Bette Davis was interviewed (DeMille's casting journal also notes Marjorie Rambeau and Marie Windsor)[23] but DeMille chose Judith Anderson after screening Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca.)[22]
DeMille was reluctant to cast anyone who had appeared in 20th Century Fox' The Egyptian,[24] a rival production at the time.[25] Several exceptions to this are the casting of John Carradine and Mimi Gibson (in credited supporting roles) and Michael Ansara and Peter Coe (in uncredited minor roles), who appeared in both films.
Art direction[edit]



 The Ten Commandments (shortened version) written in 10th century BC characters, like on DeMille's tablets
Commentary for the film's DVD edition chronicles the historical research done by DeMille and associates. Katherine Orrison says that many details of Moses' life left out of the Bible are present in the Qur'an, which was sometimes used as a source. She also presents some coincidences in production. The man who designed Moses' distinctive rust-white-and-black-striped robe used those colors because they looked impressive, and only later discovered that these are the actual colors of the Tribe of Levi. Arnold Friberg would later state that he was the one who designed Moses' costume. As a gift, after the production, DeMille gave Moses' robe to Friberg, who had it in his possession until his death in 2010. Moses' robe as worn by Charlton Heston was hand-woven by Dorothea Hulse, one of the world's finest weavers. She also created costumes for The Robe, as well as textiles and costume fabrics for Samson and Delilah, David and Bathsheba, and others.
Jesse Lasky Jr., a co-writer on The Ten Commandments, described how DeMille would customarily spread out prints of paintings by Lawrence Alma-Tadema to inform his set designers on the look he wanted to achieve. Arnold Friberg, in addition to designing sets and costumes, also contributed the manner in which Moses ordained Joshua to his mission at the end of the film: by the laying on of hands, placing his hands on Joshua's head. Friberg, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, demonstrated the LDS manner of performing such ordinations, and DeMille liked it.
Pharaoh is usually shown wearing the red-and-white crown of Upper and Lower Egypt or the nemes royal headdress. For his pursuit of the Israelites, he wears the blue Khepresh helmet-crown, which the pharaohs wore for battle.
Sets, costumes and props from the film The Egyptian were bought and re-used for The Ten Commandments. As the events in The Egyptian take place 70 years before the reign of Rameses II, an unintentional sense of continuity was created.
An Egyptian wall painting was also the source for the lively dance performed by a circle of young women at Seti's birthday gala. Their movements and costumes are based on art from the Tomb of the Sixth Dynasty Grand Vizier Mehu.[26]
Some of the film's cast members, such as Baxter, Paget, Derek, and Foch, wore brown contact lenses, at the behest of DeMille, in order to conceal their light-colored eyes which were considered inadequate for their roles.[27] Paget once said that, "If it hadn't been for the lenses I wouldn't have got the part."[27] However, she also said that the lenses were "awful to work in because the Kleig lights heat them up".[27] When DeMille cast Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora, she was worried about having to wear these contact lenses; she also believed that her gray eyes were her best feature.[28] She asked DeMille to make an exception for her. He agreed, expressing the idea that De Carlo's role was special, and that Moses was to fall in love with her.[28]
Special effects[edit]
The special photographic effects in The Ten Commandments were created by John P. Fulton, A.S.C. (who received an Academy Award for his effects in the film), head of the special effects department at Paramount Pictures, assisted by Paul Lerpae, A.S.C. in Optical Photography (blue screen "travelling matte" composites) and Farciot Edouart, A.S.C., in Process Photography (rear projection effects).[29] Fulton’s effects included the building of Sethi’s Jubilee treasure city, the Burning Bush, the fiery hail from a cloudless sky, the Angel of Death, the composites of the Exodus, the Pillar of Fire, the giving of the Ten Commandments, and the tour de force, the parting of the Red Sea.[30] The parting of the Red Sea was considered the most difficult special effect ever performed up to that time.[30] This effect took about six months of VistaVision filming, and combined scenes shot on the shores of the Red Sea in Egypt, with scenes filmed at Paramount Studios in Hollywood of a huge water tank split by a U-shaped trough, into which approximately 360,000 gallons of water were released from the sides, as well as the filming of a giant waterfall also built on the Paramount backlot to create the effect of the walls of the parted sea out of the turbulent backwash.[31] All of the multiple elements of the shot were then combined in Paul Lerpae's optical printer, and matte paintings of rocks by Jan Domela concealed the matte lines between the real elements and the special effects elements.[32] Unlike the technique used by ILM for Raiders of the Lost Ark and Poltergeist of injecting poster paints into a glass tank containing a salt water inversion layer, the cloud effects for the The Ten Commandments were formed with white Britt smoke filmed against a translucent sky backing, and colors were added optically.[33] Striking portraits of Charlton Heston as Moses and three women in front of menacing clouds were photographed by Wallace Kelly, A.S.C. in Farciot Edouart’s process (rear projection) department, in what are still considered unforgettable scenes.[33] DeMille used these scenes to break up the montage, framing his subjects like a Renaissance master.[33] An abundance of blue screen spillage or "bleeding" can be seen, particularly at the top of the superimposed walls of water, but rather than detracting from the shot, this (unintentionally) gives the scene an eerie yet spectacular appearance. The parting of the Red Sea sequence is considered by many to be one of the greatest special effects of all time.[34]
DeMille was reluctant to discuss technical details of how the film was made, especially the optical tricks used in the parting of the Red Sea. It was eventually revealed that footage of the Red Sea was spliced with film footage (run in reverse) of water pouring from large U-shaped trip-tanks set up in the studio backlot.[35][36][37]
Release[edit]





Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner at the New York premiere



Anne Baxter at the New York premiere



Yvonne De Carlo and Bob Morgan, her husband, at the New York premiere

The Ten Commandments premiered at New York City's Criterion Theatre on November 8, 1956.[38] Among those who attended the premiere were Cecil B. DeMille and his daughter Cecilia DeMille Harper, Charlton Heston and his wife Lydia Clarke, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo and her husband Bob Morgan, Martha Scott and her husband and son, John Wayne and his wife Pilar Pallete, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, and Barney Balaban. It played on a roadshow basis with reserved seating until mid-1958, when it finally entered general release.[39] It was re-released in 1966 and 1972, and one more time in 1990 with a restored print.[40]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
The Ten Commandments was the highest-grossing film of 1956 and the second most successful film of the decade. By April 1957, the film had earned an unprecedented $10 million from engagements at just eighty theaters, averaging about $1 million per week, with more than seven million people paying to watch it.[39] During its initial release, it earned theater rentals (the distributor's share of the box office gross) of $31.3 million in North America and $23.9 million from the foreign markets, for a total of $55.2 million (equating to approximately $122.7 million in ticket sales).[3] It was hugely profitable for its era, earning a net profit of $18,500,000,[41] against a production budget of $13.27 million (the most a film had cost up to that point).[2]
By the time of its withdrawal from distribution at the end of 1960, The Ten Commandments had overtaken Gone with the Wind at the box office in the North American territory,[42] and mounted a serious challenge in the global market—the worldwide takings for Gone with the Wind were reported to stand at $59 million at the time.[43] Gone with the Wind would be re-released the following year as part of the American Civil War Centennial, and reasserted its supremacy at the box office by reclaiming the US record.[42] Also at this time, Ben-Hur—another biblical epic starring Charlton Heston released at the end of 1959—would go on to eclipse The Ten Commandments at the box office.[3][44] A 1966 reissue earned $6,000,000,[45] and further re-releases brought the total American theater rentals to $43 million,[46] equivalent to gross ticket sales of $89 million at the box office.[40] Globally, it ultimately collected $90,066,230 in revenues up to 1979.[47]
It remains one of the most popular films ever made. Adjusted for inflation, it has earned a box office gross equivalent to $2 billion at 2011 prices, according to Guinness World Records; only Gone with the Wind (1939), Avatar (2009), Star Wars (1977), Titanic (1997), The Sound of Music (1965), and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) have generated higher grosses in constant dollars.[48]
Critical response[edit]



As Mr. DeMille presents it in this three-hour-and-thirty-nine-minute film, which is by far the largest and most expensive that he has ever made, it is a moving story of the spirit of freedom rising in a man, under the divine inspiration of his Maker. And, as such, it strikes a ringing note today.
Bosley Crowther for The New York Times[49]
The Ten Commandments received generally positive reviews after its release, although some reviewers noted its divergence from the biblical text. Bosley Crowther for The New York Times was among those who lauded DeMille's work, acknowledging that "in its remarkable settings and décor, including an overwhelming facade of the Egyptian city from which the Exodus begins, and in the glowing Technicolor in which the picture is filmed—Mr. DeMille has worked photographic wonders."[49] Variety described the "scenes of the greatness that was Egypt, and Hebrews by the thousands under the whip of the taskmasters" as "striking," and believed that the film "hits the peak of beauty with a sequence that is unelaborate, this being the Passover supper wherein Moses is shown with his family while the shadow of death falls on Egyptian first-borns."[50]
The film's cast was also complimented. Variety called Charlton Heston an "adaptable performer" who, as Moses, reveals "inner glow as he is called by God to remove the chains of slavery that hold his people."[50] It considered Yul Brynner "expert" as Rameses, too.[50] Anne Baxter's performance as Nefretiri was criticized by Variety as leaning "close to old-school siren histrionics,"[50] but Crowther believed that it, along with Brynner's, is "unquestionably apt and complementary to a lusty and melodramatic romance."[49] The performances of Yvonne De Carlo and John Derek were acclaimed by Crowther as "notably good."[49] He also commended the film's "large cast of characters" as "very good, from Sir Cedric Hardwicke as a droll and urbane Pharaoh to Edward G. Robinson as a treacherous overlord."[49]
Leonard Maltin, a contemporary film critic, gave the film four out of four stars and described it as "vivid storytelling at its best... parting of the Red Sea, writing of the holy tablets are unforgettable highlights."[51]
Rotten Tomatoes retrospectively collected 32 reviews and gave the film a rating of 91%, with the site's consensus stating: "Bombastic and occasionally silly but extravagantly entertaining, Cecil B. DeMille's all-star spectacular is a muscular retelling of the great Bible story."[52]
Accolades[edit]
The Ten Commandments won the Academy Award for Best Special Effects (John P. Fulton).[53] It was also nominated for Best Color Art Direction (art directors Hal Pereira, Walter H. Tyler, and Albert Nozaki and set decorators Sam Comer and Ray Moyer), Best Color Cinematography (Loyal Griggs), Best Color Costume Design (Edith Head, Ralph Jester, John Jensen, Dorothy Jeakins, and Arnold Friberg), Best Film Editing (Anne Bauchens), Best Motion Picture (Cecil B. DeMille), and Best Sound Recording (Paramount Studio Sound Department and sound director Loren L. Ryder).[53] Paramount submitted the names of Yvonne De Carlo, John Derek, and Debra Paget for the supporting player categories (even though they received star billing in the film) at the 29th Academy Awards,[54] but the actors did not receive nominations.
Charlton Heston's performance as Moses was ranked as the 4th Best Performance by a Male Star of 1956 by The Film Daily's Filmdom's Famous Five Poll.[55] Heston was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama[56] and later won the Fotograma de Plata Award for Best Foreign Performer in 1959.[57]
Yul Brynner won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his performance as Rameses.[58]
Cecil B. DeMille won many special awards for the film. He received, among others, the Los Angeles Examiner Award,[59] the Boxoffice Blue Ribbon Award for the Best Picture of the Month (January 1957),[60] the Photoplay Achievement Award,[59] and The Christian Herald's Reader's Award for the Picture of the Year (1957).[59]
The Maryland State Council of the American Jewish Congress awarded the Stephen S. Wise Medallion to DeMille for "most inspiring film of the year."[59][61] Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Edward G. Robinson, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Nina Foch, and Martha Scott also received awards for their acting.[61][62][63]
The film was also included in several of the annual top ten film lists, such as those featured in The Film Daily and Photoplay.[59]
American Film Institute recognitionAFI's 10 Top 10 – #10 Epic film
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – Nominated
AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – #79
AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores – Nominated
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes: "Oh, Moses, Moses, you stubborn, splendid, adorable fool!" – Nominated
AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains: Moses – #43 Hero
AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – Nominated
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – Nominated
Popularity[edit]
Critics have argued that considerable liberties were taken with the biblical story of Exodus, compromising the film's claim to authenticity, but neither this nor its nearly four-hour length has had any effect on its popularity. In fact, many of the supposed inaccuracies were actually adopted by DeMille from extra-biblical ancient sources, such as Josephus, the Sepher ha-Yashar, and the Chronicle of Moses. Moses's career in Ethiopia, for instance, is based on ancient midrashim.[64] For decades, a showing of The Ten Commandments was a popular fundraiser among revivalist Christian Churches, while the film was equally treasured by film buffs for DeMille's "cast of thousands" approach and the heroic but antiquated early-talkie-type acting.
Home media[edit]



 The artist's rendering of Charlton Heston as Moses was bulked up to modern physique standards when the DVD was released
The Ten Commandments has been released on DVD in the United States on four occasions: the first edition (Widescreen Collection) was released on March 30, 1999 as a two-disc set,[65] the second edition (Special Collector's Edition) was released on March 9, 2004 as a two-disc set with commentary by Katherine Orrison,[66] the third edition (50th Anniversary Collection) was released on March 21, 2006 as a three-disc set with the 1923 version and special features,[67] and the fourth edition (55th Anniversary Edition) was released on DVD again in a two-disc set on March 29, 2011 and for the first time on Blu-ray in a two-disc set and a six-disc limited edition gift set with the 1923 version and DVD copies.[68] In 2012, the limited edition gift set won the Home Media Award for Best Packaging (Paramount Pictures and JohnsByrne).[69]
Television broadcast[edit]
The film has been broadcast annually on the ABC network since 1973, traditionally during the Passover and Easter holidays, and for much of that period ABC has aired it on Easter Sunday.
Unlike many lengthy films of the day, which were usually broken up into separate airings over at least two nights, ABC elected to show the entire film in one night and has done so every year it has carried The Ten Commandments with one exception; in 1997, ABC elected to split the movie in two and aired half of it in its normal Easter Sunday slot, which that year was March 30, with the second half airing as counterprogramming to the other network offerings on April 1, which included CBS' coverage of the NCAA Men's College Basketball National Championship Game.[70]
The length of the film combined with the necessary advertisement breaks has varied over the years, and as of 2015 ABC's total run time for The Ten Commandments stands at four hours and forty-four minutes. This requires the network to overrun into the 11:00 pm timeslot that belongs to the local affiliates, thus delaying their late local news and/or any other programming the station may air in the overnight hours. When the film has aired on Easter Sunday, the local ABC affiliates are given the ability to tape delay the showing an hour ahead to 8 p.m. ET/PT to keep their schedules in line for early evening (though at the cost of delaying their local newscasts to 1:00 a.m.), while stations in the Central and Mountain zones often air the film live with the Eastern time zone feed to keep their late local news as close to its regular time as possible, since both areas' Big Three affiliates air their late news at 10:00 pm local time.
In more recent years, ABC chose to air other programming on Easter night and instead aired The Ten Commandments the night before as part of its Saturday night lineup, with the broadcast starting at 8:00 pm Eastern. In 2015, for the first time in several years, the network returned to airing the film on Easter Sunday night, which fell on April 5.[71]
In 2010, the film was broadcast in high definition for the first time, which allowed the television audience to see it in its original VistaVision aspect ratio.
Ratings by year (between 2007 and 2014)
Year
Airdate
Rating
Share
Rating/Share
 (18–49)
Viewers
 (millions)
Rank
 (timeslot)
Rank
 (night)

2007 April 7, 2007 TBA 7.87 TBA TBA TBA TBA
2008 March 22, 2008 4.7 9 2.3/7 7.91 1 1
2009 April 11, 2009 4.2 8 1.7/6 6.81 1 1
2010[72] April 3, 2010 TBA TBA 1.4/5 5.88 2 3
2011[73] April 23, 2011 1.6/5 7.05 1 1
2012[74] April 7, 2012 6.90 TBA TBA
2013[75] March 30, 2013 1.2/4 5.90 2 2
2014[76] April 19, 2014 1.0/4 5.87 1 1
2015[77] April 5, 2015 1.4/5 6.80 TBA TBA

See also[edit]
The Ten Commandments (1923 film)
List of films featuring slavery
Van Orden v. Perry
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Louvish 2008, p. 481.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Reported budgets: Hall & Neale 2010, p. 159. "... a record $13,266,491".
Birchard 2004, ch. 70. The Ten Commandments. "$13,272,381".
3.^ Jump up to: a b c Block & Wilson 2010, p. 327.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c "Life Magazine - Nov 12, 1956, pg. 115.". Life. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c "Internet Movie Database – Awards for The Ten Commandments (1956)". Retrieved November 17, 2011.
6.Jump up ^ American Film Institute (June 17, 2008). "AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
7.Jump up ^ "Top 10 Epic". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
8.Jump up ^ "Riselle Bain: Called by the spotlight". heraldtribune.com. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014. "When legendary director Cecile B. DeMille was screening schoolchildren for the role of Moses' older sister Miriam, he asked Riselle Bain if she could recite a poem from memory. . . . Bain completed all four verses of “Daffodils,” and that's the short version of how she wound up in the 1956 classic The Ten Commandments, . . . She would likely have introduced herself as Babette, her second name, which is how she is credited in the DeMille film and her other Hollywood endeavors." (front page newspaper story with video, Sarasota, Florida) Photo as Miriam.
9.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 36.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Eyman 2010, p. 440.
11.Jump up ^ The Tomb of Mehu at Saqqara in Egypt
12.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 29.
13.Jump up ^ Parsons, Louella (June 4, 1954). "Joan Bennett Gets Top Role in Bogart Film". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
14.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 54.
15.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 61.
16.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 49.
17.^ Jump up to: a b Orrison 1999, p. 54-55.
18.Jump up ^ Hopper, Hedda (December 29, 1956). "Yvonne DeCarlo Settles Down to Domestic Life". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
19.Jump up ^ Nelson, Valerie J. (January 11, 2007). "Actress Yvonne De Carlo, of 'Munsters' fame, dies". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
20.Jump up ^ DeMille 1959, p. 416.
21.Jump up ^ Noerdlinger 1956, p. 70.
22.^ Jump up to: a b Orrison 1999, p. 51.
23.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 53.
24.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 7.
25.Jump up ^ Orrison 1999, p. 6.
26.Jump up ^ Party Time in Ancient Egypt
27.^ Jump up to: a b c Belser, Emily (June 1, 1955). "Now Stars Change Eyes Just Like Pair Of Shoes". The Miami News. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
28.^ Jump up to: a b Katherine Orrison's audio commentary for The Ten Commandments 50th Anniversary Collection DVD (2006)
29.Jump up ^ The Ten Commandments (Motion picture) credits: DeMille, Cecil B.
30.^ Jump up to: a b Brosnan, John (1974). Movie Magic (1st ed.).St. Martin’s Press, Inc.: New York. Pp. 77-80. ISBN 0356046990.
31.Jump up ^ The Ten Commandments (Documentary: “Making Miracles”) (Six-Disc Limited Edition Blu-Ray/DVD Combo) Cecil B. DeMille / Paramount. Hollywood, California: Paramount Pictures.2011
32.Jump up ^ Matte Shot – A Tribute to Golden Era Special FX: The Wild and Wonderful World of John P. Fulton. http://nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.com/2010/08/wild-and-wonderful-world-of-john.html Retrieved 5 July 2014.
33.^ Jump up to: a b c Mandell, Paul R. (April 1983) "Parting the Red Sea (and Other Miracles)". American Cinematographer, pp. 125-126.
34.Jump up ^ Stanbury, Patrick, (5 April 2004) Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic. Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
35.Jump up ^ Den of Geek. "Top 50 Movie Special Effects Shots". Retrieved January 2, 2009.
36.Jump up ^ PBS. "NOVA Online/Special Effects/All About Special Effects/Trivia Quiz (Answers)". Retrieved January 2, 2009.
37.Jump up ^ "The Parting Of The Red Sea". The Art & Science of Movie Special Effects. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
38.Jump up ^ Eyman, Scott (2010). Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 1439180415.
39.^ Jump up to: a b "The Ten Commandments (1956) – Notes". TCM database. Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
40.^ Jump up to: a b Block & Wilson 2010, p. 392.
41.Jump up ^ Steinberg, Cobbett (1980). Film Facts. New York: Facts on File, Inc. p. 23. ISBN 0-87196-313-2.
42.^ Jump up to: a b Hall & Neale 2010, pp. 160–161.
43.Jump up ^ Oviatt, Ray (April 16, 1961). "The Memory Isn't Gone With The Wind". Toledo Blade. p. 67–68.
44.Jump up ^ Block & Wilson 2010, p. 324.
45.Jump up ^ Holston, Kim R. (2012). Movie Roadshows: A History and Filmography of Reserved-Seat Limited Showings, 1911–1973. McFarland. ISBN 0786460628.
46.Jump up ^ Stempel, Tom (2001). American Audiences on Movies and Moviegoing. University Press of Kentucky. p. 24. ISBN 9780813121833.
47.Jump up ^ Birchard 2004, ch. 70. The Ten Commandments.
48.Jump up ^ Glenday, Craig, ed. (2011). Гиннесс. Мировые рекорды 2012 [Guinness World Records 2012] (in Russian). Translated by P.I. Andrianov & I.V. Palova. Moscow: Astrel. p. 211. ISBN 978-5-271-36423-5.
49.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Crowther, Bosley. New York Times Film Reviews: Best Picture Picks from the 1950s. The New York Times Company. ISBN 1625395590.
50.^ Jump up to: a b c d "Review: "The Ten Commandments"". Variety. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
51.Jump up ^ Maltin, Leonard (2009). Leonard Maltin's 2010 Movie Guide. Penguin. ISBN 1101108762.
52.Jump up ^ The Ten Commandments at Rotten Tomatoes
53.^ Jump up to: a b "The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
54.Jump up ^ "Paramount Reduces 'Ten' Billings Of De Carlo, Derek, Paget To Get 'Em In Oscar Race". Variety. January 4, 1957.
55.Jump up ^ Bahn, Chester B. (December 26, 1956). "Brynner, Magnani Cop Filmland's Poll Stevens' Direction of 'Giant' Votes Year's Best In National Poll Of Critics; Perkins Is '56 Discovery; 3 Honors To Strasberg". The Sandusky Register. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
56.Jump up ^ "The Ten Commandments (1 nomination)". goldenglobes.org. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
57.Jump up ^ "Palmarés década 50 - Fotogramas de Plata". fotogramas.es. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
58.Jump up ^ "National Board of Review of Motion Pictures - Awards - Best Actor". nbrmp.org. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
59.^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Register of the Cecil B. DeMille Photographs, ca. 1900s-1950s, 1881-1959". Brigham Young University. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
60.Jump up ^ "Boxoffice Magazine - February 16, 1957, pg. 26.". Boxoffice. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
61.^ Jump up to: a b "Hollywood Report: Baltimore". Boxoffice. May 4, 1957. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
62.Jump up ^ "DeMille Honored For Bible Movie". Spokane Daily Chronicle. March 19, 1957. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
63.Jump up ^ "Jewish Award For DeMille". The Spokesman-Review. March 20, 1957. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
64.Jump up ^ L. Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, Philadelphia 1967; A. Shinan, "Moses and the Ethiopian Woman: Sources of a Story in The Chronicle of Moses", Scripta Hierosolymitana 27 (1978).
65.Jump up ^ Jacobson, Colin. "The Ten Commandments (1956) - DVD Movie Guide". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
66.Jump up ^ "The Ten Commandments (Special Collector's Edition)". DVD Talk. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
67.Jump up ^ "The Ten Commandments - 50th Anniversary Collection". DVD Talk. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
68.Jump up ^ Tom Woodward (January 12, 2011). "Paramount has revealed official details on the 1956 Charlton Hestone movie". DVD Active. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
69.Jump up ^ "Home Media Award Winners by Category". Home Media Magazine. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
70.Jump up ^ TV Guide listings for March 29-April 4, 1997.
71.Jump up ^ http://www.channelguidemagblog.com/index.php/2015/02/27/abc-to-broadcast-the-ten-commandments-on-easter/
72.Jump up ^ Robert Seidman (April 4, 2010). "TV Ratings: Duke Blows Past West Virginia, Moses". TV by the Numbers.
73.Jump up ^ "Network Overnight Daily TV Nielsen Ratings – Saturday, April 23, 2011". Television-Ratings.INFO. April 25, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
74.Jump up ^ Berman, Marc. "The Ten Commandments Lifts ABC to Saturday Victory". TV Media Insights. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
75.Jump up ^ "TV Ratings Saturday: NCAA Basketball Easily Wins Pre-Easter Saturday". TV by the Numbers. March 31, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
76.Jump up ^ "TV Ratings Saturday: Moses Knocks Out 'UFC on FOX' as 'The Ten Commandments' Wins Night; 'Dateline' & '48 Hours' Rise". TV by the Numbers. April 20, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
77.Jump up ^ "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Madam Secretary' Slides, 'The Good Wife' Stays at Low + 'American Odyssey' Premieres Soft as 'A.D.: The Bible Continues' Tops Night". TV by the Numbers. April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
BibliographyBirchard, Robert (2004). Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813123240.
Block, Alex Ben; Wilson, Lucy Autrey, eds. (2010). George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780061963452.
DeMille, Cecil B. (1959). The Autobiography of Cecil B. DeMille. Prentice Hall. ISBN 0824057570.
Eyman, Scott (2010). Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1439180415.
Hall, Sheldon; Neale, Stephen (2010). Epics, spectacles, and blockbusters: a Hollywood history. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-3008-1.
Louvish, Simon (2008). Cecil B. DeMille: A Life in Art. Macmillan. ISBN 0312377339.
Noerdlinger, Henry (1956). Moses and Egypt. University of Southern California Press. ISBN 1258130270.
Orrison, Katherine (1999). Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments. Vestal Press. ISBN 1461734819.
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Ten Commandments (film).
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Ten Commandments
Official website
The Ten Commandments at the Internet Movie Database
The Ten Commandments at the TCM Movie Database
The Ten Commandments at Box Office Mojo
The Ten Commandments at Rotten Tomatoes


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The Passion of the Christ (soundtrack)

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Jump to: navigation, search


The Passion of the Christ

Film score by John Debney

Released
February 24, 2004
Genre
Film soundtrack
Label
Sony Music/Integrity Music
John Debney chronology

Welcome to Mooseport The Passion of the Christ The Whole Ten Yards


Professional ratings

Review scores

Source
Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars
Empire 4/5 stars
Filmtracks 4/5 stars
Movie Wave 4.5/5 stars
ScoreNotes B-
SoundtrackNet 4/5 stars
The Passion of the Christ is the soundtrack, on the Sony label, of the 2004 Academy Award-nominated film The Passion of the Christ starring James Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Christo Jivkov, Hristo Shopov, Francesco DeVito and Monica Bellucci. The original score was composed by John Debney.
The album was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Track listing[edit]
1."The Olive Garden"
2."Bearing the Cross"
3."Jesus Arrested"
4."Peter Denies Jesus"
5."The Stoning"
6."Song of Complaint" (a very old Armenian traditional folk song called 'Dle Yaman', it is always played on the Duduk, a 3000 year old Armenian instrument)
7."Simon Is Dismissed"
8."Flagellation / Dark Choir / Disciples"
9."Mary Goes to Jesus"
10."Peaceful But Primitive / Procession"
11."Crucifixion"
12."Raising the Cross"
13."It Is Done"
14."Jesus Is Carried Down"
15."Resurrection"
Awards[edit]
On 2005, the album won a Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year at the 36th GMA Dove Awards.[1]
The album was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 77th Academy Awards (2004).
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ 2005 Dove Awards - 36th Annual Dove Awards on About.com; Jones, Kim



Stub icon This soundtrack-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




  


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2004 soundtracks
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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Passion_of_the_Christ_(soundtrack)













The Passion of the Christ (soundtrack)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


The Passion of the Christ

Film score by John Debney

Released
February 24, 2004
Genre
Film soundtrack
Label
Sony Music/Integrity Music
John Debney chronology

Welcome to Mooseport The Passion of the Christ The Whole Ten Yards


Professional ratings

Review scores

Source
Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars
Empire 4/5 stars
Filmtracks 4/5 stars
Movie Wave 4.5/5 stars
ScoreNotes B-
SoundtrackNet 4/5 stars
The Passion of the Christ is the soundtrack, on the Sony label, of the 2004 Academy Award-nominated film The Passion of the Christ starring James Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Christo Jivkov, Hristo Shopov, Francesco DeVito and Monica Bellucci. The original score was composed by John Debney.
The album was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Track listing[edit]
1."The Olive Garden"
2."Bearing the Cross"
3."Jesus Arrested"
4."Peter Denies Jesus"
5."The Stoning"
6."Song of Complaint" (a very old Armenian traditional folk song called 'Dle Yaman', it is always played on the Duduk, a 3000 year old Armenian instrument)
7."Simon Is Dismissed"
8."Flagellation / Dark Choir / Disciples"
9."Mary Goes to Jesus"
10."Peaceful But Primitive / Procession"
11."Crucifixion"
12."Raising the Cross"
13."It Is Done"
14."Jesus Is Carried Down"
15."Resurrection"
Awards[edit]
On 2005, the album won a Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year at the 36th GMA Dove Awards.[1]
The album was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 77th Academy Awards (2004).
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ 2005 Dove Awards - 36th Annual Dove Awards on About.com; Jones, Kim



Stub icon This soundtrack-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




  


Categories: John Debney albums
2004 soundtracks
Film soundtracks
Soundtrack stubs






Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















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Contents
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What links here
Related changes
Upload file
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Permanent link
Page information
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Cite this page

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Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Čeština
Edit links
This page was last modified on 9 March 2015, at 11:11.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Passion_of_the_Christ_(soundtrack)




















The Passion of the Christ

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the film. For the passions of Jesus Christ, see Passion (Christianity).

The Passion of the Christ
Thepassionposterface-1-.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Mel Gibson
Produced by
Bruce Davey
Mel Gibson
Stephen McEveety
Enzo Sisti

Screenplay by
Mel Gibson
Benedict Fitzgerald
William Fulco (translation)

Based on
The Passion in the New Testament of the Bible
Starring
Monica Bellucci
Jim Caviezel
Maia Morgenstern
Hristo Shopov

Music by
John Debney
Cinematography
Caleb Deschanel
Edited by
John Wright

Production
 company

Icon Productions
Newmarket Films

Distributed by
20th Century Fox (video release)

Release dates

February 25, 2004


Running time

126 minutes[1]
122 minutes (recut)[2]

Country
United States
Language
Aramaic
Latin
Hebrew

Budget
$30 million[3]
Box office
$611.9 million[3]
The Passion of the Christ (sometimes referred to as The Passion[4]) is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It also draws on pious accounts such as the Friday of Sorrows along with other devotional writings, such as those attributed to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.[5][6][7][8]
The film covers primarily the final 12 hours of Jesus' life, beginning with the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the insomnia and grievance of the Virgin Mary, but ending with a brief depiction of his resurrection. Flashbacks of Jesus as a child and as a young man with Mary his mother, giving the Sermon on the Mount, teaching the Twelve Apostles, and at the Last Supper are some of the images depicted. The dialogue is entirely in reconstructed Aramaic and Latin with vernacular subtitles.
The film has been highly controversial and received mixed reviews, with some critics claiming that the extreme violence in the film "obscures its message."[9][10][11][12] Catholic sources have questioned the authenticity of the non-biblical material the film drew on.[5][13] The film, however, was a major commercial hit, grossing in excess of $600 million during its theatrical release.[14] The Passion of the Christ is the highest grossing R-rated film in United States history,[15] and the highest grossing non-English-language film of all time.[16]


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Themes
4 Source material 4.1 New Testament
4.2 Tanakh
4.3 Traditional iconography and stories
4.4 Catholic devotional writings
5 Differences from traditional Passion story
6 Production 6.1 Script and language
6.2 Filming
6.3 Music
7 Post-production 7.1 Title change
7.2 Distribution and marketing
7.3 Evangelical support
8 Release 8.1 Box office
8.2 Theatrical re-release
8.3 Home media
8.4 Television broadcast
9 Reception 9.1 Critical reviews
9.2 Independent promotion and discussion
9.3 Accolades
10 Controversies 10.1 Questions of historical and biblical accuracy
10.2 Disputed papal endorsement
10.3 Allegations of antisemitism
10.4 Criticism of excessive violence
11 See also
12 References
13 External links

Plot[edit]
The film opens in Gethsemane as Jesus prays and is tempted by Satan, while his disciples Peter, James and John sleep. Satan appeared in human form, tempts him by saying, "It's not right for one man to die for their sins." After Jesus' sweat becomes like blood and drips to the ground, a snake comes out from Satan. Jesus hears his disciples calling him, then he steps on the snake's head, and the Devil disappears. After receiving thirty pieces of silver, Judas, another of Jesus' disciples, approaches with the temple guards and betrays Jesus with a kiss on the cheek. As the guards move in to arrest Jesus, Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest Caiaphas, but Jesus heals the ear. As the apostles flee, the temple guards arrest Jesus and beat him during the journey to the Sanhedrin. John tells Mary and Mary Magdalene of the arrest while Peter follows Jesus at a distance. Caiaphas holds trial over the objection of some of the other priests, who are expelled from the court. When questioned by Caiaphas whether he is the Son of God, Jesus replies "I am". Caiaphas is horrified and tears his robes, and Jesus is condemned to death for blasphemy. Peter, who is secretly watching, is confronted and three times denies knowing Jesus, but then runs away sobbing after remembering that Jesus had foretold that. Meanwhile, the remorseful Judas attempts to return the money to have Jesus freed, but is refused by the priests. Tormented by Demons, he flees the city and hangs himself upon a tree with a rope he finds on a dead donkey.
Caiaphas brings Jesus before Pontius Pilate to be condemned to death, but after questioning Jesus and finding no fault in him, Pilate sends him instead to the court of Herod Antipas, as Jesus is from Herod Antipas' ruling town of Nazareth, Galilee. After Jesus is again found not guilty and returned, Pilate offers the crowd that he will chastise Jesus and then will set him free. He then attempts to have Jesus freed by giving the people an option of freeing Jesus or the violent criminal Barabbas. To his dismay, the crowd demands to have Barabbas freed and Jesus killed. In an attempt to appease the crowd, Pilate orders that he be punished, but not killed. Jesus is brutally scourged and mocked with a crown of thorns by his guards. However, Caiaphas, with the crowds backing, continues to demand that Jesus be crucified, and Barabbas released. Pilate washes his hands and reluctantly orders Jesus' crucifixion.
As Jesus carries the cross along the Via Dolorosa to Calvary, Veronica wipes Jesus' face with her veil. Simon of Cyrene is unwillingly pressed into carrying the cross with Jesus. Jesus is then crucified. As he hangs from the cross, Jesus prays forgiveness for those who did this to him and redeems a criminal crucified next to him. After Jesus gives up his spirit and dies, a single drop of rain falls from the sky, triggering an earthquake which destroys the Temple and rips the cloth covering the Holy of Holies in two, to the horror of Caiaphas and the other priests. Satan is then shown screaming in agonizing defeat. Jesus is taken down from the cross. In the end, Jesus rises from the dead and exits the tomb.
Cast[edit]
Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ
Maia Morgenstern as Mary
Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene
Hristo Zhivkov as John
Francesco De Vito as Peter
Luca Lionello as Judas Iscariot
Hristo Shopov as Pontius Pilate
Rosalinda Celentano as Satan
Claudia Gerini as Claudia Procles
Fabio Sartor as Abenader
Luca De Dominicis as Herod Ántipas
Mattia Sbragia as Caiaphas
Chokri Ben Zagden as James
Toni Bertorelli as Annas ben Seth
Jarreth Merz as Simon of Cyrene
Sergio Rubini as Dismas
Francesco Cabras as Gesmas
Giovanni Capalbo as Cassius
Roberto Bestazoni as Malchus
Sabrina Impacciatore as Seraphia
Pietro Sarubbi as Barabbas
Matt Patresi as Janus
Emilio De Marchi as Scornful Roman 1
Roberto Visconti as Scornful Roman 2
Lello Giulivo as Brutish Roman
Themes[edit]
In The Passion: Photography from the Movie "The Passion of the Christ", director Mel Gibson says: "This is a movie about love, hope, faith and forgiveness. He [Jesus] died for all mankind, suffered for all of us. It's time to get back to that basic message. The world has gone nuts. We could all use a little more love, faith, hope and forgiveness."
Source material[edit]
New Testament[edit]
According to Mel Gibson, the primary source material for The Passion of the Christ is the four canonical Gospel narratives of Christ's passion. The film includes a trial before Herod Antipas, which is only found in the Gospel of Luke. Many of the utterances from Jesus on the film cannot be directly sourced to the Gospel and are part of a wider Christian narrative. The film also draws from other parts of the New Testament. The portion spoken by Jesus in the film, "I make all things new," is found in the Book of Revelation.[17]
Tanakh[edit]
The film also refers to the Tanakh. The film begins with an epigraph from the Fourth Song of the Suffering Servant from Isaiah.[18] In the opening scene set in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus crushes a serpent's head in direct visual allusion to Genesis 3:15[19] Throughout the film, Jesus quotes from the Psalms, beyond the instances recorded in the New Testament.
Traditional iconography and stories[edit]
Many of the depictions in the film deliberately mirror traditional representations of the Passion in art. For example, the fourteen Stations of the Cross are central to the depiction of the Via Dolorosa in The Passion of the Christ. All of the stations are portrayed except for the eighth station (Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem, a deleted scene on the DVD) and the fourteenth station (Jesus is laid in the tomb). Gibson was also visually inspired by the representation of Jesus on the Shroud of Turin.[20]
At the suggestion of actress Maia Morgenstern, the Passover Seder is quoted early in the film. Mary asks "Why is this night different from other nights?", and Mary Magdalene replies with the traditional response: "Because once we were slaves and we are slaves no longer".[21]
The conflation of Mary Magdalene with the adulteress saved from stoning by Jesus has some precedent in tradition (but not from the best scriptures, which did not contain the adulteress story of John 8) and according to the director was done for dramatic reasons. The names of some characters in the film are traditional and extra-Scriptural, such as the thieves crucified alongside the Christ, Dismas and Gesmas (also Gestas).
Catholic devotional writings[edit]
Screenwriters Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald said that they read many accounts of Christ's Passion for inspiration, including the devotional writings of Roman Catholic mystics. A principal source is The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ[22] the reported visions of the stigmatic German nun Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824), as written by the poet Clemens Brentano.[6][7][8] A careful reading of Emmerich's book shows the film's high level of dependence on it.[6][7][23]
However, Clemens Brentano's attribution of the book The Dolorous Passion to Emmerich has been subject to dispute, with allegations that Brentano wrote much of the book himself; a Vatican investigation concluding that: "It is absolutely not certain that she ever wrote this".[13][24][25] In his review of the movie in the Catholic publication America, Jesuit priest John O' Malley used the terms "devout fiction" and "well-intentioned fraud" to refer to the writings of Clemens Brentano.[5][13]
Among the many elements taken from the Dolorous Passion are scenes such as the suspension of Jesus from a bridge after his arrest by the Temple guards, the torment of Judas by demons after he had handed over Jesus to the Sanhedrin, the wiping up of the blood of Jesus after his scourging, and the dislocation of Jesus' shoulder so that his palm would reach the hole bored for the nail.[22]
Differences from traditional Passion story[edit]
Certain elements of The Passion of the Christ do not have precedent in earlier depictions of the Passion. In the Garden of Gethsemane scene at the beginning of the movie, Satan appears and attempts to distract Jesus while he is praying. Jesus then crushes a serpent beneath his heel (this is a reference to the protoevangelium, Genesis 3:15 – a prophecy of Messiah); this does not occur in any of the gospels. In another example, Judas Iscariot is tormented by children who appear as demons to him. The film gives focus to the fragile relationship of Tiberius Caesar with Pontius Pilate through Pilate's discussion with his wife about imperial orders to avert further Judean revolts. The movie clearly identifies Simon of Cyrene as Jewish, although the Synoptic Gospels provide only his name and place of origin. In the film, a Roman soldier derides Simon (who helps Jesus bear the cross) by derisively calling him Jew. In contrast, Simon is described as a pagan in The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.[22]
Other scenes unique to the film include the one in which the crucified thief who taunted Jesus has his eye pecked out by a crow, and the flashback of the carpenter Jesus building an elevated, four-legged table for a Roman. The scene of Satan carrying a demonic baby during Christ's flogging has been construed as a perversion of traditional depictions of the Madonna and Child. Gibson described this scene as follows:

"it's evil distorting what's good. What is more tender and beautiful than a mother and a child? So the Devil takes that and distorts it just a little bit. Instead of a normal mother and child you have an androgynous figure holding a 40-year-old 'baby' with hair on his back. It is weird, it is shocking, it's almost too much – just like turning Jesus over to continue scourging him on his chest is shocking and almost too much, which is the exact moment when this appearance of the Devil and the baby takes place."[26]
Production[edit]
Script and language[edit]
Gibson originally announced that he would use two old languages without subtitles and rely on "filmic storytelling". Because the story of the Passion is so well-known, Gibson felt the need to avoid vernacular languages in order to surprise audiences: "I think it's almost counterproductive to say some of these things in a modern language. It makes you want to stand up and shout out the next line, like when you hear 'To be or not to be' and you instinctively say to yourself, 'That is the question.'"[27] The script was written in English by Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald, then translated by William Fulco, S.J., a professor at Loyola Marymount University, into Latin, reconstructed Aramaic and Hebrew. Gibson chose to use Latin instead of Greek, which was the lingua franca of that particular part of the Roman Empire at the time, so that the audience could easily distinguish between the sound of Italianate Latin and Semitic Aramaic.[28] Fulco sometimes incorporated deliberate errors in pronunciations and word endings when the characters were speaking a language unfamiliar to them, and some of the crude language used by the Roman soldiers was not translated in the subtitles.[29]
Filming[edit]



 Old city of Matera
The film was produced independently and shot in Italy – primarily at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, in the old city of Matera, and in the ghost town of Craco (Basilicata).[30] The estimated US$30 million production cost, plus an additional estimated $15 million in marketing costs, were fully borne by Gibson and his company, Icon Productions. It was released on Ash Wednesday, February 25, 2004. It was rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for "sequences of graphic violence". Icon Entertainment distributed the theatrical version of the film, and 20th Century Fox distributed the VHS/DVD/Blu-ray version of the film.
Gibson consulted several theological advisers during filming, including Fr. Jonathan Morris. During filming, assistant director Jan Michelini was struck twice by lightning. Minutes later, Jim Caviezel was also struck.[31][32][33]
Music[edit]
Three albums were released with Mel Gibson's co-operation: (1) the film soundtrack of John Debney's original orchestral score conducted by Nick Ingman; (2) The Passion of the Christ: Songs, by producers Mark Joseph and Tim Cook, with original compositions by various artists, and (3) The Passion of the Christ: Songs Inspired By. The first two albums each received a 2005 Dove award, and the soundtrack received an Academy Award nomination of Best Original Music Score.
A preliminary score was composed and recorded by Lisa Gerrard and Patrick Cassidy, but was incomplete at film's release. Jack Lenz was the primary musical researcher and one of the composers;[34] several clips of his compositions have been posted online.[35]
Post-production[edit]
Title change[edit]
Although Mel Gibson wanted to call his film The Passion, on October 16, 2003, his spokesman announced that the title used in the United States would be The Passion of Christ because Miramax Films had already registered the title The Passion with the MPAA for the 1987 novel by Jeanette Winterson.[36] Later, the title was changed again to The Passion of the Christ for all markets.
Distribution and marketing[edit]
Gibson began production on his film without securing outside funding or distribution. In 2002, he explained why he could not get backing from the Hollywood studios: "This is a film about something that nobody wants to touch, shot in two dead languages. In Los Angeles they think I am insane, and maybe I am."[37] Gibson and his Icon Productions company provided the film's sole backing, spending about $30 million on production costs and an estimated $15 million on marketing.[38] After early accusations of anti-Semitism, it became difficult for Gibson to find an American distribution company. 20th Century Fox had a first-look deal with Icon and passed on the film in response to public protests.[39] In order to avoid the spectacle of other studios turning down the film and to avoid subjecting the distributor to the same intense public criticism he had received, Gibson decided to distribute the movie in the United States himself, with Newmarket Films.[40]
Gibson departed from the usual film marketing formula. He employed a small-scale television advertising campaign with no press junkets.[41] The Passion of the Christ was heavily promoted by many church groups, both within their organizations and to the public.[42] The United Methodist Church stated that many of its members, like other Christians, felt that the movie was a good way to evangelize non-believers.[43] As a result, many congregations planned to be at the theaters, some of whom set up tables to answer questions and share prayers.[43] Rev. John Tanner pastor of Cove United Methodist Church, Hampton Cove, Alabama has said, "They feel the film presents a unique opportunity to share Christianity in a way today's public can identify with."[43]
Evangelical support[edit]
The Passion of the Christ received enthusiastic support from the American evangelical community.[44] Prior to the film's release, Gibson actively reached out to evangelical leaders seeking their support and feedback.[45] With their help, Gibson organized and attended a series of prerelease screenings for evangelical audiences and discussed the making of the film and his personal faith. In June 2003 he screened the film for 800 pastors attending a leadership conference at New Life Church, pastored by Ted Haggard, then president of the National Association of Evangelicals.[46] Gibson gave similar showings at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church, Greg Laurie's Harvest Christian Fellowship, and to 3,600 pastors at a conference at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Lake Forest.[47] From the summer of 2003 to the film's release in February 2004, portions or rough cuts of the film were shown to over eighty audiences—many of which were evangelical audiences.[48] Gibson received numerous public endorsements from evangelical leaders, including Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, Darrell Bock, and David Neff, editor of Christianity Today.[48] In an open letter published prior to the film's release, James Dobson, the founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, endorsed the film and defended it against its detractors.[49] Similar public endorsements of the film were received from evangelical leaders Pat Robertson, Rick Warren, Lee Strobel, Jerry Falwell, Max Lucado, Tim LaHaye, and Chuck Colson.[50]
Release[edit]
Box office[edit]
The Passion of the Christ opened in the United States on February 25, 2004 (Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent). It earned $83,848,082 in its opening weekend, ranking it fourth overall in domestic opening weekend earnings for 2004. It went on to earn $370,782,930 overall in the United States,[3] and remains the highest grossing R-rated film in United States history.[15]
In Malaysia, government censors initially banned it completely, but after Christian leaders protested, the restriction was lifted, but only for Christian audiences, allowing them to view the film in specially designated theatres.[51] In Israel, the film was not banned. However, it never received theatrical distribution because no Israeli distributor sought to market the movie.[52]
Despite the various controversies and refusals of certain governments to allow the film to be viewed in wide release, The Passion of the Christ earned $611,899,420 worldwide.[3] The film was also a relative success in certain countries with large Muslim populations,[53] such as in Egypt, where it ranked 20th overall in its box office numbers for 2004.[54] The film remains the highest grossing non-English-language film of all time.[16]
Theatrical re-release[edit]
An edited version titled The Passion Recut was released on March 11, 2005, with five minutes of the most explicit violence deleted to broaden the audience. Gibson explained his reasoning for the new version of the film:

After the initial run in movie theaters, I received numerous letters from people all across the country. Many told me they wanted to share the experience with loved ones but were concerned that the harsher images of the film would be too intense for them to bear. In light of this I decided to re-edit The Passion of the Christ.[55]
Despite the attempt to tone down the content, the Motion Picture Association of America deemed the film too violent to rate PG-13, so Gibson released it as unrated.[55] The re-release did not end up being a commercial success, only showing for three weeks before its poor box office results caused it to be pulled from theaters.[56]
Home media[edit]


 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2010)
On August 31, 2004, the film was released on DVD,[57] VHS, and later D-VHS in North America by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. As with the original theatrical release, the film's release on home video formats proved to be very popular. Early reports indicated that over 2.4 million copies of the film were sold by the middle of the day. The film was available on DVD with English and Spanish subtitles, and on VHS tape with English subtitles. On February 17, 2009, the film was released on Blu-ray in North America as a two-disc Definitive Edition set.[58] It was also released on Blu-ray in Australia a week before Easter.[citation needed]
Although the original DVD release sold well, it contained no extra materials other than soundtrack language selections. The no-frills edition provoked speculation about when a special edition would be released. On January 30, 2007, a two-disc Definitive Edition was released in the North American markets, and March 26 elsewhere. It contains several documentaries, soundtrack commentaries, deleted scenes, outtakes, the 2005 unrated version, and the original 2004 theatrical version.[59]
The British version of the two-disc DVD contains two additional deleted scenes. In the first, Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem (at the eighth station of the cross) and falls to the ground as the women wail around him, and Simon of Cyrene attempts to hold up the cross and help up Jesus simultaneously. Afterwards, while both are holding up the cross, Jesus says to the women weeping for him, "Do not weep for me, but for yourselves and for your children". In the second, Pilate washes his hands, turns to Caiaphas, and says: "Look you to it" (i.e., the Pharisees wish to have Jesus crucified). Pilate then turns to Abanader and says: "Do as they wish". The scene next shows Pilate calling to his servant, who is carrying a wooden board on which Pilate writes, "Jesus of Nazareth king of the Jews", in Latin and Hebrew. He[who?] then holds the board above his head in full view of Caiaphas, who after reading it challenges Pilate on its content. Pilate replies angrily to Caiaphas in non-subtitled Aramaic. The disc contains only two deleted scenes in total. No other scenes from the movie are shown on disc 2.[60]
Television broadcast[edit]
On April 17, 2011 (Palm Sunday), Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) presented a world television premiere of the film at 7:30 pm ET/PT, with multiple showings scheduled. The network has continued to air the film throughout the year, and particularly around Easter.[61] TBN presents the film completely unedited; as a result, it is rated TV-MA (for graphic violence).
On March 29, 2013 (Good Friday), as a part of their special Holy Week programming, TV5 presented the Filipino-dubbed version of the film at 2:00 pm (PST, UTC+8) in the Philippines. The film also airs on Sonshine Media Network International for the original version. Its total broadcast ran for two hours, but excluding the advertisements, it would only run up for approximately 1 hour instead of its full run time of 2 hours and 6 minutes. It was ended exactly at 4:00 p.m. It has been rated SPG by the MTRCB for themes, language and violence.
TV5 is the first broadcast outside of the United States and its translated via the subtitles English to Filipino.
Reception[edit]
Critical reviews[edit]
The Passion Of The Christ polarized critics: Jim Caviezel's performance, the musical score, the sound, the makeup, and the cinematography were praised, while the film's graphic violence and alleged antisemitic undertones were singled out for criticism. The film has a "rotten" rating of 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 267 reviews with an average score of 5.9 out of 10. The consensus states: "The graphic details of Jesus' torture make the movie tough to sit through and obscure whatever message it is trying to convey."[62] The film's Metacritic score of 47 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicates "mixed or average reviews".[63]
Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars and called it "the most violent film I have ever seen"; he also reflected on how the film personally impacted him as a former altar boy.[12] New York Press film critic Armond White praised Gibson's work, comparing him to Dreyer, for transforming Art into spirituality.[64] However, Slate reviewer David Edelstein called it "a two-hour-and-six-minute snuff movie",[65] while Jami Bernard of the New York Daily News called it "the most virulently anti-Semitic movie made since the German propaganda films of World War II".[66] TIME magazine listed it as one of the most violent films of all time.[67]
The June 2006 issue of Entertainment Weekly named The Passion of the Christ the most controversial film of all time, followed by Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971).[9]
Independent promotion and discussion[edit]
A number of independent websites such as MyLifeAfter.com and Passion-Movie.com were launched to promote the film and its message and to allow people to discuss the film's effect on their lives. Documentaries such as Changed Lives: Miracles of the Passion chronicled stories of miraculous savings, forgiveness, new-found faith, and the story of a man who confessed to murdering his girlfriend after authorities determined her death was due to suicide.[68] Another documentary, Impact: The Passion of the Christ, chronicled the popular response of the film in the United States, India, and Japan and examined the claims of antisemitism against Mel Gibson and the film.
Accolades[edit]
WinsNational Board of Review, Award for Freedom of Expression (2004)
People's Choice Awards – Favorite Motion Picture Drama (2004)
Satellite Awards – Best Director – Mel Gibson
Moviefone Moviegoer Awards – Best Picture
Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy Award – Best Film Production
Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy Award – Best Film Actress – Maia Morgenstern
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA, Golden Reel Award – Best Sound Editing in a Feature Film – Music – Michael T. Ryan
Golden Knight Film Festival – Grand Prix – Mel Gibson
Golden Knight Film Festival – Best Actor – Hristo Shopov
ShoWest / USA Today / Coca-Cola – Consumers Choice for Favorite Movie Award
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers –ASCAP Henry Mancini Award – John Debney
Hollywood Film Festival, USA – Hollywood Producer of the Year – Mel Gibson
Catholics in Media Associates – Film Award – Mel Gibson
Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain – Best Foreign Film
GMA Dove Award, The Passion of the Christ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Instrumental Album of the Year (2004)
NominationsAcademy Awards, USA – Oscar for Best Cinematography (2004) – Caleb Deschanel
Academy Awards, USA – Oscar for Best Makeup (2004) – Keith Vanderlaan, Christien Tinsley
Academy Awards, USA – Oscar for Best Original Score (2004) – John Debney
American Society of Cinematographers, USA – ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases (2004) – Caleb Deschanel
Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing for Music in a Feature Film (2004)
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards – BFCA Award for Best Popular Movie (2004)
Irish Film and Television Awards – Jameson People's Choice Award for Best International Film
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA, Golden Reel Award – Best Sound Editing in Domestic Features – Dialogue & ADR
MTV Movie Awards – Best male performance – Jim Caviezel
Controversies[edit]
Questions of historical and biblical accuracy[edit]
Despite criticisms that Gibson deliberately departed from historical accounts of first century Judea and Biblical accounts of Christ's crucifixion, some scholars defend the film as not meaning to be historically accurate. Biblical scholar Mark Goodacre protested that he could not find one documented example of Gibson explicitly claiming the film to be historically accurate.[69][70] Gibson has been quoted as saying, "I think that my first duty is to be as faithful as possible in telling the story so that it doesn't contradict the Scriptures. Now, so long as it didn't do that, I felt that I had a pretty wide berth for artistic interpretation, and to fill in some of the spaces with logic, with imagination, with various other readings."[71]
In the film, Romans use Latin amongst themselves, Jews do the same with Aramaic, and the two groups adopt one or the other of these languages in communicating with each other. The former is historically improbable, however, as the eastern parts of the Roman empire were extensively Hellenized, and Greek was the lingua franca.[72]
When asked about the film's faithfulness to the account given in the New Testament, Father Augustine Di Noia of the Vatican's Doctrinal Congregation replied: "Mel Gibson's film is not a documentary . . . but remains faithful to the fundamental structure common to all four accounts" and "Gibson's film is entirely faithful to the New Testament."[73]
Disputed papal endorsement[edit]
In early December 2003, Passion of the Christ co-producer Stephen McEveety provided the film to Archbishop Stanisław Dziwisz, the pope's secretary. Archbishop Dziwisz returned the film to McEveety and said he had watched it with John Paul II. On December 16, Daily Variety reported that the pope had seen the film, and on Dec 17, Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan reported that John Paul II had said: "It is as it was," sourcing McEveety, who said he heard it from Dziwisz.[4] National Catholic Reporter journalist John Allen published a similar account on the same day, quoting an unnamed senior Vatican official.[74] The following day, Reuters and the Associated Press each independently confirmed the story, citing Vatican sources.[74][75] On December 24, an anonymous Vatican official told Catholic News Service, "There was no declaration, no judgment from the pope." On January 9, John Allen defended his earlier reporting, saying that his official source was adamant about the veracity of the original story.[76] In a January 18 column, Frank Rich interviewed the Italian translator who quoted Dziwisz as saying that the pope called the film "incredible" and said "it is as it was." Rich attacked the marketing of the film and suggested Dziwisz wielded too much influence over the pope. The next day Archbishop Dziwisz told CNS, "The Holy Father told no one his opinion of this film."[77] This denial resulted in a round of commentators who accused the film producers of fabricating a papal quote to market their movie.
However, the Icon Productions spokesman stood by the story, and a source close to the situation said McEveety had asked for and received Vatican officials' permission to repeat the "It is as it was" statement before speaking to Noonan.[78] Journalist Rod Dreher reported that McEveety had received an email from papal spokesman Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls on December 28, backing the Noonan account and ending: "I would try to make the words 'It is as it was' the leit motive [sic] in any discusion [sic] on the film. Repeat the words again and again and again."[79]
Peggy Noonan had also received email confirmation of the quote from Navarro-Valls before writing her December 17 column. Complicating the situation, Navarro-Valls told Dreher that the email sent to McEveety was not genuine, suggesting it was fabricated. However, Noonan later verified that all of the Navarro-Valls emails came from the same Vatican IP address.[75] The Los Angeles Times reported that they had previously confirmed the accuracy of the quote from Navarro-Valls when the story first broke. On CNN, John Allen reported Vatican sources who claim to have heard Dziwisz on other occasions affirm the accuracy of the quotation.[80]
On January 22, Navarro-Valls released the following official statement:

"The film is a cinematographic transposition of the historical event of the Passion of Jesus Christ according to the accounts of the Gospel. It is a common practice of the Holy Father not to express public opinions on artistic works, opinions that are always open to different evaluations of aesthetic character."[74]
Allegations of antisemitism[edit]
Before the film was even released, there were prominent criticisms of perceived antisemitic content in the film. 20th Century Fox told New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind they had passed on distributing the film in response to a protest outside the News Corporation building. Hikind warned other companies that "they should not distribute this film. This is unhealthy for Jews all over the world."[39]
A joint committee of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Department of Inter-religious Affairs of the Anti-Defamation League obtained a version of the script before it was released in theaters. They released a statement, calling it

one of the most troublesome texts, relative to anti-Semitic potential, that any of us had seen in twenty-five years. It must be emphasized that the main storyline presented Jesus as having been relentlessly pursued by an evil cabal of Jews, headed by the high priest Caiaphas, who finally blackmailed a weak-kneed Pilate into putting Jesus to death. This is precisely the storyline that fueled centuries of anti-Semitism within Christian societies. This is also a storyline rejected by the Roman Catholic Church at Vatican II in its document Nostra aetate, and by nearly all mainline Protestant churches in parallel documents. ... Unless this basic storyline has been altered by Mr. Gibson, a fringe Catholic who is building his own church in the Los Angeles area and who apparently accepts neither the teachings of Vatican II nor modern biblical scholarship, The Passion of the Christ retains a real potential for undermining the repudiation of classical Christian anti-Semitism by the churches in the last forty years.[81]
The ADL itself also released a statement about the yet-to-be-released film:

For filmmakers to do justice to the biblical accounts of the passion, they must complement their artistic vision with sound scholarship, which includes knowledge of how the passion accounts have been used historically to disparage and attack Jews and Judaism. Absent such scholarly and theological understanding, productions such as The Passion could likely falsify history and fuel the animus of those who hate Jews.[82]
Rabbi Daniel Lapin, the head of the Toward Tradition organization, criticized this statement, and said of Foxman, the head of the ADL, "what he is saying is that the only way to escape the wrath of Foxman is to repudiate your faith."[83]
In The Nation, reviewer Katha Pollitt said, "Gibson has violated just about every precept of the [United States Conference of Catholic Bishops] conference's own 1988 "Criteria" for the portrayal of Jews in dramatizations of the Passion (no bloodthirsty Jews, no rabble, no use of Scripture that reinforces negative stereotypes of Jews, etc.) [...] The priests have big noses and gnarly faces, lumpish bodies, yellow teeth; Herod Antipas and his court are a bizarre collection of oily-haired, epicene perverts. The "good Jews" look like Italian movie stars (Italian sex symbol Monica Bellucci is Mary Magdalene); Mary, who would have been around 50 and appeared 70, could pass for a ripe 35."[84] Jesuit priest Fr. William Fulco, S.J., of Loyola Marymount University—and the film's Aramaic dialogue translator—specifically disagreed with that assessment, and disagreed with concerns that the film accused the Jewish community of deicide.[85]
One specific scene in the film perceived as an example of anti-Semitism was in the dialogue of Caiaphas, when he states "His blood [is] on us and on our children!", a quote historically interpreted by some as a curse taken upon by the Jewish people. Certain Jewish groups asked this be removed from the film. However, only the subtitles were removed; the original dialogue remains in the Aramaic soundtrack.[86] Additionally, the film's suggestion that the Temple's destruction was a direct result of the Jews' actions towards Jesus could also be interpreted as an offensive take on an event which Jewish tradition views as a tragedy, and which is still mourned by many Jews today on the fast day of Tisha B'Av.[87]
When asked about this scene, Gibson said, "I wanted it in. My brother said I was wimping out if I didn't include it. But, man, if I included that in there, they'd be coming after me at my house. They'd come to kill me."[88] In another interview when asked about the scene, he said, "It's one little passage, and I believe it, but I don't and never have believed it refers to Jews, and implicates them in any sort of curse. It's directed at all of us, all men who were there, and all that came after. His blood is on us, and that's what Jesus wanted. But I finally had to admit that one of the reasons I felt strongly about keeping it, aside from the fact it's true, is that I didn't want to let someone else dictate what could or couldn't be said."[89]
In the New Republic, Leon Wieseltier said: "In its representation of its Jewish characters, The Passion of the Christ is without any doubt an anti-Semitic movie, and anybody who says otherwise knows nothing, or chooses to know nothing, about the visual history of anti-Semitism, in art and in film. What is so shocking about Gibson's Jews is how unreconstructed they are in their stereotypical appearances and actions. These are not merely anti-Semitic images; these are classically anti-Semitic images."[90]
Asked by Bill O'Reilly if his movie would "upset Jews", Gibson responded, "It's not meant to. I think it's meant to just tell the truth. I want to be as truthful as possible."[91] In a Globe and Mail newspaper interview, he added: "If anyone has distorted Gospel passages to rationalize cruelty towards Jews or anyone, it's in defiance of repeated Papal condemnation. The Papacy has condemned racism in any form. ... Jesus died for the sins of all times, and I'll be the first on the line for culpability".[92]
Conservative columnist Cal Thomas also disagreed with allegations of anti-Semitism, saying "To those in the Jewish community who worry that the film [...] might contain anti-Semitic elements, or encourage people to persecute Jews, fear not. The film does not indict Jews for the death of Jesus."[93] Two Orthodox Jews, Rabbi Daniel Lapin and conservative talk-show host and author Michael Medved, also vocally rejected claims that the film is anti-Semitic. They have noted the film's many sympathetic portrayals of Jews: Simon of Cyrene (who helps Jesus carry the cross), Mary Magdalene, the Virgin Mary, St. Peter, St. John, Veronica (who wipes Jesus' face and offers him water), and several Jewish priests who protest Jesus' arrest (Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea) during Caiaphas' trial of Jesus.
Bob Smithouser of Plugged in Online believed that film was trying to convey the evils and sins of humanity rather than specifically targeting Jews, stating "The anthropomorphic portrayal of Satan as a player in these events brilliantly pulls the proceedings into the supernatural realm—a fact that should have quelled the much-publicized cries of anti-Semitism since it shows a diabolical force at work beyond any political and religious agendas of the Jews and Romans."[94]
Moreover, Senior Vatican officer Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, who has seen the film, addressed the matter so:

Anti-Semitism, like all forms of racism, distorts the truth in order to put a whole race of people in a bad light. This film does nothing of the sort. It draws out from the historical objectivity of the Gospel narratives sentiments of forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation. It captures the subtleties and the horror of sin, as well as the gentle power of love and forgiveness, without making or insinuating blanket condemnations against one group. This film expressed the exact opposite, that learning from the example of Christ, there should never be any more violence against any other human being.[95]
South Park parodied the controversy in the episodes "Good Times with Weapons", "Up the Down Steroid", and "The Passion of the Jew", all of which aired just a few weeks after the film's release.
Criticism of excessive violence[edit]
Several critics were troubled by the film's extensive, detailed violence, and especially cautioned parents to avoid taking their children to the cinema. Although only one sentence in each of three of the Gospels mentions flogging of Jesus, and it is unmentioned in the fourth, The Passion of the Christ devotes ten minutes to the portrayal of the flogging.[citation needed] Film critic Roger Ebert, who gave a four-out-of-four-star rating, said in his review:

The movie is 126 minutes long, and I would guess that at least 100 of those minutes, maybe more, are concerned specifically and graphically with the details of the torture and death of Jesus. This is the most violent film I have ever seen.[96]
Ebert also stated that the R-rated film should have instead been rated NC-17 (an MPAA rating even harsher than the R rating) in a "Movie Answer Man" response, adding that no level-minded parent should ever allow children to see it.[97]
Film historian Michael Gurnow, in an April 2008 cover story for American Atheist, stated much the same, labeling the work a mainstream snuff film.[98]
A. O. Scott, in The New York Times, said, "'The Passion of the Christ' is so relentlessly focused on the savagery of Jesus' final hours that this film seems to arise less from love than from wrath, and to succeed more in assaulting the spirit than in uplifting it."[99] David Edelstein, Slate's film critic, dubbed the film "a two-hour-and-six-minute snuff movie – The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre – that thinks it's an act of faith", and further criticized Gibson for focusing on the brutality of Jesus' execution, instead of his religious teachings.[100]
During Diane Sawyer's interview of him, Gibson said:

I wanted it to be shocking; and I wanted it to be extreme ... So that they see the enormity – the enormity of that sacrifice; to see that someone could endure that and still come back with love and forgiveness, even through extreme pain and suffering and ridicule. The actual crucifixion was more violent than what was shown on the film, but I thought no one would get anything out of it.
See also[edit]

Portal icon Christianity portal
Portal icon Film portal
Cultural depictions of Jesus Saint Mary
The Messiah
The Passion
"The Passion of the Jew" (South Park episode)
Trial movies
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "The Passion of the Christ (18)". British Board of Film Classification. February 18, 2004. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
2.Jump up ^ "The Passion – Recut (15)". British Board of Film Classification. February 25, 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d "The Passion of the Christ (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Peggy Noonan (December 17, 2003). "'It Is as It Was' Mel Gibson's "The Passion" gets a thumbs-up from the pope.". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Father John O'Malley A Movie, a Mystic, a Spiritual Tradition America, March 15, 2004 [1]
6.^ Jump up to: a b c Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ by Kathleen E. Corley, Robert Leslie Webb. 2004. ISBN 0-8264-7781-X. pages 160–161.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c Mel Gibson's Passion and philosophy by Jorge J. E. Gracia. 2004. ISBN 0-8126-9571-2. page 145.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia edited by Philip C. Dimare. 2011. ISBN 1-59884-296-X. page 909.
9.^ Jump up to: a b "Entertainment Weekly". June 2006.
10.Jump up ^ "The Passion of the Christ Movie Reviews, Pictures – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
11.Jump up ^ "Passion of the Christ, The (2004): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
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28.Jump up ^ Mark Goodacre (November 26, 2004). "SBL Passion of the Christ interview – Fulco and Fitzgerald". NT Gateway Weblog.
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30.Jump up ^ Reeves, Tony (February 2, 2012). "The Passion of the Christ film locations". The Worldwide Guide To Movie Locations. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
31.Jump up ^ Susman, Gary (October 24, 2003). "Charged Performance". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
32.Jump up ^ Ross, Scott. "Behind the Scenes of 'The Passion' with Jim Caviezel". Retrieved March 31, 2013.
33.Jump up ^ "Jesus actor struck by lightning". BBC News. October 23, 2003. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
34.Jump up ^ "Jack Lenz Bio". JackLenz.com.
35.Jump up ^ "Clips of Musical Compositions by Jack Lenz". JackLenz.com.
36.Jump up ^ Susman, Gary (October 16, 2004). "Napoleon Branding". "Entertainment Weekly". Retrieved 2008-08-16.
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38.Jump up ^ Patsuris, Penelope (March 3, 2004). "What Mel's Passion Will Earn Him". Forbes.com.
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76.Jump up ^ John L. Allen, Jr. (January 9, 2004). "The Word From Rome". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
77.Jump up ^ Wooden, Cindy (January 19, 2004). "Pope never commented on Gibson's 'Passion' film, says papal secretary". Catholic News Service. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
78.Jump up ^ Gabriel Snyder (January 19, 2004). "Did Pope really plug 'Passion'?". Daily Variety. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
79.Jump up ^ Rod Dreher (January 21, 2004). "Did the Vatican endorse Gibson's film – or didn't it?". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on January 2004. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
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84.Jump up ^ Pollitt, Katha (March 11, 2004). "The Protocols of Mel Gibson". The Nation. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
85.Jump up ^ Wooden, Cindy (May 2, 2003). "As filming ends, 'Passion' strikes some nerves". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
86.Jump up ^ Vermes, Geza (February 27, 2003). "Celluloid brutality". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
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89.Jump up ^ Terry Lawson (February 17, 2004). "Mel Gibson and Other "Passion" Filmakers say the Movie was Guided by Faith". Detroit Free Press.[dead link]
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92.Jump up ^ "Mel Gibson Interview". Globe and Mail. February 14, 2004.
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98.Jump up ^ ""The Passion of the Snuff: How the MPAA Allowed a Horror Film to Irreparably Scar Countless Young Minds in the Name of Religion" American Atheist, April 2008" (PDF). American Atheist. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
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External links[edit]
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The Passion of the Christ

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This article is about the film. For the passions of Jesus Christ, see Passion (Christianity).

The Passion of the Christ
Thepassionposterface-1-.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Mel Gibson
Produced by
Bruce Davey
Mel Gibson
Stephen McEveety
Enzo Sisti

Screenplay by
Mel Gibson
Benedict Fitzgerald
William Fulco (translation)

Based on
The Passion in the New Testament of the Bible
Starring
Monica Bellucci
Jim Caviezel
Maia Morgenstern
Hristo Shopov

Music by
John Debney
Cinematography
Caleb Deschanel
Edited by
John Wright

Production
 company

Icon Productions
Newmarket Films

Distributed by
20th Century Fox (video release)

Release dates

February 25, 2004


Running time

126 minutes[1]
122 minutes (recut)[2]

Country
United States
Language
Aramaic
Latin
Hebrew

Budget
$30 million[3]
Box office
$611.9 million[3]
The Passion of the Christ (sometimes referred to as The Passion[4]) is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It also draws on pious accounts such as the Friday of Sorrows along with other devotional writings, such as those attributed to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.[5][6][7][8]
The film covers primarily the final 12 hours of Jesus' life, beginning with the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the insomnia and grievance of the Virgin Mary, but ending with a brief depiction of his resurrection. Flashbacks of Jesus as a child and as a young man with Mary his mother, giving the Sermon on the Mount, teaching the Twelve Apostles, and at the Last Supper are some of the images depicted. The dialogue is entirely in reconstructed Aramaic and Latin with vernacular subtitles.
The film has been highly controversial and received mixed reviews, with some critics claiming that the extreme violence in the film "obscures its message."[9][10][11][12] Catholic sources have questioned the authenticity of the non-biblical material the film drew on.[5][13] The film, however, was a major commercial hit, grossing in excess of $600 million during its theatrical release.[14] The Passion of the Christ is the highest grossing R-rated film in United States history,[15] and the highest grossing non-English-language film of all time.[16]


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Themes
4 Source material 4.1 New Testament
4.2 Tanakh
4.3 Traditional iconography and stories
4.4 Catholic devotional writings
5 Differences from traditional Passion story
6 Production 6.1 Script and language
6.2 Filming
6.3 Music
7 Post-production 7.1 Title change
7.2 Distribution and marketing
7.3 Evangelical support
8 Release 8.1 Box office
8.2 Theatrical re-release
8.3 Home media
8.4 Television broadcast
9 Reception 9.1 Critical reviews
9.2 Independent promotion and discussion
9.3 Accolades
10 Controversies 10.1 Questions of historical and biblical accuracy
10.2 Disputed papal endorsement
10.3 Allegations of antisemitism
10.4 Criticism of excessive violence
11 See also
12 References
13 External links

Plot[edit]
The film opens in Gethsemane as Jesus prays and is tempted by Satan, while his disciples Peter, James and John sleep. Satan appeared in human form, tempts him by saying, "It's not right for one man to die for their sins." After Jesus' sweat becomes like blood and drips to the ground, a snake comes out from Satan. Jesus hears his disciples calling him, then he steps on the snake's head, and the Devil disappears. After receiving thirty pieces of silver, Judas, another of Jesus' disciples, approaches with the temple guards and betrays Jesus with a kiss on the cheek. As the guards move in to arrest Jesus, Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest Caiaphas, but Jesus heals the ear. As the apostles flee, the temple guards arrest Jesus and beat him during the journey to the Sanhedrin. John tells Mary and Mary Magdalene of the arrest while Peter follows Jesus at a distance. Caiaphas holds trial over the objection of some of the other priests, who are expelled from the court. When questioned by Caiaphas whether he is the Son of God, Jesus replies "I am". Caiaphas is horrified and tears his robes, and Jesus is condemned to death for blasphemy. Peter, who is secretly watching, is confronted and three times denies knowing Jesus, but then runs away sobbing after remembering that Jesus had foretold that. Meanwhile, the remorseful Judas attempts to return the money to have Jesus freed, but is refused by the priests. Tormented by Demons, he flees the city and hangs himself upon a tree with a rope he finds on a dead donkey.
Caiaphas brings Jesus before Pontius Pilate to be condemned to death, but after questioning Jesus and finding no fault in him, Pilate sends him instead to the court of Herod Antipas, as Jesus is from Herod Antipas' ruling town of Nazareth, Galilee. After Jesus is again found not guilty and returned, Pilate offers the crowd that he will chastise Jesus and then will set him free. He then attempts to have Jesus freed by giving the people an option of freeing Jesus or the violent criminal Barabbas. To his dismay, the crowd demands to have Barabbas freed and Jesus killed. In an attempt to appease the crowd, Pilate orders that he be punished, but not killed. Jesus is brutally scourged and mocked with a crown of thorns by his guards. However, Caiaphas, with the crowds backing, continues to demand that Jesus be crucified, and Barabbas released. Pilate washes his hands and reluctantly orders Jesus' crucifixion.
As Jesus carries the cross along the Via Dolorosa to Calvary, Veronica wipes Jesus' face with her veil. Simon of Cyrene is unwillingly pressed into carrying the cross with Jesus. Jesus is then crucified. As he hangs from the cross, Jesus prays forgiveness for those who did this to him and redeems a criminal crucified next to him. After Jesus gives up his spirit and dies, a single drop of rain falls from the sky, triggering an earthquake which destroys the Temple and rips the cloth covering the Holy of Holies in two, to the horror of Caiaphas and the other priests. Satan is then shown screaming in agonizing defeat. Jesus is taken down from the cross. In the end, Jesus rises from the dead and exits the tomb.
Cast[edit]
Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ
Maia Morgenstern as Mary
Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene
Hristo Zhivkov as John
Francesco De Vito as Peter
Luca Lionello as Judas Iscariot
Hristo Shopov as Pontius Pilate
Rosalinda Celentano as Satan
Claudia Gerini as Claudia Procles
Fabio Sartor as Abenader
Luca De Dominicis as Herod Ántipas
Mattia Sbragia as Caiaphas
Chokri Ben Zagden as James
Toni Bertorelli as Annas ben Seth
Jarreth Merz as Simon of Cyrene
Sergio Rubini as Dismas
Francesco Cabras as Gesmas
Giovanni Capalbo as Cassius
Roberto Bestazoni as Malchus
Sabrina Impacciatore as Seraphia
Pietro Sarubbi as Barabbas
Matt Patresi as Janus
Emilio De Marchi as Scornful Roman 1
Roberto Visconti as Scornful Roman 2
Lello Giulivo as Brutish Roman
Themes[edit]
In The Passion: Photography from the Movie "The Passion of the Christ", director Mel Gibson says: "This is a movie about love, hope, faith and forgiveness. He [Jesus] died for all mankind, suffered for all of us. It's time to get back to that basic message. The world has gone nuts. We could all use a little more love, faith, hope and forgiveness."
Source material[edit]
New Testament[edit]
According to Mel Gibson, the primary source material for The Passion of the Christ is the four canonical Gospel narratives of Christ's passion. The film includes a trial before Herod Antipas, which is only found in the Gospel of Luke. Many of the utterances from Jesus on the film cannot be directly sourced to the Gospel and are part of a wider Christian narrative. The film also draws from other parts of the New Testament. The portion spoken by Jesus in the film, "I make all things new," is found in the Book of Revelation.[17]
Tanakh[edit]
The film also refers to the Tanakh. The film begins with an epigraph from the Fourth Song of the Suffering Servant from Isaiah.[18] In the opening scene set in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus crushes a serpent's head in direct visual allusion to Genesis 3:15[19] Throughout the film, Jesus quotes from the Psalms, beyond the instances recorded in the New Testament.
Traditional iconography and stories[edit]
Many of the depictions in the film deliberately mirror traditional representations of the Passion in art. For example, the fourteen Stations of the Cross are central to the depiction of the Via Dolorosa in The Passion of the Christ. All of the stations are portrayed except for the eighth station (Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem, a deleted scene on the DVD) and the fourteenth station (Jesus is laid in the tomb). Gibson was also visually inspired by the representation of Jesus on the Shroud of Turin.[20]
At the suggestion of actress Maia Morgenstern, the Passover Seder is quoted early in the film. Mary asks "Why is this night different from other nights?", and Mary Magdalene replies with the traditional response: "Because once we were slaves and we are slaves no longer".[21]
The conflation of Mary Magdalene with the adulteress saved from stoning by Jesus has some precedent in tradition (but not from the best scriptures, which did not contain the adulteress story of John 8) and according to the director was done for dramatic reasons. The names of some characters in the film are traditional and extra-Scriptural, such as the thieves crucified alongside the Christ, Dismas and Gesmas (also Gestas).
Catholic devotional writings[edit]
Screenwriters Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald said that they read many accounts of Christ's Passion for inspiration, including the devotional writings of Roman Catholic mystics. A principal source is The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ[22] the reported visions of the stigmatic German nun Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824), as written by the poet Clemens Brentano.[6][7][8] A careful reading of Emmerich's book shows the film's high level of dependence on it.[6][7][23]
However, Clemens Brentano's attribution of the book The Dolorous Passion to Emmerich has been subject to dispute, with allegations that Brentano wrote much of the book himself; a Vatican investigation concluding that: "It is absolutely not certain that she ever wrote this".[13][24][25] In his review of the movie in the Catholic publication America, Jesuit priest John O' Malley used the terms "devout fiction" and "well-intentioned fraud" to refer to the writings of Clemens Brentano.[5][13]
Among the many elements taken from the Dolorous Passion are scenes such as the suspension of Jesus from a bridge after his arrest by the Temple guards, the torment of Judas by demons after he had handed over Jesus to the Sanhedrin, the wiping up of the blood of Jesus after his scourging, and the dislocation of Jesus' shoulder so that his palm would reach the hole bored for the nail.[22]
Differences from traditional Passion story[edit]
Certain elements of The Passion of the Christ do not have precedent in earlier depictions of the Passion. In the Garden of Gethsemane scene at the beginning of the movie, Satan appears and attempts to distract Jesus while he is praying. Jesus then crushes a serpent beneath his heel (this is a reference to the protoevangelium, Genesis 3:15 – a prophecy of Messiah); this does not occur in any of the gospels. In another example, Judas Iscariot is tormented by children who appear as demons to him. The film gives focus to the fragile relationship of Tiberius Caesar with Pontius Pilate through Pilate's discussion with his wife about imperial orders to avert further Judean revolts. The movie clearly identifies Simon of Cyrene as Jewish, although the Synoptic Gospels provide only his name and place of origin. In the film, a Roman soldier derides Simon (who helps Jesus bear the cross) by derisively calling him Jew. In contrast, Simon is described as a pagan in The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.[22]
Other scenes unique to the film include the one in which the crucified thief who taunted Jesus has his eye pecked out by a crow, and the flashback of the carpenter Jesus building an elevated, four-legged table for a Roman. The scene of Satan carrying a demonic baby during Christ's flogging has been construed as a perversion of traditional depictions of the Madonna and Child. Gibson described this scene as follows:

"it's evil distorting what's good. What is more tender and beautiful than a mother and a child? So the Devil takes that and distorts it just a little bit. Instead of a normal mother and child you have an androgynous figure holding a 40-year-old 'baby' with hair on his back. It is weird, it is shocking, it's almost too much – just like turning Jesus over to continue scourging him on his chest is shocking and almost too much, which is the exact moment when this appearance of the Devil and the baby takes place."[26]
Production[edit]
Script and language[edit]
Gibson originally announced that he would use two old languages without subtitles and rely on "filmic storytelling". Because the story of the Passion is so well-known, Gibson felt the need to avoid vernacular languages in order to surprise audiences: "I think it's almost counterproductive to say some of these things in a modern language. It makes you want to stand up and shout out the next line, like when you hear 'To be or not to be' and you instinctively say to yourself, 'That is the question.'"[27] The script was written in English by Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald, then translated by William Fulco, S.J., a professor at Loyola Marymount University, into Latin, reconstructed Aramaic and Hebrew. Gibson chose to use Latin instead of Greek, which was the lingua franca of that particular part of the Roman Empire at the time, so that the audience could easily distinguish between the sound of Italianate Latin and Semitic Aramaic.[28] Fulco sometimes incorporated deliberate errors in pronunciations and word endings when the characters were speaking a language unfamiliar to them, and some of the crude language used by the Roman soldiers was not translated in the subtitles.[29]
Filming[edit]



 Old city of Matera
The film was produced independently and shot in Italy – primarily at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, in the old city of Matera, and in the ghost town of Craco (Basilicata).[30] The estimated US$30 million production cost, plus an additional estimated $15 million in marketing costs, were fully borne by Gibson and his company, Icon Productions. It was released on Ash Wednesday, February 25, 2004. It was rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for "sequences of graphic violence". Icon Entertainment distributed the theatrical version of the film, and 20th Century Fox distributed the VHS/DVD/Blu-ray version of the film.
Gibson consulted several theological advisers during filming, including Fr. Jonathan Morris. During filming, assistant director Jan Michelini was struck twice by lightning. Minutes later, Jim Caviezel was also struck.[31][32][33]
Music[edit]
Three albums were released with Mel Gibson's co-operation: (1) the film soundtrack of John Debney's original orchestral score conducted by Nick Ingman; (2) The Passion of the Christ: Songs, by producers Mark Joseph and Tim Cook, with original compositions by various artists, and (3) The Passion of the Christ: Songs Inspired By. The first two albums each received a 2005 Dove award, and the soundtrack received an Academy Award nomination of Best Original Music Score.
A preliminary score was composed and recorded by Lisa Gerrard and Patrick Cassidy, but was incomplete at film's release. Jack Lenz was the primary musical researcher and one of the composers;[34] several clips of his compositions have been posted online.[35]
Post-production[edit]
Title change[edit]
Although Mel Gibson wanted to call his film The Passion, on October 16, 2003, his spokesman announced that the title used in the United States would be The Passion of Christ because Miramax Films had already registered the title The Passion with the MPAA for the 1987 novel by Jeanette Winterson.[36] Later, the title was changed again to The Passion of the Christ for all markets.
Distribution and marketing[edit]
Gibson began production on his film without securing outside funding or distribution. In 2002, he explained why he could not get backing from the Hollywood studios: "This is a film about something that nobody wants to touch, shot in two dead languages. In Los Angeles they think I am insane, and maybe I am."[37] Gibson and his Icon Productions company provided the film's sole backing, spending about $30 million on production costs and an estimated $15 million on marketing.[38] After early accusations of anti-Semitism, it became difficult for Gibson to find an American distribution company. 20th Century Fox had a first-look deal with Icon and passed on the film in response to public protests.[39] In order to avoid the spectacle of other studios turning down the film and to avoid subjecting the distributor to the same intense public criticism he had received, Gibson decided to distribute the movie in the United States himself, with Newmarket Films.[40]
Gibson departed from the usual film marketing formula. He employed a small-scale television advertising campaign with no press junkets.[41] The Passion of the Christ was heavily promoted by many church groups, both within their organizations and to the public.[42] The United Methodist Church stated that many of its members, like other Christians, felt that the movie was a good way to evangelize non-believers.[43] As a result, many congregations planned to be at the theaters, some of whom set up tables to answer questions and share prayers.[43] Rev. John Tanner pastor of Cove United Methodist Church, Hampton Cove, Alabama has said, "They feel the film presents a unique opportunity to share Christianity in a way today's public can identify with."[43]
Evangelical support[edit]
The Passion of the Christ received enthusiastic support from the American evangelical community.[44] Prior to the film's release, Gibson actively reached out to evangelical leaders seeking their support and feedback.[45] With their help, Gibson organized and attended a series of prerelease screenings for evangelical audiences and discussed the making of the film and his personal faith. In June 2003 he screened the film for 800 pastors attending a leadership conference at New Life Church, pastored by Ted Haggard, then president of the National Association of Evangelicals.[46] Gibson gave similar showings at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church, Greg Laurie's Harvest Christian Fellowship, and to 3,600 pastors at a conference at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Lake Forest.[47] From the summer of 2003 to the film's release in February 2004, portions or rough cuts of the film were shown to over eighty audiences—many of which were evangelical audiences.[48] Gibson received numerous public endorsements from evangelical leaders, including Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, Darrell Bock, and David Neff, editor of Christianity Today.[48] In an open letter published prior to the film's release, James Dobson, the founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, endorsed the film and defended it against its detractors.[49] Similar public endorsements of the film were received from evangelical leaders Pat Robertson, Rick Warren, Lee Strobel, Jerry Falwell, Max Lucado, Tim LaHaye, and Chuck Colson.[50]
Release[edit]
Box office[edit]
The Passion of the Christ opened in the United States on February 25, 2004 (Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent). It earned $83,848,082 in its opening weekend, ranking it fourth overall in domestic opening weekend earnings for 2004. It went on to earn $370,782,930 overall in the United States,[3] and remains the highest grossing R-rated film in United States history.[15]
In Malaysia, government censors initially banned it completely, but after Christian leaders protested, the restriction was lifted, but only for Christian audiences, allowing them to view the film in specially designated theatres.[51] In Israel, the film was not banned. However, it never received theatrical distribution because no Israeli distributor sought to market the movie.[52]
Despite the various controversies and refusals of certain governments to allow the film to be viewed in wide release, The Passion of the Christ earned $611,899,420 worldwide.[3] The film was also a relative success in certain countries with large Muslim populations,[53] such as in Egypt, where it ranked 20th overall in its box office numbers for 2004.[54] The film remains the highest grossing non-English-language film of all time.[16]
Theatrical re-release[edit]
An edited version titled The Passion Recut was released on March 11, 2005, with five minutes of the most explicit violence deleted to broaden the audience. Gibson explained his reasoning for the new version of the film:

After the initial run in movie theaters, I received numerous letters from people all across the country. Many told me they wanted to share the experience with loved ones but were concerned that the harsher images of the film would be too intense for them to bear. In light of this I decided to re-edit The Passion of the Christ.[55]
Despite the attempt to tone down the content, the Motion Picture Association of America deemed the film too violent to rate PG-13, so Gibson released it as unrated.[55] The re-release did not end up being a commercial success, only showing for three weeks before its poor box office results caused it to be pulled from theaters.[56]
Home media[edit]


 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2010)
On August 31, 2004, the film was released on DVD,[57] VHS, and later D-VHS in North America by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. As with the original theatrical release, the film's release on home video formats proved to be very popular. Early reports indicated that over 2.4 million copies of the film were sold by the middle of the day. The film was available on DVD with English and Spanish subtitles, and on VHS tape with English subtitles. On February 17, 2009, the film was released on Blu-ray in North America as a two-disc Definitive Edition set.[58] It was also released on Blu-ray in Australia a week before Easter.[citation needed]
Although the original DVD release sold well, it contained no extra materials other than soundtrack language selections. The no-frills edition provoked speculation about when a special edition would be released. On January 30, 2007, a two-disc Definitive Edition was released in the North American markets, and March 26 elsewhere. It contains several documentaries, soundtrack commentaries, deleted scenes, outtakes, the 2005 unrated version, and the original 2004 theatrical version.[59]
The British version of the two-disc DVD contains two additional deleted scenes. In the first, Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem (at the eighth station of the cross) and falls to the ground as the women wail around him, and Simon of Cyrene attempts to hold up the cross and help up Jesus simultaneously. Afterwards, while both are holding up the cross, Jesus says to the women weeping for him, "Do not weep for me, but for yourselves and for your children". In the second, Pilate washes his hands, turns to Caiaphas, and says: "Look you to it" (i.e., the Pharisees wish to have Jesus crucified). Pilate then turns to Abanader and says: "Do as they wish". The scene next shows Pilate calling to his servant, who is carrying a wooden board on which Pilate writes, "Jesus of Nazareth king of the Jews", in Latin and Hebrew. He[who?] then holds the board above his head in full view of Caiaphas, who after reading it challenges Pilate on its content. Pilate replies angrily to Caiaphas in non-subtitled Aramaic. The disc contains only two deleted scenes in total. No other scenes from the movie are shown on disc 2.[60]
Television broadcast[edit]
On April 17, 2011 (Palm Sunday), Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) presented a world television premiere of the film at 7:30 pm ET/PT, with multiple showings scheduled. The network has continued to air the film throughout the year, and particularly around Easter.[61] TBN presents the film completely unedited; as a result, it is rated TV-MA (for graphic violence).
On March 29, 2013 (Good Friday), as a part of their special Holy Week programming, TV5 presented the Filipino-dubbed version of the film at 2:00 pm (PST, UTC+8) in the Philippines. The film also airs on Sonshine Media Network International for the original version. Its total broadcast ran for two hours, but excluding the advertisements, it would only run up for approximately 1 hour instead of its full run time of 2 hours and 6 minutes. It was ended exactly at 4:00 p.m. It has been rated SPG by the MTRCB for themes, language and violence.
TV5 is the first broadcast outside of the United States and its translated via the subtitles English to Filipino.
Reception[edit]
Critical reviews[edit]
The Passion Of The Christ polarized critics: Jim Caviezel's performance, the musical score, the sound, the makeup, and the cinematography were praised, while the film's graphic violence and alleged antisemitic undertones were singled out for criticism. The film has a "rotten" rating of 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 267 reviews with an average score of 5.9 out of 10. The consensus states: "The graphic details of Jesus' torture make the movie tough to sit through and obscure whatever message it is trying to convey."[62] The film's Metacritic score of 47 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicates "mixed or average reviews".[63]
Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars and called it "the most violent film I have ever seen"; he also reflected on how the film personally impacted him as a former altar boy.[12] New York Press film critic Armond White praised Gibson's work, comparing him to Dreyer, for transforming Art into spirituality.[64] However, Slate reviewer David Edelstein called it "a two-hour-and-six-minute snuff movie",[65] while Jami Bernard of the New York Daily News called it "the most virulently anti-Semitic movie made since the German propaganda films of World War II".[66] TIME magazine listed it as one of the most violent films of all time.[67]
The June 2006 issue of Entertainment Weekly named The Passion of the Christ the most controversial film of all time, followed by Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971).[9]
Independent promotion and discussion[edit]
A number of independent websites such as MyLifeAfter.com and Passion-Movie.com were launched to promote the film and its message and to allow people to discuss the film's effect on their lives. Documentaries such as Changed Lives: Miracles of the Passion chronicled stories of miraculous savings, forgiveness, new-found faith, and the story of a man who confessed to murdering his girlfriend after authorities determined her death was due to suicide.[68] Another documentary, Impact: The Passion of the Christ, chronicled the popular response of the film in the United States, India, and Japan and examined the claims of antisemitism against Mel Gibson and the film.
Accolades[edit]
WinsNational Board of Review, Award for Freedom of Expression (2004)
People's Choice Awards – Favorite Motion Picture Drama (2004)
Satellite Awards – Best Director – Mel Gibson
Moviefone Moviegoer Awards – Best Picture
Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy Award – Best Film Production
Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy Award – Best Film Actress – Maia Morgenstern
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA, Golden Reel Award – Best Sound Editing in a Feature Film – Music – Michael T. Ryan
Golden Knight Film Festival – Grand Prix – Mel Gibson
Golden Knight Film Festival – Best Actor – Hristo Shopov
ShoWest / USA Today / Coca-Cola – Consumers Choice for Favorite Movie Award
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers –ASCAP Henry Mancini Award – John Debney
Hollywood Film Festival, USA – Hollywood Producer of the Year – Mel Gibson
Catholics in Media Associates – Film Award – Mel Gibson
Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain – Best Foreign Film
GMA Dove Award, The Passion of the Christ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Instrumental Album of the Year (2004)
NominationsAcademy Awards, USA – Oscar for Best Cinematography (2004) – Caleb Deschanel
Academy Awards, USA – Oscar for Best Makeup (2004) – Keith Vanderlaan, Christien Tinsley
Academy Awards, USA – Oscar for Best Original Score (2004) – John Debney
American Society of Cinematographers, USA – ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases (2004) – Caleb Deschanel
Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing for Music in a Feature Film (2004)
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards – BFCA Award for Best Popular Movie (2004)
Irish Film and Television Awards – Jameson People's Choice Award for Best International Film
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA, Golden Reel Award – Best Sound Editing in Domestic Features – Dialogue & ADR
MTV Movie Awards – Best male performance – Jim Caviezel
Controversies[edit]
Questions of historical and biblical accuracy[edit]
Despite criticisms that Gibson deliberately departed from historical accounts of first century Judea and Biblical accounts of Christ's crucifixion, some scholars defend the film as not meaning to be historically accurate. Biblical scholar Mark Goodacre protested that he could not find one documented example of Gibson explicitly claiming the film to be historically accurate.[69][70] Gibson has been quoted as saying, "I think that my first duty is to be as faithful as possible in telling the story so that it doesn't contradict the Scriptures. Now, so long as it didn't do that, I felt that I had a pretty wide berth for artistic interpretation, and to fill in some of the spaces with logic, with imagination, with various other readings."[71]
In the film, Romans use Latin amongst themselves, Jews do the same with Aramaic, and the two groups adopt one or the other of these languages in communicating with each other. The former is historically improbable, however, as the eastern parts of the Roman empire were extensively Hellenized, and Greek was the lingua franca.[72]
When asked about the film's faithfulness to the account given in the New Testament, Father Augustine Di Noia of the Vatican's Doctrinal Congregation replied: "Mel Gibson's film is not a documentary . . . but remains faithful to the fundamental structure common to all four accounts" and "Gibson's film is entirely faithful to the New Testament."[73]
Disputed papal endorsement[edit]
In early December 2003, Passion of the Christ co-producer Stephen McEveety provided the film to Archbishop Stanisław Dziwisz, the pope's secretary. Archbishop Dziwisz returned the film to McEveety and said he had watched it with John Paul II. On December 16, Daily Variety reported that the pope had seen the film, and on Dec 17, Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan reported that John Paul II had said: "It is as it was," sourcing McEveety, who said he heard it from Dziwisz.[4] National Catholic Reporter journalist John Allen published a similar account on the same day, quoting an unnamed senior Vatican official.[74] The following day, Reuters and the Associated Press each independently confirmed the story, citing Vatican sources.[74][75] On December 24, an anonymous Vatican official told Catholic News Service, "There was no declaration, no judgment from the pope." On January 9, John Allen defended his earlier reporting, saying that his official source was adamant about the veracity of the original story.[76] In a January 18 column, Frank Rich interviewed the Italian translator who quoted Dziwisz as saying that the pope called the film "incredible" and said "it is as it was." Rich attacked the marketing of the film and suggested Dziwisz wielded too much influence over the pope. The next day Archbishop Dziwisz told CNS, "The Holy Father told no one his opinion of this film."[77] This denial resulted in a round of commentators who accused the film producers of fabricating a papal quote to market their movie.
However, the Icon Productions spokesman stood by the story, and a source close to the situation said McEveety had asked for and received Vatican officials' permission to repeat the "It is as it was" statement before speaking to Noonan.[78] Journalist Rod Dreher reported that McEveety had received an email from papal spokesman Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls on December 28, backing the Noonan account and ending: "I would try to make the words 'It is as it was' the leit motive [sic] in any discusion [sic] on the film. Repeat the words again and again and again."[79]
Peggy Noonan had also received email confirmation of the quote from Navarro-Valls before writing her December 17 column. Complicating the situation, Navarro-Valls told Dreher that the email sent to McEveety was not genuine, suggesting it was fabricated. However, Noonan later verified that all of the Navarro-Valls emails came from the same Vatican IP address.[75] The Los Angeles Times reported that they had previously confirmed the accuracy of the quote from Navarro-Valls when the story first broke. On CNN, John Allen reported Vatican sources who claim to have heard Dziwisz on other occasions affirm the accuracy of the quotation.[80]
On January 22, Navarro-Valls released the following official statement:

"The film is a cinematographic transposition of the historical event of the Passion of Jesus Christ according to the accounts of the Gospel. It is a common practice of the Holy Father not to express public opinions on artistic works, opinions that are always open to different evaluations of aesthetic character."[74]
Allegations of antisemitism[edit]
Before the film was even released, there were prominent criticisms of perceived antisemitic content in the film. 20th Century Fox told New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind they had passed on distributing the film in response to a protest outside the News Corporation building. Hikind warned other companies that "they should not distribute this film. This is unhealthy for Jews all over the world."[39]
A joint committee of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Department of Inter-religious Affairs of the Anti-Defamation League obtained a version of the script before it was released in theaters. They released a statement, calling it

one of the most troublesome texts, relative to anti-Semitic potential, that any of us had seen in twenty-five years. It must be emphasized that the main storyline presented Jesus as having been relentlessly pursued by an evil cabal of Jews, headed by the high priest Caiaphas, who finally blackmailed a weak-kneed Pilate into putting Jesus to death. This is precisely the storyline that fueled centuries of anti-Semitism within Christian societies. This is also a storyline rejected by the Roman Catholic Church at Vatican II in its document Nostra aetate, and by nearly all mainline Protestant churches in parallel documents. ... Unless this basic storyline has been altered by Mr. Gibson, a fringe Catholic who is building his own church in the Los Angeles area and who apparently accepts neither the teachings of Vatican II nor modern biblical scholarship, The Passion of the Christ retains a real potential for undermining the repudiation of classical Christian anti-Semitism by the churches in the last forty years.[81]
The ADL itself also released a statement about the yet-to-be-released film:

For filmmakers to do justice to the biblical accounts of the passion, they must complement their artistic vision with sound scholarship, which includes knowledge of how the passion accounts have been used historically to disparage and attack Jews and Judaism. Absent such scholarly and theological understanding, productions such as The Passion could likely falsify history and fuel the animus of those who hate Jews.[82]
Rabbi Daniel Lapin, the head of the Toward Tradition organization, criticized this statement, and said of Foxman, the head of the ADL, "what he is saying is that the only way to escape the wrath of Foxman is to repudiate your faith."[83]
In The Nation, reviewer Katha Pollitt said, "Gibson has violated just about every precept of the [United States Conference of Catholic Bishops] conference's own 1988 "Criteria" for the portrayal of Jews in dramatizations of the Passion (no bloodthirsty Jews, no rabble, no use of Scripture that reinforces negative stereotypes of Jews, etc.) [...] The priests have big noses and gnarly faces, lumpish bodies, yellow teeth; Herod Antipas and his court are a bizarre collection of oily-haired, epicene perverts. The "good Jews" look like Italian movie stars (Italian sex symbol Monica Bellucci is Mary Magdalene); Mary, who would have been around 50 and appeared 70, could pass for a ripe 35."[84] Jesuit priest Fr. William Fulco, S.J., of Loyola Marymount University—and the film's Aramaic dialogue translator—specifically disagreed with that assessment, and disagreed with concerns that the film accused the Jewish community of deicide.[85]
One specific scene in the film perceived as an example of anti-Semitism was in the dialogue of Caiaphas, when he states "His blood [is] on us and on our children!", a quote historically interpreted by some as a curse taken upon by the Jewish people. Certain Jewish groups asked this be removed from the film. However, only the subtitles were removed; the original dialogue remains in the Aramaic soundtrack.[86] Additionally, the film's suggestion that the Temple's destruction was a direct result of the Jews' actions towards Jesus could also be interpreted as an offensive take on an event which Jewish tradition views as a tragedy, and which is still mourned by many Jews today on the fast day of Tisha B'Av.[87]
When asked about this scene, Gibson said, "I wanted it in. My brother said I was wimping out if I didn't include it. But, man, if I included that in there, they'd be coming after me at my house. They'd come to kill me."[88] In another interview when asked about the scene, he said, "It's one little passage, and I believe it, but I don't and never have believed it refers to Jews, and implicates them in any sort of curse. It's directed at all of us, all men who were there, and all that came after. His blood is on us, and that's what Jesus wanted. But I finally had to admit that one of the reasons I felt strongly about keeping it, aside from the fact it's true, is that I didn't want to let someone else dictate what could or couldn't be said."[89]
In the New Republic, Leon Wieseltier said: "In its representation of its Jewish characters, The Passion of the Christ is without any doubt an anti-Semitic movie, and anybody who says otherwise knows nothing, or chooses to know nothing, about the visual history of anti-Semitism, in art and in film. What is so shocking about Gibson's Jews is how unreconstructed they are in their stereotypical appearances and actions. These are not merely anti-Semitic images; these are classically anti-Semitic images."[90]
Asked by Bill O'Reilly if his movie would "upset Jews", Gibson responded, "It's not meant to. I think it's meant to just tell the truth. I want to be as truthful as possible."[91] In a Globe and Mail newspaper interview, he added: "If anyone has distorted Gospel passages to rationalize cruelty towards Jews or anyone, it's in defiance of repeated Papal condemnation. The Papacy has condemned racism in any form. ... Jesus died for the sins of all times, and I'll be the first on the line for culpability".[92]
Conservative columnist Cal Thomas also disagreed with allegations of anti-Semitism, saying "To those in the Jewish community who worry that the film [...] might contain anti-Semitic elements, or encourage people to persecute Jews, fear not. The film does not indict Jews for the death of Jesus."[93] Two Orthodox Jews, Rabbi Daniel Lapin and conservative talk-show host and author Michael Medved, also vocally rejected claims that the film is anti-Semitic. They have noted the film's many sympathetic portrayals of Jews: Simon of Cyrene (who helps Jesus carry the cross), Mary Magdalene, the Virgin Mary, St. Peter, St. John, Veronica (who wipes Jesus' face and offers him water), and several Jewish priests who protest Jesus' arrest (Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea) during Caiaphas' trial of Jesus.
Bob Smithouser of Plugged in Online believed that film was trying to convey the evils and sins of humanity rather than specifically targeting Jews, stating "The anthropomorphic portrayal of Satan as a player in these events brilliantly pulls the proceedings into the supernatural realm—a fact that should have quelled the much-publicized cries of anti-Semitism since it shows a diabolical force at work beyond any political and religious agendas of the Jews and Romans."[94]
Moreover, Senior Vatican officer Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, who has seen the film, addressed the matter so:

Anti-Semitism, like all forms of racism, distorts the truth in order to put a whole race of people in a bad light. This film does nothing of the sort. It draws out from the historical objectivity of the Gospel narratives sentiments of forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation. It captures the subtleties and the horror of sin, as well as the gentle power of love and forgiveness, without making or insinuating blanket condemnations against one group. This film expressed the exact opposite, that learning from the example of Christ, there should never be any more violence against any other human being.[95]
South Park parodied the controversy in the episodes "Good Times with Weapons", "Up the Down Steroid", and "The Passion of the Jew", all of which aired just a few weeks after the film's release.
Criticism of excessive violence[edit]
Several critics were troubled by the film's extensive, detailed violence, and especially cautioned parents to avoid taking their children to the cinema. Although only one sentence in each of three of the Gospels mentions flogging of Jesus, and it is unmentioned in the fourth, The Passion of the Christ devotes ten minutes to the portrayal of the flogging.[citation needed] Film critic Roger Ebert, who gave a four-out-of-four-star rating, said in his review:

The movie is 126 minutes long, and I would guess that at least 100 of those minutes, maybe more, are concerned specifically and graphically with the details of the torture and death of Jesus. This is the most violent film I have ever seen.[96]
Ebert also stated that the R-rated film should have instead been rated NC-17 (an MPAA rating even harsher than the R rating) in a "Movie Answer Man" response, adding that no level-minded parent should ever allow children to see it.[97]
Film historian Michael Gurnow, in an April 2008 cover story for American Atheist, stated much the same, labeling the work a mainstream snuff film.[98]
A. O. Scott, in The New York Times, said, "'The Passion of the Christ' is so relentlessly focused on the savagery of Jesus' final hours that this film seems to arise less from love than from wrath, and to succeed more in assaulting the spirit than in uplifting it."[99] David Edelstein, Slate's film critic, dubbed the film "a two-hour-and-six-minute snuff movie – The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre – that thinks it's an act of faith", and further criticized Gibson for focusing on the brutality of Jesus' execution, instead of his religious teachings.[100]
During Diane Sawyer's interview of him, Gibson said:

I wanted it to be shocking; and I wanted it to be extreme ... So that they see the enormity – the enormity of that sacrifice; to see that someone could endure that and still come back with love and forgiveness, even through extreme pain and suffering and ridicule. The actual crucifixion was more violent than what was shown on the film, but I thought no one would get anything out of it.
See also[edit]

Portal icon Christianity portal
Portal icon Film portal
Cultural depictions of Jesus Saint Mary
The Messiah
The Passion
"The Passion of the Jew" (South Park episode)
Trial movies
References[edit]
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2.Jump up ^ "The Passion – Recut (15)". British Board of Film Classification. February 25, 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d "The Passion of the Christ (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Peggy Noonan (December 17, 2003). "'It Is as It Was' Mel Gibson's "The Passion" gets a thumbs-up from the pope.". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Father John O'Malley A Movie, a Mystic, a Spiritual Tradition America, March 15, 2004 [1]
6.^ Jump up to: a b c Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ by Kathleen E. Corley, Robert Leslie Webb. 2004. ISBN 0-8264-7781-X. pages 160–161.
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26.Jump up ^ Moring, Mark (March 1, 2004). "What's Up With the Ugly Baby?". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
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28.Jump up ^ Mark Goodacre (November 26, 2004). "SBL Passion of the Christ interview – Fulco and Fitzgerald". NT Gateway Weblog.
29.Jump up ^ "Translating the pasion". Language Hat. March 8, 2004.
30.Jump up ^ Reeves, Tony (February 2, 2012). "The Passion of the Christ film locations". The Worldwide Guide To Movie Locations. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
31.Jump up ^ Susman, Gary (October 24, 2003). "Charged Performance". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
32.Jump up ^ Ross, Scott. "Behind the Scenes of 'The Passion' with Jim Caviezel". Retrieved March 31, 2013.
33.Jump up ^ "Jesus actor struck by lightning". BBC News. October 23, 2003. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
34.Jump up ^ "Jack Lenz Bio". JackLenz.com.
35.Jump up ^ "Clips of Musical Compositions by Jack Lenz". JackLenz.com.
36.Jump up ^ Susman, Gary (October 16, 2004). "Napoleon Branding". "Entertainment Weekly". Retrieved 2008-08-16.
37.Jump up ^ Nick Vivarelli (September 23, 2002). "Gibson To Direct Christ Tale With Caviezel As Star". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
38.Jump up ^ Patsuris, Penelope (March 3, 2004). "What Mel's Passion Will Earn Him". Forbes.com.
39.^ Jump up to: a b "Fox passes on Gibson's 'The Passion'". Los Angeles Times. October 22, 2004. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
40.Jump up ^ Horn, John (October 22, 2004). "Gibson to Market 'Christ' on His Own, Sources Say". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
41.Jump up ^ Cobb, Jerry (February 25, 2004). "Marketing 'The Passion of the Christ'". MSNBC.com.
42.Jump up ^ Maresco, Peter A. (Fall 2004). "Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ: Market Segmentation, Mass Marketing and Promotion, and the Internet". The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture.
43.^ Jump up to: a b c "Many churches look to 'Passion' as evangelism tool". United Methodist Church. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
44.Jump up ^ Pauley, John L.; King, Amy (2013). Robert H. Woods, ed. Evangelical Christians and Popular Culture 1. Westport: Praeger Publishing. pp. 36–51. ISBN 978-0313386541.
45.Jump up ^ Pawley, p. 38.
46.Jump up ^ Pawley, p. 40.
47.Jump up ^ Pawley, p. 40–41.
48.^ Jump up to: a b Pauley, p. 41.
49.Jump up ^ Dobson, James C. (February 6, 2004). "Open Letter on 'The Passion of the Christ'". WND. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
50.Jump up ^ Fredriksen, Paula (2006). On 'The Passion of the Christ': Exploring the Issues Raised by the Controversial Movie. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520248533.
51.Jump up ^ "Censors in Malaysia give OK to 'Passion'". Los Angeles Times. July 10, 2004. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
52.Jump up ^ Laura King (March 15, 2004). "'Passion' goes unseen in Israel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
53.Jump up ^ Blanford, Nicholas (April 9, 2004). "Gibson's movie unlikely box-office hit in Arab world". The Christian Science Monitor.
54.Jump up ^ "2004 Box Office Totals for Egypt". BoxOfficeMojo.com.
55.^ Jump up to: a b "The Passion of the Christ Review". PluggedInOnline.com.
56.Jump up ^ "Box Office Stats for The Passion Recut". BoxOfficeMojo.com.
57.Jump up ^ Gibson, Mel. The Passion of the Christ (DVD; visual material) (in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew dialog with subtitles, and etc). Beverly Hills, California: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, ©2004. ISBN 9780310263661. OCLC 55205651. Retrieved March 29, 2013. Lay summary – Internet Movie Database.
58.Jump up ^ Gibson, Mel. The Passion of the Christ (Blu-ray; visual material) (in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew dialog with subtitles, and etc) (definitive ed.). Beverly Hills, California: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, ©2009. OCLC 302426419. Retrieved March 29, 2013. Lay summary – Amazon.
59.Jump up ^ "Re-Release of The Passion". Miserere.org.
60.Jump up ^ Stella Papamichael. "Movies – review – The Passion of the Christ: Special Edition DVD". BBC. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
61.Jump up ^ "The Passion of the Christ". TBN. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
62.Jump up ^ "The Passion of the Christ". February 25, 2004. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
63.Jump up ^ "The Passion of the Christ". Metacritic. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
64.Jump up ^ White, Armond (March 18, 2008). "Steve McQueen's Hunger". New York Press. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
65.Jump up ^ Edelstein, David (February 24, 2004). "Jesus H. Christ". Slate. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
66.Jump up ^ Bernard, Jami (February 24, 2004). "The Passion of the Christ". The New York Daily News. Archived from the original on April 16, 2004. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
67.Jump up ^ Josh Sanburn (September 3, 2010). "Top 10 Ridiculously Violent Movies". Time.
68.Jump up ^ "Film prompts murder confession – Scotsman.com News". Edinburgh: News.scotsman.com. March 27, 2004. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
69.Jump up ^ Mark Goodacre (May 2, 2004). "Historical Accuracy of The Passion of the Christ". Retrieved 2008-10-20.
70.Jump up ^ Mark Goodacre, "The Power of The Passion: Reacting and Over-reacting to Gibson's Artistic Vision" in "Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. The Film, the Gospels and the Claims of History," ed. Kathleen E. Corley and Robert L. Webb, 2004
71.Jump up ^ David Neff and Jane Johnson Struck (February 23, 2004). "'Dude, That Was Graphic': Mel Gibson talks about The Passion of The Christ". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
72.Jump up ^ Longhenry, E.R "The Passion of the Christ:" A Review March 2004 retrieved September 3, 2010
73.Jump up ^ "Mel Gibson's "Passion": On Review at the Vatican". ZENIT. December 8, 2003. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
74.^ Jump up to: a b c John L. Allen, Jr. (January 23, 2004). "The Word From Rome". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
75.^ Jump up to: a b Peggy Noonan (January 22, 2004). "The story of the Vatican and Mel Gibson's film gets curiouser". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
76.Jump up ^ John L. Allen, Jr. (January 9, 2004). "The Word From Rome". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
77.Jump up ^ Wooden, Cindy (January 19, 2004). "Pope never commented on Gibson's 'Passion' film, says papal secretary". Catholic News Service. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
78.Jump up ^ Gabriel Snyder (January 19, 2004). "Did Pope really plug 'Passion'?". Daily Variety. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
79.Jump up ^ Rod Dreher (January 21, 2004). "Did the Vatican endorse Gibson's film – or didn't it?". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on January 2004. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
80.Jump up ^ "'The Passion' Stirs Controversy at the Vatican". CNN transcript. January 21, 2004. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
81.Jump up ^ Pawlikowski, John T. (February 2004). "Christian Anti-Semitism: Past History, Present Challenges Reflections in Light of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ". Journal of Religion and Film.
82.Jump up ^ "ADL Statement on Mel Gibson's 'The Passion'" (Press release). Anti-Defamation League. June 24, 2003. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
83.Jump up ^ Nacha Cattan (March 5, 2004). ""Passion" Critics Endanger Jews, Angry Rabbis Claim, Attacking Groups, Foxman". The Jewish Daily Forward.
84.Jump up ^ Pollitt, Katha (March 11, 2004). "The Protocols of Mel Gibson". The Nation. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
85.Jump up ^ Wooden, Cindy (May 2, 2003). "As filming ends, 'Passion' strikes some nerves". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
86.Jump up ^ Vermes, Geza (February 27, 2003). "Celluloid brutality". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
87.Jump up ^ Markoe, Lauren (July 15, 2013). "Tisha B'Av 2013: A New Approach To A Solemn Jewish Holiday". Huffington Post.
88.Jump up ^ "The Jesus War".
89.Jump up ^ Terry Lawson (February 17, 2004). "Mel Gibson and Other "Passion" Filmakers say the Movie was Guided by Faith". Detroit Free Press.[dead link]
90.Jump up ^ Leon Wieseltier (March 8, 2004). "The Passion of the Christ". The New Republic.
91.Jump up ^ Corliss, Richard (January 19, 2003). "The Passion of Mel Gibson". Time. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
92.Jump up ^ "Mel Gibson Interview". Globe and Mail. February 14, 2004.
93.Jump up ^ "The Greatest Story Ever Filmed". TownHall.com. August 5, 2003.
94.Jump up ^ "The Passion of the Christ". Pluggedin.com.
95.Jump up ^ Gaspari, Antonio (September 18, 2003). "The Cardinal & the Passion". National Review Online. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
96.Jump up ^ Roger Ebert,The Passion of the Christ (review), February 24, 2004
97.Jump up ^ ""The Movie Answer Man", ''Chicago Sun-Times'', March 7, 2004". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
98.Jump up ^ ""The Passion of the Snuff: How the MPAA Allowed a Horror Film to Irreparably Scar Countless Young Minds in the Name of Religion" American Atheist, April 2008" (PDF). American Atheist. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
99.Jump up ^ A. O. Scott (February 25, 2004). "Good and Evil Locked in Violent Showdown". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2007.[dead link]
100.Jump up ^ David Edelstein. "Jesus H. Christ". Slate Magazine.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ at the Internet Movie Database
The Passion of the Christ at Box Office Mojo
The Passion of the Christ at Rotten Tomatoes
The Passion of the Christ at Metacritic


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Ben-Hur (play)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the play by William W. Young. For other uses, see Ben-Hur.

Ben Hur
Ben Hur Broadway2.jpg
1899 poster from the Broadway premiere.

Written by
William W. Young,
Lew Wallace
Date premiered
1899
Place premiered
Manhattan Theatre
 in New York, NY
Genre
Hippodrama, Melodrama
Ben Hur was an 1899 theatrical adaption of the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880) by Lew Wallace. The play was dramatized by William W. Young and produced by Marc Klaw and A. L. Erlanger. Inspired by the success of Wallace's popular novel, the stage production was notable for its elaborate use of spectacle. It had six acts with incidental music written by American composer Edgar Stillman Kelley. The stage production opened at the Broadway Theater in New York City on November 29, 1899, and became a hit Broadway show. Traveling versions of the production, including a national tour that ran for twenty-one years, played in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia. By the end of its run in April 1920, the play had been seen by more than twenty million people and earned over $10 million at the box office. There have been other stage adaptations of Wallace's novel as well as several motion picture versions.


Contents  [hide]
1 History
2 Spectacle
3 Adaptations
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links

History[edit]
After Wallace's novel was published in 1880, there was widespread demand for it to be adapted for the stage, but Wallace resisted for nearly twenty years, arguing that no one could accurately portray Christ on stage or recreate a realistic chariot race.[1] In 1899, following three months of negotiations, Wallace entered into agreement with theatrical producers Marc Klaw and A. L. Erlanger to adapt his novel into a stage production. Wallace would receive two thirds of the royalties from the production, while Harper and Brothers, the book's publisher, would receive one third.[2]
Playwright William Young wrote the stage adaptation, reducing it to six acts in thirteen scenes. The stage version closely followed the novel's plot and retained portions of its dialog.[3] Edgar Stillman Kelley composed the play's music, but it was its elaborate staging and special effects that created a life-sized visual presentation of Wallace's novel.[4]
The character of Ben-Hur was initially cast with Walker Whiteside, but he was replaced by Edward J. Morgan at the last minute.[4] William Farnum replaced Morgan after the show's first season.[5] William S. Hart played Messala.[4] Hart would go on to leading roles in silent films such as The Aryan (1916), and became a silent screen cowboy hero. Farnum also appeared in several films, including The Spoilers (1914).[6][7] The character of Christ was "represented as a 25,000-candlepower beam of light" and not portrayed by an actor.[2]
The resulting production of Ben-Hur opened at the Broadway Theater in New York City on November 29, 1899. It ran for 194 performances in its first season, before closing on May 10, 1900. Critics of the three-hour-and-twenty-nine-minute performance gave it mixed reviews; however, the audience, many of whom were first-time theatergoers, packed the house. Ben Hur became a hit show, selling 25,000 tickets per week.[5][8][9] The play reopened in New York City on September 3, 1900, and ran for eighteen non-consecutive years on Broadway.[10] The play's twenty-one-year national tour included large venues in cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Baltimore. International versions of the show played in London, England, and in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. When the play finally closed in April 1920, it had been seen by more than twenty million people and earned over $10 million at the box office.[8][11][12][13]
Fans included William Jennings Bryan, who claimed is was "the greatest play on stage when measured by its religious tone and more effect."[14] Its popularity is credited with introducing stage shows to a new audience, "many of them devout churchgoers who’d previously been suspicious of the stage."[14] Adaptations of other novels with biblical settings followed Ben Hur to the stage. These included Quo Vadis in 1901 and Judith of Bethulia in 1904.[15]
Spectacle[edit]
The key spectacle of the 1899 show recreated the novel's chariot race with live horses and real chariots running on treadmills against a rotating backdrop.[8][12] When Wallace saw the elaborate stage sets, he exclaimed, "My God. Did I set all of this in motion?"[8][14]
When the play was produced for the London stage, it used four chariots, as opposed to two in the U.S.[6] In 1902 The Era's drama critic detailed how it was achieved with "four great cradles, 20 ft (6.1 m) in length and 14 ft (4.3 m) wide" that are moved "back and front on railways". The horses galloped full-pelt towards the audience, secured with steel cable traces as they ran on treadmills. The horses also drove the movement of a vast cyclorama backdrop that revolved in the opposite direction to create an illusion of rapid speed. Electric rubber rollers spun the chariot wheels, while fans created clouds of dust. A critic for The Illustrated London News described it as "a marvel of stage-illusion" that was "memorable beyond all else". The Sketch's critic called it "thrilling and realistic ... enough to make the fortune of any play" and noted that "the stage, which has to bear 30 tons' weight of chariots and horses, besides huge crowds, has had to be expressly strengthened and shored up".[12]
Adaptations[edit]
There have been other stage adaptations since the initial production in 1899, including a London production staged in 2009 at the O2 arena featuring a live chariot race.[16]
The book was also adapted for motion pictures in 1907, 1925, 1959, 2003, and as an American television mini-series in 2010. The 1959 film adaptation, starring Charlton Heston and featuring the famous chariot race, won a record eleven Academy Awards and was the top grossing film of 1960.[17]




 A 1901 poster for a production at the Illinois Theater in Chicago
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Ray E. Boomhower (2005). The Sword and the Pen. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press. p. 138–9. ISBN 0-87195-185-1.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Robert E. Morsberger and Katharine M. Morsberger (1980). Lew Wallace: Militant Romantic. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 457. ISBN 0-07-043305-4.
3.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 458.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Morsberbger and Morsberger, p. 459.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 464.
6.^ Jump up to: a b Morsberger and Morseberger, p. 466.
7.Jump up ^ "The Spoilers". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c d Boomhower, p. 140–1.
9.Jump up ^ Jon Solomon (2008). "Fugutive Sources, Ben-Hur, and the Popular Art "Property"". RBM (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries) 9 (1): 68.
10.Jump up ^ "Ben Hur". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
11.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 464–6.
12.^ Jump up to: a b c Samantha Ellis (8 October 2003). "Ben-Hur, London, 1902". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
13.Jump up ^ Amy Lifson (2009). "Ben-Hur". Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities) 30 (6).
14.^ Jump up to: a b c John Swansburg (26 March 2013). "The Passion of Lew Wallace". The Slate Group. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
15.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 465.
16.Jump up ^ Mark Espiner (14 September 2009). "Ben Hur Live Leaves Little to the Imagination". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
17.Jump up ^ Cobbett Steinberg (1980). Film Facts. New York: Facts on File, Inc. p. 17 and 23. ISBN 0-87196-313-2.
References[edit]
Boomhower, Ray E. (2005). The Sword and the Pen. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87195-185-1.
Ellis, Samantha (8 October 2003). "Ben-Hur, London, 1902". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
Espiner, Mark (14 September 2009). "Ben Hur Live Leaves Little to the Imagination". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
Lifson, Amy (2009). "Ben-Hur: The Book That Shook the World". Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities) 30 (6). Retrieved 1 September 2010.
Morsberger, Robert E., and Katharine M. Morsberger (1980). Lew Wallace: Militant Romantic. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-043305-4.
Solomon, Jon (2008). "Fugutive Sources, Ben-Hur, and the Popular Art "Property"". RBM (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries) 9 (1): 67–78.
Swansburg, John (26 March 2013). "The Passion of Lew Wallace". The Slate Group. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: Ben-Hur (play)
Ben Hur the Broadway play...the souvenir book
Ben-Hur at the Internet Broadway Database





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Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
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 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 

  


Categories: 1899 plays
American plays
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Works based on Ben-Hur




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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben-Hur_(play)















Ben-Hur (play)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the play by William W. Young. For other uses, see Ben-Hur.

Ben Hur
Ben Hur Broadway2.jpg
1899 poster from the Broadway premiere.

Written by
William W. Young,
Lew Wallace
Date premiered
1899
Place premiered
Manhattan Theatre
 in New York, NY
Genre
Hippodrama, Melodrama
Ben Hur was an 1899 theatrical adaption of the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880) by Lew Wallace. The play was dramatized by William W. Young and produced by Marc Klaw and A. L. Erlanger. Inspired by the success of Wallace's popular novel, the stage production was notable for its elaborate use of spectacle. It had six acts with incidental music written by American composer Edgar Stillman Kelley. The stage production opened at the Broadway Theater in New York City on November 29, 1899, and became a hit Broadway show. Traveling versions of the production, including a national tour that ran for twenty-one years, played in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia. By the end of its run in April 1920, the play had been seen by more than twenty million people and earned over $10 million at the box office. There have been other stage adaptations of Wallace's novel as well as several motion picture versions.


Contents  [hide]
1 History
2 Spectacle
3 Adaptations
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links

History[edit]
After Wallace's novel was published in 1880, there was widespread demand for it to be adapted for the stage, but Wallace resisted for nearly twenty years, arguing that no one could accurately portray Christ on stage or recreate a realistic chariot race.[1] In 1899, following three months of negotiations, Wallace entered into agreement with theatrical producers Marc Klaw and A. L. Erlanger to adapt his novel into a stage production. Wallace would receive two thirds of the royalties from the production, while Harper and Brothers, the book's publisher, would receive one third.[2]
Playwright William Young wrote the stage adaptation, reducing it to six acts in thirteen scenes. The stage version closely followed the novel's plot and retained portions of its dialog.[3] Edgar Stillman Kelley composed the play's music, but it was its elaborate staging and special effects that created a life-sized visual presentation of Wallace's novel.[4]
The character of Ben-Hur was initially cast with Walker Whiteside, but he was replaced by Edward J. Morgan at the last minute.[4] William Farnum replaced Morgan after the show's first season.[5] William S. Hart played Messala.[4] Hart would go on to leading roles in silent films such as The Aryan (1916), and became a silent screen cowboy hero. Farnum also appeared in several films, including The Spoilers (1914).[6][7] The character of Christ was "represented as a 25,000-candlepower beam of light" and not portrayed by an actor.[2]
The resulting production of Ben-Hur opened at the Broadway Theater in New York City on November 29, 1899. It ran for 194 performances in its first season, before closing on May 10, 1900. Critics of the three-hour-and-twenty-nine-minute performance gave it mixed reviews; however, the audience, many of whom were first-time theatergoers, packed the house. Ben Hur became a hit show, selling 25,000 tickets per week.[5][8][9] The play reopened in New York City on September 3, 1900, and ran for eighteen non-consecutive years on Broadway.[10] The play's twenty-one-year national tour included large venues in cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Baltimore. International versions of the show played in London, England, and in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. When the play finally closed in April 1920, it had been seen by more than twenty million people and earned over $10 million at the box office.[8][11][12][13]
Fans included William Jennings Bryan, who claimed is was "the greatest play on stage when measured by its religious tone and more effect."[14] Its popularity is credited with introducing stage shows to a new audience, "many of them devout churchgoers who’d previously been suspicious of the stage."[14] Adaptations of other novels with biblical settings followed Ben Hur to the stage. These included Quo Vadis in 1901 and Judith of Bethulia in 1904.[15]
Spectacle[edit]
The key spectacle of the 1899 show recreated the novel's chariot race with live horses and real chariots running on treadmills against a rotating backdrop.[8][12] When Wallace saw the elaborate stage sets, he exclaimed, "My God. Did I set all of this in motion?"[8][14]
When the play was produced for the London stage, it used four chariots, as opposed to two in the U.S.[6] In 1902 The Era's drama critic detailed how it was achieved with "four great cradles, 20 ft (6.1 m) in length and 14 ft (4.3 m) wide" that are moved "back and front on railways". The horses galloped full-pelt towards the audience, secured with steel cable traces as they ran on treadmills. The horses also drove the movement of a vast cyclorama backdrop that revolved in the opposite direction to create an illusion of rapid speed. Electric rubber rollers spun the chariot wheels, while fans created clouds of dust. A critic for The Illustrated London News described it as "a marvel of stage-illusion" that was "memorable beyond all else". The Sketch's critic called it "thrilling and realistic ... enough to make the fortune of any play" and noted that "the stage, which has to bear 30 tons' weight of chariots and horses, besides huge crowds, has had to be expressly strengthened and shored up".[12]
Adaptations[edit]
There have been other stage adaptations since the initial production in 1899, including a London production staged in 2009 at the O2 arena featuring a live chariot race.[16]
The book was also adapted for motion pictures in 1907, 1925, 1959, 2003, and as an American television mini-series in 2010. The 1959 film adaptation, starring Charlton Heston and featuring the famous chariot race, won a record eleven Academy Awards and was the top grossing film of 1960.[17]




 A 1901 poster for a production at the Illinois Theater in Chicago
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Ray E. Boomhower (2005). The Sword and the Pen. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press. p. 138–9. ISBN 0-87195-185-1.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Robert E. Morsberger and Katharine M. Morsberger (1980). Lew Wallace: Militant Romantic. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 457. ISBN 0-07-043305-4.
3.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 458.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Morsberbger and Morsberger, p. 459.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 464.
6.^ Jump up to: a b Morsberger and Morseberger, p. 466.
7.Jump up ^ "The Spoilers". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c d Boomhower, p. 140–1.
9.Jump up ^ Jon Solomon (2008). "Fugutive Sources, Ben-Hur, and the Popular Art "Property"". RBM (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries) 9 (1): 68.
10.Jump up ^ "Ben Hur". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
11.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 464–6.
12.^ Jump up to: a b c Samantha Ellis (8 October 2003). "Ben-Hur, London, 1902". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
13.Jump up ^ Amy Lifson (2009). "Ben-Hur". Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities) 30 (6).
14.^ Jump up to: a b c John Swansburg (26 March 2013). "The Passion of Lew Wallace". The Slate Group. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
15.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 465.
16.Jump up ^ Mark Espiner (14 September 2009). "Ben Hur Live Leaves Little to the Imagination". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
17.Jump up ^ Cobbett Steinberg (1980). Film Facts. New York: Facts on File, Inc. p. 17 and 23. ISBN 0-87196-313-2.
References[edit]
Boomhower, Ray E. (2005). The Sword and the Pen. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87195-185-1.
Ellis, Samantha (8 October 2003). "Ben-Hur, London, 1902". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
Espiner, Mark (14 September 2009). "Ben Hur Live Leaves Little to the Imagination". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
Lifson, Amy (2009). "Ben-Hur: The Book That Shook the World". Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities) 30 (6). Retrieved 1 September 2010.
Morsberger, Robert E., and Katharine M. Morsberger (1980). Lew Wallace: Militant Romantic. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-043305-4.
Solomon, Jon (2008). "Fugutive Sources, Ben-Hur, and the Popular Art "Property"". RBM (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries) 9 (1): 67–78.
Swansburg, John (26 March 2013). "The Passion of Lew Wallace". The Slate Group. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: Ben-Hur (play)
Ben Hur the Broadway play...the souvenir book
Ben-Hur at the Internet Broadway Database





[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 

  


Categories: 1899 plays
American plays
Historical plays
Works based on Ben-Hur




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Ben Hur (2003 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 2003 film. For other uses, see Ben-Hur.

Ben Hur
Ben Hur FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by
Bill Kowalchuk
Produced by
Bill Kowalchuk
John Stronach
Written by
Abi Estrin
Music by
Keith Heffner
Michael Lloyd
Distributed by
Goodtimes Entertainment

Release dates

February 15, 2003


Running time
 80 minutes
Language
English
Ben Hur is a 2003 animated film based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, by Lew Wallace. It is the fourth film adaptation of the novel.
Charlton Heston's production company, Agamemnon Films (in association with GoodTimes Entertainment), produced this direct-to-video animated version of the story, with Heston himself giving voice to the title character. Heston had won an Academy Award for playing the same role in the 1959 version. This 2003 version was Heston's last film.


Contents  [hide]
1 Synopsis
2 Voice cast
3 References
4 External links

Synopsis[edit]
The animated version tells the same story as the 1959 film, with some differences. The story begins with Balthazar waiting in the desert for the two other wise men for a journey to Bethlehem. The story of Ben-Hur begins 30 years after the birth of Christ.
In contrast to the 1925 and 1959 versions, the face of Jesus is shown and his words are heard in this film.
The character of Messala is different from the 1959 film. Appearing lame, he approaches Ben-Hur for forgiveness, and joins Ben-Hur's family and Balthazar to witness the passion of Jesus. Ben-Hur gives water to Jesus on the way to Calvary. As Jesus dies, Ben-Hur and his family, with Balthazar, Messala, and Esther, clasp their hands in prayer. Miracles occur when Jesus heals Ben-Hur's family of leprosy, and enables Messala to walk again. He comes near the cross thanking Jesus for the miracle.
At the film's end, Mary Magdalene sees Jesus emerge from the tomb and he ascends into heaven, giving the promise to the apostles to preach the gospel. Ben-Hur, now married to Esther, shares with his children his story and faith in Jesus.
Voice cast[edit]
Judah Ben-Hur - Charlton Heston
Jesus - Scott McNeil
Pontius Pilate - Gerard Plunkett
Messala - Duncan Fraser
Miriam - Tabitha St. Germain
Esther - Kathleen Barr
Tirzah - Willow Johnson
Balthazer - Long John Baldry[1]
Gaspar - French Tickner
Melchior - Duncan Fraser
Sheik Ilderim - Dale Wilson
Herod Antipas - Duncan Fraser
Rabbi - Mackenzie Gray
Mystic - Gerard Plunkett
Quintus Arrius - Richard Newman
Gesius - Ian James Corlett
Mary - Willow Johnson
Joseph - Michael Dobson
Judas - Lee Tockar
Peter - Rob Court
Andrew - Ian James Corlett
Woman - Tabitha St. Germain
Roman Captain - Long John Baldry
Number 59 - Scott McNeil
Angel Gabriel - Dale Wilson
Female Angel - Kathleen Barr
Shepherd #1 - Richard Newman
Shepherd #2 - Lee Tockar
Priest - Mackenzie Gray
Jewish Man - French Tickner
Inkeeper - Duncan Fraser
Roman Merchant - Russell Roberts
Mary Magdalene - Kathleen Barr
Roman Citizen - Long John Baldry
Roman Soldier - William Samples
Young Woman - Tabitha St. Germain
Another Man - Ian James Corlett
Scientist - Dale Wilson
Merchant - Richard Newman
Man - Rob Court
Guard - Lee Tockar
Soldier #1 - Mackenzie Gray
Soldier #2 - Michael Dobson
Bystander #1 - Duncan Fraser
Bystander #2 - Gerard Plunkett
Art Instructor - Scott McNeil
Archery Instructor - Russell Roberts
Leading Soldier - Long John Baldry
Slave - Lee Tockar
Doctor - French Tickner
Leper - Rob Court
Woman #1 - Kathleen Barr
Woman #2 - Tabitha St. Germain
Citizen - Long John Baldry
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ music, 2005: film, television, radio, theatre, dance, (2006). Obituaries in the performing arts. [S.l.]: Mcfarland. p. 17. ISBN 0786424893.
External links[edit]
Ben Hur at the Internet Movie Database
Ben Hur at AllMovie


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
The animated releases of GoodTimes Entertainment













































[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ



























  


Categories: 2003 films
English-language films
GoodTimes Entertainment
Films about Christianity
Films about religion
Christian animation
Films based on American novels
Films set in the Roman Empire
Films set in the 1st century
Portrayals of Jesus in film
Portrayals of the Virgin Mary in film
Ben-Hur films




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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Hur_(2003_film)















Ben Hur (2003 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 2003 film. For other uses, see Ben-Hur.

Ben Hur
Ben Hur FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by
Bill Kowalchuk
Produced by
Bill Kowalchuk
John Stronach
Written by
Abi Estrin
Music by
Keith Heffner
Michael Lloyd
Distributed by
Goodtimes Entertainment

Release dates

February 15, 2003


Running time
 80 minutes
Language
English
Ben Hur is a 2003 animated film based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, by Lew Wallace. It is the fourth film adaptation of the novel.
Charlton Heston's production company, Agamemnon Films (in association with GoodTimes Entertainment), produced this direct-to-video animated version of the story, with Heston himself giving voice to the title character. Heston had won an Academy Award for playing the same role in the 1959 version. This 2003 version was Heston's last film.


Contents  [hide]
1 Synopsis
2 Voice cast
3 References
4 External links

Synopsis[edit]
The animated version tells the same story as the 1959 film, with some differences. The story begins with Balthazar waiting in the desert for the two other wise men for a journey to Bethlehem. The story of Ben-Hur begins 30 years after the birth of Christ.
In contrast to the 1925 and 1959 versions, the face of Jesus is shown and his words are heard in this film.
The character of Messala is different from the 1959 film. Appearing lame, he approaches Ben-Hur for forgiveness, and joins Ben-Hur's family and Balthazar to witness the passion of Jesus. Ben-Hur gives water to Jesus on the way to Calvary. As Jesus dies, Ben-Hur and his family, with Balthazar, Messala, and Esther, clasp their hands in prayer. Miracles occur when Jesus heals Ben-Hur's family of leprosy, and enables Messala to walk again. He comes near the cross thanking Jesus for the miracle.
At the film's end, Mary Magdalene sees Jesus emerge from the tomb and he ascends into heaven, giving the promise to the apostles to preach the gospel. Ben-Hur, now married to Esther, shares with his children his story and faith in Jesus.
Voice cast[edit]
Judah Ben-Hur - Charlton Heston
Jesus - Scott McNeil
Pontius Pilate - Gerard Plunkett
Messala - Duncan Fraser
Miriam - Tabitha St. Germain
Esther - Kathleen Barr
Tirzah - Willow Johnson
Balthazer - Long John Baldry[1]
Gaspar - French Tickner
Melchior - Duncan Fraser
Sheik Ilderim - Dale Wilson
Herod Antipas - Duncan Fraser
Rabbi - Mackenzie Gray
Mystic - Gerard Plunkett
Quintus Arrius - Richard Newman
Gesius - Ian James Corlett
Mary - Willow Johnson
Joseph - Michael Dobson
Judas - Lee Tockar
Peter - Rob Court
Andrew - Ian James Corlett
Woman - Tabitha St. Germain
Roman Captain - Long John Baldry
Number 59 - Scott McNeil
Angel Gabriel - Dale Wilson
Female Angel - Kathleen Barr
Shepherd #1 - Richard Newman
Shepherd #2 - Lee Tockar
Priest - Mackenzie Gray
Jewish Man - French Tickner
Inkeeper - Duncan Fraser
Roman Merchant - Russell Roberts
Mary Magdalene - Kathleen Barr
Roman Citizen - Long John Baldry
Roman Soldier - William Samples
Young Woman - Tabitha St. Germain
Another Man - Ian James Corlett
Scientist - Dale Wilson
Merchant - Richard Newman
Man - Rob Court
Guard - Lee Tockar
Soldier #1 - Mackenzie Gray
Soldier #2 - Michael Dobson
Bystander #1 - Duncan Fraser
Bystander #2 - Gerard Plunkett
Art Instructor - Scott McNeil
Archery Instructor - Russell Roberts
Leading Soldier - Long John Baldry
Slave - Lee Tockar
Doctor - French Tickner
Leper - Rob Court
Woman #1 - Kathleen Barr
Woman #2 - Tabitha St. Germain
Citizen - Long John Baldry
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ music, 2005: film, television, radio, theatre, dance, (2006). Obituaries in the performing arts. [S.l.]: Mcfarland. p. 17. ISBN 0786424893.
External links[edit]
Ben Hur at the Internet Movie Database
Ben Hur at AllMovie


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
The animated releases of GoodTimes Entertainment













































[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ



























  


Categories: 2003 films
English-language films
GoodTimes Entertainment
Films about Christianity
Films about religion
Christian animation
Films based on American novels
Films set in the Roman Empire
Films set in the 1st century
Portrayals of Jesus in film
Portrayals of the Virgin Mary in film
Ben-Hur films




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Ben Hur Live

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Ben Hur Live is a 2009 stage adaptation of Lew Wallace's novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Produced by Franz Abraham with music and narration by Stewart Copeland, it premièred on 17 September 2009 at the O2 Arena in London, the first date of its European tour.
The show's dialogue is in Latin and Aramaic,[1] and it includes a sea battle and gladiatorial combat, as well as the chariot race for which Ben Hur is famous. It is based primarily on the book as its source material rather than the Academy Award-winning adaptation which starred Charlton Heston.


Contents  [hide]
1 Reception
2 Creative Team
3 2009 Principal Cast
4 References
5 External links

Reception[edit]
After its London première, it received mixed reviews from theatre critics.[2]
Creative Team[edit]
Concept and Production - Franz Abraham
Direction - Philip Wm. McKinley
Music and English Narration - Stewart Copeland
German Narration - Ben Becker
Design - Mark Fisher and Ray Winkler
Horse Training and Stunt Coordination - Nicki Pfeifer
Lighting Design - Patrick Woodroffe
Choreography - Liam Steel
Fight Direction - Rick Sordelet
Book - Shaun McKenna
Costumes - Ann Would-Hard
2009 Principal Cast[edit]
Judah Ben-Hur - Sebastian Thrun
Messala - Michael Knese
Esther - Lili Gesler
Quintus Arrius - Anton Grünbeck
Sheik Ilderim - László Rókas
Miriam - Marina Krauser
Tirzah - Nina Wilden
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Espiner, Mark (14 September 2009). "Ben Hur Live leaves little to the imagination". guardian.co.uk (Guardian News and Media). Retrieved 18 September 2009.
2.Jump up ^ "Ben Hur Live: press views". BBC News (BBC). 18 September 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
External links[edit]
Official website
http://michaelknese.wordpress.com
http://geslerlili.szinhaz.org/
http://www.marina-krauser.de/
http://www.shaunmckenna.net/


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 




Stub icon This European theatre-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




  


Categories: 2009 plays
Historical plays
Plays based on novels
Fiction set in ancient Rome
Israel in fiction
Works based on Ben-Hur
European theatre stubs




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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Hur_Live















Ben Hur Live

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Ben Hur Live is a 2009 stage adaptation of Lew Wallace's novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Produced by Franz Abraham with music and narration by Stewart Copeland, it premièred on 17 September 2009 at the O2 Arena in London, the first date of its European tour.
The show's dialogue is in Latin and Aramaic,[1] and it includes a sea battle and gladiatorial combat, as well as the chariot race for which Ben Hur is famous. It is based primarily on the book as its source material rather than the Academy Award-winning adaptation which starred Charlton Heston.


Contents  [hide]
1 Reception
2 Creative Team
3 2009 Principal Cast
4 References
5 External links

Reception[edit]
After its London première, it received mixed reviews from theatre critics.[2]
Creative Team[edit]
Concept and Production - Franz Abraham
Direction - Philip Wm. McKinley
Music and English Narration - Stewart Copeland
German Narration - Ben Becker
Design - Mark Fisher and Ray Winkler
Horse Training and Stunt Coordination - Nicki Pfeifer
Lighting Design - Patrick Woodroffe
Choreography - Liam Steel
Fight Direction - Rick Sordelet
Book - Shaun McKenna
Costumes - Ann Would-Hard
2009 Principal Cast[edit]
Judah Ben-Hur - Sebastian Thrun
Messala - Michael Knese
Esther - Lili Gesler
Quintus Arrius - Anton Grünbeck
Sheik Ilderim - László Rókas
Miriam - Marina Krauser
Tirzah - Nina Wilden
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Espiner, Mark (14 September 2009). "Ben Hur Live leaves little to the imagination". guardian.co.uk (Guardian News and Media). Retrieved 18 September 2009.
2.Jump up ^ "Ben Hur Live: press views". BBC News (BBC). 18 September 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
External links[edit]
Official website
http://michaelknese.wordpress.com
http://geslerlili.szinhaz.org/
http://www.marina-krauser.de/
http://www.shaunmckenna.net/


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 




Stub icon This European theatre-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




  


Categories: 2009 plays
Historical plays
Plays based on novels
Fiction set in ancient Rome
Israel in fiction
Works based on Ben-Hur
European theatre stubs




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This page was last modified on 16 February 2015, at 17:24.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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Ben Hur (miniseries)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Ben Hur (TV miniseries))
Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 2010 television miniseries. For other uses, see Ben-Hur (disambiguation).

Ben Hur

Written by
Alan Sharp
Directed by
Steve Shill
Starring
Joseph Morgan
Stephen Campbell Moore
Kristin Kreuk
Emily VanCamp
Composer(s)
Rob Lane
Country of origin
United Kingdom
Original language(s)
English
Production

Producer(s)
Roger Corbi
 Simon Vaughan
Editor(s)
Annie Ilkow
 Simon Webb
Cinematography
Ousama Rawi
Running time
184 minutes
Broadcast

Original airing
2010
Ben Hur is a TV miniseries that first aired in 2010. Based on Lew Wallace's 1880 novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, the series was produced by Alchemy Television Group in association with Drimtim Entertainment and Muse Entertainment in Montreal. It aired on Canada's CBC network on April 4, 2010,[1] and aired later in 2010 on ABC in the United States.
Ben-Hur was directed by Steve Shill,[2] and stars Kristin Kreuk, Ray Winstone, Art Malik, Hugh Bonneville and Joseph Morgan as Judah Ben-Hur. The film was written by Alan Sharp.
Cast[edit]
In credits order:
Joseph Morgan as Judah Ben-Hur/Sextus Arrius, a wealthy Jerusalem merchant
Stephen Campbell Moore as Octavius Messala, a Roman officer
Emily VanCamp as Esther, betrothed to Ben Hur
Kristin Kreuk as Tirzah, Ben Hur's sister
Simón Andreu as Simonides, Esther's father
Hugh Bonneville as Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judaea
James Faulkner as Marcellus Agrippa, Messala's father
Alex Kingston as Ruth, Ben Hur's mother
Art Malik as Sheik Ilderim, a wealthy Bedouin
Marc Warren as David Ben Levi, Ben Hur's overseer
Lucía Jiménez as Athene, a Greek courtesan
Miguel Ángel Muñoz as Antegua, a galley slave
Ray Winstone as Quintus Arrius, a Roman admiral
Ben Cross as Emperor Tiberius
Kris Holden-Ried as Gaius Antonius, a Roman officer
Michael Nardone as Hortator (galley slave master)
Julian Casey as Jesus Christ
Eugene Simon as Young Ben Hur
Toby Marlow as Young Messala
Daniella Ereny as Young Tirzah
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Programming Highlights: Ben Hur For The 21st Century; New Miniseries Premieres on CBC". Channelcanada.com. March 23, 2010. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
2.Jump up ^ Spangler, Todd (2009-03-26). "ABC to air ‘Ben Hur’ miniseries". Variety. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
External links[edit]
Ben Hur at the Internet Movie Database


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 




Stub icon This article about a television show originating in Canada is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




  


Categories: Canadian television miniseries
Television dramas set in ancient Rome
Works based on Ben-Hur
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This page was last modified on 6 April 2015, at 17:21.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Hur_(miniseries)















Ben Hur (miniseries)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Ben Hur (TV miniseries))
Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 2010 television miniseries. For other uses, see Ben-Hur (disambiguation).

Ben Hur

Written by
Alan Sharp
Directed by
Steve Shill
Starring
Joseph Morgan
Stephen Campbell Moore
Kristin Kreuk
Emily VanCamp
Composer(s)
Rob Lane
Country of origin
United Kingdom
Original language(s)
English
Production

Producer(s)
Roger Corbi
 Simon Vaughan
Editor(s)
Annie Ilkow
 Simon Webb
Cinematography
Ousama Rawi
Running time
184 minutes
Broadcast

Original airing
2010
Ben Hur is a TV miniseries that first aired in 2010. Based on Lew Wallace's 1880 novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, the series was produced by Alchemy Television Group in association with Drimtim Entertainment and Muse Entertainment in Montreal. It aired on Canada's CBC network on April 4, 2010,[1] and aired later in 2010 on ABC in the United States.
Ben-Hur was directed by Steve Shill,[2] and stars Kristin Kreuk, Ray Winstone, Art Malik, Hugh Bonneville and Joseph Morgan as Judah Ben-Hur. The film was written by Alan Sharp.
Cast[edit]
In credits order:
Joseph Morgan as Judah Ben-Hur/Sextus Arrius, a wealthy Jerusalem merchant
Stephen Campbell Moore as Octavius Messala, a Roman officer
Emily VanCamp as Esther, betrothed to Ben Hur
Kristin Kreuk as Tirzah, Ben Hur's sister
Simón Andreu as Simonides, Esther's father
Hugh Bonneville as Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judaea
James Faulkner as Marcellus Agrippa, Messala's father
Alex Kingston as Ruth, Ben Hur's mother
Art Malik as Sheik Ilderim, a wealthy Bedouin
Marc Warren as David Ben Levi, Ben Hur's overseer
Lucía Jiménez as Athene, a Greek courtesan
Miguel Ángel Muñoz as Antegua, a galley slave
Ray Winstone as Quintus Arrius, a Roman admiral
Ben Cross as Emperor Tiberius
Kris Holden-Ried as Gaius Antonius, a Roman officer
Michael Nardone as Hortator (galley slave master)
Julian Casey as Jesus Christ
Eugene Simon as Young Ben Hur
Toby Marlow as Young Messala
Daniella Ereny as Young Tirzah
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Programming Highlights: Ben Hur For The 21st Century; New Miniseries Premieres on CBC". Channelcanada.com. March 23, 2010. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
2.Jump up ^ Spangler, Todd (2009-03-26). "ABC to air ‘Ben Hur’ miniseries". Variety. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
External links[edit]
Ben Hur at the Internet Movie Database


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 




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Quintus Arrius (character)

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Quintus Arrius is a fictional character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. He is a Roman warship commander whom Judah Ben-Hur saves from drowning. Arrius adopts Judah as his son, making him a freedman, a Roman citizen, and Arrius’s heir.[1]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 135, 160–62, and 166–67.


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 

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Quintus Arrius (character)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Quintus Arrius is a fictional character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. He is a Roman warship commander whom Judah Ben-Hur saves from drowning. Arrius adopts Judah as his son, making him a freedman, a Roman citizen, and Arrius’s heir.[1]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 135, 160–62, and 166–67.


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 

Stub icon This article about a literature character is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




  


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Sheik Ilderim

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Sheik Ilderim or known as just Ilderim is a fictional character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, first appeared in 1925 film Ben Hur.
About[edit]
Sheik Ilderim is an Arab who agrees to let Judah Ben-Hur race his chariot at Antioch.[1][2]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 206 and 231.
2.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 303.


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 




Stub icon This article about a literature character is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




  


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Sheik Ilderim

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Sheik Ilderim or known as just Ilderim is a fictional character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, first appeared in 1925 film Ben Hur.
About[edit]
Sheik Ilderim is an Arab who agrees to let Judah Ben-Hur race his chariot at Antioch.[1][2]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 206 and 231.
2.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 303.


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 




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Esther (character)

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Esther is a fictional character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, first appeared in 1925 film Ben Hur.
About[edit]
Esther is the modest daughter of Simonides; she becomes Judah Ben-Hur's wife and the mother of his children.[1]
Etymology[edit]
Wallace named this fictional character after his own mother, Esther French (Test) Wallace.[2][3]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 180 and 548.
2.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 932.
3.Jump up ^ McKee, "The Early Life of Lew Wallace", p. 206.


[hide]
v ·
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Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 

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Esther (character)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Esther is a fictional character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, first appeared in 1925 film Ben Hur.
About[edit]
Esther is the modest daughter of Simonides; she becomes Judah Ben-Hur's wife and the mother of his children.[1]
Etymology[edit]
Wallace named this fictional character after his own mother, Esther French (Test) Wallace.[2][3]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 180 and 548.
2.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 932.
3.Jump up ^ McKee, "The Early Life of Lew Wallace", p. 206.


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 

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Messala (character)

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Messala is a fictional character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, first appeared in 1907 film Ben Hur.
About[edit]
Messala is a Roman nobleman and the son of a Roman tax collector;[1] Judah Ben-Hur's boyhood friend and rival.[2]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 81–2.
2.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 301 and 303.


[hide]
v ·
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 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 

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Messala (character)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Messala is a fictional character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, first appeared in 1907 film Ben Hur.
About[edit]
Messala is a Roman nobleman and the son of a Roman tax collector;[1] Judah Ben-Hur's boyhood friend and rival.[2]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 81–2.
2.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 301 and 303.


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 

Stub icon This article about a literature character is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




  


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Judah Ben-Hur

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Judah Ben-Hur or just Ben-Hur is a fictional character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, first appeared in 1907 film Ben Hur.
About[edit]
Judah Ben-Hur is a Jewish prince of Jerusalem who is descended from a royal family of Judaea; son of Ithamar;[1] enslaved by the Romans and freed by Quintus Arrius, a Roman warship commander, who also adopts Judah as his son.[2] Judah later becomes a charioteer and follower of Christ. Messala is Judah's boyhood friend who becomes his rival later in the Sheik Ilderim's chariot at Antioch.[3][4] Esther becomes his wife and the mother of his children.[5]
Etymology[edit]
The name Ben-hur derives from the Hebrew for one of King Solomon's twelve district governors (1 Kings 4:8); it also means "Son of white linen".[6] When Wallace first introduces his readers to Judah, he is described as a seventeen-year-old youth wearing garments of "fine white linen".[7] Wallace chose the biblical name because it could be "easily spelled, printed, and pronounced."[8][9][10]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 100 and 171
2.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 135, 160–62, and 166–67.
3.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 206 and 231.
4.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 303.
5.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 180 and 548.
6.Jump up ^ David Mandel (2007). Who's Who in the Jewish Bible. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society. p. 62. ISBN 0-8276-0863-2.
7.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 82.
8.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 936.
9.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 298.
10.Jump up ^ Miller, p. 155.


[hide]
v ·
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 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 




Stub icon This article about a literature character is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




  


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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judah_Ben-Hur















Judah Ben-Hur

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Judah Ben-Hur or just Ben-Hur is a fictional character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, first appeared in 1907 film Ben Hur.
About[edit]
Judah Ben-Hur is a Jewish prince of Jerusalem who is descended from a royal family of Judaea; son of Ithamar;[1] enslaved by the Romans and freed by Quintus Arrius, a Roman warship commander, who also adopts Judah as his son.[2] Judah later becomes a charioteer and follower of Christ. Messala is Judah's boyhood friend who becomes his rival later in the Sheik Ilderim's chariot at Antioch.[3][4] Esther becomes his wife and the mother of his children.[5]
Etymology[edit]
The name Ben-hur derives from the Hebrew for one of King Solomon's twelve district governors (1 Kings 4:8); it also means "Son of white linen".[6] When Wallace first introduces his readers to Judah, he is described as a seventeen-year-old youth wearing garments of "fine white linen".[7] Wallace chose the biblical name because it could be "easily spelled, printed, and pronounced."[8][9][10]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 100 and 171
2.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 135, 160–62, and 166–67.
3.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 206 and 231.
4.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 303.
5.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 180 and 548.
6.Jump up ^ David Mandel (2007). Who's Who in the Jewish Bible. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society. p. 62. ISBN 0-8276-0863-2.
7.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 82.
8.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 936.
9.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 298.
10.Jump up ^ Miller, p. 155.


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Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
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 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 




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Ben Hur (1907 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 1907 silent film. For other uses, see Ben-Hur.

Ben Hur
Buyers Gallery Video Cover for Ben-Hur (1907 Film).jpg
Home video cover

Directed by
Sidney Olcott
 Frank Oakes Rose
H. Temple
Harry T. Morey (uncredited)
Frank Rose (uncredited)
Produced by
Lawrence Bender
Written by
Gene Gauntier
Lew Wallace
Starring
Herman Rottger
William S. Hart
Distributed by
Kalem Company

Release dates

December 7, 1907


Running time
 15 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent
Budget
$500
Ben Hur is a 15-minute-long 1907 silent film, the first film version of Lew Wallace's novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, one of the best-selling books at that time.
Development[edit]



 Still from Ben Hur (1907).
The film is most notable as a precedent in copyright law. The movie was made without the permission of the author's estate, which was common practice at that time. The screenwriter, Gene Gauntier, remarked in her 1928 autobiography how the film industry at that time infringed upon everything. As a result of the production of Ben Hur, Harper & Brothers and the author's estate brought suit against Kalem Studios, the Motion Picture Patents Company, and Gauntier for copyright infringement. The United States Supreme Court ultimately ruled against the film company in 1911. This ruling established the precedent that all motion picture production companies must first secure the film rights of any previously published work still under copyright before commissioning a screenplay based on that work.
The film was directed by Canadian director Sidney Olcott. At fifteen minutes long, only a small portion of the story was put on screen. The focus of the piece was the chariot race, which was filmed on a beach in New Jersey with local firemen playing the charioteers and the horses that normally pulled the fire wagons pulling the chariots.
In 1908, perhaps seeking to capitalize on the publicity of the case and the film, Harper & Brothers published a lavishly designed and illustrated book, The Chariot Race from Ben-Hur, which excerpted only the race from Lew Wallace's novel. Accompanying the text were color illustrations by Sigismond Ivanowski.
Actor William S. Hart, soon to be a famous silent film cowboy, reprises his role as Messala from the 1899 Broadway premiere and 1900 season Broadway play. Herman Rottger is Ben-Hur, where as in the 1900 play William Farnum, another soon to be famous silent cowboy, played Ben Hur against Hart's Messala.[1][2][3]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Ben Hur, Broadway Premiere at the Broadway Theatre, November 29, 1899; Edward Morgan as Ben Hur, William S. Hart as Messala; IBDb.com
2.Jump up ^ Ben Hur, 1900 Season at the Broadway Theatre, September 3, 1900; William Farnum as Ben Hur, William S. Hart as Messala; IBDb.com
3.Jump up ^ Listing of Revivals of the play throughout the years; IBDb.com
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ben Hur (1907 film).
Ben Hur at the Internet Movie Database
Google Book Search file on the case Harper & Brothers v. Kalem Company (1909), from the book Select Cases on the Law of Torts, by John Henry Wigmore.
(French) Ben Hur website dedicated to Sidney Olcott
The short film Ben Hur (1907 film) is available for free download at the Internet Archive


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 

  


Categories: 1907 films
American silent short films
Films based on American novels
Films directed by Sidney Olcott
Films set in the Roman Empire
Films set in the 1st century
Black-and-white films
Kalem Company films
Ben-Hur films







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This page was last modified on 16 February 2015, at 17:08.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Hur_(1907_film)














Ben Hur (1907 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 1907 silent film. For other uses, see Ben-Hur.

Ben Hur
Buyers Gallery Video Cover for Ben-Hur (1907 Film).jpg
Home video cover

Directed by
Sidney Olcott
 Frank Oakes Rose
H. Temple
Harry T. Morey (uncredited)
Frank Rose (uncredited)
Produced by
Lawrence Bender
Written by
Gene Gauntier
Lew Wallace
Starring
Herman Rottger
William S. Hart
Distributed by
Kalem Company

Release dates

December 7, 1907


Running time
 15 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent
Budget
$500
Ben Hur is a 15-minute-long 1907 silent film, the first film version of Lew Wallace's novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, one of the best-selling books at that time.
Development[edit]



 Still from Ben Hur (1907).
The film is most notable as a precedent in copyright law. The movie was made without the permission of the author's estate, which was common practice at that time. The screenwriter, Gene Gauntier, remarked in her 1928 autobiography how the film industry at that time infringed upon everything. As a result of the production of Ben Hur, Harper & Brothers and the author's estate brought suit against Kalem Studios, the Motion Picture Patents Company, and Gauntier for copyright infringement. The United States Supreme Court ultimately ruled against the film company in 1911. This ruling established the precedent that all motion picture production companies must first secure the film rights of any previously published work still under copyright before commissioning a screenplay based on that work.
The film was directed by Canadian director Sidney Olcott. At fifteen minutes long, only a small portion of the story was put on screen. The focus of the piece was the chariot race, which was filmed on a beach in New Jersey with local firemen playing the charioteers and the horses that normally pulled the fire wagons pulling the chariots.
In 1908, perhaps seeking to capitalize on the publicity of the case and the film, Harper & Brothers published a lavishly designed and illustrated book, The Chariot Race from Ben-Hur, which excerpted only the race from Lew Wallace's novel. Accompanying the text were color illustrations by Sigismond Ivanowski.
Actor William S. Hart, soon to be a famous silent film cowboy, reprises his role as Messala from the 1899 Broadway premiere and 1900 season Broadway play. Herman Rottger is Ben-Hur, where as in the 1900 play William Farnum, another soon to be famous silent cowboy, played Ben Hur against Hart's Messala.[1][2][3]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Ben Hur, Broadway Premiere at the Broadway Theatre, November 29, 1899; Edward Morgan as Ben Hur, William S. Hart as Messala; IBDb.com
2.Jump up ^ Ben Hur, 1900 Season at the Broadway Theatre, September 3, 1900; William Farnum as Ben Hur, William S. Hart as Messala; IBDb.com
3.Jump up ^ Listing of Revivals of the play throughout the years; IBDb.com
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ben Hur (1907 film).
Ben Hur at the Internet Movie Database
Google Book Search file on the case Harper & Brothers v. Kalem Company (1909), from the book Select Cases on the Law of Torts, by John Henry Wigmore.
(French) Ben Hur website dedicated to Sidney Olcott
The short film Ben Hur (1907 film) is available for free download at the Internet Archive


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
 Messala ·
 Esther ·
 Sheik Ilderim ·
 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

Other
Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 

  


Categories: 1907 films
American silent short films
Films based on American novels
Films directed by Sidney Olcott
Films set in the Roman Empire
Films set in the 1st century
Black-and-white films
Kalem Company films
Ben-Hur films







Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















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Edit links
This page was last modified on 16 February 2015, at 17:08.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Hur_(1907_film)



















Ben-Hur (1925 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 1925 silent film. For other uses, see Ben-Hur.

Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur-1925.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Charles Brabin
 (uncredited)
Fred Niblo
Produced by
Louis B. Mayer
Written by
June Mathis
 (adaptation)
Carey Wilson
 (scenario and continuity)
Bess Meredyth
 (continuity)
 Katharine Hilliker
 (titles)
 H.H. Caldwell
 (titles)
Based on
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
 by Lew Wallace
Starring
Ramón Novarro
Francis X. Bushman
May McAvoy
Betty Bronson
Music by
William Axt
Cinematography
Clyde De Vinna
René Guissart
 Percy Hilburn
Karl Struss
 Glenn Kershner
Edited by
Lloyd Nosler
Distributed by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Release dates

December 30, 1925


Running time
 143 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent
 English intertitles
Budget
$3,967,000[1][2]
Box office
$10,738,000[1][2]


File:Ben-Hur Trailer (1925).webm
Play media


 Trailer.
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a 1925 American epic silent film directed by Fred Niblo. It stars Ramón Novarro and Francis X. Bushman, and is based on the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace. The novel was first adapted for the screen in 1907 also titled Ben Hur.
In 1997, Ben-Hur was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Reception
5 Restoration
6 DVD release
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Plot[edit]
Ben-Hur is a wealthy Jew and boyhood friend of the powerful Roman Tribune, Messala. When an accident leads to Ben-Hur's arrest, Messala, who has become corrupt and arrogant, makes sure Ben-Hur and his family are jailed and separated.
Ben-Hur is sentenced to slave labor in a Roman war galley. Along the way, he unknowingly encounters Jesus, the carpenter's son who offers him water. Once aboard ship, his attitude of defiance and strength impresses a Roman admiral, Quintus Arrius, who allows him to remain unchained. This actually works in the Admiral's favor because when his ship is attacked and sunk by pirates, Ben-Hur saves him from drowning.
Arrius then treats Ben-Hur as a son, and over the years the young man grows strong and becomes a victorious chariot racer. This eventually leads to a climactic showdown with Messala in a chariot race, in which Ben-Hur is the victor. However, Messala does not die, as he does in the more famous 1959 remake of the film.
Ben-Hur is eventually reunited with his mother and sister, who are suffering from leprosy but are miraculously cured by Jesus.[3]
Cast[edit]
Ramón Novarro as Judah Ben-Hur          
Francis X. Bushman as Messala
May McAvoy as Esther
Betty Bronson as Mary
Kathleen Key as Tirzah
Carmel Myers as Iras
Nigel De Brulier as Simonides
Mitchell Lewis as Sheik Ilderim
Leo White as Sanballat
Frank Currier as Quintus Arrius
Charles Belcher as Balthazar
Dale Fuller as Amrah
Winter Hall as Joseph
Crowd Extras During Chariot RaceReginald Barker
John Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore
Clarence Brown
Joan Crawford
Marion Davies
Douglas Fairbanks
George Fitzmaurice
Sidney Franklin
John Gilbert
Dorothy Gish
Lillian Gish
Samuel Goldwyn
Sid Grauman
Rupert Julian
Henry King
Harold Lloyd
Colleen Moore
Mary Pickford
Production[edit]
Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ had been a great success as a novel, and was adapted into a stage play which ran for twenty-five years. In 1922, two years after the play's last tour, the Goldwyn company purchased the film rights to Ben-Hur. The play's producer, Abraham Erlanger, put a heavy price on the screen rights. Erlanger was persuaded to accept a generous profit participation deal and total approval over every detail of the production.
Shooting began in Rome, Italy in October 1923 under the direction of Charles Brabin who was replaced shortly after filming began. Additional recastings (including Ramón Novarro as Ben-Hur) and a change of director caused the production's budget to skyrocket. After two years of difficulties and accidents, the production was eventually moved back to Los Angeles and production resumed in the spring of 1925. B. Reeves Eason and Christy Cabanne directed the second unit footage.[4]
Costs eventually rose to $3.9 million,[5] making Ben-Hur the most expensive film of the silent era.[citation needed]
A total of 60,960 m (200,000 ft) of film was shot for the chariot race scene, which was eventually edited down to 229 m (750 ft).[6] Film critic Kevin Brownlow has called the chariot race sequence as creative and influential a piece of cinema as the famous Odessa Steps sequence in Sergei Eisenstein's The Battleship Potemkin, which introduced modern concepts of film editing and montage to cinema.[7] This scene has been much imitated. It was re-created virtually shot for shot in the 1959 remake, copied in the 1998 animated film The Prince of Egypt, and more recently imitated in the pod race scene in the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace which was made almost 75 years later.
"Chariot Race" painting by Alexander von Wagner as basis of the chariot set design/cinematography.
Some scenes in the film were in two-color Technicolor, most notably the sequences involving Jesus. One of the assistant directors for this sequence was a very young William Wyler, who would direct the 1959 remake. The black-and-white footage was color tinted and toned in the film's original release print.[4]
Reception[edit]
The studio's publicity department was relentless in promoting the film, advertising it with lines like: "The Picture Every Christian Ought to See!" and "The Supreme Motion Picture Masterpiece of All Time". Although audiences flocked to Ben-Hur after its premiere in 1925 and the picture grossed $9 million worldwide, its huge expenses and the deal with Erlanger made it a net financial loss for MGM. It recorded an overall loss of $698,000.[2]
In terms of publicity and prestige however, it was a great success. It helped establish the new MGM as a major studio.[8][9]
The film was re-released in 1931 with an added musical score, by the original composers William Axt and David Mendoza, and sound effects. As the decades passed, the original two-color Technicolor segments were replaced by alternate black-and-white takes. Ben-Hur earned $1,352,000 during its re-release and made a profit of $779,000 meaning it had an overall profit of $81,000.[2] It remains one of the few films at Rotten Tomatoes to maintain a 100% freshness rating.[10]
Restoration[edit]
The Technicolor scenes were considered lost until the 1980s when Turner Entertainment (who by then had acquired the rights to the film) found the crucial sequences in a Czech film archive. Current prints of the 1925 version are from the Turner-supervised restoration. The restoration includes the color tints and Technicolor sections, set to resemble the original theatrical release. There is an addition of a newly recorded stereo orchestral soundtrack by Carl Davis with the London Philharmonic Orchestra which was originally recorded for a Thames Television screening of the movie.
DVD release[edit]
Ben-Hur was released on DVD, complete with the Technicolor segments, in the four-disc collector's edition of the 1959 version starring Charlton Heston, as well as in the 2011 "Fiftieth Anniversary Edition" Blu-ray Collector's Edition three-disc box set.
See also[edit]
List of films featuring slavery
References[edit]
Notes
1.^ Jump up to: a b "Ben-Hur (1925)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d H. Mark Glancy, 'MGM Film Grosses, 1924-28: The Eddie Mannix Ledger', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 12 No. 2 1992 p127-144 at p129
3.Jump up ^ "Plot Summary for Ben Hur". Classic Film Guide. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
4.^ Jump up to: a b "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ". silentera.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
5.Jump up ^ "Box office / business for Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)". IMDB. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
6.Jump up ^ Brownlow, Kevin (1968). The Parade's Gone By... New York: Bonanza Books. p. 409. ISBN 0-520-03068-0.
7.Jump up ^ Brownlow, p. 413.
8.Jump up ^ Hoffman, Scott W. (2002). "The Making and Release of Ben-Hur". findarticles.com. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
9.Jump up ^ "Commentary on Ben-Hur". www.albany.edu. Archived from the original on 2006-12-05. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
10.Jump up ^ Ben-Hur at Rotten Tomatoes
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ben-Hur (1925 film).
Ben-Hur at the Internet Movie Database
Ben-Hur at AllMovie
Ben-Hur at Rotten Tomatoes


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
The films of Fred Niblo















































[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ



























  


Categories: 1925 films
1920s adventure films
1920s drama films
American films
American adventure drama films
American silent feature films
Animal cruelty incidents
American epic films
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
United States National Film Registry films
Films based on American novels
Films directed by Fred Niblo
Films directed by Charles Brabin
Films shot in Italy
Films shot in Rome
Films shot in Los Angeles, California
Films set in ancient Rome
Films set in the Roman Empire
Films set in the 1st century
Religious epic films
Silent films in color
Portrayals of Jesus in film
Portrayals of the Virgin Mary in film
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This page was last modified on 21 April 2015, at 03:55.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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Powered by MediaWiki
    
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben-Hur_(1925_film)















Ben-Hur (1925 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 1925 silent film. For other uses, see Ben-Hur.

Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur-1925.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Charles Brabin
 (uncredited)
Fred Niblo
Produced by
Louis B. Mayer
Written by
June Mathis
 (adaptation)
Carey Wilson
 (scenario and continuity)
Bess Meredyth
 (continuity)
 Katharine Hilliker
 (titles)
 H.H. Caldwell
 (titles)
Based on
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
 by Lew Wallace
Starring
Ramón Novarro
Francis X. Bushman
May McAvoy
Betty Bronson
Music by
William Axt
Cinematography
Clyde De Vinna
René Guissart
 Percy Hilburn
Karl Struss
 Glenn Kershner
Edited by
Lloyd Nosler
Distributed by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Release dates

December 30, 1925


Running time
 143 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent
 English intertitles
Budget
$3,967,000[1][2]
Box office
$10,738,000[1][2]


File:Ben-Hur Trailer (1925).webm
Play media


 Trailer.
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a 1925 American epic silent film directed by Fred Niblo. It stars Ramón Novarro and Francis X. Bushman, and is based on the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace. The novel was first adapted for the screen in 1907 also titled Ben Hur.
In 1997, Ben-Hur was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Reception
5 Restoration
6 DVD release
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Plot[edit]
Ben-Hur is a wealthy Jew and boyhood friend of the powerful Roman Tribune, Messala. When an accident leads to Ben-Hur's arrest, Messala, who has become corrupt and arrogant, makes sure Ben-Hur and his family are jailed and separated.
Ben-Hur is sentenced to slave labor in a Roman war galley. Along the way, he unknowingly encounters Jesus, the carpenter's son who offers him water. Once aboard ship, his attitude of defiance and strength impresses a Roman admiral, Quintus Arrius, who allows him to remain unchained. This actually works in the Admiral's favor because when his ship is attacked and sunk by pirates, Ben-Hur saves him from drowning.
Arrius then treats Ben-Hur as a son, and over the years the young man grows strong and becomes a victorious chariot racer. This eventually leads to a climactic showdown with Messala in a chariot race, in which Ben-Hur is the victor. However, Messala does not die, as he does in the more famous 1959 remake of the film.
Ben-Hur is eventually reunited with his mother and sister, who are suffering from leprosy but are miraculously cured by Jesus.[3]
Cast[edit]
Ramón Novarro as Judah Ben-Hur          
Francis X. Bushman as Messala
May McAvoy as Esther
Betty Bronson as Mary
Kathleen Key as Tirzah
Carmel Myers as Iras
Nigel De Brulier as Simonides
Mitchell Lewis as Sheik Ilderim
Leo White as Sanballat
Frank Currier as Quintus Arrius
Charles Belcher as Balthazar
Dale Fuller as Amrah
Winter Hall as Joseph
Crowd Extras During Chariot RaceReginald Barker
John Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore
Clarence Brown
Joan Crawford
Marion Davies
Douglas Fairbanks
George Fitzmaurice
Sidney Franklin
John Gilbert
Dorothy Gish
Lillian Gish
Samuel Goldwyn
Sid Grauman
Rupert Julian
Henry King
Harold Lloyd
Colleen Moore
Mary Pickford
Production[edit]
Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ had been a great success as a novel, and was adapted into a stage play which ran for twenty-five years. In 1922, two years after the play's last tour, the Goldwyn company purchased the film rights to Ben-Hur. The play's producer, Abraham Erlanger, put a heavy price on the screen rights. Erlanger was persuaded to accept a generous profit participation deal and total approval over every detail of the production.
Shooting began in Rome, Italy in October 1923 under the direction of Charles Brabin who was replaced shortly after filming began. Additional recastings (including Ramón Novarro as Ben-Hur) and a change of director caused the production's budget to skyrocket. After two years of difficulties and accidents, the production was eventually moved back to Los Angeles and production resumed in the spring of 1925. B. Reeves Eason and Christy Cabanne directed the second unit footage.[4]
Costs eventually rose to $3.9 million,[5] making Ben-Hur the most expensive film of the silent era.[citation needed]
A total of 60,960 m (200,000 ft) of film was shot for the chariot race scene, which was eventually edited down to 229 m (750 ft).[6] Film critic Kevin Brownlow has called the chariot race sequence as creative and influential a piece of cinema as the famous Odessa Steps sequence in Sergei Eisenstein's The Battleship Potemkin, which introduced modern concepts of film editing and montage to cinema.[7] This scene has been much imitated. It was re-created virtually shot for shot in the 1959 remake, copied in the 1998 animated film The Prince of Egypt, and more recently imitated in the pod race scene in the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace which was made almost 75 years later.
"Chariot Race" painting by Alexander von Wagner as basis of the chariot set design/cinematography.
Some scenes in the film were in two-color Technicolor, most notably the sequences involving Jesus. One of the assistant directors for this sequence was a very young William Wyler, who would direct the 1959 remake. The black-and-white footage was color tinted and toned in the film's original release print.[4]
Reception[edit]
The studio's publicity department was relentless in promoting the film, advertising it with lines like: "The Picture Every Christian Ought to See!" and "The Supreme Motion Picture Masterpiece of All Time". Although audiences flocked to Ben-Hur after its premiere in 1925 and the picture grossed $9 million worldwide, its huge expenses and the deal with Erlanger made it a net financial loss for MGM. It recorded an overall loss of $698,000.[2]
In terms of publicity and prestige however, it was a great success. It helped establish the new MGM as a major studio.[8][9]
The film was re-released in 1931 with an added musical score, by the original composers William Axt and David Mendoza, and sound effects. As the decades passed, the original two-color Technicolor segments were replaced by alternate black-and-white takes. Ben-Hur earned $1,352,000 during its re-release and made a profit of $779,000 meaning it had an overall profit of $81,000.[2] It remains one of the few films at Rotten Tomatoes to maintain a 100% freshness rating.[10]
Restoration[edit]
The Technicolor scenes were considered lost until the 1980s when Turner Entertainment (who by then had acquired the rights to the film) found the crucial sequences in a Czech film archive. Current prints of the 1925 version are from the Turner-supervised restoration. The restoration includes the color tints and Technicolor sections, set to resemble the original theatrical release. There is an addition of a newly recorded stereo orchestral soundtrack by Carl Davis with the London Philharmonic Orchestra which was originally recorded for a Thames Television screening of the movie.
DVD release[edit]
Ben-Hur was released on DVD, complete with the Technicolor segments, in the four-disc collector's edition of the 1959 version starring Charlton Heston, as well as in the 2011 "Fiftieth Anniversary Edition" Blu-ray Collector's Edition three-disc box set.
See also[edit]
List of films featuring slavery
References[edit]
Notes
1.^ Jump up to: a b "Ben-Hur (1925)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d H. Mark Glancy, 'MGM Film Grosses, 1924-28: The Eddie Mannix Ledger', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 12 No. 2 1992 p127-144 at p129
3.Jump up ^ "Plot Summary for Ben Hur". Classic Film Guide. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
4.^ Jump up to: a b "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ". silentera.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
5.Jump up ^ "Box office / business for Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)". IMDB. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
6.Jump up ^ Brownlow, Kevin (1968). The Parade's Gone By... New York: Bonanza Books. p. 409. ISBN 0-520-03068-0.
7.Jump up ^ Brownlow, p. 413.
8.Jump up ^ Hoffman, Scott W. (2002). "The Making and Release of Ben-Hur". findarticles.com. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
9.Jump up ^ "Commentary on Ben-Hur". www.albany.edu. Archived from the original on 2006-12-05. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
10.Jump up ^ Ben-Hur at Rotten Tomatoes
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ben-Hur (1925 film).
Ben-Hur at the Internet Movie Database
Ben-Hur at AllMovie
Ben-Hur at Rotten Tomatoes


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Ben-Hur (2016 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


Ben-Hur

Directed by
Timur Bekmambetov
Produced by
Mark Burnett
Sean Daniel
 Duncan Henderson
 Joni Levin
Written by
Keith R. Clarke
John Ridley
Based on
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
 by Lew Wallace
Starring
Jack Huston
Morgan Freeman
Toby Kebbell
Nazanin Boniadi
Rodrigo Santoro
Cinematography
Oliver Wood

Production
 companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Distributed by
Paramount Pictures

Release dates

February 26, 2016 (United States)

Country
United States
Language
English
Ben-Hur is an upcoming American historical epic film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Keith R. Clarke and John Ridley, based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace and also a remake of 1959 film of same name -- which was, itself, a remake of a 1925 film, which was based on the novel of the same name published in 1880. The film stars Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi and Rodrigo Santoro. Principal photography began on February 2, 2015 in Rome, Italy. The film is scheduled to be released on February 26, 2016.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Casting
3.2 Filming
4 References
5 External links

Plot[edit]
A falsely accused nobleman Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) survives years of slavery to get revenge from his best boyhood friend Messala (Toby Kebbell) who betrayed him.
Cast[edit]
Jack Huston as Judah Ben-Hur[1]
Morgan Freeman as Sheik Ilderim[2]
Toby Kebbell as Messala[3]
Nazanin Boniadi as Esther[4]
Rodrigo Santoro as Jesus[5]
Sofia Black D'Elia as Tirzah[6]
Ayelet Zurer as Naomi[7]
Moisés Arias as Gestas[8]
Pilou Asbæk as Pontius Pilate[9]
Marwan Kenzari as Druses[10]
Edoardo Purgatori as Angry Slave[11]
Haluk Bilginer as Simonides
Production[edit]
On April 25, 2014, Paramount Pictures and MGM announced that they will co-produce Ben-Hur with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who also made the recent miniseries The Bible. The film is set for release in February 2016.[12] On February 2, 2015, MGM and Paramount revealed producers including Sean Daniel, Burnett, Joni Levin and Duncan Henderson, while Downey, Keith Clarke, John Ridley and Jason Brown would serve as executive producers.[13] Creative team was also announced which included Director of Photography Oliver Wood, Production Designer Naomi Shohan, Costume Designer Varvava Avdyushko, Visual Effects Supervisor Jim Rygiel, and Special Effects Supervisor Andy Williams.[13]
Casting[edit]
Tom Hiddleston was being eyed for the title role Judah Ben-Hur.[14] On September 11, Morgan Freeman was added to the cast to play the role of Sheik Ilderim, the man who teaches the slave Ben-Hur to become a champion-caliber chariot racer.[2] On September 16, Jack Huston was set to play the title role in the film.[1] On September 18, sources confirmed that Toby Kebbell was in early talks to play the villain role as Messala.[3] On October 15, Gal Gadot was in talks to join the film for the female lead role as Esther, a slave with whom Ben-Hur is in love.[15] Pedro Pascal from the TV series Game of Thrones was in talks to play Pontius Pilate.[16] On October 30, TheWrap confirmed that Gadot's negotiations with Paramount and MGM had ended and actress withdrew due to scheduling conflicts with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.[17] On November 4, Marwan Kenzari was added to the cast as Druses, a Roman captain.[10] On November 11, Ayelet Zurer was in final negotiations to play Naomi, Judah Ben-Hur's mother[7] (Miriam in the book and the 1959 adaptation). On November 13, Olivia Cooke was being considered for Tirzah, Ben-Hur's sister.[18] On December 2, Nazanin Boniadi was confirmed to as Esther, winning the role over actresses Sofia Boutella, Moran Atias and Natalia Warner.[4] On January 12, 2015, Sofia Black D'Elia was cast in the film as Ben-Hur's sister, Tirzah, a role once offered to Cooke.[6] On January 13, Rodrigo Santoro was announced as Jesus.[5] On January 20, Moisés Arias was added to the cast to play Gestas, a teenage Jewish zealot whose is desperate to fight for freedom after his family has been murdered by the Romans.[8] On the next day January 21, Pilou Asbæk was also cast as Pontius Pilate, replacing Pascal for the role.[9]
Filming[edit]
The principal photography on the film began on February 2, 2015, in Rome and Matera, Italy.[13][19] Currently the Sassi di Matera in Basilicata and the Cinecittà studios in Rome are also chosen among the film settings.[20][21] On February 13, fully costumed actors were spotted on the set while filming in Matera, Italy.[22]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Kroll, Justin (September 16, 2014). "MGM and Paramount Tap Jack Huston to Play ‘Ben-Hur’". variety.com. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Fleming Jr, Mike (September 11, 2014). "Morgan Freeman Set For ‘Ben-Hur’ Redo". deadline.com. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Kroll, Justin (September 18, 2014). "Toby Kebbell Eyes Villainous Role in ‘Ben-Hur’ Remake". variety.com. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Fleming Jr, Mike (December 2, 2014). "‘Homeland’s Nazanin Boniadi Wins ‘Ben-Hur’ Female Lead". deadline.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Kit, Borys (January 13, 2015). "Rodrigo Santoro to Play Jesus Christ in MGM's 'Ben-Hur' Remake". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
6.^ Jump up to: a b Yamato, Jen (January 12, 2015). "Sofia Black-D’Elia Lands ‘Ben-Hur’ Role". deadline.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
7.^ Jump up to: a b Ford, Rebecca; Kit, Borys (November 11, 2014). "'Man of Steel' Actress in Talks for 'Ben-Hur'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Yamato, Jen (January 20, 2015). "‘Ben-Hur’ Adds Moises Arias". deadline.com. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
9.^ Jump up to: a b Ge, Linda; Sneider, Jeff (January 21, 2015). "‘Lucy’ Star Pilou Asbæk to Play Pontius Pilate in ‘Ben-Hur’". thewrap.com. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Yamato, Jen (November 4, 2014). "Marwan Kenzari Joins ‘Ben-Hur’". deadline.com. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
11.Jump up ^ PurgatoriCast http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3743316/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
12.Jump up ^ "'Ben-Hur' remake set for 2016 release"
13.^ Jump up to: a b c "MGM and Paramount Start Principal Photography on Ben-Hur". comingsoon.net. February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
14.Jump up ^ "Sweet Chariot! Tom Hiddleston Courted For ‘Ben-Hur’ Title Role". deadline.com.
15.Jump up ^ Ford, Rebecca (October 15, 2014). "Gal Gadot Circling Female Lead in 'Ben-Hur'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
16.Jump up ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (October 15, 2014). "‘Game Of Thrones’ Pedro Pascal In Talks To Play Pontius Pilate In ‘Ben-Hur’". deadline.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
17.Jump up ^ Sneider, Jeff (October 30, 2014). "‘Batman v Superman’ Shoot Forces Gal Gadot to Pass on ‘Ben-Hur’". thewrap.com. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
18.Jump up ^ Sneider, Jeff (November 13, 2014). "‘Ouija’ Star Olivia Cooke May Play Jack Huston’s Sister in ‘Ben-Hur’ Remake". thewrap.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
19.Jump up ^ "On the Set for 2/2/15: Eddie Redmayne Starts on The Danish Girl, Martin Scorsese Begins Lensing Silence & More". ssninsider.com. February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
20.Jump up ^ "Ben-Hur: Italy’s Matera the film location of choice". theaustralian.com.au. November 27, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
21.Jump up ^ "Hollywood on the Tiber 2: The return of Cinecittà". swide.com. December 3, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
22.Jump up ^ CHESTER, JASON (February 13, 2015). "That's not historically accurate! Jack Huston puffs on a cigarette while in costume as Ben Hur". dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
External links[edit]
Ben-Hur at the Internet Movie Database


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[show]
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Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ



























  


Categories: Upcoming films
English-language films
2016 films
2016 3D films
American films
Paramount Pictures films
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
Ben-Hur films
Films directed by Timur Bekmambetov




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Ben-Hur (2016 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


Ben-Hur

Directed by
Timur Bekmambetov
Produced by
Mark Burnett
Sean Daniel
 Duncan Henderson
 Joni Levin
Written by
Keith R. Clarke
John Ridley
Based on
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
 by Lew Wallace
Starring
Jack Huston
Morgan Freeman
Toby Kebbell
Nazanin Boniadi
Rodrigo Santoro
Cinematography
Oliver Wood

Production
 companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Distributed by
Paramount Pictures

Release dates

February 26, 2016 (United States)

Country
United States
Language
English
Ben-Hur is an upcoming American historical epic film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Keith R. Clarke and John Ridley, based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace and also a remake of 1959 film of same name -- which was, itself, a remake of a 1925 film, which was based on the novel of the same name published in 1880. The film stars Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi and Rodrigo Santoro. Principal photography began on February 2, 2015 in Rome, Italy. The film is scheduled to be released on February 26, 2016.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Casting
3.2 Filming
4 References
5 External links

Plot[edit]
A falsely accused nobleman Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) survives years of slavery to get revenge from his best boyhood friend Messala (Toby Kebbell) who betrayed him.
Cast[edit]
Jack Huston as Judah Ben-Hur[1]
Morgan Freeman as Sheik Ilderim[2]
Toby Kebbell as Messala[3]
Nazanin Boniadi as Esther[4]
Rodrigo Santoro as Jesus[5]
Sofia Black D'Elia as Tirzah[6]
Ayelet Zurer as Naomi[7]
Moisés Arias as Gestas[8]
Pilou Asbæk as Pontius Pilate[9]
Marwan Kenzari as Druses[10]
Edoardo Purgatori as Angry Slave[11]
Haluk Bilginer as Simonides
Production[edit]
On April 25, 2014, Paramount Pictures and MGM announced that they will co-produce Ben-Hur with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who also made the recent miniseries The Bible. The film is set for release in February 2016.[12] On February 2, 2015, MGM and Paramount revealed producers including Sean Daniel, Burnett, Joni Levin and Duncan Henderson, while Downey, Keith Clarke, John Ridley and Jason Brown would serve as executive producers.[13] Creative team was also announced which included Director of Photography Oliver Wood, Production Designer Naomi Shohan, Costume Designer Varvava Avdyushko, Visual Effects Supervisor Jim Rygiel, and Special Effects Supervisor Andy Williams.[13]
Casting[edit]
Tom Hiddleston was being eyed for the title role Judah Ben-Hur.[14] On September 11, Morgan Freeman was added to the cast to play the role of Sheik Ilderim, the man who teaches the slave Ben-Hur to become a champion-caliber chariot racer.[2] On September 16, Jack Huston was set to play the title role in the film.[1] On September 18, sources confirmed that Toby Kebbell was in early talks to play the villain role as Messala.[3] On October 15, Gal Gadot was in talks to join the film for the female lead role as Esther, a slave with whom Ben-Hur is in love.[15] Pedro Pascal from the TV series Game of Thrones was in talks to play Pontius Pilate.[16] On October 30, TheWrap confirmed that Gadot's negotiations with Paramount and MGM had ended and actress withdrew due to scheduling conflicts with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.[17] On November 4, Marwan Kenzari was added to the cast as Druses, a Roman captain.[10] On November 11, Ayelet Zurer was in final negotiations to play Naomi, Judah Ben-Hur's mother[7] (Miriam in the book and the 1959 adaptation). On November 13, Olivia Cooke was being considered for Tirzah, Ben-Hur's sister.[18] On December 2, Nazanin Boniadi was confirmed to as Esther, winning the role over actresses Sofia Boutella, Moran Atias and Natalia Warner.[4] On January 12, 2015, Sofia Black D'Elia was cast in the film as Ben-Hur's sister, Tirzah, a role once offered to Cooke.[6] On January 13, Rodrigo Santoro was announced as Jesus.[5] On January 20, Moisés Arias was added to the cast to play Gestas, a teenage Jewish zealot whose is desperate to fight for freedom after his family has been murdered by the Romans.[8] On the next day January 21, Pilou Asbæk was also cast as Pontius Pilate, replacing Pascal for the role.[9]
Filming[edit]
The principal photography on the film began on February 2, 2015, in Rome and Matera, Italy.[13][19] Currently the Sassi di Matera in Basilicata and the Cinecittà studios in Rome are also chosen among the film settings.[20][21] On February 13, fully costumed actors were spotted on the set while filming in Matera, Italy.[22]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Kroll, Justin (September 16, 2014). "MGM and Paramount Tap Jack Huston to Play ‘Ben-Hur’". variety.com. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Fleming Jr, Mike (September 11, 2014). "Morgan Freeman Set For ‘Ben-Hur’ Redo". deadline.com. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Kroll, Justin (September 18, 2014). "Toby Kebbell Eyes Villainous Role in ‘Ben-Hur’ Remake". variety.com. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Fleming Jr, Mike (December 2, 2014). "‘Homeland’s Nazanin Boniadi Wins ‘Ben-Hur’ Female Lead". deadline.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Kit, Borys (January 13, 2015). "Rodrigo Santoro to Play Jesus Christ in MGM's 'Ben-Hur' Remake". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
6.^ Jump up to: a b Yamato, Jen (January 12, 2015). "Sofia Black-D’Elia Lands ‘Ben-Hur’ Role". deadline.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
7.^ Jump up to: a b Ford, Rebecca; Kit, Borys (November 11, 2014). "'Man of Steel' Actress in Talks for 'Ben-Hur'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Yamato, Jen (January 20, 2015). "‘Ben-Hur’ Adds Moises Arias". deadline.com. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
9.^ Jump up to: a b Ge, Linda; Sneider, Jeff (January 21, 2015). "‘Lucy’ Star Pilou Asbæk to Play Pontius Pilate in ‘Ben-Hur’". thewrap.com. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Yamato, Jen (November 4, 2014). "Marwan Kenzari Joins ‘Ben-Hur’". deadline.com. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
11.Jump up ^ PurgatoriCast http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3743316/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
12.Jump up ^ "'Ben-Hur' remake set for 2016 release"
13.^ Jump up to: a b c "MGM and Paramount Start Principal Photography on Ben-Hur". comingsoon.net. February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
14.Jump up ^ "Sweet Chariot! Tom Hiddleston Courted For ‘Ben-Hur’ Title Role". deadline.com.
15.Jump up ^ Ford, Rebecca (October 15, 2014). "Gal Gadot Circling Female Lead in 'Ben-Hur'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
16.Jump up ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (October 15, 2014). "‘Game Of Thrones’ Pedro Pascal In Talks To Play Pontius Pilate In ‘Ben-Hur’". deadline.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
17.Jump up ^ Sneider, Jeff (October 30, 2014). "‘Batman v Superman’ Shoot Forces Gal Gadot to Pass on ‘Ben-Hur’". thewrap.com. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
18.Jump up ^ Sneider, Jeff (November 13, 2014). "‘Ouija’ Star Olivia Cooke May Play Jack Huston’s Sister in ‘Ben-Hur’ Remake". thewrap.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
19.Jump up ^ "On the Set for 2/2/15: Eddie Redmayne Starts on The Danish Girl, Martin Scorsese Begins Lensing Silence & More". ssninsider.com. February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
20.Jump up ^ "Ben-Hur: Italy’s Matera the film location of choice". theaustralian.com.au. November 27, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
21.Jump up ^ "Hollywood on the Tiber 2: The return of Cinecittà". swide.com. December 3, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
22.Jump up ^ CHESTER, JASON (February 13, 2015). "That's not historically accurate! Jack Huston puffs on a cigarette while in costume as Ben Hur". dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
External links[edit]
Ben-Hur at the Internet Movie Database


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Films directed by Timur Bekmambetov















[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ



























  


Categories: Upcoming films
English-language films
2016 films
2016 3D films
American films
Paramount Pictures films
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
Ben-Hur films
Films directed by Timur Bekmambetov




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This page was last modified on 10 April 2015, at 13:41.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

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Jump to: navigation, search

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Wallace Ben-Hur cover.jpg
First edition, 1880

Author
Lew Wallace
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre
Historical novel
Publisher
Harper & Brothers

Publication date
 November 12, 1880
Media type
Print (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN
NA
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a novel by Lew Wallace, published by Harper & Brothers on November 12, 1880. Considered "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century",[1] it became a best-selling American novel, surpassing Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) in sales. The book also inspired other novels with biblical settings and was adapted for the stage and motion picture productions. Ben-Hur remained at the top of the bestseller lists until the publication of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind (1936). Following the release of the 1959 MGM film adaptation of Ben-Hur, which was seen by tens of millions and won eleven Academy Awards in 1960, the book's sales increased and it surpassed Gone with the Wind.[2] Blessed by Pope Leo XIII, the novel was the first work of fiction to be so honored.[3] The success of the novel and its stage and film adaptations also helped it become a popular cultural icon that was used to promote numerous commercial products.
The story recounts in descriptive detail the adventures of Judah Ben-Hur, a fictional Jewish prince from Jerusalem, who is enslaved by the Romans at the beginning of the 1st century and becomes a charioteer and a Christian. Running in parallel with Judah's narrative is the unfolding story of Jesus, who comes from the same region and is a similar age.[4] The novel reflects themes of betrayal, conviction, and redemption, with a revenge plot that leads to a story of love and compassion.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot summary
2 Characters
3 Major themes
4 Style
5 Background 5.1 Influences
5.2 Research and writing
5.3 Wallace's religious beliefs
6 Publication history
7 Reception
8 Adaptations 8.1 Stage
8.2 Film, radio and television
8.3 Selected film and stage adaptations
8.4 Books
9 In popular culture
10 Tributes
11 Detailed synopsis 11.1 Part One
11.2 Part Two
11.3 Part Three
11.4 Part Four
11.5 Part Five
11.6 Part Six
11.7 Part Seven
11.8 Part Eight
12 See also
13 Notes
14 References
15 External links

Plot summary[edit]
Ben-Hur is a heroic story of a fictional hero named Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman who was falsely accused of an attempted assassination and enslaved by the Romans. He becomes a successful charioteer.[5][6] The story's revenge plot becomes a story of compassion and forgiveness.[7]
The novel is divided into eight books, or parts, each with its own subchapters. Book one opens with the story of the three biblical Magi, who arrive in Bethlehem to hear the news of Christ’s birth. Readers meet the fictional character of Judah for the first time in book two, when his childhood friend Messala, also a fictional character, returns home as an ambitious commanding officer of the Roman legions. The teen-aged boys come to realize that they have changed and hold very different views and aspirations. When a loose tile is accidentally dislodged from the roof of Judah's house during a military parade and strikes the Roman governor, knocking him from his horse, Messala falsely accuses Judah of attempted assassination. Although Judah is not guilty and receives no trial, he is sent to the Roman galleys for life; his mother and sister are imprisoned in a Roman jail, where they contract leprosy; and all the family property is confiscated. Judah first encounters Jesus, who offers him a drink of water and encouragement, just before Judah is forced into slavery aboard a Roman galley. Their lives continue to intersect as the story unfolds.[7]
In book three Judah survives his ordeal as a galley slave through good fortune, which includes befriending and saving the commander of his ship, who later adopts him. Judah goes on to become a trained soldier and charioteer. In books four and five Judah returns home to Jerusalem to seek revenge and redemption for his family.
After witnessing the Crucifixion, Judah recognizes that Christ's life stands for a different goal than revenge. Judah becomes Christian, inspired by love and the talk of keys to a greater kingdom than any on earth. The novel concludes with Judah's decision to finance the Catacomb of San Calixto in Rome, where Christian martyrs could be buried and venerated.[7][8]
Characters[edit]
Amrah—an Egyptian slave; former maid in the Ben-Hur household family.[9]
Balthasar—an Egyptian; one of the biblical Magi; along with Melchior, a Hindu, and Gaspar, a Greek, who came to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.[10]
Esther—modest daughter of Simonides; she becomes Judah’s wife and the mother of his children.[11] Wallace named this fictional character after his own mother, Esther French (Test) Wallace.[12][13]
Iras—beautiful daughter of Balthasar; one of Judah’s love interests, who later betrays and rejects him; she becomes Messala’s mistress and eventually kills him.[10][14]
Ishmael—Roman governor.[15]
Jesus of Nazareth—Christ; King of the Jews; son of Mary.[16]
Joseph of Nazareth—a Jewish carpenter; husband of Mary, the mother of Christ.[17]
John the Nazarite —a disciple of Christ.[18]
Judah Ben-Hur—a Jewish prince of Jerusalem who is descended from a royal family of Judaea; son of Ithamar;[19] enslaved by the Romans and later becomes a charioteer and follower of Christ. The name Ben-hur derives from the Hebrew for one of King Solomon's twelve district governors (1 Kings 4:8); it also means "Son of white linen".[20] When Wallace first introduces his readers to Judah, he is described as a seventeen-year-old youth wearing garments of "fine white linen".[21] Wallace chose the biblical name because it could be "easily spelled, printed, and pronounced."[5][6][22]
Malluch—Simonides’s servant; becomes Judah’s friend.[23]
Mary— mother of Jesus; wife of Joseph of Nazareth.[24]
Messala—a Roman nobleman and the son of a Roman tax collector;[25] Judah’s boyhood friend and rival.[26]
Miriam—mother of Judah Ben-Hur.[27]
Pontius Pilate—replaces Valerius Gratus as procurator (prefect);[28] releases Judah’s mother and sister from imprisonment in a Roman prison.[29]
Quintus Arrius—Roman warship commander; Judah saves him from drowning; Arrius adopts Judah as his son, making him a freedman, a Roman citizen, and Arrius’s heir.[30]
Sheik Ilderim—an Arab who agrees to let Judah race his chariot at Antioch.[14][31]
Simonides—a loyal Jewish servant to Ithamar, Judah’s birth father; becomes a wealthy merchant in Antioch.[32]
Thord—a Northman hired by Messala to kill Judah; double-crosses Messala and lets Judah live.[33]
Tirzah—Judah's younger sister.[34]
Valerius Gratus—the fourth imperial (Roman) procurator of Judea.[35] Judah is falsely accused of attempting to assassinate him.[36]
Major themes[edit]
Ben-Hur is the romantic story of a fictional nobleman named Judah Ben-Hur, who tries to save his family from misfortune and restore honor to the family name, while earning the love of a modest Jewess named Esther. It is also a tale of vengeance and spiritual forgiveness that includes themes of Christian redemption and God's benevolence through the compassion of strangers. A popular theme with readers during Gilded Age America, when the novel was first published, was the idea of achieving prosperity through piety. In Ben-Hur this is portrayed through Judah's rise from poverty to great wealth, the challenges he faces to his virtuous nature, and the rich rewards he receives, both materially and spiritually, for his efforts.[7]
Style[edit]
Wallace's adventure story is told from the perspective of Judah Ben-Hur.[5] On occasion, the author speaks directly to his readers.[7] Wallace understood that Christians would be skeptical of a fictional story on Christ's life, so he was careful not to offend them in his writing. Ben-Hur "maintains a respect for the underlying principles of Judaism and Christianity",[1] In his memoirs Wallace wrote:

The Christian world would not tolerate a novel with Jesus Christ its hero, and I knew it ... He should not be present as an actor in any scene of my creation. The giving a cup of water to Ben-Hur at the well near Nazareth is the only violation of this rule ... I would be religiously careful that every word He uttered should be a literal quotation from one of His sainted biographers.[1][37]
Wallace only used dialogue from the King James Bible for Jesus's words. He also created realistic scenes involving Jesus and the main fictional character of Judah, and included a detailed physical description of the Christ, which was not typical of 19th-century biblical fiction.[7] In Wallace's story, Judah "saw a face he never forgot ... the face of a boy about his own age, shaded by locks of yellowish bright chestnut hair; a face lighted by dark-blue eyes, at the time so soft, so appealing, so full of love and holy purpose, that they had all the power of command and will."[38]
The historical novel is filled with romantic and heroic action, including meticulously detailed and realistic descriptions of its landscapes and characters. Wallace strove for accuracy in his descriptions, including several memorable action scenes, the most famous of which was the chariot race at Antioch.[1] Wallace devoted four pages of the novel to a detailed description of the Antioch arena.[39] In contrast to the 1959 film adaptation of Ben-Hur, where Messala is a villain who cheats by adding spikes to the wheels of his chariot, Wallace's novel depicts Judah as the aggressive competitor who wrecks Messala's chariot from behind and leaves him to be trampled by horses.[7] Wallace's novel explains the crowd "had not seen the cunning touch of the reins by which, turning a little to the left, he caught Messala’s wheel with the iron-shod point of his axle, and crushed it".[40]
Background[edit]
By the time of Ben-Hur's publication in 1880, Wallace had already published his first novel, The Fair God; or, The Last of the 'Tzins (1873), and Commodus: An Historical Play (1876) that was never produced. He went on to publish several more novels and biographies, including The Prince of India; or, Why Constantinople Fell (1893), a biography of President Benjamin Harrison in 1888, and The Wooing of Malkatoon (1898), but Ben-Hur remained his most significant work and best-known novel.[41][42] Humanities editor Amy Lifson named Ben-Hur as the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century, while others have identified it as one of the best-selling novels of all time.[1][43] Carl Van Doren wrote that Ben-Hur was, along with Uncle Tom's Cabin, the first fiction many Americans read.[7] Wallace's original plan was to write a story of the biblical Magi as a magazine serial, which he begun in 1873, but he had changed its focus by 1874.[44] Ben-Hur begins with the story of the Magi, but the remainder of the novel connects the story of Christ with the adventures of Wallace's fictional character, Judah Ben-Hur.[5][6]
Influences[edit]
Citing one inspiration for Ben-Hur, Wallace recounted his life-changing journey and talk with Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll, a well-known agnostic and public speaker, whom he met on a train when the two were bound for Indianapolis on September 19, 1876. Ingersoll invited Wallace to join him in his railroad compartment during the trip. The two men debated religious ideology, and Wallace left the discussion realizing how little he knew about Christianity. He became determined to do his own research to write about the history of Christ.[45] Wallace explained: "I was ashamed of myself, and make haste now to declare that the mortification of pride I then endured… ended in a resolution to study the whole matter, if only for the gratification there might be in having convictions of one kind or another."[1][46] It is not known for certain when Wallace decided to write a novel based on the life of Christ, but he had already written the manuscript for a magazine serial about the three Magi at least two years before his discussions with Ingersoll.[47][48] Researching and writing about Christianity helped Wallace become clear about his own ideas and beliefs. He developed the novel from his own exploration of the subject.[49]
Ben-Hur was also inspired, in part, by Wallace's love of romantic novels, including those written by Sir Walter Scott, Jane Porter,[7] and The Count of Monte Cristo (1846) by Alexandre Dumas, père. The Dumas novel was based on the memoirs of an early 19th-century French shoemaker who was unjustly imprisoned and spent the rest of his life seeking revenge.[50] Wallace could relate to the shoemaker's isolation of imprisonment. He explained in his autobiography that while he was writing Ben-Hur, "the Count of Monte Cristo in his dungeon of stone was not more lost to the world."[51]
Other writers have viewed Ben-Hur within the context of Wallace's own life. Historian Victor Davis Hanson argues that the novel drew from Wallace's experiences as a division commander during the American Civil War under General Ulysses S. Grant. Hanson compares Wallace's real-life experience in battle, battle tactics, combat leadership, and jealousies among American Civil War military commanders to those of Wallace's fictional character of Judah, whose unintentional injury to a high-ranking military commander leads to further tragedy and suffering for the Ben-Hur family. Wallace's controversial command decisions and delay in arriving on the field during the first day of the battle of Shiloh, when Grant's army sustained heavy Union casualties created a furore in the North, damaged Wallace's military reputation and drew accusations of his incompetence.[52]
John Swansburg, deputy editor of Slate, suggests the chariot race between the characters of Judah and Messala may have been based on a horserace Wallace reportedly ran, and won, against Grant sometime after the battle of Shiloh.[7] The Judah character's superior horsemanship helped him beat Messala in a chariot race that earned Judah great wealth. F. Farrand Tuttle Jr., a Wallace family friend, reported the story of the horserace between Grant and Wallace in the Denver News on February 19, 1905, but Wallace never wrote about it. The event may have been a Wallace family legend, but the novel, which includes the action-packed chariot race, made Wallace a wealthy man and established his reputation as a famous author and sought-after speaker.[7][53]
Research and writing[edit]



Lew Wallace, Union general, c. 1862–1865
Determined to make the novel historically accurate, Wallace did extensive research on the Middle East that related to the time period covered in his novel, but he did not travel to Rome or the Holy Land until after its publication.[54][55] Wallace began research for the story in 1873 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and made several additional research trips to Washington, Boston, and New York.[7][54]
To establish an authentic background for his story, Wallace gathered references on Roman history as well as the geography, culture, language, customs, architecture, and daily life in the ancient world libraries across the United States. He also studied the Bible. Wallace intended to identify the plants, birds, names, architectural practices, and other details. He later wrote: "I examined catalogues of books and maps, and sent for everything likely to be useful. I wrote with a chart always before my eyes—a German publication showing the towns and villages, all sacred places, the heights, the depressions, the passes, trails, and distances."[56] Wallace also recounted traveling to Boston and Washington, D.C. to research the exact proportions for the oars of a Roman trireme.[54] In the mid-1880s, during a visit to the Holy Land after Ben-Hur was published, Wallace found his estimations were proved to be accurate and that he could "find no reason for making a single change in the text of the book."[1][57]
An example of Wallace's attention to detail is his description of the fictional chariot race and it setting at the arena in Antioch. Using a literary style that addressed his audience directly, Wallace wrote:

Let the reader try to fancy it; let him first look down on the arena, and see it glistening in its frame of dull-gray granite walls; let him then, in this perfect field, see the chariots, light of wheel, very graceful, and ornate as paint and burnishing can make them ... let the reader see the accompanying shadows fly; and, with such distinctness as the picture comes, he may share the satisfaction and deeper pleasure of those to whom it was a thrilling fact, not a feeble fancy.[1][58]
Most of the book was written during Wallace's spare time in the evening, while traveling, and at home in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he often wrote outdoors during the summer, sitting under a favorite beech tree near his home. (The tree has since that time been called the Ben-Hur Beech.)[7][59] After his appointment as governor of the New Mexico Territory , Wallace moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he served as territorial governor from August 1878 to March 1881.[60] He completed Ben-Hur in 1880 at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe.[61] Wallace wrote mostly at night, after his formal duties had concluded, in a room in the palace that was once described in tours as the birthplace of Ben-Hur.[62] In his memoirs Wallace recalled how composed the climactic scenes of the Crucifixion by lantern light: "The ghosts, if they were about, did not disturb me; yet in the midst of that gloomy harborage I beheld the Crucifixion, and strove to write what I beheld."[51]
In March 1880 Wallace copied the final manuscript of Ben-Hur in purple ink as a tribute to the Christian season of Lent, took a leave of absence from his post as New Mexico's territorial governor, and traveled to New York City to deliver it to his publisher. On April 20 Wallace personally presented the manuscript to Joseph Henry Harper of Harper and Brothers, who accepted it for publication.[63][64] At the time of Ben-Hur's publication, the idea of presenting Christ and the Crucifixion in a fictional novel was a sensitive issue. Wallace's depiction of Christ could have been considered by some as blasphemy, but the quality of his manuscript and his assurances that he had not intended to offend Christians with his writing overcame the publisher's reservations.[65] Harper praised it as "the most beautiful manuscript that has ever come into this house. A bold experiment to make Christ a hero that has been often tried and always failed."[1][66] Harper and Brothers offered Wallace a contract that would earn him ten percent in royalties and published Ben-Hur on November 12, 1880. It initially sold for $1.50 per copy, an expensive price when compared to other popular novels published at the time.[65][67][68]
Wallace's religious beliefs[edit]
It is ironic that an acclaimed biblical novel,[69] one that would rival the Bible in popularity during the Gilded Age, was inspired by a discussion with a noted agnostic and written by an author who was never a member of any church.[7] Its publication prompted speculation about Wallace’s faith. Wallace claimed that when he began writing Ben-Hur, he was not "in the least influenced by religious sentiment" and "had no convictions about God or Christ",[44][69] but he was fascinated by the biblical story of the three Magi's journey to find Jesus, king of the Jews. After extensive studies of the Bible and the Holy Land, and well before he had completed the novel, Wallace became a believer in God and Christ.[51][69][70] In his autobiography Wallace acknowledged:

In the very beginning, before distractions overtake me, I wish to say that I believe absolutely in the Christian conception of God. As far as it goes, this confession is broad and unqualified, and it ought and would be sufficient were it not that books of mine—Ben-Hur and The Prince of India—have led many persons to speculate concerning my creed .... I am not a member of any church or denomination, nor have I ever been. Not that churches are objectionable to me, but simply because my freedom is enjoyable, and I do not think myself good enough to be a communicant.[1][71]
Publication history[edit]
Initial sales of Ben-Hur were slow, only 2,800 copies were sold in the first seven months, but within two years the book had become popular among readers.[72] At the beginning of its third year, 750 copies were sold each month, and by 1885, the monthly average was 1,200 copies.[67] By 1886 the book was earning Wallace about $11,000 in annual royalties, a substantial amount at the time, and began to sell, on average, an estimated 50,000 copies per year.[53][73][74] By 1889 Harper and Brothers had sold 400,000 copies.[43][75] Ten years after its initial publication the book had reached sustained sales of 4,500 per month.[67] A study conducted in 1893 of American public library book loans found that Ben-Hur had the highest percentage (eighty-three percent) of loans among contemporary novels.[7] In addition to the publication of the complete novel, two parts were published as separate volumes: The First Christmas (1899) and The Chariot Race (1912).[74]
In 1900 Ben-Hur became the best-selling American novel of the 19th century, surpassing Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.[76][77] By that time it had been printed in thirty-six English-language editions and translated into twenty other languages, including Indonesian and Braille.[78] Literary historian James D. Hart explained that by the turn of the century, "If every American did not read the novel, almost everyone was aware of it."[67] Between 1880 and 1912, an estimated one million copies of the book were sold, and in 1913, Sears Roebuck ordered another one million copies, at that time the largest single-year print edition in American history, and sold them for 39 cents apiece.[2][74]
Within twenty years of it publication, Ben-Hur was "second only to the Bible as the best-selling book in America", and remained in second position until Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind (1936) surpassed it.[1][6] A 1946 edition of Ben-Hur published by Grosset and Dunlap boasted that 26 million copies of the novel were in print.[74] With the release of the 1959 film adaptation of the book, Ben-Hur returned to the top of the bestseller lists in the 1960s. At the time of the book's one hundredth anniversary in 1980, Ben-Hur had never been out of print and had been adapted for the stage and several motion pictures.[79]
Reception[edit]
Ben-Hur was popular in its own day despite slow initial sales and mixed reviews from contemporary literary critics, who "found its romanticism passé and its action pulpy".[7] Century magazine called it an "anachronism" and The Atlantic panned is descriptions as "too lavish".[67] For its readers, however, the book "resonated with some of the most significant issues in late Victorian culture: gender and family; slavery and freedom; ethnicity and empire; and nationhood and citizenship".[6] With the chariot race as its central attraction and the character of Judah emerging as a "heroic action figure",[6] Ben-Hur enjoyed a wide popularity among readers, similar to the dime novels of its day;[7] however, its continued appearance on popular lists of great American literature remained a source of frustration for many literary critics over the years.[78]
The novel had millions of fans, including several influential men in politics. U.S. president and American Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant, U.S. president James Garfield, and Jefferson Davis, former president of the Confederate States of America, were enthusiastic fans.[7] Garfield was so impressed that he appointed Wallace as U.S. Minister to the Ottoman Empire, based in Constantinople, Turkey. Wallace served in this diplomatic post from 1881 to 1885.[80]
Ben-Hur was published at time when the United States was moving away from war and reconstruction.[7] One scholar argues that Ben-Hur became so popular that it "helped to reunite the nation in the years following Reconstruction".[6] It has been suggested that the Southerners' positive reception of a book written by Wallace, a former Union general, was his message of compassion overcoming vengeance and his sympathetic description of slaveholders.[7] Poet, editor and Confederate veteran Paul Hamilton Hayne described Ben-Hur as "simple, straightforward, but eloquent".[7][81]
Critics point to problems such as flat characters and dialogue, unlikely coincidences driving the plot, and tedious and lengthy descriptions of settings, but others note its well-structured plot and exciting story,[78] with its unusual mix of romanticism, spiritual piety, action and adventure.[49] A New York Times review in 1905 referred to Ben-Hur as Wallace's masterwork, further noting it "appealed to the unsophisticated and unliterary. People who read much else of worth rarely read Ben-Hur".[82]
Popular novels of Christ's life, such as Reverend J. H. Ingraham's The Prince of the House of David (1855), preceded Wallace's novel, while others such as Charles M. Shedon's "In His Steps": What Would Jesus Do? (1897) followed it, but Ben-Hur was among the first to make Jesus a major character in a novel.[7] Members of the clergy and others praised Wallace's detailed description of the Middle East during Jesus's lifetime and encouraged their congregations to read the book at home and during Sunday School.[83] One Roman Catholic priest wrote to Wallace: "The messiah appears before us as I always wished him depicted".[7]
Readers also credited Wallace's novel with making Jesus's story more believable by providing vivid descriptions of the Holy Land and inserting his own character of Judah into scenes from the gospels. One former alcoholic, George Parrish from Kewanee, Illinois, wrote the author a letter crediting Ben-Hur with causing him to reject alcohol and find religion. Parrish remarked: "It seemed to bring Christ home to me as nothing else could".[7] Others who were inspired by the novel dedicated themselves to Christian service and became missionaries, some of them helping to translate Ben-Hur into other languages.[83] This kind of religious support helped Ben-Hur become one of the best-selling novels of its time. It not only reduced lingering American resistance to the novel as a literary form, but later adaptations were instrumental in introducing some Christian audiences to theater and film.[7][49]
Adaptations[edit]
Stage[edit]



 1901 poster for a production of the play at the Illinois Theatre, Chicago
After the novel's publication in 1880, Wallace was deluged with requests to dramatize it as a stage play, but he resisted, arguing no one could accurately portray Christ on stage or recreate a realistic chariot race.[84] When dramatist William Young suggested a solution to represent Jesus with a beam of light, the author was impressed. In 1899 Wallace entered into an agreement with theatrical producers Marc Klaw and Abraham Erlanger to turn his novel into a stage adaptation. The resulting play opened at the Broadway Theater in New York City on November 29, 1899. Critics gave it mixed reviews, but the audience, many of them first-time theater-goers, packed each performance. It became a hit, selling 25,000 tickets per week.[74][85] From 1899 until its last performance in 1921, the show played in large venues in U.S. cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Baltimore, and traveled internationally to London, England, and Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. The stage adaptation was seen by an estimated twenty million people.[85] and William Jennings Bryan claimed is was "the greatest play on stage when measured by its religious tone and more effect."[7] Its popularity introduced the theater to a new audience, "many of them devout churchgoers who’d previously been suspicious of the stage."[7]
The key spectacle of the show recreated the chariot race with live horses and real chariots running on treadmills with a rotating backdrop.[86] Its elaborate set and staging came at a time "when theatre was yearning to be cinema."[87][88] After Wallace saw the elaborate stage sets, he exclaimed, "My God. Did I set all of this in motion?"[7]
When the play was produced in London in 1902, The Era's drama critic described how the chariot race was achieved with "four great cradles" 20 feet (6.1 m) long and 14 feet (4.3 m) wide, that moved "back and front on railways", while horses secured with invisible steel cable traces galloped on treadmills towards the audience. The horses also drove the movement of a vast cyclorama backdrop, which revolved in the opposite direction to create an illusion of rapid speed. Electric rubber rollers spun the chariot wheels, while fans created clouds of dust. The production had imported thirty tons of stage equipment from the United States, employed a cast of more than one hundred, and featured sets with fountains, palm trees, and the sinking of a Roman galley.[88] A critic for The Illustrated London News described the London production in 1902 as "a marvel of stage-illusion" that was "memorable beyond all else", while The Sketchs critic called it "thrilling and realistic ... enough to make the fortune of any play" and noted that "the stage, which has to bear 30 tons' weight of chariots and horses, besides huge crowds, has had to be expressly strengthened and shored up."[1][88]
In 2009 Ben Hur Live was staged at the O2 arena, on the Greenwich peninsula in London. It featured a live chariot race, gladiatorial combat, and a sea battle. The production used forty-six horses, 500 tons of special sand, and 400 cast and crew. All of the show's dialogue was in Latin and Aramaic of the period, with voiceover narration. However, despite its massive staging, a critic for The Guardian remarked it lacked the theatrical spectacle to inspire the imagination of its audience.[89] In contrast, London's Battersea Arts Centre staged a lower-key version of Ben-Hur in 2002 that featured a limited cast of ten and the chariot race.[87]
Film, radio and television[edit]
The development of the cinema following the novel's publication saw film adaptations in 1907, 1925, 1959, 2003, and as a North American TV mini-series in 2010.[90]
In 1907 Sidney Olcott and Frank Oakes Ross directed a short film for the Kalem Company that was based on the book, but it did not have the Wallace heir's or the book publisher's permissions.[74][91] Henry Wallace, the author’s son, stage producers Klaw and Erlanger, and the book’s publisher, Harper and Brothers, sued the film’s producers for violating U.S. copyright laws. The landmark case, Kalem Co. v. Harper Brothers (1911) [222 U.S. 55 (1911)], went to the U.S. Supreme Court and set a legal precedent for motion picture rights in adaptations of literary and theatrical works. The court's ruling required the film company to pay $25,000 in damages plus expenses.[85][91]
Wallace's son continued to receive offers to sell the film rights to the book after his father’s death. Henry refused all offers until 1915, when he changed his mind and entered into an agreement with Erlanger for $600,000. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer later obtained the film rights.[92] The 1925 film adaptation of Ben-Hur, under director Fred Niblo, starred Ramon Novarro as Ben-Hur and Francis X. Bushman as Messala.[93] Filming began in Italy and was completed in the United States. It cost MGM $3.9 million, "making it the most expensive silent film in history."[92] The film premiered on December 20, 1925, at the George M. Cohan Theater in New York City. It received positive reviews[92] and became a top-grossing silent film of the era.[94]
In 1955 MGM began planning for a new version of the film with William Wyler, who had worked as an assistant director of the chariot race in the 1925 film,[1] as its director. The 1959 film adaptation of Ben-Hur, starred Charlton Heston as Judah, with Stephen Boyd as Messala. It was shot on location in Rome. Filming wrapped on January 7, 1959.[95] At a cost of an estimated $12.5 to of $15 million, it became the most expensive motion picture made up to that time; it was also among the most successful films ever made.[95] The film premiered at Lowe's State Theater in New York City on November 18, 1959. It earned more than $40 million at the box office and an estimated $20 million more in merchandising revenues.[94][96]
Wallace’s novel was eclipsed by the popularity of Wyler's 1959 film adaptation, a "blockbuster hit for MGM", that won a record eleven Academy awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and became the top-grossing film of 1960.[90] Heston, who won the Oscar in 1960 for Best Actor, called it his "best film work";[97] Wyler won the Academy's award for Best Director. In 1998 the American Film Institute named Wyler's film one of the hundred best American films of all time.[97] Gore Vidal, who co-wrote the film, stated that he had added a homo-erotic sub-text.[89]
A BBC Radio 4 dramatization of the book in four parts, first broadcast in the United Kingdom in January 2008, starred Jamie Glover as Ben-Hur, with a cast that included Samuel West and Michael Gambon.[98]
Selected film and stage adaptations[edit]
Ben-Hur (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in New York City on November 29, 1899.[85]
Ben Hur (1907 film), a silent film short.[85]
Ben-Hur (1925 film), an MGM silent film starring Ramon Novarro; it premiered in New York City on December 20, 1925.[92]
Ben-Hur (1959 film), an MGM sound film starring Charlton Heston; it premiered in New York City on November 18, 1959.[96]
Ben Hur (2003 film), an animated direct-to-video film featuring the voice of Charlton Heston
Ben Hur Live, a 2009 stage adaptation
Ben Hur (TV miniseries), a 2010 adaptation
Ben-Hur, a film adaptation for MGM and Paramount Pictures scheduled for release in February 2016.[99]
Books[edit]
Ben-Hur‍ '​s success encouraged the publication of other historical romance stories of the ancient world, including G. J. Whyte-Melville's The Gladiator: A Tale of Rome and Judea (1870), Marie Corelli's Barabbas (1901), and Florence Morse Kingsley's Titus, A Comrade of the Cross (1897).[67] Other novels adapted Wallace's story: H. M. Blen's Ben-Beor (1891), J. O. A. Clark's Esther: A Sequel to Ben-Hur (1892), Miles Gerald Keon's Dion and Sibyls (1898), and J. Breckenridge Ellis's Adnah (1902).[100]
At least eight translations of the book into Hebrew were made between 1959 and 1990. Some of these versions have involved wholesale restructuring of the narrative, including changes to character, dropping of Christian themes, and plot.[101]
In popular culture[edit]
Ben-Hur's success also led to its popularity as a promotional tool and a prototype for popular culture merchandising.[94] Although it was not the only novel to have related popular culture products, Wallace and his publisher were the first to legally protect and successfully promote the use of their literary work for commercial purposes.[102] In the decades following its publication, Ben-Hur and its famous chariot race became well-established in popular culture as a "respected, alluring, and memorable" brand name and a recognizable icon that had mass market appeal.[103]
The novel was linked to commercial products that included Ben-Hur flour, produced by the Royal Milling Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a line of Ben-Hur toiletries, including Ben-Hur perfume from the Andrew Jergens Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.[104] Other consumer goods included Ben-Hur bicycles, cigars, automobiles, clocks and hair products. The Ben-Hur name and images also appeared in magazine advertisements for Honeywell, Ford and Green Giant products.[102] After MGM released the 1959 film adaptation of the novel, the studio licensed hundreds of companies to create related products, including Ben-Hur-related clothing, household goods, jewelry, food products, crafts and action figures.[105]
Tributes[edit]
More than one tribute to Wallace's most famous book and its fictional hero have been erected near Wallace's home in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The General Lew Wallace Study and Museum honors the character of Judah Ben-Hur with a limestone frieze of his imagined face installed over the entrance to the study.[1] Wallace's grave marker at the cemetery in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where the author is buried includes a line from the Balthazar character in Ben-Hur: "I would not give one hour of life as a soul for a thousand years of life as a man."[7]
Detailed synopsis[edit]



 Poster for the 1925 MGM film adaptation of Ben-Hur
Part One[edit]
Biblical references: Matt. 2:1-12, Luke 2:1-20
Three Magi have come from the East. Balthasar, an Egyptian, sets up a tent in the desert, where he is joined by Melchior, a Hindu, and Gaspar, a Greek. They discover they have been brought together by their common goal. They see a bright star shining over the region, and take it as a sign to leave, following it through the desert toward the province of Judaea.
At the Joppa Gate in Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph pass through on their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. They stop at the inn at the entrance to the city, but there is no room. Mary is pregnant and, as labor begins, they head to a cave on a nearby hillside, where Jesus is born. In the pastures outside the city, a group of seven shepherds watch their flocks. Angels announce the Christ's birth. The shepherds hurry towards the city and enter the cave on the hillside to worship the Christ. They spread the news of the Christ's birth and many come to see him.
The Magi arrive in Jerusalem and inquire for news of the Christ. Herod the Great is angry to hear of another king challenging his rule and asks the Sanhedrin to find information for him. The Sanhedrin deliver a prophecy written by Micah, telling of a ruler to come from Bethlehem Ephrathah, which they interpret to signify the Christ's birthplace.
Part Two[edit]
Biblical references: Luke 2:51-52
Judah Ben-Hur, son of Ithamar, is a prince descended from a royal family of Judaea. Messala, his closest childhood friend and the son of a Roman tax-collector, leaves home for five years of education in Rome. He returns as a proud Roman. He mocks Judah and his religion and the two become enemies. As a result, Judah decides to go to Rome for military training in order to use his acquired skills to fight the Roman Empire.
Valerius Gratus, the fourth Roman prefect of Judaea, passes by Judah's house.[106] As Judah watches the procession from his rooftop, a loose roof tile happens to fall and hit the governor. Messala betrays Judah, who is quickly captured and accused of attempting to murder Gratus. There is no trial; Judah's entire family is secretly imprisoned in the Antonia Fortress and all their property is seized. As he is taken away, Judah vows vengeance against the Romans. He is sent as a slave to work aboard a Roman warship. On the journey to the ship, he meets a young carpenter named Jesus, who offers him water, which deeply moves Judah and strengthens his resolve to survive.
Part Three[edit]
In Italy, Greek pirate-ships have been looting Roman vessels in the Aegean Sea. The prefect Sejanus orders the Roman Quintus Arrius to take warships to combat the pirates. Chained on one of the warships, Judah has survived three hard years as a Roman slave, kept alive by his passion for vengeance. Arrius is impressed by Judah and decides to question him about his life and his story. He is stunned to learn of Judah's former status as a son of Hur. In battle, the ship is damaged and starts to sink. Arrius unlocks Judah's chains so he has a chance to survive, and Judah ends up saving the Roman from drowning. They share a plank as a makeshift raft until being rescued by a Roman ship, whereupon they learn that the Romans were victorious in the battle; Arrius is lauded as a hero. They return to Misenum, where Arrius adopts Judah as his son, making him a freedman and a Roman citizen.
Part Four[edit]
Judah Ben-Hur trains in wrestling for five years in the Palaestra in Rome before becoming the heir of Arrius after his death. While traveling to Antioch on state business, Judah learns that his real father's chief servant, the slave Simonides, lives in a house in this city, and has the trust of Judah's father's possessions, which he has invested so well that he is now wealthy. Judah visits Simonides, who listens to his story but demands more proof of his identity. Ben-Hur says he has no proof, but asks if Simonides knows of the fate of Judah's mother and sister. He says he knows nothing and Judah leaves the house. Simonides sends his servant Malluch to spy on Judah to see if his story is true and to learn more about him. Shortly afterwards, Malluch meets and befriends Judah in the Grove of Daphne, and they go to the games stadium together. There, Ben-Hur finds his old rival Messala racing one of the chariots, preparing for a tournament.
The Sheik Ilderim announces that he is looking for a chariot driver to race his team in the coming tournament. Judah, wanting revenge, offers to drive the sheik's chariot, as he intends to defeat Messala. Balthasar and his daughter Iras are sitting at a fountain in the stadium. Messala's chariot nearly hits them but Judah intervenes. Balthasar thanks Ben-Hur and presents him with a gift. Judah heads to Sheik Ilderim's tent. The servant Malluch accompanies him, and they talk about the Christ; Malluch relates Balthasar's story of the Magi. They realize that Judah saved the man who saw the Christ soon after his birth.
Simonides, his daughter Esther, and Malluch talk together, and conclude that Judah is who he claims to be, and that he is on their side in the fight against Rome. Messala realizes that Judah Ben-Hur has been adopted into a Roman home and his honor has been restored. He threatens to take revenge. Meanwhile, Balthasar and his daughter Iras arrive at the Sheik's tent. With Judah they discuss how the Christ, approaching the age of thirty, is ready to enter public leadership. Judah takes increasing interest in the beautiful Iras.
Part Five[edit]
Messala sends a letter to Valerius Gratus about his discovery of Judah, but Sheik Ilderim intercepts the letter and shares it with Judah. He discovers that his mother and sister were imprisoned in a cell at the Antonia Fortress, and Messala has been spying on him. Meanwhile, Ilderim is deeply impressed with Judah's skills with his racing horses, and accepts him as his charioteer.
Simonides comes to Judah and offers him the accumulated fortune of the Hur family business, of which the merchant has been steward. Judah Ben-Hur accepts only the original amount of money, leaving property and the rest to the loyal merchant. They each agree to do their part to fight for the Christ, whom they believe to be a political savior from Roman authority.
A day before the race, Ilderim prepares his horses. Judah appoints Malluch to organize his support campaign for him. Meanwhile, Messala organizes his own huge campaign, revealing Judah Ben-Hur's former identity to the community as an outcast and convict. Malluch challenges Messala and his cronies to a large wager, which, if the Roman loses, would bankrupt him.
The day of the race comes. During the race, Messala and Judah become the clear leaders. Judah deliberately scrapes his chariot wheel against Messala's and Messala's chariot breaks apart, causing him to be trampled by other racers' horses. Judah is crowned the winner and showered with prizes, claiming his first strike against Rome. Messala is left with a broken body and the loss of his wealth.
After the race, Judah Ben-Hur receives a letter from Iras asking him to go to the Roman palace of Idernee. When he arrives, he sees that he has been tricked. Thord, a Saxon, hired by Messala, comes to kill Judah. They duel, and Ben-Hur offers Thord four thousand sestertii to let him live. Thord returns to Messala claiming to have killed Judah, so collects money from them both. Supposedly dead, Judah Ben-Hur goes to the desert with Ilderim to plan a secret campaign.
Part Six[edit]
For Ben-Hur, Simonides bribes Sejanus to remove the prefect Valerius Gratus from his post, who is succeeded by Pontius Pilate. Ben-Hur sets out for Jerusalem to find his mother and sister. Pilate's review of the prison records reveals great injustice, and he notes Gratus concealed a walled-up cell. Pilate's troops reopen the cell to find two women, Judah's long-lost mother and sister, suffering from leprosy. Pilate releases them, and they go to the old Hur house, which is vacant. Finding Judah asleep on the steps, they give thanks to God that he is alive, but do not wake him. As lepers, they are considered less than human. Banished from the city, they leave in the morning.
Amrah, the Egyptian maid who once served the Hur house, discovers Ben-Hur and wakes him. She reveals that she has stayed in the Hur house for all these years. Keeping touch with Simonides, she discouraged many potential buyers of the house by acting as a ghost. They pledge to find out more about the lost family. Judah discovers an official Roman report about the release of two leprous women. Amrah hears rumors of the mother and sister's fate.
Romans make plans to use funds from the corban treasury, of the Temple in Jerusalem, to build a new aqueduct. The Jewish people petition Pilate to veto the plan. Pilate sends his soldiers in disguise to mingle with the crowd, who at an appointed time, begin to massacre the protesters. Judah kills a Roman guard in a duel, and becomes a hero in the eyes of a group of Galilean protesters.
Part Seven[edit]
Biblical references: John 1:29-34
At a meeting in Bethany, Ben-Hur and his Galilean followers organize a resistance force to revolt against Rome. Gaining help from Simonides and Ilderim, he sets up a training base in Ilderim's territory in the desert. After some time, Malluch writes announcing the appearance of a prophet believed to be a herald for the Christ. Judah journeys to the Jordan to see the Prophet, meeting Balthasar and Iras traveling for the same purpose. They reach Bethabara, where a group has gathered to hear John the Baptist preach. A man walks up to John, and asks to be baptized. Judah recognizes Him as the man who gave him water at the well in Nazareth many years before. Balthasar worships Him as the Christ.
Part Eight[edit]
Biblical references: Matthew 27:48-51, Mark 11:9-11, 14:51-52, Luke 23:26-46, John 12:12-18, 18:2-19:30
During the next three years, that Man, Jesus, preaches his gospel around Galilee, and Ben-Hur becomes one of his followers. He notices that Jesus chooses fishermen, farmers, and similar people, considered "lowly", as apostles. Judah has seen Jesus perform miracles, and is now convinced that the Christ really had come.
During this time, Malluch has bought the old Hur house and renovated it. He invites Simonides and Balthasar, with their daughters, to live in the house with him. Judah Ben-Hur seldom visits, but the day before Jesus plans to enter Jerusalem and proclaim himself, Judah returns. He tells all who are in the house of what he has learned while following Jesus. Amrah realizes that Judah's mother and sister could be healed, and brings them from a cave where they are living. The next day, the three await Jesus by the side of a road and seek his healing. Amidst the celebration of his Triumphal Entry, Jesus heals the women. When they are cured, they reunite with Judah.
Several days later, Iras talks with Judah, saying he has trusted in a false hope, for Jesus had not started the expected revolution. She says that it is all over between them, saying she loves Messala. Ben-Hur remembers the "invitation of Iras" that led to the incident with Thord, and accuses Iras of betraying him. That night, he resolves to go to Esther.
While lost in thought, he notices a parade in the street and falls in with it. He notices that Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' disciples, is leading the parade, and many of the temple priests and Roman soldiers are marching together. They go to the olive grove of Gethsemane, and he sees Jesus walking out to meet the crowd. Understanding the betrayal, Ben-Hur is spotted by a priest who tries to take him into custody; he breaks away and flees. When morning comes, Ben-Hur learns that the Jewish priests have tried Jesus before Pilate. Although originally acquitted, Jesus has been sentenced to crucifixion at the crowd's demand. Ben-Hur is shocked at how his supporters have deserted Christ in his time of need. They head to Calvary, and Ben-Hur resigns himself to watch the crucifixion of Jesus. The sky darkens. Ben-Hur offers Jesus wine vinegar to return Jesus' favor to him, and soon after that Jesus utters his last cry. Judah and his friends commit their lives to Jesus, realizing He was not an earthly king, but a heavenly King and a Savior of mankind.
Five years after the crucifixion, Ben-Hur and Esther have married and had children. The family lives in Misenum. Iras visits Esther and tells her she has killed Messala, discovering that the Romans were brutes. She also implies that she will attempt suicide. After Esther tells Ben-Hur of the visit, he tries unsuccessfully to find Iras. A Samaritan uprising in Judaea is harshly suppressed by Pontius Pilate, and he is ordered back to Rome a decade after authorizing the crucifixion of Jesus.
In the tenth year of Emperor Nero's reign, Ben-Hur is staying with Simonides, whose business has been extremely successful. With Ben-Hur, the two men have given most of the fortunes to the church of Antioch. Now, as an old man, Simonides has sold all his ships but one, and that one has returned for probably its final voyage. Learning that the Christians in Rome are suffering at the hands of Emperor Nero, Ben-Hur and his friends decide to help. Ben-Hur, Esther and Malluch sail to Rome, where they decided to build an underground church. It will survive through the ages and comes to be known as the Catacomb of Callixtus.
See also[edit]
Tribe of Ben-Hur — fraternal organization based on the book, known some time later as the Ben-Hur Life Association, an insurance company.
Notes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Amu Lifton (2009). "Ben-Hur: The Book That Shook the World". Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities) 30 (6). Retrieved 2010-04-20.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Wallace, Lew (1998) Ben-Hur. Oxford World's Classics, p. vii.
3.Jump up ^ Asimov, Isaac. Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts, New York: Random House Value Publishing, 1981
4.Jump up ^ For a discussion of the historical Jesus, see Allan Powell (1999). Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press. p. 25. ISBN 0-664-25703-8.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 298.
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Miller, p. 155.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac John Swansburg (2013-03-26). "The Passion of Lew Wallace". Slate. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
8.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 552.
9.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 93–4.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 9, 12–17.
11.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 180 and 548.
12.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 932.
13.Jump up ^ McKee, "The Early Life of Lew Wallace", p. 206.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 303.
15.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 83.
16.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 64 and 76.
17.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 39–41.
18.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 459, 461–66.
19.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 100 and 171
20.Jump up ^ David Mandel (2007). Who's Who in the Jewish Bible. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society. p. 62. ISBN 0-8276-0863-2.
21.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 82.
22.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 936.
23.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 185, 205 and 220.
24.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 41.
25.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 81–2.
26.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 301 and 303.
27.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 302.
28.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 385.
29.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 392–403.
30.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 135, 160–62, and 166–67.
31.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 206 and 231.
32.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 174.
33.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 380–85.
34.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 112.
35.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 77 and 80.
36.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 118–19.
37.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 933–4.
38.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 126.
39.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 350–54.
40.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 370.
41.Jump up ^ Stephens, p. 234 and 236.
42.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 544–5.
43.^ Jump up to: a b Boomhower, p. 111.
44.^ Jump up to: a b Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 927.
45.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 298–9.
46.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 930. Wallace's article, "How I Came to Write Ben-Hur", which appeared in the February 2, 1893, issue of The Youths Companion, was included as part of his autobiography.
47.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 299.
48.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 930.
49.^ Jump up to: a b c Russell W. Dalton, Ben-Hur (2009), New York: Barnes and Noble.
50.Jump up ^ Morseberger and Morseberger, p. 292.
51.^ Jump up to: a b c Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 936.
52.Jump up ^ Victor Davis Hanson (2003). Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think. New York: Doubleday. p. 136–9. ISBN 0-385-50400-4.
53.^ Jump up to: a b Stephens, p. 229.
54.^ Jump up to: a b c Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 300.
55.Jump up ^ Wallace and his wife Susan visited the Holy Land, including Jerusalem and the surrounding area, during his service as U.S. Minister to the Ottoman Empire (1881–85). See Boomhower, p. 119 and 125.
56.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 934.
57.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 937.
58.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 360–61.
59.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 934–5.
60.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 98 and 101; Ferraro, p. 142; and Morrow, p. 15.
61.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 110; Morrow, p. 15; and Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 300–1.
62.Jump up ^ There remains some dispute as to which room Wallace used. His description of the room and subsequent remodeling of the palace have made its location unrecognizable. See Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 291–2.
63.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 292–3, and 301.
64.Jump up ^ The original manuscript of Ben=Hur is held at the Lilly Library, Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. See "Lilly Library Manuscripts Collection: Wallace Mss. II". Indiana University. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
65.^ Jump up to: a b Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 293.
66.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 938.
67.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f James D. Hart (1950). The Popular Book: A History of America’s Literary Taste. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 163–4. ISBN 0-8371-8694-3.
68.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 9, 91, and 110.
69.^ Jump up to: a b c Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 297.
70.Jump up ^ Miller, p. 160.
71.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 1–2.
72.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 11 and 110, and Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 294.
73.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 12.
74.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Jon Solomon (2008). "Fugitive Sources, Ben-Hur, and the Popular Art "Property"". RBM (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries) 9 (1): 68. Retrieved 2014-10-27.
75.Jump up ^ Hanson, p. 140.
76.Jump up ^ Lew Wallace (2003). Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, with a New Introduction by Tim LaHaye. New York: Signet Classic. p. vii.
77.Jump up ^ Morrow, p. 16.
78.^ Jump up to: a b c Russell W. Dalton (Introduction). Ben-Hur. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.
79.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 11 and 138, and Morrow, p. 10, 17–18.
80.Jump up ^ Stephens, p. 229–30.
81.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 947.
82.Jump up ^ "The Author of 'Ben Hur'". The New York Times (New York City). 1905-02-18. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
83.^ Jump up to: a b Miller, p. 160–1.
84.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 138–9.
85.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Boomhower, p. 140–1.
86.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 140.
87.^ Jump up to: a b Samantha Ellis (2002-11-23). "Ben-Hur Returns to the Stage after 100 Years". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
88.^ Jump up to: a b c Samantha Ellis (2003-10-08). "Ben-Hur, London, 1902". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
89.^ Jump up to: a b Espiner, Mark (2009-09-14). "Ben Hur Live leaves little to the imagination". guardian.co.uk (Guardian News and Media). Retrieved 2009-09-18.
90.^ Jump up to: a b Cobbett Steinberg (1980). Film Facts. New York: Facts on File. p. 17 and 23. ISBN 0-87196-313-2.
91.^ Jump up to: a b Roy Kinnard and Tim Davis (1992). Divine Images: A History of Jesus on the Screen. New York: Carol Publishing Group. p. 29. ISBN 0-80651-284-9.
92.^ Jump up to: a b c d Boomhower, p. 141–2.
93.Jump up ^ Gary Allen Smith (2004). Epic Films: Casts, Credits and Commentary on over 350 Historical Spectacle Movies (2nd ed.). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co. p. 33. ISBN 0-7864-1530-4.
94.^ Jump up to: a b c Solomon, p. 68–9.
95.^ Jump up to: a b Smith, p. 34–35.
96.^ Jump up to: a b Boomhower, 142–4.
97.^ Jump up to: a b Boomhower, p. 144.
98.Jump up ^ "Lew Wallace – Ben Hur". BBC. 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
99.Jump up ^ Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, co-produced by Mark Burnett, Sean Daniel, and Roma Downey, and written for the screen by Keith Clarke (The Way Back) and John Ridley (12 Years a Slave). See Mike Fleming, Jr. (2013-01-14). "Sweet Chariot! MGM is Rebooting ‘Ben-Hur". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2014-10-28.; Justin Kroll (2014-04-23). "Paramount Joins MGM on 'Ben-Hur' Remake". Variety Media, LLC.; and Mike Fleming Jr. (2014-04-25). "Jesus Whisperers Mark Burnett And Roma Downey Board MGM/Paramount's 'Ben-Hur'". Dateline.com. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
100.Jump up ^ Solomon, p. 75.
101.Jump up ^ Israeli academic Nitsa Ben-Ari discusses the complex socio-political context of these translations and changes. See Nitsa Ben-Ari (2002). "The Double Conversion of Ben-Hur: A Case of Manipulative Translation" (PDF). Tel Aviv University. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
102.^ Jump up to: a b Solomon, p. 74.
103.Jump up ^ Solomon, p. 78.
104.Jump up ^ Miller, p. 158 and 167.
105.Jump up ^ Miller, p. 171.
106.Jump up ^ Wallace uses "procurator," which until 1961 was thought to be the correct title.
References[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ben Hur.
Ben-Ari, Nitsa (2002). "The Double Conversion of Ben-Hur: A Case of Manipulative Translation" (PDF). Tel Aviv University. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
Boomhower, Ray E. (2005). The Sword and the Pen. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87195-185-1.
Ferraro, William M. (June 2008). "A Struggle for Respect: Lew Wallace’s Relationships with Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman After Shiloh". Indiana Magazine of History (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University) 104 (2): 125–152. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
Hanson, Victor Davis (2003). Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-50400-4.
Hart, James D. (1976). The Popular Book: A History of America’s Literary Taste. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-8371-8694-3.
Hezser, Catherine (2008). Ben Hur and Ancient Jewish Slavery. A Wandering Galilean: Essays in Honour of Sean Freyne (Brill Academic Publishers). Retrieved 2014-10-01.
Lifson, Amy (2009). "Ben-Hur". Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities) 30 (6). Retrieved 2010-04-20.
Miller, Howard (June 2008). "The Charioteer and the Christ: Ben-Hur in America from the Gilded Age to the Culture Wars". Indiana Magazine of History (Bloomington: Indiana University) 104 (2): 153–75. Retrieved 2014-09-27.
Morrow, Barbara Olenyik (1994). From Ben-Hur to Sister Carrie: Remembering the Lives and Works of Five Indiana Authors. Indianapolis, Indiana: Guild Press of Indiana. ISBN 978-1-87820-860-6.
Morsberger, Robert E., and Katharine M. Morsberger (1980). Lew Wallace: Militant Romantic. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-043305-4.
Russo, Dorothy Ritter, and Thelma Lois Sullivan (1952). Bibliographical Studies of Seven Authors of Crawfordsville, Indiana. Indianapolis :: Indiana Historical Society.
Solomon, Jon (2008). "Fugutive Sources, Ben-Hur, and the Popular Art "Property"". RBM (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries) 9 (1): 67–78.
Stephens, Gail (2010). The Shadow of Shiloh: Major General Lew Wallace in the Civil War. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press. ISBN 978-0-87195-287-5.
Swansburg, John (2013-03-26). "The Passion of Lew Wallace". The Slate Group. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
Wallace, Lew (1906). An Autobiography. New York: Harper and Brothers.
External links[edit]
Trailer from 1959 Film version of Ben Hur[dead link]
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ at Project Gutenberg
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, 1887 printing, scanned book via Internet Archive


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Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


Characters
Judah Ben-Hur ·
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 Quintus Arrius
 

Films
Ben Hur (1907) ·
 Ben-Hur (1925) ·
 Ben-Hur (1959) ·
 Ben Hur (2003) ·
 Ben-Hur (2016)
 

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Ben-Hur (play) ·
 Ben Hur Live ·
 Ben Hur (miniseries)
 

  


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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Wallace Ben-Hur cover.jpg
First edition, 1880

Author
Lew Wallace
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre
Historical novel
Publisher
Harper & Brothers

Publication date
 November 12, 1880
Media type
Print (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN
NA
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a novel by Lew Wallace, published by Harper & Brothers on November 12, 1880. Considered "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century",[1] it became a best-selling American novel, surpassing Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) in sales. The book also inspired other novels with biblical settings and was adapted for the stage and motion picture productions. Ben-Hur remained at the top of the bestseller lists until the publication of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind (1936). Following the release of the 1959 MGM film adaptation of Ben-Hur, which was seen by tens of millions and won eleven Academy Awards in 1960, the book's sales increased and it surpassed Gone with the Wind.[2] Blessed by Pope Leo XIII, the novel was the first work of fiction to be so honored.[3] The success of the novel and its stage and film adaptations also helped it become a popular cultural icon that was used to promote numerous commercial products.
The story recounts in descriptive detail the adventures of Judah Ben-Hur, a fictional Jewish prince from Jerusalem, who is enslaved by the Romans at the beginning of the 1st century and becomes a charioteer and a Christian. Running in parallel with Judah's narrative is the unfolding story of Jesus, who comes from the same region and is a similar age.[4] The novel reflects themes of betrayal, conviction, and redemption, with a revenge plot that leads to a story of love and compassion.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot summary
2 Characters
3 Major themes
4 Style
5 Background 5.1 Influences
5.2 Research and writing
5.3 Wallace's religious beliefs
6 Publication history
7 Reception
8 Adaptations 8.1 Stage
8.2 Film, radio and television
8.3 Selected film and stage adaptations
8.4 Books
9 In popular culture
10 Tributes
11 Detailed synopsis 11.1 Part One
11.2 Part Two
11.3 Part Three
11.4 Part Four
11.5 Part Five
11.6 Part Six
11.7 Part Seven
11.8 Part Eight
12 See also
13 Notes
14 References
15 External links

Plot summary[edit]
Ben-Hur is a heroic story of a fictional hero named Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman who was falsely accused of an attempted assassination and enslaved by the Romans. He becomes a successful charioteer.[5][6] The story's revenge plot becomes a story of compassion and forgiveness.[7]
The novel is divided into eight books, or parts, each with its own subchapters. Book one opens with the story of the three biblical Magi, who arrive in Bethlehem to hear the news of Christ’s birth. Readers meet the fictional character of Judah for the first time in book two, when his childhood friend Messala, also a fictional character, returns home as an ambitious commanding officer of the Roman legions. The teen-aged boys come to realize that they have changed and hold very different views and aspirations. When a loose tile is accidentally dislodged from the roof of Judah's house during a military parade and strikes the Roman governor, knocking him from his horse, Messala falsely accuses Judah of attempted assassination. Although Judah is not guilty and receives no trial, he is sent to the Roman galleys for life; his mother and sister are imprisoned in a Roman jail, where they contract leprosy; and all the family property is confiscated. Judah first encounters Jesus, who offers him a drink of water and encouragement, just before Judah is forced into slavery aboard a Roman galley. Their lives continue to intersect as the story unfolds.[7]
In book three Judah survives his ordeal as a galley slave through good fortune, which includes befriending and saving the commander of his ship, who later adopts him. Judah goes on to become a trained soldier and charioteer. In books four and five Judah returns home to Jerusalem to seek revenge and redemption for his family.
After witnessing the Crucifixion, Judah recognizes that Christ's life stands for a different goal than revenge. Judah becomes Christian, inspired by love and the talk of keys to a greater kingdom than any on earth. The novel concludes with Judah's decision to finance the Catacomb of San Calixto in Rome, where Christian martyrs could be buried and venerated.[7][8]
Characters[edit]
Amrah—an Egyptian slave; former maid in the Ben-Hur household family.[9]
Balthasar—an Egyptian; one of the biblical Magi; along with Melchior, a Hindu, and Gaspar, a Greek, who came to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.[10]
Esther—modest daughter of Simonides; she becomes Judah’s wife and the mother of his children.[11] Wallace named this fictional character after his own mother, Esther French (Test) Wallace.[12][13]
Iras—beautiful daughter of Balthasar; one of Judah’s love interests, who later betrays and rejects him; she becomes Messala’s mistress and eventually kills him.[10][14]
Ishmael—Roman governor.[15]
Jesus of Nazareth—Christ; King of the Jews; son of Mary.[16]
Joseph of Nazareth—a Jewish carpenter; husband of Mary, the mother of Christ.[17]
John the Nazarite —a disciple of Christ.[18]
Judah Ben-Hur—a Jewish prince of Jerusalem who is descended from a royal family of Judaea; son of Ithamar;[19] enslaved by the Romans and later becomes a charioteer and follower of Christ. The name Ben-hur derives from the Hebrew for one of King Solomon's twelve district governors (1 Kings 4:8); it also means "Son of white linen".[20] When Wallace first introduces his readers to Judah, he is described as a seventeen-year-old youth wearing garments of "fine white linen".[21] Wallace chose the biblical name because it could be "easily spelled, printed, and pronounced."[5][6][22]
Malluch—Simonides’s servant; becomes Judah’s friend.[23]
Mary— mother of Jesus; wife of Joseph of Nazareth.[24]
Messala—a Roman nobleman and the son of a Roman tax collector;[25] Judah’s boyhood friend and rival.[26]
Miriam—mother of Judah Ben-Hur.[27]
Pontius Pilate—replaces Valerius Gratus as procurator (prefect);[28] releases Judah’s mother and sister from imprisonment in a Roman prison.[29]
Quintus Arrius—Roman warship commander; Judah saves him from drowning; Arrius adopts Judah as his son, making him a freedman, a Roman citizen, and Arrius’s heir.[30]
Sheik Ilderim—an Arab who agrees to let Judah race his chariot at Antioch.[14][31]
Simonides—a loyal Jewish servant to Ithamar, Judah’s birth father; becomes a wealthy merchant in Antioch.[32]
Thord—a Northman hired by Messala to kill Judah; double-crosses Messala and lets Judah live.[33]
Tirzah—Judah's younger sister.[34]
Valerius Gratus—the fourth imperial (Roman) procurator of Judea.[35] Judah is falsely accused of attempting to assassinate him.[36]
Major themes[edit]
Ben-Hur is the romantic story of a fictional nobleman named Judah Ben-Hur, who tries to save his family from misfortune and restore honor to the family name, while earning the love of a modest Jewess named Esther. It is also a tale of vengeance and spiritual forgiveness that includes themes of Christian redemption and God's benevolence through the compassion of strangers. A popular theme with readers during Gilded Age America, when the novel was first published, was the idea of achieving prosperity through piety. In Ben-Hur this is portrayed through Judah's rise from poverty to great wealth, the challenges he faces to his virtuous nature, and the rich rewards he receives, both materially and spiritually, for his efforts.[7]
Style[edit]
Wallace's adventure story is told from the perspective of Judah Ben-Hur.[5] On occasion, the author speaks directly to his readers.[7] Wallace understood that Christians would be skeptical of a fictional story on Christ's life, so he was careful not to offend them in his writing. Ben-Hur "maintains a respect for the underlying principles of Judaism and Christianity",[1] In his memoirs Wallace wrote:

The Christian world would not tolerate a novel with Jesus Christ its hero, and I knew it ... He should not be present as an actor in any scene of my creation. The giving a cup of water to Ben-Hur at the well near Nazareth is the only violation of this rule ... I would be religiously careful that every word He uttered should be a literal quotation from one of His sainted biographers.[1][37]
Wallace only used dialogue from the King James Bible for Jesus's words. He also created realistic scenes involving Jesus and the main fictional character of Judah, and included a detailed physical description of the Christ, which was not typical of 19th-century biblical fiction.[7] In Wallace's story, Judah "saw a face he never forgot ... the face of a boy about his own age, shaded by locks of yellowish bright chestnut hair; a face lighted by dark-blue eyes, at the time so soft, so appealing, so full of love and holy purpose, that they had all the power of command and will."[38]
The historical novel is filled with romantic and heroic action, including meticulously detailed and realistic descriptions of its landscapes and characters. Wallace strove for accuracy in his descriptions, including several memorable action scenes, the most famous of which was the chariot race at Antioch.[1] Wallace devoted four pages of the novel to a detailed description of the Antioch arena.[39] In contrast to the 1959 film adaptation of Ben-Hur, where Messala is a villain who cheats by adding spikes to the wheels of his chariot, Wallace's novel depicts Judah as the aggressive competitor who wrecks Messala's chariot from behind and leaves him to be trampled by horses.[7] Wallace's novel explains the crowd "had not seen the cunning touch of the reins by which, turning a little to the left, he caught Messala’s wheel with the iron-shod point of his axle, and crushed it".[40]
Background[edit]
By the time of Ben-Hur's publication in 1880, Wallace had already published his first novel, The Fair God; or, The Last of the 'Tzins (1873), and Commodus: An Historical Play (1876) that was never produced. He went on to publish several more novels and biographies, including The Prince of India; or, Why Constantinople Fell (1893), a biography of President Benjamin Harrison in 1888, and The Wooing of Malkatoon (1898), but Ben-Hur remained his most significant work and best-known novel.[41][42] Humanities editor Amy Lifson named Ben-Hur as the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century, while others have identified it as one of the best-selling novels of all time.[1][43] Carl Van Doren wrote that Ben-Hur was, along with Uncle Tom's Cabin, the first fiction many Americans read.[7] Wallace's original plan was to write a story of the biblical Magi as a magazine serial, which he begun in 1873, but he had changed its focus by 1874.[44] Ben-Hur begins with the story of the Magi, but the remainder of the novel connects the story of Christ with the adventures of Wallace's fictional character, Judah Ben-Hur.[5][6]
Influences[edit]
Citing one inspiration for Ben-Hur, Wallace recounted his life-changing journey and talk with Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll, a well-known agnostic and public speaker, whom he met on a train when the two were bound for Indianapolis on September 19, 1876. Ingersoll invited Wallace to join him in his railroad compartment during the trip. The two men debated religious ideology, and Wallace left the discussion realizing how little he knew about Christianity. He became determined to do his own research to write about the history of Christ.[45] Wallace explained: "I was ashamed of myself, and make haste now to declare that the mortification of pride I then endured… ended in a resolution to study the whole matter, if only for the gratification there might be in having convictions of one kind or another."[1][46] It is not known for certain when Wallace decided to write a novel based on the life of Christ, but he had already written the manuscript for a magazine serial about the three Magi at least two years before his discussions with Ingersoll.[47][48] Researching and writing about Christianity helped Wallace become clear about his own ideas and beliefs. He developed the novel from his own exploration of the subject.[49]
Ben-Hur was also inspired, in part, by Wallace's love of romantic novels, including those written by Sir Walter Scott, Jane Porter,[7] and The Count of Monte Cristo (1846) by Alexandre Dumas, père. The Dumas novel was based on the memoirs of an early 19th-century French shoemaker who was unjustly imprisoned and spent the rest of his life seeking revenge.[50] Wallace could relate to the shoemaker's isolation of imprisonment. He explained in his autobiography that while he was writing Ben-Hur, "the Count of Monte Cristo in his dungeon of stone was not more lost to the world."[51]
Other writers have viewed Ben-Hur within the context of Wallace's own life. Historian Victor Davis Hanson argues that the novel drew from Wallace's experiences as a division commander during the American Civil War under General Ulysses S. Grant. Hanson compares Wallace's real-life experience in battle, battle tactics, combat leadership, and jealousies among American Civil War military commanders to those of Wallace's fictional character of Judah, whose unintentional injury to a high-ranking military commander leads to further tragedy and suffering for the Ben-Hur family. Wallace's controversial command decisions and delay in arriving on the field during the first day of the battle of Shiloh, when Grant's army sustained heavy Union casualties created a furore in the North, damaged Wallace's military reputation and drew accusations of his incompetence.[52]
John Swansburg, deputy editor of Slate, suggests the chariot race between the characters of Judah and Messala may have been based on a horserace Wallace reportedly ran, and won, against Grant sometime after the battle of Shiloh.[7] The Judah character's superior horsemanship helped him beat Messala in a chariot race that earned Judah great wealth. F. Farrand Tuttle Jr., a Wallace family friend, reported the story of the horserace between Grant and Wallace in the Denver News on February 19, 1905, but Wallace never wrote about it. The event may have been a Wallace family legend, but the novel, which includes the action-packed chariot race, made Wallace a wealthy man and established his reputation as a famous author and sought-after speaker.[7][53]
Research and writing[edit]



Lew Wallace, Union general, c. 1862–1865
Determined to make the novel historically accurate, Wallace did extensive research on the Middle East that related to the time period covered in his novel, but he did not travel to Rome or the Holy Land until after its publication.[54][55] Wallace began research for the story in 1873 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and made several additional research trips to Washington, Boston, and New York.[7][54]
To establish an authentic background for his story, Wallace gathered references on Roman history as well as the geography, culture, language, customs, architecture, and daily life in the ancient world libraries across the United States. He also studied the Bible. Wallace intended to identify the plants, birds, names, architectural practices, and other details. He later wrote: "I examined catalogues of books and maps, and sent for everything likely to be useful. I wrote with a chart always before my eyes—a German publication showing the towns and villages, all sacred places, the heights, the depressions, the passes, trails, and distances."[56] Wallace also recounted traveling to Boston and Washington, D.C. to research the exact proportions for the oars of a Roman trireme.[54] In the mid-1880s, during a visit to the Holy Land after Ben-Hur was published, Wallace found his estimations were proved to be accurate and that he could "find no reason for making a single change in the text of the book."[1][57]
An example of Wallace's attention to detail is his description of the fictional chariot race and it setting at the arena in Antioch. Using a literary style that addressed his audience directly, Wallace wrote:

Let the reader try to fancy it; let him first look down on the arena, and see it glistening in its frame of dull-gray granite walls; let him then, in this perfect field, see the chariots, light of wheel, very graceful, and ornate as paint and burnishing can make them ... let the reader see the accompanying shadows fly; and, with such distinctness as the picture comes, he may share the satisfaction and deeper pleasure of those to whom it was a thrilling fact, not a feeble fancy.[1][58]
Most of the book was written during Wallace's spare time in the evening, while traveling, and at home in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he often wrote outdoors during the summer, sitting under a favorite beech tree near his home. (The tree has since that time been called the Ben-Hur Beech.)[7][59] After his appointment as governor of the New Mexico Territory , Wallace moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he served as territorial governor from August 1878 to March 1881.[60] He completed Ben-Hur in 1880 at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe.[61] Wallace wrote mostly at night, after his formal duties had concluded, in a room in the palace that was once described in tours as the birthplace of Ben-Hur.[62] In his memoirs Wallace recalled how composed the climactic scenes of the Crucifixion by lantern light: "The ghosts, if they were about, did not disturb me; yet in the midst of that gloomy harborage I beheld the Crucifixion, and strove to write what I beheld."[51]
In March 1880 Wallace copied the final manuscript of Ben-Hur in purple ink as a tribute to the Christian season of Lent, took a leave of absence from his post as New Mexico's territorial governor, and traveled to New York City to deliver it to his publisher. On April 20 Wallace personally presented the manuscript to Joseph Henry Harper of Harper and Brothers, who accepted it for publication.[63][64] At the time of Ben-Hur's publication, the idea of presenting Christ and the Crucifixion in a fictional novel was a sensitive issue. Wallace's depiction of Christ could have been considered by some as blasphemy, but the quality of his manuscript and his assurances that he had not intended to offend Christians with his writing overcame the publisher's reservations.[65] Harper praised it as "the most beautiful manuscript that has ever come into this house. A bold experiment to make Christ a hero that has been often tried and always failed."[1][66] Harper and Brothers offered Wallace a contract that would earn him ten percent in royalties and published Ben-Hur on November 12, 1880. It initially sold for $1.50 per copy, an expensive price when compared to other popular novels published at the time.[65][67][68]
Wallace's religious beliefs[edit]
It is ironic that an acclaimed biblical novel,[69] one that would rival the Bible in popularity during the Gilded Age, was inspired by a discussion with a noted agnostic and written by an author who was never a member of any church.[7] Its publication prompted speculation about Wallace’s faith. Wallace claimed that when he began writing Ben-Hur, he was not "in the least influenced by religious sentiment" and "had no convictions about God or Christ",[44][69] but he was fascinated by the biblical story of the three Magi's journey to find Jesus, king of the Jews. After extensive studies of the Bible and the Holy Land, and well before he had completed the novel, Wallace became a believer in God and Christ.[51][69][70] In his autobiography Wallace acknowledged:

In the very beginning, before distractions overtake me, I wish to say that I believe absolutely in the Christian conception of God. As far as it goes, this confession is broad and unqualified, and it ought and would be sufficient were it not that books of mine—Ben-Hur and The Prince of India—have led many persons to speculate concerning my creed .... I am not a member of any church or denomination, nor have I ever been. Not that churches are objectionable to me, but simply because my freedom is enjoyable, and I do not think myself good enough to be a communicant.[1][71]
Publication history[edit]
Initial sales of Ben-Hur were slow, only 2,800 copies were sold in the first seven months, but within two years the book had become popular among readers.[72] At the beginning of its third year, 750 copies were sold each month, and by 1885, the monthly average was 1,200 copies.[67] By 1886 the book was earning Wallace about $11,000 in annual royalties, a substantial amount at the time, and began to sell, on average, an estimated 50,000 copies per year.[53][73][74] By 1889 Harper and Brothers had sold 400,000 copies.[43][75] Ten years after its initial publication the book had reached sustained sales of 4,500 per month.[67] A study conducted in 1893 of American public library book loans found that Ben-Hur had the highest percentage (eighty-three percent) of loans among contemporary novels.[7] In addition to the publication of the complete novel, two parts were published as separate volumes: The First Christmas (1899) and The Chariot Race (1912).[74]
In 1900 Ben-Hur became the best-selling American novel of the 19th century, surpassing Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.[76][77] By that time it had been printed in thirty-six English-language editions and translated into twenty other languages, including Indonesian and Braille.[78] Literary historian James D. Hart explained that by the turn of the century, "If every American did not read the novel, almost everyone was aware of it."[67] Between 1880 and 1912, an estimated one million copies of the book were sold, and in 1913, Sears Roebuck ordered another one million copies, at that time the largest single-year print edition in American history, and sold them for 39 cents apiece.[2][74]
Within twenty years of it publication, Ben-Hur was "second only to the Bible as the best-selling book in America", and remained in second position until Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind (1936) surpassed it.[1][6] A 1946 edition of Ben-Hur published by Grosset and Dunlap boasted that 26 million copies of the novel were in print.[74] With the release of the 1959 film adaptation of the book, Ben-Hur returned to the top of the bestseller lists in the 1960s. At the time of the book's one hundredth anniversary in 1980, Ben-Hur had never been out of print and had been adapted for the stage and several motion pictures.[79]
Reception[edit]
Ben-Hur was popular in its own day despite slow initial sales and mixed reviews from contemporary literary critics, who "found its romanticism passé and its action pulpy".[7] Century magazine called it an "anachronism" and The Atlantic panned is descriptions as "too lavish".[67] For its readers, however, the book "resonated with some of the most significant issues in late Victorian culture: gender and family; slavery and freedom; ethnicity and empire; and nationhood and citizenship".[6] With the chariot race as its central attraction and the character of Judah emerging as a "heroic action figure",[6] Ben-Hur enjoyed a wide popularity among readers, similar to the dime novels of its day;[7] however, its continued appearance on popular lists of great American literature remained a source of frustration for many literary critics over the years.[78]
The novel had millions of fans, including several influential men in politics. U.S. president and American Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant, U.S. president James Garfield, and Jefferson Davis, former president of the Confederate States of America, were enthusiastic fans.[7] Garfield was so impressed that he appointed Wallace as U.S. Minister to the Ottoman Empire, based in Constantinople, Turkey. Wallace served in this diplomatic post from 1881 to 1885.[80]
Ben-Hur was published at time when the United States was moving away from war and reconstruction.[7] One scholar argues that Ben-Hur became so popular that it "helped to reunite the nation in the years following Reconstruction".[6] It has been suggested that the Southerners' positive reception of a book written by Wallace, a former Union general, was his message of compassion overcoming vengeance and his sympathetic description of slaveholders.[7] Poet, editor and Confederate veteran Paul Hamilton Hayne described Ben-Hur as "simple, straightforward, but eloquent".[7][81]
Critics point to problems such as flat characters and dialogue, unlikely coincidences driving the plot, and tedious and lengthy descriptions of settings, but others note its well-structured plot and exciting story,[78] with its unusual mix of romanticism, spiritual piety, action and adventure.[49] A New York Times review in 1905 referred to Ben-Hur as Wallace's masterwork, further noting it "appealed to the unsophisticated and unliterary. People who read much else of worth rarely read Ben-Hur".[82]
Popular novels of Christ's life, such as Reverend J. H. Ingraham's The Prince of the House of David (1855), preceded Wallace's novel, while others such as Charles M. Shedon's "In His Steps": What Would Jesus Do? (1897) followed it, but Ben-Hur was among the first to make Jesus a major character in a novel.[7] Members of the clergy and others praised Wallace's detailed description of the Middle East during Jesus's lifetime and encouraged their congregations to read the book at home and during Sunday School.[83] One Roman Catholic priest wrote to Wallace: "The messiah appears before us as I always wished him depicted".[7]
Readers also credited Wallace's novel with making Jesus's story more believable by providing vivid descriptions of the Holy Land and inserting his own character of Judah into scenes from the gospels. One former alcoholic, George Parrish from Kewanee, Illinois, wrote the author a letter crediting Ben-Hur with causing him to reject alcohol and find religion. Parrish remarked: "It seemed to bring Christ home to me as nothing else could".[7] Others who were inspired by the novel dedicated themselves to Christian service and became missionaries, some of them helping to translate Ben-Hur into other languages.[83] This kind of religious support helped Ben-Hur become one of the best-selling novels of its time. It not only reduced lingering American resistance to the novel as a literary form, but later adaptations were instrumental in introducing some Christian audiences to theater and film.[7][49]
Adaptations[edit]
Stage[edit]



 1901 poster for a production of the play at the Illinois Theatre, Chicago
After the novel's publication in 1880, Wallace was deluged with requests to dramatize it as a stage play, but he resisted, arguing no one could accurately portray Christ on stage or recreate a realistic chariot race.[84] When dramatist William Young suggested a solution to represent Jesus with a beam of light, the author was impressed. In 1899 Wallace entered into an agreement with theatrical producers Marc Klaw and Abraham Erlanger to turn his novel into a stage adaptation. The resulting play opened at the Broadway Theater in New York City on November 29, 1899. Critics gave it mixed reviews, but the audience, many of them first-time theater-goers, packed each performance. It became a hit, selling 25,000 tickets per week.[74][85] From 1899 until its last performance in 1921, the show played in large venues in U.S. cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Baltimore, and traveled internationally to London, England, and Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. The stage adaptation was seen by an estimated twenty million people.[85] and William Jennings Bryan claimed is was "the greatest play on stage when measured by its religious tone and more effect."[7] Its popularity introduced the theater to a new audience, "many of them devout churchgoers who’d previously been suspicious of the stage."[7]
The key spectacle of the show recreated the chariot race with live horses and real chariots running on treadmills with a rotating backdrop.[86] Its elaborate set and staging came at a time "when theatre was yearning to be cinema."[87][88] After Wallace saw the elaborate stage sets, he exclaimed, "My God. Did I set all of this in motion?"[7]
When the play was produced in London in 1902, The Era's drama critic described how the chariot race was achieved with "four great cradles" 20 feet (6.1 m) long and 14 feet (4.3 m) wide, that moved "back and front on railways", while horses secured with invisible steel cable traces galloped on treadmills towards the audience. The horses also drove the movement of a vast cyclorama backdrop, which revolved in the opposite direction to create an illusion of rapid speed. Electric rubber rollers spun the chariot wheels, while fans created clouds of dust. The production had imported thirty tons of stage equipment from the United States, employed a cast of more than one hundred, and featured sets with fountains, palm trees, and the sinking of a Roman galley.[88] A critic for The Illustrated London News described the London production in 1902 as "a marvel of stage-illusion" that was "memorable beyond all else", while The Sketchs critic called it "thrilling and realistic ... enough to make the fortune of any play" and noted that "the stage, which has to bear 30 tons' weight of chariots and horses, besides huge crowds, has had to be expressly strengthened and shored up."[1][88]
In 2009 Ben Hur Live was staged at the O2 arena, on the Greenwich peninsula in London. It featured a live chariot race, gladiatorial combat, and a sea battle. The production used forty-six horses, 500 tons of special sand, and 400 cast and crew. All of the show's dialogue was in Latin and Aramaic of the period, with voiceover narration. However, despite its massive staging, a critic for The Guardian remarked it lacked the theatrical spectacle to inspire the imagination of its audience.[89] In contrast, London's Battersea Arts Centre staged a lower-key version of Ben-Hur in 2002 that featured a limited cast of ten and the chariot race.[87]
Film, radio and television[edit]
The development of the cinema following the novel's publication saw film adaptations in 1907, 1925, 1959, 2003, and as a North American TV mini-series in 2010.[90]
In 1907 Sidney Olcott and Frank Oakes Ross directed a short film for the Kalem Company that was based on the book, but it did not have the Wallace heir's or the book publisher's permissions.[74][91] Henry Wallace, the author’s son, stage producers Klaw and Erlanger, and the book’s publisher, Harper and Brothers, sued the film’s producers for violating U.S. copyright laws. The landmark case, Kalem Co. v. Harper Brothers (1911) [222 U.S. 55 (1911)], went to the U.S. Supreme Court and set a legal precedent for motion picture rights in adaptations of literary and theatrical works. The court's ruling required the film company to pay $25,000 in damages plus expenses.[85][91]
Wallace's son continued to receive offers to sell the film rights to the book after his father’s death. Henry refused all offers until 1915, when he changed his mind and entered into an agreement with Erlanger for $600,000. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer later obtained the film rights.[92] The 1925 film adaptation of Ben-Hur, under director Fred Niblo, starred Ramon Novarro as Ben-Hur and Francis X. Bushman as Messala.[93] Filming began in Italy and was completed in the United States. It cost MGM $3.9 million, "making it the most expensive silent film in history."[92] The film premiered on December 20, 1925, at the George M. Cohan Theater in New York City. It received positive reviews[92] and became a top-grossing silent film of the era.[94]
In 1955 MGM began planning for a new version of the film with William Wyler, who had worked as an assistant director of the chariot race in the 1925 film,[1] as its director. The 1959 film adaptation of Ben-Hur, starred Charlton Heston as Judah, with Stephen Boyd as Messala. It was shot on location in Rome. Filming wrapped on January 7, 1959.[95] At a cost of an estimated $12.5 to of $15 million, it became the most expensive motion picture made up to that time; it was also among the most successful films ever made.[95] The film premiered at Lowe's State Theater in New York City on November 18, 1959. It earned more than $40 million at the box office and an estimated $20 million more in merchandising revenues.[94][96]
Wallace’s novel was eclipsed by the popularity of Wyler's 1959 film adaptation, a "blockbuster hit for MGM", that won a record eleven Academy awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and became the top-grossing film of 1960.[90] Heston, who won the Oscar in 1960 for Best Actor, called it his "best film work";[97] Wyler won the Academy's award for Best Director. In 1998 the American Film Institute named Wyler's film one of the hundred best American films of all time.[97] Gore Vidal, who co-wrote the film, stated that he had added a homo-erotic sub-text.[89]
A BBC Radio 4 dramatization of the book in four parts, first broadcast in the United Kingdom in January 2008, starred Jamie Glover as Ben-Hur, with a cast that included Samuel West and Michael Gambon.[98]
Selected film and stage adaptations[edit]
Ben-Hur (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in New York City on November 29, 1899.[85]
Ben Hur (1907 film), a silent film short.[85]
Ben-Hur (1925 film), an MGM silent film starring Ramon Novarro; it premiered in New York City on December 20, 1925.[92]
Ben-Hur (1959 film), an MGM sound film starring Charlton Heston; it premiered in New York City on November 18, 1959.[96]
Ben Hur (2003 film), an animated direct-to-video film featuring the voice of Charlton Heston
Ben Hur Live, a 2009 stage adaptation
Ben Hur (TV miniseries), a 2010 adaptation
Ben-Hur, a film adaptation for MGM and Paramount Pictures scheduled for release in February 2016.[99]
Books[edit]
Ben-Hur‍ '​s success encouraged the publication of other historical romance stories of the ancient world, including G. J. Whyte-Melville's The Gladiator: A Tale of Rome and Judea (1870), Marie Corelli's Barabbas (1901), and Florence Morse Kingsley's Titus, A Comrade of the Cross (1897).[67] Other novels adapted Wallace's story: H. M. Blen's Ben-Beor (1891), J. O. A. Clark's Esther: A Sequel to Ben-Hur (1892), Miles Gerald Keon's Dion and Sibyls (1898), and J. Breckenridge Ellis's Adnah (1902).[100]
At least eight translations of the book into Hebrew were made between 1959 and 1990. Some of these versions have involved wholesale restructuring of the narrative, including changes to character, dropping of Christian themes, and plot.[101]
In popular culture[edit]
Ben-Hur's success also led to its popularity as a promotional tool and a prototype for popular culture merchandising.[94] Although it was not the only novel to have related popular culture products, Wallace and his publisher were the first to legally protect and successfully promote the use of their literary work for commercial purposes.[102] In the decades following its publication, Ben-Hur and its famous chariot race became well-established in popular culture as a "respected, alluring, and memorable" brand name and a recognizable icon that had mass market appeal.[103]
The novel was linked to commercial products that included Ben-Hur flour, produced by the Royal Milling Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a line of Ben-Hur toiletries, including Ben-Hur perfume from the Andrew Jergens Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.[104] Other consumer goods included Ben-Hur bicycles, cigars, automobiles, clocks and hair products. The Ben-Hur name and images also appeared in magazine advertisements for Honeywell, Ford and Green Giant products.[102] After MGM released the 1959 film adaptation of the novel, the studio licensed hundreds of companies to create related products, including Ben-Hur-related clothing, household goods, jewelry, food products, crafts and action figures.[105]
Tributes[edit]
More than one tribute to Wallace's most famous book and its fictional hero have been erected near Wallace's home in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The General Lew Wallace Study and Museum honors the character of Judah Ben-Hur with a limestone frieze of his imagined face installed over the entrance to the study.[1] Wallace's grave marker at the cemetery in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where the author is buried includes a line from the Balthazar character in Ben-Hur: "I would not give one hour of life as a soul for a thousand years of life as a man."[7]
Detailed synopsis[edit]



 Poster for the 1925 MGM film adaptation of Ben-Hur
Part One[edit]
Biblical references: Matt. 2:1-12, Luke 2:1-20
Three Magi have come from the East. Balthasar, an Egyptian, sets up a tent in the desert, where he is joined by Melchior, a Hindu, and Gaspar, a Greek. They discover they have been brought together by their common goal. They see a bright star shining over the region, and take it as a sign to leave, following it through the desert toward the province of Judaea.
At the Joppa Gate in Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph pass through on their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. They stop at the inn at the entrance to the city, but there is no room. Mary is pregnant and, as labor begins, they head to a cave on a nearby hillside, where Jesus is born. In the pastures outside the city, a group of seven shepherds watch their flocks. Angels announce the Christ's birth. The shepherds hurry towards the city and enter the cave on the hillside to worship the Christ. They spread the news of the Christ's birth and many come to see him.
The Magi arrive in Jerusalem and inquire for news of the Christ. Herod the Great is angry to hear of another king challenging his rule and asks the Sanhedrin to find information for him. The Sanhedrin deliver a prophecy written by Micah, telling of a ruler to come from Bethlehem Ephrathah, which they interpret to signify the Christ's birthplace.
Part Two[edit]
Biblical references: Luke 2:51-52
Judah Ben-Hur, son of Ithamar, is a prince descended from a royal family of Judaea. Messala, his closest childhood friend and the son of a Roman tax-collector, leaves home for five years of education in Rome. He returns as a proud Roman. He mocks Judah and his religion and the two become enemies. As a result, Judah decides to go to Rome for military training in order to use his acquired skills to fight the Roman Empire.
Valerius Gratus, the fourth Roman prefect of Judaea, passes by Judah's house.[106] As Judah watches the procession from his rooftop, a loose roof tile happens to fall and hit the governor. Messala betrays Judah, who is quickly captured and accused of attempting to murder Gratus. There is no trial; Judah's entire family is secretly imprisoned in the Antonia Fortress and all their property is seized. As he is taken away, Judah vows vengeance against the Romans. He is sent as a slave to work aboard a Roman warship. On the journey to the ship, he meets a young carpenter named Jesus, who offers him water, which deeply moves Judah and strengthens his resolve to survive.
Part Three[edit]
In Italy, Greek pirate-ships have been looting Roman vessels in the Aegean Sea. The prefect Sejanus orders the Roman Quintus Arrius to take warships to combat the pirates. Chained on one of the warships, Judah has survived three hard years as a Roman slave, kept alive by his passion for vengeance. Arrius is impressed by Judah and decides to question him about his life and his story. He is stunned to learn of Judah's former status as a son of Hur. In battle, the ship is damaged and starts to sink. Arrius unlocks Judah's chains so he has a chance to survive, and Judah ends up saving the Roman from drowning. They share a plank as a makeshift raft until being rescued by a Roman ship, whereupon they learn that the Romans were victorious in the battle; Arrius is lauded as a hero. They return to Misenum, where Arrius adopts Judah as his son, making him a freedman and a Roman citizen.
Part Four[edit]
Judah Ben-Hur trains in wrestling for five years in the Palaestra in Rome before becoming the heir of Arrius after his death. While traveling to Antioch on state business, Judah learns that his real father's chief servant, the slave Simonides, lives in a house in this city, and has the trust of Judah's father's possessions, which he has invested so well that he is now wealthy. Judah visits Simonides, who listens to his story but demands more proof of his identity. Ben-Hur says he has no proof, but asks if Simonides knows of the fate of Judah's mother and sister. He says he knows nothing and Judah leaves the house. Simonides sends his servant Malluch to spy on Judah to see if his story is true and to learn more about him. Shortly afterwards, Malluch meets and befriends Judah in the Grove of Daphne, and they go to the games stadium together. There, Ben-Hur finds his old rival Messala racing one of the chariots, preparing for a tournament.
The Sheik Ilderim announces that he is looking for a chariot driver to race his team in the coming tournament. Judah, wanting revenge, offers to drive the sheik's chariot, as he intends to defeat Messala. Balthasar and his daughter Iras are sitting at a fountain in the stadium. Messala's chariot nearly hits them but Judah intervenes. Balthasar thanks Ben-Hur and presents him with a gift. Judah heads to Sheik Ilderim's tent. The servant Malluch accompanies him, and they talk about the Christ; Malluch relates Balthasar's story of the Magi. They realize that Judah saved the man who saw the Christ soon after his birth.
Simonides, his daughter Esther, and Malluch talk together, and conclude that Judah is who he claims to be, and that he is on their side in the fight against Rome. Messala realizes that Judah Ben-Hur has been adopted into a Roman home and his honor has been restored. He threatens to take revenge. Meanwhile, Balthasar and his daughter Iras arrive at the Sheik's tent. With Judah they discuss how the Christ, approaching the age of thirty, is ready to enter public leadership. Judah takes increasing interest in the beautiful Iras.
Part Five[edit]
Messala sends a letter to Valerius Gratus about his discovery of Judah, but Sheik Ilderim intercepts the letter and shares it with Judah. He discovers that his mother and sister were imprisoned in a cell at the Antonia Fortress, and Messala has been spying on him. Meanwhile, Ilderim is deeply impressed with Judah's skills with his racing horses, and accepts him as his charioteer.
Simonides comes to Judah and offers him the accumulated fortune of the Hur family business, of which the merchant has been steward. Judah Ben-Hur accepts only the original amount of money, leaving property and the rest to the loyal merchant. They each agree to do their part to fight for the Christ, whom they believe to be a political savior from Roman authority.
A day before the race, Ilderim prepares his horses. Judah appoints Malluch to organize his support campaign for him. Meanwhile, Messala organizes his own huge campaign, revealing Judah Ben-Hur's former identity to the community as an outcast and convict. Malluch challenges Messala and his cronies to a large wager, which, if the Roman loses, would bankrupt him.
The day of the race comes. During the race, Messala and Judah become the clear leaders. Judah deliberately scrapes his chariot wheel against Messala's and Messala's chariot breaks apart, causing him to be trampled by other racers' horses. Judah is crowned the winner and showered with prizes, claiming his first strike against Rome. Messala is left with a broken body and the loss of his wealth.
After the race, Judah Ben-Hur receives a letter from Iras asking him to go to the Roman palace of Idernee. When he arrives, he sees that he has been tricked. Thord, a Saxon, hired by Messala, comes to kill Judah. They duel, and Ben-Hur offers Thord four thousand sestertii to let him live. Thord returns to Messala claiming to have killed Judah, so collects money from them both. Supposedly dead, Judah Ben-Hur goes to the desert with Ilderim to plan a secret campaign.
Part Six[edit]
For Ben-Hur, Simonides bribes Sejanus to remove the prefect Valerius Gratus from his post, who is succeeded by Pontius Pilate. Ben-Hur sets out for Jerusalem to find his mother and sister. Pilate's review of the prison records reveals great injustice, and he notes Gratus concealed a walled-up cell. Pilate's troops reopen the cell to find two women, Judah's long-lost mother and sister, suffering from leprosy. Pilate releases them, and they go to the old Hur house, which is vacant. Finding Judah asleep on the steps, they give thanks to God that he is alive, but do not wake him. As lepers, they are considered less than human. Banished from the city, they leave in the morning.
Amrah, the Egyptian maid who once served the Hur house, discovers Ben-Hur and wakes him. She reveals that she has stayed in the Hur house for all these years. Keeping touch with Simonides, she discouraged many potential buyers of the house by acting as a ghost. They pledge to find out more about the lost family. Judah discovers an official Roman report about the release of two leprous women. Amrah hears rumors of the mother and sister's fate.
Romans make plans to use funds from the corban treasury, of the Temple in Jerusalem, to build a new aqueduct. The Jewish people petition Pilate to veto the plan. Pilate sends his soldiers in disguise to mingle with the crowd, who at an appointed time, begin to massacre the protesters. Judah kills a Roman guard in a duel, and becomes a hero in the eyes of a group of Galilean protesters.
Part Seven[edit]
Biblical references: John 1:29-34
At a meeting in Bethany, Ben-Hur and his Galilean followers organize a resistance force to revolt against Rome. Gaining help from Simonides and Ilderim, he sets up a training base in Ilderim's territory in the desert. After some time, Malluch writes announcing the appearance of a prophet believed to be a herald for the Christ. Judah journeys to the Jordan to see the Prophet, meeting Balthasar and Iras traveling for the same purpose. They reach Bethabara, where a group has gathered to hear John the Baptist preach. A man walks up to John, and asks to be baptized. Judah recognizes Him as the man who gave him water at the well in Nazareth many years before. Balthasar worships Him as the Christ.
Part Eight[edit]
Biblical references: Matthew 27:48-51, Mark 11:9-11, 14:51-52, Luke 23:26-46, John 12:12-18, 18:2-19:30
During the next three years, that Man, Jesus, preaches his gospel around Galilee, and Ben-Hur becomes one of his followers. He notices that Jesus chooses fishermen, farmers, and similar people, considered "lowly", as apostles. Judah has seen Jesus perform miracles, and is now convinced that the Christ really had come.
During this time, Malluch has bought the old Hur house and renovated it. He invites Simonides and Balthasar, with their daughters, to live in the house with him. Judah Ben-Hur seldom visits, but the day before Jesus plans to enter Jerusalem and proclaim himself, Judah returns. He tells all who are in the house of what he has learned while following Jesus. Amrah realizes that Judah's mother and sister could be healed, and brings them from a cave where they are living. The next day, the three await Jesus by the side of a road and seek his healing. Amidst the celebration of his Triumphal Entry, Jesus heals the women. When they are cured, they reunite with Judah.
Several days later, Iras talks with Judah, saying he has trusted in a false hope, for Jesus had not started the expected revolution. She says that it is all over between them, saying she loves Messala. Ben-Hur remembers the "invitation of Iras" that led to the incident with Thord, and accuses Iras of betraying him. That night, he resolves to go to Esther.
While lost in thought, he notices a parade in the street and falls in with it. He notices that Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' disciples, is leading the parade, and many of the temple priests and Roman soldiers are marching together. They go to the olive grove of Gethsemane, and he sees Jesus walking out to meet the crowd. Understanding the betrayal, Ben-Hur is spotted by a priest who tries to take him into custody; he breaks away and flees. When morning comes, Ben-Hur learns that the Jewish priests have tried Jesus before Pilate. Although originally acquitted, Jesus has been sentenced to crucifixion at the crowd's demand. Ben-Hur is shocked at how his supporters have deserted Christ in his time of need. They head to Calvary, and Ben-Hur resigns himself to watch the crucifixion of Jesus. The sky darkens. Ben-Hur offers Jesus wine vinegar to return Jesus' favor to him, and soon after that Jesus utters his last cry. Judah and his friends commit their lives to Jesus, realizing He was not an earthly king, but a heavenly King and a Savior of mankind.
Five years after the crucifixion, Ben-Hur and Esther have married and had children. The family lives in Misenum. Iras visits Esther and tells her she has killed Messala, discovering that the Romans were brutes. She also implies that she will attempt suicide. After Esther tells Ben-Hur of the visit, he tries unsuccessfully to find Iras. A Samaritan uprising in Judaea is harshly suppressed by Pontius Pilate, and he is ordered back to Rome a decade after authorizing the crucifixion of Jesus.
In the tenth year of Emperor Nero's reign, Ben-Hur is staying with Simonides, whose business has been extremely successful. With Ben-Hur, the two men have given most of the fortunes to the church of Antioch. Now, as an old man, Simonides has sold all his ships but one, and that one has returned for probably its final voyage. Learning that the Christians in Rome are suffering at the hands of Emperor Nero, Ben-Hur and his friends decide to help. Ben-Hur, Esther and Malluch sail to Rome, where they decided to build an underground church. It will survive through the ages and comes to be known as the Catacomb of Callixtus.
See also[edit]
Tribe of Ben-Hur — fraternal organization based on the book, known some time later as the Ben-Hur Life Association, an insurance company.
Notes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Amu Lifton (2009). "Ben-Hur: The Book That Shook the World". Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities) 30 (6). Retrieved 2010-04-20.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Wallace, Lew (1998) Ben-Hur. Oxford World's Classics, p. vii.
3.Jump up ^ Asimov, Isaac. Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts, New York: Random House Value Publishing, 1981
4.Jump up ^ For a discussion of the historical Jesus, see Allan Powell (1999). Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press. p. 25. ISBN 0-664-25703-8.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 298.
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Miller, p. 155.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac John Swansburg (2013-03-26). "The Passion of Lew Wallace". Slate. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
8.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 552.
9.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 93–4.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 9, 12–17.
11.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 180 and 548.
12.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 932.
13.Jump up ^ McKee, "The Early Life of Lew Wallace", p. 206.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 303.
15.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 83.
16.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 64 and 76.
17.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 39–41.
18.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 459, 461–66.
19.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 100 and 171
20.Jump up ^ David Mandel (2007). Who's Who in the Jewish Bible. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society. p. 62. ISBN 0-8276-0863-2.
21.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 82.
22.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 936.
23.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 185, 205 and 220.
24.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 41.
25.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 81–2.
26.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 301 and 303.
27.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 302.
28.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 385.
29.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 392–403.
30.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 135, 160–62, and 166–67.
31.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 206 and 231.
32.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 174.
33.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 380–85.
34.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 112.
35.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 77 and 80.
36.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 118–19.
37.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 933–4.
38.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 126.
39.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 350–54.
40.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 370.
41.Jump up ^ Stephens, p. 234 and 236.
42.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 544–5.
43.^ Jump up to: a b Boomhower, p. 111.
44.^ Jump up to: a b Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 927.
45.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 298–9.
46.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 930. Wallace's article, "How I Came to Write Ben-Hur", which appeared in the February 2, 1893, issue of The Youths Companion, was included as part of his autobiography.
47.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 299.
48.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 930.
49.^ Jump up to: a b c Russell W. Dalton, Ben-Hur (2009), New York: Barnes and Noble.
50.Jump up ^ Morseberger and Morseberger, p. 292.
51.^ Jump up to: a b c Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 936.
52.Jump up ^ Victor Davis Hanson (2003). Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think. New York: Doubleday. p. 136–9. ISBN 0-385-50400-4.
53.^ Jump up to: a b Stephens, p. 229.
54.^ Jump up to: a b c Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 300.
55.Jump up ^ Wallace and his wife Susan visited the Holy Land, including Jerusalem and the surrounding area, during his service as U.S. Minister to the Ottoman Empire (1881–85). See Boomhower, p. 119 and 125.
56.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 934.
57.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 937.
58.Jump up ^ Wallace, Ben-Hur (1880), p. 360–61.
59.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 934–5.
60.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 98 and 101; Ferraro, p. 142; and Morrow, p. 15.
61.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 110; Morrow, p. 15; and Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 300–1.
62.Jump up ^ There remains some dispute as to which room Wallace used. His description of the room and subsequent remodeling of the palace have made its location unrecognizable. See Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 291–2.
63.Jump up ^ Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 292–3, and 301.
64.Jump up ^ The original manuscript of Ben=Hur is held at the Lilly Library, Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. See "Lilly Library Manuscripts Collection: Wallace Mss. II". Indiana University. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
65.^ Jump up to: a b Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 293.
66.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 938.
67.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f James D. Hart (1950). The Popular Book: A History of America’s Literary Taste. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 163–4. ISBN 0-8371-8694-3.
68.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 9, 91, and 110.
69.^ Jump up to: a b c Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 297.
70.Jump up ^ Miller, p. 160.
71.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography (1906), p. 1–2.
72.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 11 and 110, and Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 294.
73.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 12.
74.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Jon Solomon (2008). "Fugitive Sources, Ben-Hur, and the Popular Art "Property"". RBM (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries) 9 (1): 68. Retrieved 2014-10-27.
75.Jump up ^ Hanson, p. 140.
76.Jump up ^ Lew Wallace (2003). Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, with a New Introduction by Tim LaHaye. New York: Signet Classic. p. vii.
77.Jump up ^ Morrow, p. 16.
78.^ Jump up to: a b c Russell W. Dalton (Introduction). Ben-Hur. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.
79.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 11 and 138, and Morrow, p. 10, 17–18.
80.Jump up ^ Stephens, p. 229–30.
81.Jump up ^ Wallace, An Autobiography, p. 947.
82.Jump up ^ "The Author of 'Ben Hur'". The New York Times (New York City). 1905-02-18. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
83.^ Jump up to: a b Miller, p. 160–1.
84.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 138–9.
85.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Boomhower, p. 140–1.
86.Jump up ^ Boomhower, p. 140.
87.^ Jump up to: a b Samantha Ellis (2002-11-23). "Ben-Hur Returns to the Stage after 100 Years". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
88.^ Jump up to: a b c Samantha Ellis (2003-10-08). "Ben-Hur, London, 1902". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
89.^ Jump up to: a b Espiner, Mark (2009-09-14). "Ben Hur Live leaves little to the imagination". guardian.co.uk (Guardian News and Media). Retrieved 2009-09-18.
90.^ Jump up to: a b Cobbett Steinberg (1980). Film Facts. New York: Facts on File. p. 17 and 23. ISBN 0-87196-313-2.
91.^ Jump up to: a b Roy Kinnard and Tim Davis (1992). Divine Images: A History of Jesus on the Screen. New York: Carol Publishing Group. p. 29. ISBN 0-80651-284-9.
92.^ Jump up to: a b c d Boomhower, p. 141–2.
93.Jump up ^ Gary Allen Smith (2004). Epic Films: Casts, Credits and Commentary on over 350 Historical Spectacle Movies (2nd ed.). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co. p. 33. ISBN 0-7864-1530-4.
94.^ Jump up to: a b c Solomon, p. 68–9.
95.^ Jump up to: a b Smith, p. 34–35.
96.^ Jump up to: a b Boomhower, 142–4.
97.^ Jump up to: a b Boomhower, p. 144.
98.Jump up ^ "Lew Wallace – Ben Hur". BBC. 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
99.Jump up ^ Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, co-produced by Mark Burnett, Sean Daniel, and Roma Downey, and written for the screen by Keith Clarke (The Way Back) and John Ridley (12 Years a Slave). See Mike Fleming, Jr. (2013-01-14). "Sweet Chariot! MGM is Rebooting ‘Ben-Hur". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2014-10-28.; Justin Kroll (2014-04-23). "Paramount Joins MGM on 'Ben-Hur' Remake". Variety Media, LLC.; and Mike Fleming Jr. (2014-04-25). "Jesus Whisperers Mark Burnett And Roma Downey Board MGM/Paramount's 'Ben-Hur'". Dateline.com. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
100.Jump up ^ Solomon, p. 75.
101.Jump up ^ Israeli academic Nitsa Ben-Ari discusses the complex socio-political context of these translations and changes. See Nitsa Ben-Ari (2002). "The Double Conversion of Ben-Hur: A Case of Manipulative Translation" (PDF). Tel Aviv University. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
102.^ Jump up to: a b Solomon, p. 74.
103.Jump up ^ Solomon, p. 78.
104.Jump up ^ Miller, p. 158 and 167.
105.Jump up ^ Miller, p. 171.
106.Jump up ^ Wallace uses "procurator," which until 1961 was thought to be the correct title.
References[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ben Hur.
Ben-Ari, Nitsa (2002). "The Double Conversion of Ben-Hur: A Case of Manipulative Translation" (PDF). Tel Aviv University. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
Boomhower, Ray E. (2005). The Sword and the Pen. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87195-185-1.
Ferraro, William M. (June 2008). "A Struggle for Respect: Lew Wallace’s Relationships with Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman After Shiloh". Indiana Magazine of History (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University) 104 (2): 125–152. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
Hanson, Victor Davis (2003). Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-50400-4.
Hart, James D. (1976). The Popular Book: A History of America’s Literary Taste. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-8371-8694-3.
Hezser, Catherine (2008). Ben Hur and Ancient Jewish Slavery. A Wandering Galilean: Essays in Honour of Sean Freyne (Brill Academic Publishers). Retrieved 2014-10-01.
Lifson, Amy (2009). "Ben-Hur". Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities) 30 (6). Retrieved 2010-04-20.
Miller, Howard (June 2008). "The Charioteer and the Christ: Ben-Hur in America from the Gilded Age to the Culture Wars". Indiana Magazine of History (Bloomington: Indiana University) 104 (2): 153–75. Retrieved 2014-09-27.
Morrow, Barbara Olenyik (1994). From Ben-Hur to Sister Carrie: Remembering the Lives and Works of Five Indiana Authors. Indianapolis, Indiana: Guild Press of Indiana. ISBN 978-1-87820-860-6.
Morsberger, Robert E., and Katharine M. Morsberger (1980). Lew Wallace: Militant Romantic. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-043305-4.
Russo, Dorothy Ritter, and Thelma Lois Sullivan (1952). Bibliographical Studies of Seven Authors of Crawfordsville, Indiana. Indianapolis :: Indiana Historical Society.
Solomon, Jon (2008). "Fugutive Sources, Ben-Hur, and the Popular Art "Property"". RBM (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries) 9 (1): 67–78.
Stephens, Gail (2010). The Shadow of Shiloh: Major General Lew Wallace in the Civil War. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press. ISBN 978-0-87195-287-5.
Swansburg, John (2013-03-26). "The Passion of Lew Wallace". The Slate Group. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
Wallace, Lew (1906). An Autobiography. New York: Harper and Brothers.
External links[edit]
Trailer from 1959 Film version of Ben Hur[dead link]
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ at Project Gutenberg
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, 1887 printing, scanned book via Internet Archive


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Ben-Hur (1959 film)

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This article is about the 1959 film. For other uses, see Ben-Hur.

Ben-Hur
Ben hur 1959 poster.jpg
Original theatrical poster by Reynold Brown

Directed by
William Wyler
Produced by
Sam Zimbalist
Screenplay by
Karl Tunberg[a]
Based on
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace
Starring
Charlton Heston
Jack Hawkins
Haya Harareet
Stephen Boyd
Hugh Griffith
Narrated by
Finlay Currie
Music by
Miklós Rózsa
Cinematography
Robert L. Surtees
Edited by
John D. Dunning
Ralph E. Winters

Production
 company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Distributed by
Loew's Inc.[1]

Release dates

November 18, 1959


Running time
 222 minutes[2]
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$15.2 million[3][4]
Box office
$146.9 million (initial release)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic historical drama film, directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Hugh Griffith and Haya Harareet. A remake of the 1925 silent film with the same name, Ben-Hur was adapted from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay is credited to Karl Tunberg but includes contributions from Maxwell Anderson, S. N. Behrman, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry.
Ben-Hur had the largest budget ($15.175 million) as well as the largest sets built of any film produced at the time. Costume designer Elizabeth Haffenden oversaw a staff of 100 wardrobe fabricators to make the costumes, and a workshop employing 200 artists and workmen provided the hundreds of friezes and statues needed in the film. Filming commenced on May 18, 1958 and wrapped on January 7, 1959, with shooting lasting for 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week. Pre-production began at Cinecittà around October 1957, and post-production took six months. Under cinematographer Robert L. Surtees, MGM executives made the decision to film the picture in a widescreen format, which Wyler strongly disliked. More than 200 camels and 2,500 horses were used in the shooting of the film, with some 10,000 extras. The sea battle was filmed using miniatures in a huge tank on the back lot at the MGM Studios in Culver City, California. The nine-minute chariot race has become one of cinema's most famous sequences, and the film score, composed and conducted by Miklós Rózsa, is the longest ever composed for a film and was highly influential on cinema for more than 15 years.
Following a $14.7 million marketing effort, Ben-Hur premiered at Loew's State Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1959. It was the fastest-grossing as well as the highest grossing film of 1959, in the process becoming the second-highest grossing film in history at the time after Gone with the Wind. It won a record 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Wyler), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Heston), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Griffith), and Best Cinematography, Color (Surtees), an accomplishment that was not equaled until Titanic in 1997 and then again by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003. Ben-Hur also won three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Stephen Boyd. Today, Ben-Hur is widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, and in 1998 the American Film Institute ranked it the 72nd best American film and the 2nd best American epic film in the AFI's 10 Top 10. In 2004, the National Film Preservation Board selected Ben-Hur for preservation by the National Film Registry for being a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" motion picture.
A remake of the film, also produced by MGM, is scheduled to be released in February 2016.[5]





Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Writing
3.3 Casting
3.4 Cinematography
3.5 Principal photography
3.6 Production design
3.7 Editing
3.8 Musical score
4 Chariot race sequence 4.1 Set design
4.2 Preparation
4.3 Filming
5 Release 5.1 Box office
5.2 Critical reception
5.3 Accolades
5.4 Broadcast and home video releases
6 Remake
7 See also
8 References
9 Bibliography
10 External links

Plot[edit]
In AD 26, Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is a wealthy prince and merchant in Jerusalem, who lives with his mother, Miriam (Martha Scott); his sister, Tirzah (Cathy O'Donnell); their loyal slave, Simonides (Sam Jaffe); and his daughter, Esther (Haya Harareet), who loves Ben-Hur but is betrothed to another. His childhood friend, the Roman citizen Messala (Stephen Boyd), is now a tribune. After several years away from Jerusalem, Messala returns as the new commander of the Roman garrison. Messala believes in the glory of Rome and its imperial power, while Ben-Hur is devoted to his faith and the freedom of the Jewish people.



 Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur
During the parade for the new governor of Judea, Valerius Gratus, some loose tiles fall from the roof of Ben-Hur's house. Gratus is thrown from his spooked horse and nearly killed. Although Messala knows this was an accident, he condemns Ben-Hur to the galleys and imprisons Miriam and Tirzah. By punishing a known friend and prominent citizen, he hopes to intimidate the Jewish populace. Ben-Hur swears to take revenge.
After three years as a galley slave, Ben-Hur is assigned to the flagship of the Roman Consul Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins), who has been charged with destroying a fleet of Macedonian pirates. Arrius admires Ben-Hur's determination and self-discipline and offers to train him as a gladiator or charioteer. Ben-Hur declines the offer, declaring that God will aid him in his quest for vengeance. When the Roman fleet encounters the Macedonians, Arrius orders all the rowers except Ben-Hur to be chained to their oars. Arrius' galley is rammed and sunk, but Ben-Hur unchains the other rowers, and rescues Arrius. In despair, Arrius wrongly believes the battle ended in defeat and attempts to atone in the Roman way by "falling on his sword", but Ben-Hur stops him. They are rescued, and Arrius is credited with the Roman fleet's victory.
Arrius successfully petitions Emperor Tiberius (George Relph) to free Ben-Hur, and adopts him as his son. Another year passes. Wealthy again, Ben-Hur learns Roman ways and becomes a champion charioteer, but still longs for his family and homeland.



 Hugh Griffith as Arab Sheik Ilderim
Ben-Hur returns to Judea. Along the way, he meets Balthasar (Finlay Currie) and an Arab, Sheik Ilderim (Hugh Griffith). The sheik has heard of Ben-Hur's prowess as a charioteer, and asks him to drive his quadriga in a race before the new Judean governor Pontius Pilate (Frank Thring). Ben-Hur declines, even after he learns that Messala will also compete.
Ben-Hur returns to his home in Jerusalem. He meets Esther, and learns her arranged marriage did not occur and that she is still in love with him. He visits Messala and demands his mother and sister's freedom. The Romans discover that Miriam and Tirzah contracted leprosy in prison, and expel them from the city. The women beg Esther to conceal their condition from Ben-Hur so that he may remember them as they were before, so she tells him that they died. It is then that he changes his mind and decides to seek vengeance on Messala by competing against him in the chariot race.
During the chariot race, Messala drives a chariot with blades on the hubs to tear apart competing vehicles; he attempts to destroy Ben-Hur's chariot but destroys his own instead. Messala is fatally injured, while Ben-Hur wins the race. Before dying, Messala tells Ben-Hur that "the race is not over" and that he can find his family "in the Valley of the Lepers, if you can recognize them." Ben-Hur visits the nearby leper colony, where (hidden from their view) he sees his mother and sister.
Blaming Roman rule for his family's fate, Ben-Hur rejects his patrimony and Roman citizenship. Learning that Tirzah is dying, Ben-Hur and Esther take her and Miriam to see Jesus, but the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate has begun. Ben-Hur witnesses the crucifixion of Jesus, and Miriam and Tirzah are miraculously healed during the rainstorm following the crucifixion.
Cast[edit]
Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur
Jack Hawkins as Quintus Arrius
Haya Harareet as Esther
Stephen Boyd as Messala
Hugh Griffith as Sheik Ilderim
Martha Scott as Miriam
Cathy O'Donnell as Tirzah
Sam Jaffe as Simonides
Finlay Currie as Balthasar and the narrator
Frank Thring as Pontius Pilate
Terence Longdon as Drusus
George Relph as Tiberius Caesar
André Morell as Sextus
Harareet is the last surviving primary cast member.
Production[edit]
Main article: Production of Ben-Hur (1959 film)



Ben-Hur filming site near Lifta, intended to be Jerusalem
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) originally announced a remake of the 1925 silent film Ben-Hur in December 1952, ostensibly as a way to spend its Italian assets.[b][6] Stewart Granger and Robert Taylor were reported to be in the running for the lead.[6] Nine months later, MGM announced it would make the film in CinemaScope, with shooting beginning in 1954.[7] In November 1953, MGM announced it had assigned producer Sam Zimbalist to the picture and hired screenwriter Karl Tunberg to write it.[8] Sidney Franklin was scheduled to direct, with Marlon Brando intended for the lead.[9] In September 1955, Zimbalist, who continued to claim that Tunberg's script was complete, announced that a $7 million, six-to-seven month production would begin in April 1956 in either Israel or Egypt in MGM's new 65mm widescreen process.[10] MGM, however, suspended production in early 1956.[11]
By the late 1950s, court decisions forcing film studios to divest themselves of theater chains[12] and the competitive pressure of television had caused significant financial distress at MGM.[13] In a gamble to save the studio, and inspired by the success of Paramount Pictures' 1956 Biblical epic The Ten Commandments,[13] studio head Joseph Vogel announced in 1957 that MGM would again move forward on a remake of Ben-Hur.[14] Filming started in May 1958 and wrapped in January 1959, and post-production took six months.[15] Although the budget for Ben-Hur was initially $7 million,[16] it was reported to be $10 million by February 1958,[17] reaching $15.175 million by the time shooting began—making it the costliest film ever produced up to that time.[18] When adjusted for inflation, the budget of Ben Hur was approximately $123 million in constant dollars.[19]
One notable change in the film involved the opening titles. Concerned that a roaring Leo the Lion (the MGM mascot) would create the wrong mood for the sensitive and sacred nativity scene, Wyler received permission to replace the traditional logo with one in which Leo the Lion is quiet.[20]
Paramount Pictures and MGM announced April 25, 2014 that they will co-produce a remake of Ben-Hur with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who also made the recent miniseries The Bible. The film is set for release in February 2016.[5]
Development[edit]
Lew Wallace's 1880 novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, ran to about 550 pages. Zimbalist hired a number of screenwriters to cut the story down and turn the novel into a script. According to Gore Vidal, more than 12 versions of the script had been written by various writers by the spring of 1958.[21] Vidal himself had been asked to write a version of the script in 1957, refused, and been placed on suspension for his decision.[21] Karl Tunberg was one of the last writers to work on the script, and he cut out everything in the book after the crucifixion of Jesus, omitted the sub-plot in which Ben-Hur fakes his death and raises a Jewish army to overthrow the Romans, and altered the manner in which the leperous women are healed. [c][22] Zimbalist was unhappy with Tunberg's script, considering it to be "pedestrian"[22] and "unshootable".[23]
The writing effort changed direction when director Sidney Franklin fell ill and was removed from the production. Zimbalist offered the project to William Wyler, who had been one of 30 assistant directors on the 1925 film,[24] in early 1957.[25] Wyler initially rejected it, considering the quality of the script to be "very primitive, elementary" and no better than hack work.[26] Zimbalist showed Wyler some preliminary storyboards for the chariot race and informed him that MGM would be willing to spend up to $10 million, and as a result Wyler began to express an interest in the picture.[27] MGM permitted Wyler to start casting, and in April 1957, mainstream media outlets reported that Wyler was giving screen tests to Italian leading men, such as Cesare Danova.[28]
Wyler did not formally agree to direct the film until September 1957,[27] and MGM did not announce his hiring until January 3, 1958.[29] Even though he still lacked a leading man, Wyler took the assignment for many reasons: He was promised a base salary of $350,000 as well as 8 percent of the gross box office (or 3 percent of the net profits, whichever was greater),[30] and he wanted to work in Rome again (where he had filmed Roman Holiday (1954)).[13][16] His base salary was, at the time, the largest ever paid to a director for a single film.[13] Professional competitive reasons also played a role in his decision to direct, and Wyler later admitted that he wished to out do Cecil B. DeMille,[16] and make a "thinking man's" Biblical epic.[31] In later years, William Wyler would joke that it took a Jew to make a good film about Christ.[32]
Writing[edit]



Gore Vidal
Wyler, like Zimbalist, was also unhappy with the script. He felt Tunberg's draft was too much of a morality play overlaid with current Western political overtones, and that the dialogue was too modern-sounding.[33] Zimbalist brought in playwright S. N. Behrman (who also wrote the script for Quo Vadis) and then playwright Maxwell Anderson to write drafts.[16] Gore Vidal biographer Fred Kaplan states that British poet and playwright Christopher Fry was hired simultaneously with Vidal, although most sources (including Vidal himself) state that Vidal followed Anderson, and that Fry did not come aboard until Vidal was close to leaving the picture.[34] Vidal arrived in Rome in early March 1958 to meet with Wyler.[21][d] Vidal claimed that Wyler had not read the script, and that when he did so (at Vidal's urging) on his flight from the U.S. to Italy, he was upset with the modernist dialogue.[21][35] Vidal agreed to work on the script for three months so that he would come off suspension and fulfill his contract with MGM,[16][21] although Zimbalist pushed him to stay throughout the entire production.[34] Vidal was researching a book on the 4th century Roman emperor Julian and knew a great deal about ancient Rome.[36]
Vidal's working style was to finish a scene and review it with Zimbalist. Once Vidal and Zimbalist had come to agreement, the scene would be passed to Wyler.[34] Vidal said he kept the structure of the Tunberg/Behrman/Anderson script, but rewrote nearly all the dialogue.[37] Vidal admitted to William Morris in March 1959 that Fry rewrote as much as a third of the dialogue which Vidal had added to the first half of the script. Vidal made one structural change which was not revised, however. The Tunberg script had Ben-Hur and Messala reuniting and falling out in a single scene. Vidal broke the scene in two, so that the men first reunite at the Castle Antonia and then later argue and end their friendship at Ben-Hur's home. Vidal also added small character touches to the script, such as Messala's purchase of a brooch for Tirzah and Ben-Hur's purchase of a horse for Messala.[37] Vidal claimed that he worked on the first half of the script (everything up to the chariot race), and scripted 10 versions of the scene where Ben-Hur confronts Messala and begs for his family's freedom.[32][38]
Vidal's claim about a homoerotic subtext is hotly debated. Vidal first made the claim in an interview in the 1995 documentary film The Celluloid Closet, and asserted that he persuaded Wyler to direct Stephen Boyd to play the role as if he were a spurned homosexual lover.[39] Vidal said that he believed that Messala's vindictiveness could only be motivated by the feeling of rejection that a lover would feel, and claimed to have suggested to Wyler that Stephen Boyd should play the role that way, and that Heston be kept in the dark about the Messala character's motivations.[32] Whether Vidal wrote the scene in question or had the acting conversation with Wyler, and whether Wyler shot what Vidal wrote, remain issues of debate.[22][32][40] Wyler himself says that he does not remember any conversation about this part of the script or Boyd's acting with Gore Vidal,[32] and that he discarded Vidal's draft in favor of Fry's.[16] Morgan Hudgens, publicity director for the film, however, wrote to Vidal in late May 1958 about the crucial scene, and implied there was a homosexual context: "... the big cornpone [the crew's nickname for Heston] really threw himself into your 'first meeting' scene yesterday. You should have seen those boys embrace!"[41] Film critic F. X. Feeney, in a comparison of script drafts, concludes that Vidal made significant and extensive contributions to the script.[42]
The final writer on the film was Christopher Fry. Charlton Heston has claimed that Fry was Wyler's first choice as screenwriter, but that Zimbalist forced him to use Vidal.[32] Whether Fry worked on the script before Vidal or not, sources agree that Fry arrived in Rome in early May 1958 and spent six days a week on the set, writing and rewriting lines of dialogue as well as entire scenes, until the picture was finished.[43] In particular, Fry gave the dialogue a slightly more formal and archaic tone without making it sound stilted and medieval.[43] A highly publicized bitter dispute later broke out over screenplay credits to the film, involving Wyler, Tunberg, Vidal, Fry and the Screen Writers' Guild.[e][44]
The final script ran 230 pages.[45] The screenplay differed more from the original novel than did the 1925 silent film version. Some changes made the film's storyline more dramatic. Others inserted an admiration for Jewish people (who had founded the state of Israel by this time) and the more pluralistic society of 1950s America rather than the "Christian superiority" view of Wallace's novel.[46]
Casting[edit]





Stephen Boyd



Haya Harareet



Hugh Griffith



Jack Hawkins

MGM opened a casting office in Rome in mid-1957 to select the 50,000 people who would act in minor roles and as extras in the film,[47] and a total of 365 actors had speaking parts in the film, although only 45 of them were considered "principal" performers.[48] In casting, Wyler placed heavy emphasis on characterization rather than looks or acting history.[49] He typically cast the Romans with British actors and the Jews with American actors to help underscore the divide between the two groups.[18][50] The Romans were the aristocrats in the film, and Wyler believed that American audiences would interpret British accents as patrician.[51]
Several actors were offered the role of Judah Ben-Hur before it was accepted by Charlton Heston. Burt Lancaster stated he turned down the role because he found the script boring[52] and belittling to Christianity.[f] Paul Newman turned it down because he said he didn't have the legs to wear a tunic.[53] Marlon Brando,[53] Rock Hudson,[g] Geoffrey Horne,[h] and Leslie Nielsen[54] were also offered the role, as were a number of muscular, handsome Italian actors (many of whom did not speak English).[55] Kirk Douglas was interested in the role, but was turned down in favor of Heston,[i] who was formally cast on January 22, 1958.[57] His salary was $250,000 for 30 weeks, a prorated salary for any time over 30 weeks, and travel expenses for his family.[35]
Stephen Boyd was cast as the antagonist, Messala, on April 13, 1958.[58] William Wyler originally wanted Heston for the role, but sought another actor after he moved Heston into the role of Judah Ben-Hur.[59] Because both Boyd and Heston had blue eyes, Wyler had Boyd outfitted with brown contact lenses as a way of contrasting the two men.[60] Marie Ney was originally cast as Miriam, but was fired after two days of work because she could not cry on cue.[51][61] Heston says that he was the one who suggested that Wyler cast Martha Scott as Miriam, and she was hired on July 17, 1958.[j][62][63] Cathy O'Donnell was Wyler's sister-in-law, and although her career was in decline, Wyler cast her as Tirzah.[49]
More than 30 actresses were considered for the role of Esther.[64] The Israeli actress Haya Harareet, a relative newcomer to film, was cast as Esther on May 16, 1958,[64] after providing a 30-second silent screen test.[65] Wyler had met her at the Cannes Film Festival, where she impressed him with her conversational skills and force of personality.[66] Sam Jaffe was cast as Simonides on April 3, 1958,[67] and Finlay Currie was cast as Balthasar on the same day.[67] Wyler had to persuade Jack Hawkins to appear in the film, because Hawkins was unwilling to act in another epic motion picture so soon after The Bridge on the River Kwai.[33] Hugh Griffith, who gained acclaim in the post-World War II era in Ealing Studios comedies, was cast as the comical Sheik Ilderim.[68] The role of Jesus was played by Claude Heater (uncredited), an American opera singer performing with the Vienna State Opera in Rome when he was asked to do a screen test for the film.[69]
Cinematography[edit]



 The chariot race scene, illustrating the extremely wide aspect ratio used (2.76:1).
Robert L. Surtees, who had already filmed several of the most successful epics of the 1950s, was hired as cinematographer for the film.[70] Early on in the film's production, Zimbalist and other MGM executives made the decision to film the picture in a widescreen format. Wyler strongly disliked the widescreen format, commenting that "Nothing is out of the picture, and you can't fill it. You either have a lot of empty space, or you have two people talking and a flock of others surrounding them who have nothing to do with the scene. Your eye just wanders out of curiosity."[71] The cameras were also quite large, heavy, and difficult and time-consuming to move.[71] To overcome these difficulties, Surtees and Wyler collaborated on using the widescreen lenses, film stocks, and projection technologies to create highly detailed images for the film.[72] Wyler was best known for composition in depth, a visual technique in which people, props, and architecture are not merely composed horizontally but in depth of field as well. He also had a strong preference for long takes, during which his actors could move within this highly detailed space.[72]
The movie was filmed in a process known as "MGM Camera 65". 1957's Raintree County was the first MGM film to use the process.[73] The MGM Camera 65 used special 65mm Eastmancolor film stock with a 2.76:1 aspect ratio.[74] 70mm anamorphic camera lenses developed by the Mitchell Camera Company were manufactured to specifications submitted by MGM.[75] These lenses squeezed the image down 1.25 times to fit on the image area of the film stock.[76] Because the film could be adapted to the requirements of individual theaters, movie houses did not need to install special, expensive 70mm projection equipment.[77] Six of the 70mm lenses, each worth $100,000, were shipped to Rome for use by the production.[78][79][k]
Principal photography[edit]



I spent sleepless nights trying to find a way to deal with the figure of Christ. It was a frightening thing when all the great painters of twenty centuries have painted events you have to deal with, events in the life of the best-known man who ever lived. Everyone already has his own concept of him. I wanted to be reverent, and yet realistic. Crucifixion is a bloody, awful, horrible thing, and a man does not go through it with a benign expression on his face. I had to deal with that. It is a very challenging thing to do that and get no complaints from anybody.
—Wyler on the difficulty of shooting the crucifixion scene.[80]
Pre-production began at Cinecittà Studios around October 1957.[17] The MGM Art Department produced more than 15,000 sketches and drawings of costumes, sets, props, and other items needed for the film (8,000 alone for the costumes); photostatted each item; and cross-referenced and catalogued them for use by the production design team and fabricators.[81] More than a million props were ultimately manufactured.[82] Construction of miniatures for the entrance of Quintus Arrius into Rome and for the sea battle were under way by the end of November 1957.[83] MGM location scouts arrived in Rome to identify shooting locations in August 1957.[84] Location shooting in Africa was actively under consideration, and in mid-January 1958, MGM said that filming in North Africa (later revealed to be Libya) would begin on March 1, 1958, and that 200 camels and 2,500 horses had already been procured for the studio's use there.[85] The production was then scheduled to move to Rome on April 1, where Andrew Marton had been hired as second unit director and 72 horses were being trained for the chariot race sequence.[85] However, the Libyan government canceled the production's film permit for religious reasons on March 11, 1958, just a week before filming was to have begun.[l][86][87] It is unclear whether any second unit filming took place in Israel. A June 8, 1958, reported in The New York Times said second unit director Andrew Martin had roamed "up and down the countryside" filming footage.[88] However, the American Film Institute claims the filming permit was revoked in Israel for religious reasons as well (although when is not clear), and no footage from the planned location shooting near Jerusalem appeared in the film.[83]
Principal photography began in Rome on May 18, 1958.[89] The script was still unfinished when cinematography began, so that Wyler had only read the first 10 to 12 pages of it.[90] Shooting lasted for 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week. On Sundays, Wyler would meet with Fry and Zimbalist for story conferences. The pace of the film was so grueling that a doctor was brought onto the set to give a vitamin B complex injection to anyone who requested it (shots which Wyler and his family later suspected may have contained amphetamines).[91] To speed things up, Wyler often kept principal actors on stand-by, in full costume and make-up, so that he could shoot pick-up scenes if the first unit slowed down. Actresses Martha Scott and Cathy O'Donnell spent almost the entire month of November 1958 in full leprosy make-up and costumes so that Wyler could shoot "leper scenes" when other shots didn't go well.[92] Wyler was unhappy with Heston's performances, feeling they did not make Judah Ben-Hur a plausible character, and Heston had to reshoot "I'm a Jew" 16 times.[93] Shooting took nine months, which included three months for the chariot race scene alone.[94] Principal photography ended on January 7, 1959, with filming of the crucifixion scene, which took four days to shoot.[15][80]
Production design[edit]



 Entrance to Cinecittà Studios, where Ben-Hur was filmed.
Italy was MGM's top choice for hosting the production. However, a number of countries—including France, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom—were also considered.[95] Cinecittà Studios, a very large motion picture production facility constructed in 1937 on the outskirts of Rome, was identified early on as the primary shooting location.[17] Zimbalist hired Wyler's long-term production supervisor, Henry Henigson, to oversee the film, and art directors William A. Horning and Edward Carfagno created the overall look of the film, relying on the more than five years of research which had already been completed for the production.[96] A skeleton crew of studio technicians arrived in the summer of 1956 to begin preparing the Cinecittà soundstages and back lot.[95] The largest Cinecittà soundstage was not used for filming, but was used as a vast costume warehouse.[citation needed]



 Costumes used in Ben-Hur
The Ben-Hur production utilized 300 sets scattered over 148 acres (60 ha) and nine sound stages.[97] Several sets still standing from Quo Vadis in 1951 were refurbished and used for Ben-Hur.[97] By the end of the production more than 1,000,000 pounds (450,000 kg) of plaster and 40,000 cubic feet (1,100 m3) of lumber were used.[48][98] The budget called for more than 100,000 costumes and 1,000 suits of armor to be made, for the hiring of 10,000 extras, and the procurement of hundreds of camels, donkeys, horses, and sheep.[18][45] Costume designer Elizabeth Haffenden oversaw a staff of 100 wardrobe fabricators who began manufacturing the costumes for the film a year before filming began. Special silk was imported from Thailand, the armor manufactured in West Germany, and the woolens made and embroidered in the United Kingdom and various countries of South America. Many leather goods were hand-tooled in the United Kingdom as well, while Italian shoemakers manufactured the boots and shoes. The lace for costumes came from France, while costume jewelry was purchased in Switzerland.[99] More than 400 pounds (180 kg) of hair were donated by women in the Piedmont region of Italy to make wigs and beards for the production,[100] and 1,000 feet (300 m) of track laid down for the camera dollies.[48] A workshop employing 200 artists and workmen provided the hundreds of friezes and statues needed.[45] The mountain village of Arcinazzo Romano,[100] 40 miles (64 km) from Rome, served as a stand-in for the town of Nazareth.[43] Beaches near Anzio were also used,[82] and caves just south of the city served as the leper colony.[92] Some additional desert panoramas were shot in Arizona, and some close-up inserts taken at the MGM Studios, with the final images photographed on February 3, 1958.[89]



 One of the miniature Roman triremes used in Ben-Hur in 1959.
The sea battle was one of the first sequences created for the film,[101] filmed using miniatures in a huge tank on the back lot at the MGM Studios in Culver City, California in November and December 1957.[57][97] More than 40 miniature ships[82] and 175-foot (53 m) long Roman galleys, each of them seaworthy, were built for the live-action segment.[45] The ships were constructed based on plans found in Italian museums for actual ancient Roman galleys.[96] An artificial lake with equipment capable of generating sea-sized waves was built at the Cinecittà studios to accommodate the galleys.[48] A massive backdrop, 200 feet (61 m) wide by 50 feet (15 m) high, was painted and erected to hide the city and hills in the background.[48] To make the scene bloodier, Dunning sought out Italian extras who had missing limbs, then had the makeup crews rig them with fake bone and blood to make it appear as if they had lost a hand or leg during the battle.[101] When Dunning edited his own footage later, he made sure that these men were not on screen for long so that audiences would be upset.[101][m] The above-decks footage was integrated with the miniature work using process shots and traveling mattes.[103]
One of the most lavish sets was the villa of Quintus Arrius, which included 45 working fountains and 8.9 miles (14.3 km) of pipes.[96] Wealthy citizens and nobles of Rome, who wanted to portray their ancient selves, acted as extras in the villa scenes.[47][97] To recreate the ancient city streets of Jerusalem, a vast set covering 0.5-square-mile (1.3 km2) was built,[13] which included a 75-foot (23 m) high Joppa Gate.[97] The sets were so vast and visually exciting that they became a tourist attraction, and various film stars visited during production.[13][104] The huge sets could be seen from the outskirts of Rome, and MGM estimated that more than 5,000 people were given tours of the sets.[48]
Dismantling the sets cost $125,000.[48] Almost all the filmmaking equipment was turned over to the Italian government, which sold and exported it.[48] MGM turned title to the artificial lake over to Cinecittà.[48] MGM retained control over the costumes and the artificial lake background, which went back to the United States.[48] The chariots were also returned to the U.S., where they were used as promotional props.[48] The life-size galleys and pirate ships were dismantled to prevent them from being used by competing studios.[48] Some of the horses were adopted by the men who trained them, while others were sold.[48] Many of the camels, donkeys, and other exotic animals were sold to circuses and zoos in Europe.[48]
Editing[edit]
A total of 1,100,000 feet (340,000 m) was shot for the film.[89] According to editor John D. Dunning, the first cut of the film was four and one-half hours long.[101][n] William Wyler stated that his goal was to bring the running time down to three and a half hours.[105] The most difficult editing decisions, according to Dunning, came during scenes which involved Jesus Christ, as these contained almost no dialogue and most of the footage was purely reaction shots by actors.[106] Dunning also believed that in the final cut the leper scene was too long and needed trimming. Editing was also complicated by the 70mm footage being printed. Because no editing equipment (such as the Moviola) existed which could handle the 70mm print, the 70mm footage would be reduced to 35mm and then cut. This caused much of the image to be lost.[107] When the film was edited into its final form, it ran 213 minutes and included just 19,000 feet (5,800 m) of film.[89] It was the third-longest motion picture ever made at the time, behind Gone With The Wind and The Ten Commandments.[89]
Musical score[edit]
The film score was composed and conducted by Miklós Rózsa, who scored most of MGM's epics,[108] although Zimbalist had previously commissioned and then set aside a score from Sir William Walton.[109] Rózsa conducted research into Greek and Roman music of the period to give his score an archaic sound while still being modern. Rózsa himself directed the 100-piece MGM Symphony Orchestra during the 12 recording sessions (which stretched over 72 hours). The soundtrack was recorded in six-channel stereo.[99] More than three hours of music were composed for the film,[110] and two-and-a-half hours of it were finally used, making it (as of 2001) the longest score ever composed for a motion picture.[111] The score contains no leitmotifs for the main characters except for a phrase (5-#4-2-3-1) in the Lydian mode whenever Jesus Christ is seen or alluded to. This Lydian phrase is also fully orchestrated triumphantly in the closing scene of the movie.[citation needed]
Rózsa won his third Academy Award for his score. As of 2001, it was the only musical score in the ancient and medieval epic genre of film to win an Oscar.[111] Like most film musical soundtracks, it was issued as an album for the public to enjoy as a distinct piece of music. The score was so lengthy that it had to be released in 1959 on three LP records, although a one-LP version with Carlo Savina conducting the Symphony Orchestra of Rome was also issued. In addition, to provide a more "listenable" album, Rózsa arranged his score into a "Ben-Hur Suite", which was released on Lion Records (an MGM subsidiary which issued low-priced records) in 1959.[110][112] This made the Ben-Hur film musical score the first to be released not only in its entirety but also as a separate album.[111]
The Ben-Hur score is considered to be the best of Rózsa's career.[113] The musical soundtrack to Ben-Hur remained deeply influential into the mid 1970s, when film music composed by John Williams for films such as Jaws, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark became more popular among composers and film-goers.[114] Rózsa's score has since seen several notable re-releases, including by the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra on Capitol Records in 1967, several of the tracks by the United Kingdom's National Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus on Decca Records in 1977 and a Sony Music reissue as a two-CD set in 1991.[115] In 2012, Film Score Monthly and WaterTower Music issued a limited edition five-CD set of music from the film.[115]
Chariot race sequence[edit]
Main article: Production of Ben-Hur (1959 film) § Chariot race sequence



 Chariot wreckage in Ben-Hur
The chariot race in Ben-Hur was directed by Andrew Marton and Yakima Canutt,[116] filmmakers who often acted as second unit directors on other people's films. Each man had an assistant director, who shot additional footage.[117] Among these were Sergio Leone,[118] who was senior assistant director in the second unit and responsible for retakes.[119] William Wyler shot the "pageantry" sequence that occurs before the race, scenes of the jubilant crowd, and the victory scenes after the race concludes.[120] The "pageantry" sequence before the race begins is a shot-by-shot remake of the same sequence from the 1925 silent film version.[121] Wyler added the parade around the track because he knew that the chariot race would be primarily composed of close-up and medium shots. To impress the audience with the grandeur of the arena, Wyler added the parade in formation (even though it was not historically accurate).[51]
Set design[edit]
The chariot arena was modeled on a historic circus in Jerusalem.[97] Covering 18 acres (7.3 ha), it was the largest film set ever built at that time.[122] Constructed at a cost of $1 million, it took a thousand workmen more than a year to carve the oval out of a rock quarry.[96][97] The racetrack featured 1,500-foot (460 m) long straightaways and five-story-high grandstands.[97] Over 250 miles (400 km) of metal tubing were used to erect the grandstands.[48] Matte paintings created the illusion of upper stories of the grandstands and the background mountains.[123] More than 40,000 short tons (36,000 t) of sand were brought in from beaches on the Mediterranean to cover the track.[124] Other elements of the circus were also historically accurate. Imperial Roman racecourses featured a raised 10-foot (3.0 m) high spina (the center section), metae (columnar goalposts at each end of the spina), dolphin-shaped lap counters, and carceres (the columned building in the rear which housed the cells where horses waited prior to the race).[123][125] The four statues atop the spina were 30 feet (9.1 m) high.[45] A chariot track identical in size was constructed next to the set and used to train the horses and lay out camera shots.[125]
Preparation[edit]



 Lipizzan horses, like this one in Vienna, were used for chariot teams in Ben-Hur.
Planning for the chariot race took nearly a year to complete.[97] Seventy eight horses were bought and imported from Yugoslavia and Sicily in November 1957, exercised into peak physical condition, and trained by Hollywood animal handler Glenn Randall to pull the quadriga (a Roman Empire chariot drawn by four horses abreast).[82][97] Andalusian horses played Ben-Hur's Arabians, while the others in the chariot race were primarily Lipizzans.[126] A veterinarian, a harness maker, and 20 stable boys were employed to care for the horses and ensure they were outfitted for racing each day.[82] The firm of Danesi Brothers[127] built 18 chariots,[128] nine of which were used for practice,[127] each weighing 900 pounds (410 kg).[18] Principal cast members, stand-ins, and stunt people made 100 practice laps of the arena in preparation for shooting.[94]
Heston and Boyd both had to learn how to drive a chariot. Heston, an experienced horseman, took daily three-hour lessons in chariot driving after he arrived in Rome and picked up the skill quickly.[o] [43][130] Heston was outfitted with special contact lenses to prevent the grit kicked up during the race from injuring his eyes.[130] For the other charioteers, six actors with extensive experience with horses were flown in from Hollywood, including Giuseppe Tosi, who had once been a bodyguard for Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.[47]
Filming[edit]
The chariot scene took five weeks (spread over three months) to film at a total cost of $1 million[131] and required more than 200 miles (320 km) of racing to complete.[122] Marton and Canutt filmed the entire chariot sequence with stunt doubles in long shot, edited the footage together, and showed the footage to Zimbalist, Wyler, and Heston to show them what the race should look like and to indicate where close-up shots with Heston and Boyd should go.[131] Seven thousand extras were hired to cheer in the stands.[13][122][p] Economic conditions in Italy were poor at the time, and as shooting for the chariot scene wound down only 1,500 extras were needed on any given day. On June 6, more than 3,000 people seeking work were turned away. The crowd rioted, throwing stones and assaulting the set's gates until police arrived and dispersed them.[132] Dynamite charges were used to show the chariot wheels and axles splintering from the effects of Messala's barbed-wheel attacks.[123] Three lifelike dummies were placed at key points in the race to give the appearance of men being run over by chariots.[133]
The cameras used during the chariot race also presented problems. The 70mm lenses had a minimum focal length of 50 feet (15 m), and the camera was mounted on a small Italian-made car so the camera crew could keep in front of the chariots. The horses, however, accelerated down the 1,500-foot (460 m) straightaway much faster than the car could, and the long focal length left Marton and Canutt with too little time to get their shots. The production company purchased a more powerful American car, but the horses were still too fast, and even with a head start, the filmmakers only had a few more seconds of shot time. As filming progressed, vast amounts of footage were shot for this sequence. The ratio of footage shot to footage used was 263:1, one of the highest ratios ever for a film.[133]
One of the most notable moments in the race came from a near-fatal accident when stunt man Joe Canutt, Yakima Canutt's son, was tossed into the air by accident; he incurred a minor chin injury.[134] Marton wanted to keep the shot, but Zimbalist felt the footage was unusable. Marton conceived the idea of showing that Ben-Hur was able to land on and cling to the front of his chariot, then scramble back into the quadriga while the horses kept going.[135] The long shot of Canutt's accident was cut together with a close-up of Heston climbing back aboard, resulting in one of the race's most memorable moments.[136] Boyd did all but two of his own stunts.[15] For the sequence where Messala is dragged beneath a chariot's horses and trampled, Boyd wore steel armor under his costume and acted out the close-up shot and the shot of him on his back, attempting to climb up into the horses' harness to escape injury. A dummy was used to obtain the trampling shot in this sequence.[134]
Several urban legends exist regarding the chariot sequence. One claims that a stuntman died during filming, which Nosher Powell claims in his autobiography,[137] and another states that a red Ferrari can be seen during the chariot race. The book Movie Mistakes claims this is a myth.[138] Heston, in a DVD commentary track for the film, mentions that a third urban legend claims that he wore a wristwatch during the chariot race, but points out that he wore leather bracers up to the elbow.[139]
Release[edit]



 Haya Harareet promoting the film in Amsterdam in October 1960
A massive $14.7 million marketing effort helped promote Ben-Hur.[140] MGM established a special "Ben-Hur Research Department" which surveyed more than 2,000 high schools in 47 American cities to gauge teenage interest in the film.[141] A high school study guide was also created and distributed.[141] Sindlinger and Company was hired to conduct a nationwide survey to gauge the impact of the marketing campaign.[142] In 1959 and 1960, more than $20 million in candy; children's tricycles in the shape of chariots; gowns; hair barrettes; items of jewelry; men's ties; bottles of perfume; "Ben-Her" and "Ben-His" towels; toy armor, helmets, and swords; umbrellas; and hardback and paperback versions of the novel (tied to the film with cover art) were sold.[94][108]
Ben-Hur premiered at Loew's State Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1959. Present at the premiere were William Wyler, Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, Martha Scott, Ramon Novarro (who played Judah Ben-Hur in the 1925 silent film version), Spyros Skouras (president of the 20th Century Fox), Barney Balaban (president of Paramount Pictures), Jack Warner (president of Warner Bros.), Leonard Goldenson (president of the American Broadcasting Company), Moss Hart (playwright), Robert Kintner (an ABC Television executive), Sidney Kingsley (playwright), and Adolph Zukor (founder of Paramount Pictures).[143]
Box office[edit]
During its initial release the film earned $33.6 million in North American theater rentals (the distributor's share of the box office), generating approximately $74.7 million in box office sales. Outside of North America, it earned $32.5 in rentals (about $72.2 million at the box office) for a worldwide total of $66.1 million in rental earnings, roughly equivalent to $146.9 million in box office receipts.[140] It was the fastest-grossing film[13] as well as the highest grossing film of 1959,[144] in the process becoming the second-highest grossing film of all-time behind Gone with the Wind.[145]
Ben-Hur saved MGM from financial disaster,[146] making a profit of $20,409,000 on its initial release,[4] and another $10.1 million in profits when re-released in 1969.[13] By 1989, Ben-Hur had earned $90 million in worldwide theatrical rentals.[147]
Critical reception[edit]



 Charlton Heston and Marina Berti in Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release.[148] Bosley Crowther, writing for The New York Times, called Ben-Hur "a remarkably intelligent and engrossing human drama".[149] While praising the acting and William Wyler's "close-to" direction, he also had high praise for the chariot race: "There has seldom been anything in movies to compare with this picture's chariot race. It is a stunning complex of mighty setting, thrilling action by horses and men, panoramic observation and overwhelming use of dramatic sound."[149] Jack Gaver, writing for United Press International, also had praise for the acting, calling it full of "genuine warmth and fervor and finely acted intimate scenes".[150] Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times called it "magnificent, inspiring, awesome, enthralling, and all the other adjectives you have been reading about it."[151] He also called the editing "generally expert" although at times abrupt.[151] Ronald Holloway, writing for Variety, called Ben-Hur "a majestic achievement, representing a superb blending of the motion picture arts by master craftsmen," and concluded that "Gone With the Wind, Metro's own champion all-time top grosser, will eventually have to take a back seat."[152] The chariot race "will probably be preserved in film archives as the finest example of the use of the motion picture camera to record an action sequence. The race, directed by Andrew Marton and Yakima Canutt, represents some 40 minutes of the most hair-raising excitement that film audiences have ever witnessed."[152]
There was some criticism, however. Crowther felt the film was too long.[149] Scheuer, whilst mostly praising the film, felt that its biggest fault was "overstatement", and that it hammered home at points long after they had been made. He singled out the galley rowing sequence, Jesus' journey to the place of crucifixion, nearly all the sequences involving the lepers. He also lightly criticized Charlton Heston for being more physically than emotionally compelling.[151] John McCarten of The New Yorker was more critical of Heston, writing that he "speaks English as if he'd learned it from records."[153] Even William Wyler later privately admitted he was disappointed with Heston's acting.[15] Film critic Dwight Macdonald also was largely negative.[148] He found the film so uninvolving and lengthy that he said, "I felt like a motorist trapped at a railroad crossing while a long freight train slowly trundles by."[154] British film critic John Pym, writing for Time Out, was equally dismissive, calling the film a "four-hour Sunday school lesson".[155] Many French and American film critics who believed in the auteur theory of filmmaking saw the film as confirmation of their belief that William Wyler was "merely a commercial craftsman" rather than a serious artist.[26]
Accolades[edit]

Academy Awards
1. Best Picture, Sam Zimbalist (posthumous award)
2. Best Director, William Wyler
3. Best Actor in a Leading Role, Charlton Heston
4. Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Hugh Griffith
5. Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Color, Edward C. Carfagno and William A. Horning (posthumous award) (art direction); Hugh Hunt (set decoration)
6. Best Cinematography, Color, Robert L. Surtees
7. Best Costume Design, Color, Elizabeth Haffenden
8. Best Special Effects, A. Arnold Gillespie, Robert MacDonald and Milo Lory
9. Best Film Editing, John D. Dunning and Ralph E. Winters
10. Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Miklós Rózsa
11. Best Sound Recording, Franklin Milton, MGM Studio Sound Department
Golden Globe Awards

BAFTA Awards
1. Best Motion Picture – Drama
2. Best Director, William Wyler
3. Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, Stephen Boyd
Ben-Hur was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won an unprecedented 11. As of 2012, only Titanic in 1998 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2004 have matched the film's wins.[156][157] The lone category where Ben-Hur did not win was for Best Adapted Screenplay (losing to Room at the Top), and most observers attributed this to the controversy over the writing credit.[15][158] MGM and Panavision shared a special technical Oscar in March 1960 for developing the Camera 65 photographic process.[159]
Ben-Hur also won three Golden Globe Awards – Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Stephen Boyd – and received a Special Achievement Award (which went to Andrew Marton for directing the chariot race sequence).[160] Heston was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama category, but did not win. The picture also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film,[161] the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film,[162] and the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Motion Picture for William Wyler's masterful direction.[163]
Ben-Hur also appears on several "best of" lists generated by the American Film Institute, an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1967. The "AFI 100 Years... series" were created by juries consisting of over 1,500 artists, scholars, critics, and historians, with movies selected based on the film's popularity over time, historical significance, and cultural impact. Ben-Hur appeared at #72 on the 100 Movies, #49 on the 100 Thrills, #21 on the Film Scores, #56 on the 100 Cheers and #2 on the AFI's 10 Top 10 Epic film lists. Judah Ben-Hur was also nominated as a hero and Messala nominated as a villain in the AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains list. In 2004, the National Film Preservation Board selected Ben-Hur for preservation by the National Film Registry for being a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" motion picture.[164]
Broadcast and home video releases[edit]
The film's first telecast took place on Sunday, February 14, 1971.[165] In what was then a television first for a Hollywood film, it was broadcast over five hours (including commercials) during a single evening by CBS,[166][q] preempting all of that network's regular programming for that one evening. It was watched by 85.82 million people for a 37.1 average rating.[167] It was one of the highest rated movies ever screened on television at the time (behind the broadcast premiere of Bridge on the River Kwai),[168] though The Wizard of Oz was still drawing huge TV ratings on its annual telecasts at the time. Ben-Hur was repeated on CBS at least once more before being sold to local television stations.
Ben-Hur has been released on home video on several occasions. Recent releases have all been on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. A two-sided single disc widescreen release occurred in the United States on March 13, 2001.[139] This release included several featurettes, including a commentary by Charlton Heston, a making-of documentary (made for a laserdisc release in 1993), screen tests, and a photo gallery.[139] This edition was released soon thereafter as a two-disc set in other countries. The film saw another DVD release on September 13, 2005.[169] This four-disc edition included remastered images and audio, an additional commentary, two additional featurettes, and a complete version of the 1925 silent version of Ben-Hur.[169] A boxed "Deluxe Edition", issued in the U.S. in 2002, included postcard-sized reprints of lobby cards, postcard-sized black-and-white stills with machine-reproduced autographs of cast members, a matte-framed color image from the film with a 35mm film frame mounted below it, and a 27-by-40-inch (69 by 102 cm) reproduction film poster.[170]
In 2011, Warner Home Video released a 50th anniversary edition on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, making it the first home video release where the film is present on its original aspect ratio.[171] For this release, the film was completely restored frame by frame from an 8K scan of the original 65mm negative. The restoration cost $1 million, and was one of the highest resolution restorations ever made by Warner Bros.[172] A new musical soundtrack-only option and six new featurettes (one of which was an hour long) were also included.[173]
Remake[edit]
Main article: Ben-Hur (2016 film)
On April 25, 2014, Paramount Pictures and MGM announced that they will co-produce another Ben-Hur film with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who also made the recent miniseries The Bible. The film is set for release in February 2016.[5] On September 11, Morgan Freeman was added to the cast to play the role of Ildarin, the man who teaches the slave Ben-Hur to become a champion-caliber chariot racer.[174]
See also[edit]
List of historical drama films
List of films set in ancient Rome
List of films featuring slavery
References[edit]
Notes
a.Jump up ^ Although Karl Tunberg received sole credit for the screenplay, Maxwell Anderson, S. N. Behrman, Gore Vidal and Christopher Fry worked on the script in the course of development. See the writing section for more details.
b.Jump up ^ MGM had extensive amounts of income in Italian lira. In the wake of World War II the Italian government banned the movement of lira out of Italy as a means of stabilizing the inflation-plagued Italian economy. Finding a way to spend this money in Italy would free up resources elsewhere for the studio.
c.Jump up ^ Instead of being healed as Christ carries His cross, the women are healed after accidentally soaking in rainwater stained by the blood of Jesus after the crucifixion
d.Jump up ^ Vidal says he worked on the script for three months. Fry did not arrive in Rome until May 1958 and Vidal says he did not leave Rome until mid or late June, so Vidal's arrival in Rome can be deduced with some accuracy. See: Vidal, p. 73; Herman, p. 400–401.
e.Jump up ^ See: Production of Ben-Hur (1959 film)
f.Jump up ^ Buford also says MGM offered Lancaster $1 million to star in the picture, and to pay off $2.5 million in debts owed by Lancaster's production company. Still Lancaster refused. See: Buford, p. 190.
g.Jump up ^ Hudson's agent, Henry Willson, refused to allow Hudson to take the role, believing that historical costume epics were not right for his client. See: Bret, p. 95; Gates and Thomas, p. 125.
h.Jump up ^ Industry columnist Louella Parsons claimed that Horne was all but cast in the film, due to his performance in The Bridge on the River Kwai. See: Hofler, p. 320.
i.Jump up ^ This inspired Douglas to make Spartacus a year later.[56]
j.Jump up ^ Martha Scott had played the mother of Heston's Moses in The Ten Commandments, and he'd worked with her previously on Broadway
k.Jump up ^ Most sources agree that the lenses were worth $100,000 each. But at least one source puts the value of each lens at $250,000. See: Herman, p. 406.
l.Jump up ^ The Libyan government learned that the production was scheduled to shoot in Israel. Libya, which was at war with Israel, had enacted legislation in 1957 banning any individual or company from doing business with Israel or Jews.
m.Jump up ^ There was so much footage of the sea battle left over that Charlton Heston used it in his 1972 film Antony and Cleopatra.[102]
n.Jump up ^ A mass media report in March 1959 indicated the running time was actually closer to five hours.[105]
o.Jump up ^ Heston also learned swordfighting, how to throw a javelin, camel riding, and rowing.[129]
p.Jump up ^ There is dispute over the number of extras used in the chariot race scenes. At least one non-contemporary source puts the number at 15,000. See: Cyrino, p. 73.
q.Jump up ^ Victor Davis Hanson erroneously states it telecast over four nights. See: Cowley, p. ii.
Citations
1.Jump up ^ "Ben-Hur". The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures. American Film Institute. Retrieved July 6, 2013. "Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. (Loew's Inc.); Distribution Company: Loew's Inc."
2.Jump up ^ Running time as printed on the English Blu-ray version
3.Jump up ^ Sheldon Hall, Epics, Spectacles, and Blockbusters: A Hollywood History Wayne State University Press, 2010 p 162
4.^ Jump up to: a b The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study
5.^ Jump up to: a b c "'Ben-Hur' remake set for 2016 release"
6.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Ben-Hur to Ride for Metro Again." The New York Times. December 8, 1952.
7.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Metro to Produce 18 Films in '53-'54." The New York Times. October 8, 1953.
8.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Bank of America Wins Movie Suit." The New York Times. November 4, 1953.
9.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Hollywood Dossier: New Market Analysis Is Set Up." The New York Times. December 5, 1954.
10.Jump up ^ "Six Books Bought for Fox Films." The New York Times. September 10, 1955.
11.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Sidney Franklin Resigns at M-G-M." The New York Times. June 17, 1958.
12.Jump up ^ United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc., 334 US 131 (1948)
13.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Block and Wilson, p. 411.
14.Jump up ^ Eagan, p. 558–559.
15.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Eagan, p. 560.
16.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Eagen, p. 559.
17.^ Jump up to: a b c Hawkins, Robert F. "Viewed on the Bustling Italian Film Scene." The New York Times. February 16, 1958.
18.^ Jump up to: a b c d Solomon, p. 207.
19.Jump up ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2014. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
20.Jump up ^ Schumach, Murray. "Metro Stills Leo for the First Time." The New York Times. November 26, 1959.
21.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Vidal, p. 73.
22.^ Jump up to: a b c Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 482.
23.Jump up ^ Kaplan, p. 440.
24.Jump up ^ Freiman, p. 24.
25.Jump up ^ "Wyler Weighs Offer." The New York Times. February 5, 1957.
26.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 394.
27.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 395.
28.Jump up ^ Makiewicz, Don. "Tour Around the Lot." The New York Times. April 7, 1957.
29.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Debbie Reynolds Is Cast By M-G-M." The New York Times. January 4, 1958.
30.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 393.
31.Jump up ^ Eldridge, p. 15.
32.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Herman, p. 400.
33.^ Jump up to: a b Madsen, p. 342.
34.^ Jump up to: a b c Kaplan, p. 442.
35.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 396.
36.Jump up ^ Kaplan, p. 441.
37.^ Jump up to: a b Kaplan, p. 445.
38.Jump up ^ Giddins, p. 247.
39.Jump up ^ Joshel, Malamud, and McGuire, p. 37–38.
40.Jump up ^ "Chuck Roast." The Advocate. June 25, 1996, p. 82. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
41.Jump up ^ Quoted in Kaplan, p. 444.
42.Jump up ^ Feeney, p. 66–73.
43.^ Jump up to: a b c d Herman, p. 401.
44.Jump up ^ "'Ben-Hur' Credit Is Urged for Fry." The New York Times. October 29, 1959.
45.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Hudgins, Morgan. "'Ben-Hur' Rides Again." The New York Times. August 10, 1958.
46.Jump up ^ Hezser, p. 136–138.
47.^ Jump up to: a b c Freiman, p. 25.
48.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Hawkins, Robert F. "Answer to a Question: Quo Vadis, 'Ben-Hur'?" The New York Times. January 11, 1959.
49.^ Jump up to: a b Parish, Mank, and Picchiarini, p. 27.
50.Jump up ^ Magill, p. 150.
51.^ Jump up to: a b c Herman, p. 402.
52.Jump up ^ Alexander, p. 84–85.
53.^ Jump up to: a b Right, Gordon (May 2006). "Getting It Right the Second Time". British Lights Film Journal. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
54.Jump up ^ Giddins, p. 247–248.
55.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 395–396.
56.Jump up ^ Rode, p. 132.
57.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Heston Will Star in M-G-M 'Ben-Hur'." The New York Times. January 23, 1958.
58.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Goetz to Produce 3 Columbia Films." The New York Times. April 14, 1958.
59.Jump up ^ McAlister, p. 324, n. 59.
60.Jump up ^ "An Actor to Watch," Coronet, January 1, 1959, p. 22.
61.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Frenke Signs Pact With Seven Arts." The New York Times. August 4, 1958.
62.Jump up ^ Heston, p. 196.
63.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Seven Arts Unit Joins Paramount." The New York Times. July 18, 1958.
64.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Israeli Actress Cast in 'Ben-Hur'." The New York Times. May 17, 1958.
65.Jump up ^ Pratt, p. 135.
66.Jump up ^ "An Actor to Watch," Coronet, January 1, 1959, p. 71.
67.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Seven Arts Group Teaming With U.A." The New York Times. April 4, 1958.
68.Jump up ^ Monush, p. 296.
69.Jump up ^ Opera News. Metropolitan Opera Guild. 1960. p. 79.
70.Jump up ^ Sultanik, p. 299.
71.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 406.
72.^ Jump up to: a b Hall and Neale, p. 145.
73.Jump up ^ Eldridge, p. 57.
74.Jump up ^ Haines, p. 114.
75.Jump up ^ Eyman, p. 351.
76.Jump up ^ Block and Wilson, p. 333.
77.Jump up ^ Hall and Neale, p. 153.
78.Jump up ^ Cyrino, p. 74.
79.Jump up ^ Freiman, p. 31.
80.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 410.
81.Jump up ^ Freiman, p. 26, 30.
82.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Freiman, p. 27.
83.^ Jump up to: a b "Ben-Hur." AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. 2014. Accessed March 13, 2014.
84.Jump up ^ Hawkins, Robert F. "Observations on the Italian Screen Scene." The New York Times. August 4, 1957.
85.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Hollywood's Varied Vistas." The New York Times. January 12, 1958.
86.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Libya Cancels U.S. Film Permit." The New York Times. March 12, 1958.
87.Jump up ^ "Ben-Hur," AFI Catalog of Feature Films, American Film Institute, 2014, accessed 13 March 2014; Otman and Karlberg, p. 33.
88.Jump up ^ Schiffer, Robert L. "Israel Screen Scene." The New York Times. June 8, 1958.
89.^ Jump up to: a b c d e "'Ben-Hur to Race for 213 Minutes." The New York Times. October 7, 1959.
90.Jump up ^ Kaplan, p. 444.
91.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 403.
92.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 409.
93.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 404.
94.^ Jump up to: a b c Solomon, p. 213.
95.^ Jump up to: a b Freiman, p. 26.
96.^ Jump up to: a b c d Freiman, p. 29.
97.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Cyrino, p. 73.
98.Jump up ^ Eagan, p. 559–560.
99.^ Jump up to: a b Freiman, p. 30.
100.^ Jump up to: a b Freiman, p. 7.
101.^ Jump up to: a b c d Dunning, p. 253.
102.Jump up ^ Rothwell, p. 156.
103.Jump up ^ Brosnan, p. 28.
104.Jump up ^ Raymond, p. 31.
105.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Extras Negotiate for Pay Increases." The New York Times. March 15, 1959.
106.Jump up ^ Dunning, p. 253–254.
107.Jump up ^ Dunning, p. 255.
108.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 411.
109.Jump up ^ Rózsa in a Today (BBC Radio 4) interview, BBC Sound Archives
110.^ Jump up to: a b "On the Sound Track." Billboard. July 20, 1959, p. 19. Accessed December 27, 2011.
111.^ Jump up to: a b c Winkler, p. 329.
112.Jump up ^ "Discourse." Billboard. November 23, 1959, p. 24. Accessed April 21, 2012.
113.Jump up ^ MacDonald, p. 1966.
114.Jump up ^ Winkler, p. 329–330.
115.^ Jump up to: a b DeWald, Frank K. (2012). "Ben-Hur. Online Liner Notes.". Film Score Monthly. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
116.Jump up ^ Wyler, p. 216.
117.Jump up ^ Dunning, p. 252
118.Jump up ^ Solomon, p. 15.
119.Jump up ^ Frayling, p. 97.
120.Jump up ^ Dunning, p. 251.
121.Jump up ^ Brownlow, p. 413.
122.^ Jump up to: a b c Coughlan, p. 119.
123.^ Jump up to: a b c Solomon, p. 210.
124.Jump up ^ Pomerance, p. 9.
125.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 398.
126.Jump up ^ Solomon, p. 207, 210.
127.^ Jump up to: a b Freiman, p. 28.
128.Jump up ^ Ben-Hur Rides a Chariot Again. Life magazine. January 19, 1959. p. 71.
129.Jump up ^ Raymond, p. 32–33.
130.^ Jump up to: a b Solomon, p. 129.
131.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 405
132.Jump up ^ "Romans in Mob Scene Not in 'Ben Hur' Script." United Press International. June 7, 1958.
133.^ Jump up to: a b Didinger, p. 157
134.^ Jump up to: a b Raymond, p. 32.
135.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 407
136.Jump up ^ Canutt and Drake, p. 16–19.
137.Jump up ^ Powell, p.254.
138.Jump up ^ Sandys, p. 5.
139.^ Jump up to: a b c Nichols, Peter M. "Home Video: All of 'Ben-Hur' and Its Secrets." The New York Times. March 16, 2001.
140.^ Jump up to: a b Block and Wilson, p. 324.
141.^ Jump up to: a b Doherty, p. 189.
142.Jump up ^ Dowdy, p. 6.
143.Jump up ^ "Notables at Premiere." The New York Times. November 19, 1959.
144.Jump up ^ Stempel, p. 23.
145.Jump up ^ Thomas, Bob (August 1, 1963). "Movie Finances Are No Longer Hidden From Scrutiny". The Robesonian. p. 10.
146.Jump up ^ Malone, p. 23.
147.Jump up ^ Ross, pp. 278–279.
148.^ Jump up to: a b Wreszin and Macdonald, p. 13.
149.^ Jump up to: a b c Crowther, Bosley. "The Screen: 'Ben-Hur,' a Blockbuster." The New York Times. November 19, 1959.
150.Jump up ^ Gaver, Jack. "Ben-Hur' Grandiose, Gripping Spectacle." United Press International. November 20, 1959.
151.^ Jump up to: a b c Scheuer, Philip K. "Magnificent 'Ben-Hur' Inspiring in Premiere." Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1959.
152.^ Jump up to: a b Holloway, Ronald. "Ben-Hur." Variety. November 17, 1959.
153.Jump up ^ McCarten, John. "The Children's Hours." The New Yorker. December 5, 1959, p. 153.
154.Jump up ^ Wreszin and Macdonald, p. 16.
155.Jump up ^ Pym, p. 91.
156.Jump up ^ "The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
157.Jump up ^ Dirks, Tim. "Academy Awards Summaries". Filmsite.org. AMC Networks. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
158.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 412
159.Jump up ^ Clark, p. 151.
160.Jump up ^ "Ben-Hur." Hollywood Foreign Press Association. GoldenGlobes.org. Accessed March 18, 2014.
161.Jump up ^ "Film Nominations 1959." British Academy of Film and Television Arts. BAFTA.org. 2010. Accessed December 31, 2011.
162.Jump up ^ Weiler, A.H. "'Ben-Hur,' Stewart, Audrey Hepburn Cited by Critics." The New York Times. December 29, 1959.
163.Jump up ^ Sennett, p. 289.
164.Jump up ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence. "Arts, Briefly." The New York Times. December 29, 2004.
165.Jump up ^ Cowley, p. ii.
166.Jump up ^ The Alfred I. Du Pont-Columbia University Survey of Broadcast Journalism, p. 98; Segrave, p. 82.
167.Jump up ^ "'GWTW' Knocks ABC Out of First for Week, Sets Modern Nielsen Record." Broadcasting. November 13, 1976, p. 8.
168.Jump up ^ Kramer, p. 45.
169.^ Jump up to: a b Kehr, Dave. "New DVD's." The New York Times. September 13, 2005.
170.Jump up ^ Nichols, Peter. "Home Video: Old Favorites in a New Format." The New York Times. January 4, 2002.
171.Jump up ^ Taylor, Charles. "Other New Releases." The New York Times. September 18, 2011.
172.Jump up ^ "Ben-Hur (50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]". Amazon. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
173.Jump up ^ "'Ben-Hur (50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition)'". CNET. CBS Interactive. 2013-12-22. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
174.Jump up ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (September 11, 2014). "Morgan Freeman Set For ‘Ben-Hur’ Redo". deadline.com. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
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External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ben Hur (1959 film).
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur at the American Film Institute Catalog
Ben-Hur Official Website
Ben-Hur at the Internet Movie Database


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Ben-Hur (1959 film)

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This article is about the 1959 film. For other uses, see Ben-Hur.

Ben-Hur
Ben hur 1959 poster.jpg
Original theatrical poster by Reynold Brown

Directed by
William Wyler
Produced by
Sam Zimbalist
Screenplay by
Karl Tunberg[a]
Based on
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace
Starring
Charlton Heston
Jack Hawkins
Haya Harareet
Stephen Boyd
Hugh Griffith
Narrated by
Finlay Currie
Music by
Miklós Rózsa
Cinematography
Robert L. Surtees
Edited by
John D. Dunning
Ralph E. Winters

Production
 company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Distributed by
Loew's Inc.[1]

Release dates

November 18, 1959


Running time
 222 minutes[2]
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$15.2 million[3][4]
Box office
$146.9 million (initial release)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic historical drama film, directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Hugh Griffith and Haya Harareet. A remake of the 1925 silent film with the same name, Ben-Hur was adapted from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay is credited to Karl Tunberg but includes contributions from Maxwell Anderson, S. N. Behrman, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry.
Ben-Hur had the largest budget ($15.175 million) as well as the largest sets built of any film produced at the time. Costume designer Elizabeth Haffenden oversaw a staff of 100 wardrobe fabricators to make the costumes, and a workshop employing 200 artists and workmen provided the hundreds of friezes and statues needed in the film. Filming commenced on May 18, 1958 and wrapped on January 7, 1959, with shooting lasting for 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week. Pre-production began at Cinecittà around October 1957, and post-production took six months. Under cinematographer Robert L. Surtees, MGM executives made the decision to film the picture in a widescreen format, which Wyler strongly disliked. More than 200 camels and 2,500 horses were used in the shooting of the film, with some 10,000 extras. The sea battle was filmed using miniatures in a huge tank on the back lot at the MGM Studios in Culver City, California. The nine-minute chariot race has become one of cinema's most famous sequences, and the film score, composed and conducted by Miklós Rózsa, is the longest ever composed for a film and was highly influential on cinema for more than 15 years.
Following a $14.7 million marketing effort, Ben-Hur premiered at Loew's State Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1959. It was the fastest-grossing as well as the highest grossing film of 1959, in the process becoming the second-highest grossing film in history at the time after Gone with the Wind. It won a record 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Wyler), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Heston), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Griffith), and Best Cinematography, Color (Surtees), an accomplishment that was not equaled until Titanic in 1997 and then again by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003. Ben-Hur also won three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Stephen Boyd. Today, Ben-Hur is widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, and in 1998 the American Film Institute ranked it the 72nd best American film and the 2nd best American epic film in the AFI's 10 Top 10. In 2004, the National Film Preservation Board selected Ben-Hur for preservation by the National Film Registry for being a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" motion picture.
A remake of the film, also produced by MGM, is scheduled to be released in February 2016.[5]





Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Writing
3.3 Casting
3.4 Cinematography
3.5 Principal photography
3.6 Production design
3.7 Editing
3.8 Musical score
4 Chariot race sequence 4.1 Set design
4.2 Preparation
4.3 Filming
5 Release 5.1 Box office
5.2 Critical reception
5.3 Accolades
5.4 Broadcast and home video releases
6 Remake
7 See also
8 References
9 Bibliography
10 External links

Plot[edit]
In AD 26, Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is a wealthy prince and merchant in Jerusalem, who lives with his mother, Miriam (Martha Scott); his sister, Tirzah (Cathy O'Donnell); their loyal slave, Simonides (Sam Jaffe); and his daughter, Esther (Haya Harareet), who loves Ben-Hur but is betrothed to another. His childhood friend, the Roman citizen Messala (Stephen Boyd), is now a tribune. After several years away from Jerusalem, Messala returns as the new commander of the Roman garrison. Messala believes in the glory of Rome and its imperial power, while Ben-Hur is devoted to his faith and the freedom of the Jewish people.



 Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur
During the parade for the new governor of Judea, Valerius Gratus, some loose tiles fall from the roof of Ben-Hur's house. Gratus is thrown from his spooked horse and nearly killed. Although Messala knows this was an accident, he condemns Ben-Hur to the galleys and imprisons Miriam and Tirzah. By punishing a known friend and prominent citizen, he hopes to intimidate the Jewish populace. Ben-Hur swears to take revenge.
After three years as a galley slave, Ben-Hur is assigned to the flagship of the Roman Consul Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins), who has been charged with destroying a fleet of Macedonian pirates. Arrius admires Ben-Hur's determination and self-discipline and offers to train him as a gladiator or charioteer. Ben-Hur declines the offer, declaring that God will aid him in his quest for vengeance. When the Roman fleet encounters the Macedonians, Arrius orders all the rowers except Ben-Hur to be chained to their oars. Arrius' galley is rammed and sunk, but Ben-Hur unchains the other rowers, and rescues Arrius. In despair, Arrius wrongly believes the battle ended in defeat and attempts to atone in the Roman way by "falling on his sword", but Ben-Hur stops him. They are rescued, and Arrius is credited with the Roman fleet's victory.
Arrius successfully petitions Emperor Tiberius (George Relph) to free Ben-Hur, and adopts him as his son. Another year passes. Wealthy again, Ben-Hur learns Roman ways and becomes a champion charioteer, but still longs for his family and homeland.



 Hugh Griffith as Arab Sheik Ilderim
Ben-Hur returns to Judea. Along the way, he meets Balthasar (Finlay Currie) and an Arab, Sheik Ilderim (Hugh Griffith). The sheik has heard of Ben-Hur's prowess as a charioteer, and asks him to drive his quadriga in a race before the new Judean governor Pontius Pilate (Frank Thring). Ben-Hur declines, even after he learns that Messala will also compete.
Ben-Hur returns to his home in Jerusalem. He meets Esther, and learns her arranged marriage did not occur and that she is still in love with him. He visits Messala and demands his mother and sister's freedom. The Romans discover that Miriam and Tirzah contracted leprosy in prison, and expel them from the city. The women beg Esther to conceal their condition from Ben-Hur so that he may remember them as they were before, so she tells him that they died. It is then that he changes his mind and decides to seek vengeance on Messala by competing against him in the chariot race.
During the chariot race, Messala drives a chariot with blades on the hubs to tear apart competing vehicles; he attempts to destroy Ben-Hur's chariot but destroys his own instead. Messala is fatally injured, while Ben-Hur wins the race. Before dying, Messala tells Ben-Hur that "the race is not over" and that he can find his family "in the Valley of the Lepers, if you can recognize them." Ben-Hur visits the nearby leper colony, where (hidden from their view) he sees his mother and sister.
Blaming Roman rule for his family's fate, Ben-Hur rejects his patrimony and Roman citizenship. Learning that Tirzah is dying, Ben-Hur and Esther take her and Miriam to see Jesus, but the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate has begun. Ben-Hur witnesses the crucifixion of Jesus, and Miriam and Tirzah are miraculously healed during the rainstorm following the crucifixion.
Cast[edit]
Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur
Jack Hawkins as Quintus Arrius
Haya Harareet as Esther
Stephen Boyd as Messala
Hugh Griffith as Sheik Ilderim
Martha Scott as Miriam
Cathy O'Donnell as Tirzah
Sam Jaffe as Simonides
Finlay Currie as Balthasar and the narrator
Frank Thring as Pontius Pilate
Terence Longdon as Drusus
George Relph as Tiberius Caesar
André Morell as Sextus
Harareet is the last surviving primary cast member.
Production[edit]
Main article: Production of Ben-Hur (1959 film)



Ben-Hur filming site near Lifta, intended to be Jerusalem
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) originally announced a remake of the 1925 silent film Ben-Hur in December 1952, ostensibly as a way to spend its Italian assets.[b][6] Stewart Granger and Robert Taylor were reported to be in the running for the lead.[6] Nine months later, MGM announced it would make the film in CinemaScope, with shooting beginning in 1954.[7] In November 1953, MGM announced it had assigned producer Sam Zimbalist to the picture and hired screenwriter Karl Tunberg to write it.[8] Sidney Franklin was scheduled to direct, with Marlon Brando intended for the lead.[9] In September 1955, Zimbalist, who continued to claim that Tunberg's script was complete, announced that a $7 million, six-to-seven month production would begin in April 1956 in either Israel or Egypt in MGM's new 65mm widescreen process.[10] MGM, however, suspended production in early 1956.[11]
By the late 1950s, court decisions forcing film studios to divest themselves of theater chains[12] and the competitive pressure of television had caused significant financial distress at MGM.[13] In a gamble to save the studio, and inspired by the success of Paramount Pictures' 1956 Biblical epic The Ten Commandments,[13] studio head Joseph Vogel announced in 1957 that MGM would again move forward on a remake of Ben-Hur.[14] Filming started in May 1958 and wrapped in January 1959, and post-production took six months.[15] Although the budget for Ben-Hur was initially $7 million,[16] it was reported to be $10 million by February 1958,[17] reaching $15.175 million by the time shooting began—making it the costliest film ever produced up to that time.[18] When adjusted for inflation, the budget of Ben Hur was approximately $123 million in constant dollars.[19]
One notable change in the film involved the opening titles. Concerned that a roaring Leo the Lion (the MGM mascot) would create the wrong mood for the sensitive and sacred nativity scene, Wyler received permission to replace the traditional logo with one in which Leo the Lion is quiet.[20]
Paramount Pictures and MGM announced April 25, 2014 that they will co-produce a remake of Ben-Hur with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who also made the recent miniseries The Bible. The film is set for release in February 2016.[5]
Development[edit]
Lew Wallace's 1880 novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, ran to about 550 pages. Zimbalist hired a number of screenwriters to cut the story down and turn the novel into a script. According to Gore Vidal, more than 12 versions of the script had been written by various writers by the spring of 1958.[21] Vidal himself had been asked to write a version of the script in 1957, refused, and been placed on suspension for his decision.[21] Karl Tunberg was one of the last writers to work on the script, and he cut out everything in the book after the crucifixion of Jesus, omitted the sub-plot in which Ben-Hur fakes his death and raises a Jewish army to overthrow the Romans, and altered the manner in which the leperous women are healed. [c][22] Zimbalist was unhappy with Tunberg's script, considering it to be "pedestrian"[22] and "unshootable".[23]
The writing effort changed direction when director Sidney Franklin fell ill and was removed from the production. Zimbalist offered the project to William Wyler, who had been one of 30 assistant directors on the 1925 film,[24] in early 1957.[25] Wyler initially rejected it, considering the quality of the script to be "very primitive, elementary" and no better than hack work.[26] Zimbalist showed Wyler some preliminary storyboards for the chariot race and informed him that MGM would be willing to spend up to $10 million, and as a result Wyler began to express an interest in the picture.[27] MGM permitted Wyler to start casting, and in April 1957, mainstream media outlets reported that Wyler was giving screen tests to Italian leading men, such as Cesare Danova.[28]
Wyler did not formally agree to direct the film until September 1957,[27] and MGM did not announce his hiring until January 3, 1958.[29] Even though he still lacked a leading man, Wyler took the assignment for many reasons: He was promised a base salary of $350,000 as well as 8 percent of the gross box office (or 3 percent of the net profits, whichever was greater),[30] and he wanted to work in Rome again (where he had filmed Roman Holiday (1954)).[13][16] His base salary was, at the time, the largest ever paid to a director for a single film.[13] Professional competitive reasons also played a role in his decision to direct, and Wyler later admitted that he wished to out do Cecil B. DeMille,[16] and make a "thinking man's" Biblical epic.[31] In later years, William Wyler would joke that it took a Jew to make a good film about Christ.[32]
Writing[edit]



Gore Vidal
Wyler, like Zimbalist, was also unhappy with the script. He felt Tunberg's draft was too much of a morality play overlaid with current Western political overtones, and that the dialogue was too modern-sounding.[33] Zimbalist brought in playwright S. N. Behrman (who also wrote the script for Quo Vadis) and then playwright Maxwell Anderson to write drafts.[16] Gore Vidal biographer Fred Kaplan states that British poet and playwright Christopher Fry was hired simultaneously with Vidal, although most sources (including Vidal himself) state that Vidal followed Anderson, and that Fry did not come aboard until Vidal was close to leaving the picture.[34] Vidal arrived in Rome in early March 1958 to meet with Wyler.[21][d] Vidal claimed that Wyler had not read the script, and that when he did so (at Vidal's urging) on his flight from the U.S. to Italy, he was upset with the modernist dialogue.[21][35] Vidal agreed to work on the script for three months so that he would come off suspension and fulfill his contract with MGM,[16][21] although Zimbalist pushed him to stay throughout the entire production.[34] Vidal was researching a book on the 4th century Roman emperor Julian and knew a great deal about ancient Rome.[36]
Vidal's working style was to finish a scene and review it with Zimbalist. Once Vidal and Zimbalist had come to agreement, the scene would be passed to Wyler.[34] Vidal said he kept the structure of the Tunberg/Behrman/Anderson script, but rewrote nearly all the dialogue.[37] Vidal admitted to William Morris in March 1959 that Fry rewrote as much as a third of the dialogue which Vidal had added to the first half of the script. Vidal made one structural change which was not revised, however. The Tunberg script had Ben-Hur and Messala reuniting and falling out in a single scene. Vidal broke the scene in two, so that the men first reunite at the Castle Antonia and then later argue and end their friendship at Ben-Hur's home. Vidal also added small character touches to the script, such as Messala's purchase of a brooch for Tirzah and Ben-Hur's purchase of a horse for Messala.[37] Vidal claimed that he worked on the first half of the script (everything up to the chariot race), and scripted 10 versions of the scene where Ben-Hur confronts Messala and begs for his family's freedom.[32][38]
Vidal's claim about a homoerotic subtext is hotly debated. Vidal first made the claim in an interview in the 1995 documentary film The Celluloid Closet, and asserted that he persuaded Wyler to direct Stephen Boyd to play the role as if he were a spurned homosexual lover.[39] Vidal said that he believed that Messala's vindictiveness could only be motivated by the feeling of rejection that a lover would feel, and claimed to have suggested to Wyler that Stephen Boyd should play the role that way, and that Heston be kept in the dark about the Messala character's motivations.[32] Whether Vidal wrote the scene in question or had the acting conversation with Wyler, and whether Wyler shot what Vidal wrote, remain issues of debate.[22][32][40] Wyler himself says that he does not remember any conversation about this part of the script or Boyd's acting with Gore Vidal,[32] and that he discarded Vidal's draft in favor of Fry's.[16] Morgan Hudgens, publicity director for the film, however, wrote to Vidal in late May 1958 about the crucial scene, and implied there was a homosexual context: "... the big cornpone [the crew's nickname for Heston] really threw himself into your 'first meeting' scene yesterday. You should have seen those boys embrace!"[41] Film critic F. X. Feeney, in a comparison of script drafts, concludes that Vidal made significant and extensive contributions to the script.[42]
The final writer on the film was Christopher Fry. Charlton Heston has claimed that Fry was Wyler's first choice as screenwriter, but that Zimbalist forced him to use Vidal.[32] Whether Fry worked on the script before Vidal or not, sources agree that Fry arrived in Rome in early May 1958 and spent six days a week on the set, writing and rewriting lines of dialogue as well as entire scenes, until the picture was finished.[43] In particular, Fry gave the dialogue a slightly more formal and archaic tone without making it sound stilted and medieval.[43] A highly publicized bitter dispute later broke out over screenplay credits to the film, involving Wyler, Tunberg, Vidal, Fry and the Screen Writers' Guild.[e][44]
The final script ran 230 pages.[45] The screenplay differed more from the original novel than did the 1925 silent film version. Some changes made the film's storyline more dramatic. Others inserted an admiration for Jewish people (who had founded the state of Israel by this time) and the more pluralistic society of 1950s America rather than the "Christian superiority" view of Wallace's novel.[46]
Casting[edit]





Stephen Boyd



Haya Harareet



Hugh Griffith



Jack Hawkins

MGM opened a casting office in Rome in mid-1957 to select the 50,000 people who would act in minor roles and as extras in the film,[47] and a total of 365 actors had speaking parts in the film, although only 45 of them were considered "principal" performers.[48] In casting, Wyler placed heavy emphasis on characterization rather than looks or acting history.[49] He typically cast the Romans with British actors and the Jews with American actors to help underscore the divide between the two groups.[18][50] The Romans were the aristocrats in the film, and Wyler believed that American audiences would interpret British accents as patrician.[51]
Several actors were offered the role of Judah Ben-Hur before it was accepted by Charlton Heston. Burt Lancaster stated he turned down the role because he found the script boring[52] and belittling to Christianity.[f] Paul Newman turned it down because he said he didn't have the legs to wear a tunic.[53] Marlon Brando,[53] Rock Hudson,[g] Geoffrey Horne,[h] and Leslie Nielsen[54] were also offered the role, as were a number of muscular, handsome Italian actors (many of whom did not speak English).[55] Kirk Douglas was interested in the role, but was turned down in favor of Heston,[i] who was formally cast on January 22, 1958.[57] His salary was $250,000 for 30 weeks, a prorated salary for any time over 30 weeks, and travel expenses for his family.[35]
Stephen Boyd was cast as the antagonist, Messala, on April 13, 1958.[58] William Wyler originally wanted Heston for the role, but sought another actor after he moved Heston into the role of Judah Ben-Hur.[59] Because both Boyd and Heston had blue eyes, Wyler had Boyd outfitted with brown contact lenses as a way of contrasting the two men.[60] Marie Ney was originally cast as Miriam, but was fired after two days of work because she could not cry on cue.[51][61] Heston says that he was the one who suggested that Wyler cast Martha Scott as Miriam, and she was hired on July 17, 1958.[j][62][63] Cathy O'Donnell was Wyler's sister-in-law, and although her career was in decline, Wyler cast her as Tirzah.[49]
More than 30 actresses were considered for the role of Esther.[64] The Israeli actress Haya Harareet, a relative newcomer to film, was cast as Esther on May 16, 1958,[64] after providing a 30-second silent screen test.[65] Wyler had met her at the Cannes Film Festival, where she impressed him with her conversational skills and force of personality.[66] Sam Jaffe was cast as Simonides on April 3, 1958,[67] and Finlay Currie was cast as Balthasar on the same day.[67] Wyler had to persuade Jack Hawkins to appear in the film, because Hawkins was unwilling to act in another epic motion picture so soon after The Bridge on the River Kwai.[33] Hugh Griffith, who gained acclaim in the post-World War II era in Ealing Studios comedies, was cast as the comical Sheik Ilderim.[68] The role of Jesus was played by Claude Heater (uncredited), an American opera singer performing with the Vienna State Opera in Rome when he was asked to do a screen test for the film.[69]
Cinematography[edit]



 The chariot race scene, illustrating the extremely wide aspect ratio used (2.76:1).
Robert L. Surtees, who had already filmed several of the most successful epics of the 1950s, was hired as cinematographer for the film.[70] Early on in the film's production, Zimbalist and other MGM executives made the decision to film the picture in a widescreen format. Wyler strongly disliked the widescreen format, commenting that "Nothing is out of the picture, and you can't fill it. You either have a lot of empty space, or you have two people talking and a flock of others surrounding them who have nothing to do with the scene. Your eye just wanders out of curiosity."[71] The cameras were also quite large, heavy, and difficult and time-consuming to move.[71] To overcome these difficulties, Surtees and Wyler collaborated on using the widescreen lenses, film stocks, and projection technologies to create highly detailed images for the film.[72] Wyler was best known for composition in depth, a visual technique in which people, props, and architecture are not merely composed horizontally but in depth of field as well. He also had a strong preference for long takes, during which his actors could move within this highly detailed space.[72]
The movie was filmed in a process known as "MGM Camera 65". 1957's Raintree County was the first MGM film to use the process.[73] The MGM Camera 65 used special 65mm Eastmancolor film stock with a 2.76:1 aspect ratio.[74] 70mm anamorphic camera lenses developed by the Mitchell Camera Company were manufactured to specifications submitted by MGM.[75] These lenses squeezed the image down 1.25 times to fit on the image area of the film stock.[76] Because the film could be adapted to the requirements of individual theaters, movie houses did not need to install special, expensive 70mm projection equipment.[77] Six of the 70mm lenses, each worth $100,000, were shipped to Rome for use by the production.[78][79][k]
Principal photography[edit]



I spent sleepless nights trying to find a way to deal with the figure of Christ. It was a frightening thing when all the great painters of twenty centuries have painted events you have to deal with, events in the life of the best-known man who ever lived. Everyone already has his own concept of him. I wanted to be reverent, and yet realistic. Crucifixion is a bloody, awful, horrible thing, and a man does not go through it with a benign expression on his face. I had to deal with that. It is a very challenging thing to do that and get no complaints from anybody.
—Wyler on the difficulty of shooting the crucifixion scene.[80]
Pre-production began at Cinecittà Studios around October 1957.[17] The MGM Art Department produced more than 15,000 sketches and drawings of costumes, sets, props, and other items needed for the film (8,000 alone for the costumes); photostatted each item; and cross-referenced and catalogued them for use by the production design team and fabricators.[81] More than a million props were ultimately manufactured.[82] Construction of miniatures for the entrance of Quintus Arrius into Rome and for the sea battle were under way by the end of November 1957.[83] MGM location scouts arrived in Rome to identify shooting locations in August 1957.[84] Location shooting in Africa was actively under consideration, and in mid-January 1958, MGM said that filming in North Africa (later revealed to be Libya) would begin on March 1, 1958, and that 200 camels and 2,500 horses had already been procured for the studio's use there.[85] The production was then scheduled to move to Rome on April 1, where Andrew Marton had been hired as second unit director and 72 horses were being trained for the chariot race sequence.[85] However, the Libyan government canceled the production's film permit for religious reasons on March 11, 1958, just a week before filming was to have begun.[l][86][87] It is unclear whether any second unit filming took place in Israel. A June 8, 1958, reported in The New York Times said second unit director Andrew Martin had roamed "up and down the countryside" filming footage.[88] However, the American Film Institute claims the filming permit was revoked in Israel for religious reasons as well (although when is not clear), and no footage from the planned location shooting near Jerusalem appeared in the film.[83]
Principal photography began in Rome on May 18, 1958.[89] The script was still unfinished when cinematography began, so that Wyler had only read the first 10 to 12 pages of it.[90] Shooting lasted for 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week. On Sundays, Wyler would meet with Fry and Zimbalist for story conferences. The pace of the film was so grueling that a doctor was brought onto the set to give a vitamin B complex injection to anyone who requested it (shots which Wyler and his family later suspected may have contained amphetamines).[91] To speed things up, Wyler often kept principal actors on stand-by, in full costume and make-up, so that he could shoot pick-up scenes if the first unit slowed down. Actresses Martha Scott and Cathy O'Donnell spent almost the entire month of November 1958 in full leprosy make-up and costumes so that Wyler could shoot "leper scenes" when other shots didn't go well.[92] Wyler was unhappy with Heston's performances, feeling they did not make Judah Ben-Hur a plausible character, and Heston had to reshoot "I'm a Jew" 16 times.[93] Shooting took nine months, which included three months for the chariot race scene alone.[94] Principal photography ended on January 7, 1959, with filming of the crucifixion scene, which took four days to shoot.[15][80]
Production design[edit]



 Entrance to Cinecittà Studios, where Ben-Hur was filmed.
Italy was MGM's top choice for hosting the production. However, a number of countries—including France, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom—were also considered.[95] Cinecittà Studios, a very large motion picture production facility constructed in 1937 on the outskirts of Rome, was identified early on as the primary shooting location.[17] Zimbalist hired Wyler's long-term production supervisor, Henry Henigson, to oversee the film, and art directors William A. Horning and Edward Carfagno created the overall look of the film, relying on the more than five years of research which had already been completed for the production.[96] A skeleton crew of studio technicians arrived in the summer of 1956 to begin preparing the Cinecittà soundstages and back lot.[95] The largest Cinecittà soundstage was not used for filming, but was used as a vast costume warehouse.[citation needed]



 Costumes used in Ben-Hur
The Ben-Hur production utilized 300 sets scattered over 148 acres (60 ha) and nine sound stages.[97] Several sets still standing from Quo Vadis in 1951 were refurbished and used for Ben-Hur.[97] By the end of the production more than 1,000,000 pounds (450,000 kg) of plaster and 40,000 cubic feet (1,100 m3) of lumber were used.[48][98] The budget called for more than 100,000 costumes and 1,000 suits of armor to be made, for the hiring of 10,000 extras, and the procurement of hundreds of camels, donkeys, horses, and sheep.[18][45] Costume designer Elizabeth Haffenden oversaw a staff of 100 wardrobe fabricators who began manufacturing the costumes for the film a year before filming began. Special silk was imported from Thailand, the armor manufactured in West Germany, and the woolens made and embroidered in the United Kingdom and various countries of South America. Many leather goods were hand-tooled in the United Kingdom as well, while Italian shoemakers manufactured the boots and shoes. The lace for costumes came from France, while costume jewelry was purchased in Switzerland.[99] More than 400 pounds (180 kg) of hair were donated by women in the Piedmont region of Italy to make wigs and beards for the production,[100] and 1,000 feet (300 m) of track laid down for the camera dollies.[48] A workshop employing 200 artists and workmen provided the hundreds of friezes and statues needed.[45] The mountain village of Arcinazzo Romano,[100] 40 miles (64 km) from Rome, served as a stand-in for the town of Nazareth.[43] Beaches near Anzio were also used,[82] and caves just south of the city served as the leper colony.[92] Some additional desert panoramas were shot in Arizona, and some close-up inserts taken at the MGM Studios, with the final images photographed on February 3, 1958.[89]



 One of the miniature Roman triremes used in Ben-Hur in 1959.
The sea battle was one of the first sequences created for the film,[101] filmed using miniatures in a huge tank on the back lot at the MGM Studios in Culver City, California in November and December 1957.[57][97] More than 40 miniature ships[82] and 175-foot (53 m) long Roman galleys, each of them seaworthy, were built for the live-action segment.[45] The ships were constructed based on plans found in Italian museums for actual ancient Roman galleys.[96] An artificial lake with equipment capable of generating sea-sized waves was built at the Cinecittà studios to accommodate the galleys.[48] A massive backdrop, 200 feet (61 m) wide by 50 feet (15 m) high, was painted and erected to hide the city and hills in the background.[48] To make the scene bloodier, Dunning sought out Italian extras who had missing limbs, then had the makeup crews rig them with fake bone and blood to make it appear as if they had lost a hand or leg during the battle.[101] When Dunning edited his own footage later, he made sure that these men were not on screen for long so that audiences would be upset.[101][m] The above-decks footage was integrated with the miniature work using process shots and traveling mattes.[103]
One of the most lavish sets was the villa of Quintus Arrius, which included 45 working fountains and 8.9 miles (14.3 km) of pipes.[96] Wealthy citizens and nobles of Rome, who wanted to portray their ancient selves, acted as extras in the villa scenes.[47][97] To recreate the ancient city streets of Jerusalem, a vast set covering 0.5-square-mile (1.3 km2) was built,[13] which included a 75-foot (23 m) high Joppa Gate.[97] The sets were so vast and visually exciting that they became a tourist attraction, and various film stars visited during production.[13][104] The huge sets could be seen from the outskirts of Rome, and MGM estimated that more than 5,000 people were given tours of the sets.[48]
Dismantling the sets cost $125,000.[48] Almost all the filmmaking equipment was turned over to the Italian government, which sold and exported it.[48] MGM turned title to the artificial lake over to Cinecittà.[48] MGM retained control over the costumes and the artificial lake background, which went back to the United States.[48] The chariots were also returned to the U.S., where they were used as promotional props.[48] The life-size galleys and pirate ships were dismantled to prevent them from being used by competing studios.[48] Some of the horses were adopted by the men who trained them, while others were sold.[48] Many of the camels, donkeys, and other exotic animals were sold to circuses and zoos in Europe.[48]
Editing[edit]
A total of 1,100,000 feet (340,000 m) was shot for the film.[89] According to editor John D. Dunning, the first cut of the film was four and one-half hours long.[101][n] William Wyler stated that his goal was to bring the running time down to three and a half hours.[105] The most difficult editing decisions, according to Dunning, came during scenes which involved Jesus Christ, as these contained almost no dialogue and most of the footage was purely reaction shots by actors.[106] Dunning also believed that in the final cut the leper scene was too long and needed trimming. Editing was also complicated by the 70mm footage being printed. Because no editing equipment (such as the Moviola) existed which could handle the 70mm print, the 70mm footage would be reduced to 35mm and then cut. This caused much of the image to be lost.[107] When the film was edited into its final form, it ran 213 minutes and included just 19,000 feet (5,800 m) of film.[89] It was the third-longest motion picture ever made at the time, behind Gone With The Wind and The Ten Commandments.[89]
Musical score[edit]
The film score was composed and conducted by Miklós Rózsa, who scored most of MGM's epics,[108] although Zimbalist had previously commissioned and then set aside a score from Sir William Walton.[109] Rózsa conducted research into Greek and Roman music of the period to give his score an archaic sound while still being modern. Rózsa himself directed the 100-piece MGM Symphony Orchestra during the 12 recording sessions (which stretched over 72 hours). The soundtrack was recorded in six-channel stereo.[99] More than three hours of music were composed for the film,[110] and two-and-a-half hours of it were finally used, making it (as of 2001) the longest score ever composed for a motion picture.[111] The score contains no leitmotifs for the main characters except for a phrase (5-#4-2-3-1) in the Lydian mode whenever Jesus Christ is seen or alluded to. This Lydian phrase is also fully orchestrated triumphantly in the closing scene of the movie.[citation needed]
Rózsa won his third Academy Award for his score. As of 2001, it was the only musical score in the ancient and medieval epic genre of film to win an Oscar.[111] Like most film musical soundtracks, it was issued as an album for the public to enjoy as a distinct piece of music. The score was so lengthy that it had to be released in 1959 on three LP records, although a one-LP version with Carlo Savina conducting the Symphony Orchestra of Rome was also issued. In addition, to provide a more "listenable" album, Rózsa arranged his score into a "Ben-Hur Suite", which was released on Lion Records (an MGM subsidiary which issued low-priced records) in 1959.[110][112] This made the Ben-Hur film musical score the first to be released not only in its entirety but also as a separate album.[111]
The Ben-Hur score is considered to be the best of Rózsa's career.[113] The musical soundtrack to Ben-Hur remained deeply influential into the mid 1970s, when film music composed by John Williams for films such as Jaws, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark became more popular among composers and film-goers.[114] Rózsa's score has since seen several notable re-releases, including by the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra on Capitol Records in 1967, several of the tracks by the United Kingdom's National Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus on Decca Records in 1977 and a Sony Music reissue as a two-CD set in 1991.[115] In 2012, Film Score Monthly and WaterTower Music issued a limited edition five-CD set of music from the film.[115]
Chariot race sequence[edit]
Main article: Production of Ben-Hur (1959 film) § Chariot race sequence



 Chariot wreckage in Ben-Hur
The chariot race in Ben-Hur was directed by Andrew Marton and Yakima Canutt,[116] filmmakers who often acted as second unit directors on other people's films. Each man had an assistant director, who shot additional footage.[117] Among these were Sergio Leone,[118] who was senior assistant director in the second unit and responsible for retakes.[119] William Wyler shot the "pageantry" sequence that occurs before the race, scenes of the jubilant crowd, and the victory scenes after the race concludes.[120] The "pageantry" sequence before the race begins is a shot-by-shot remake of the same sequence from the 1925 silent film version.[121] Wyler added the parade around the track because he knew that the chariot race would be primarily composed of close-up and medium shots. To impress the audience with the grandeur of the arena, Wyler added the parade in formation (even though it was not historically accurate).[51]
Set design[edit]
The chariot arena was modeled on a historic circus in Jerusalem.[97] Covering 18 acres (7.3 ha), it was the largest film set ever built at that time.[122] Constructed at a cost of $1 million, it took a thousand workmen more than a year to carve the oval out of a rock quarry.[96][97] The racetrack featured 1,500-foot (460 m) long straightaways and five-story-high grandstands.[97] Over 250 miles (400 km) of metal tubing were used to erect the grandstands.[48] Matte paintings created the illusion of upper stories of the grandstands and the background mountains.[123] More than 40,000 short tons (36,000 t) of sand were brought in from beaches on the Mediterranean to cover the track.[124] Other elements of the circus were also historically accurate. Imperial Roman racecourses featured a raised 10-foot (3.0 m) high spina (the center section), metae (columnar goalposts at each end of the spina), dolphin-shaped lap counters, and carceres (the columned building in the rear which housed the cells where horses waited prior to the race).[123][125] The four statues atop the spina were 30 feet (9.1 m) high.[45] A chariot track identical in size was constructed next to the set and used to train the horses and lay out camera shots.[125]
Preparation[edit]



 Lipizzan horses, like this one in Vienna, were used for chariot teams in Ben-Hur.
Planning for the chariot race took nearly a year to complete.[97] Seventy eight horses were bought and imported from Yugoslavia and Sicily in November 1957, exercised into peak physical condition, and trained by Hollywood animal handler Glenn Randall to pull the quadriga (a Roman Empire chariot drawn by four horses abreast).[82][97] Andalusian horses played Ben-Hur's Arabians, while the others in the chariot race were primarily Lipizzans.[126] A veterinarian, a harness maker, and 20 stable boys were employed to care for the horses and ensure they were outfitted for racing each day.[82] The firm of Danesi Brothers[127] built 18 chariots,[128] nine of which were used for practice,[127] each weighing 900 pounds (410 kg).[18] Principal cast members, stand-ins, and stunt people made 100 practice laps of the arena in preparation for shooting.[94]
Heston and Boyd both had to learn how to drive a chariot. Heston, an experienced horseman, took daily three-hour lessons in chariot driving after he arrived in Rome and picked up the skill quickly.[o] [43][130] Heston was outfitted with special contact lenses to prevent the grit kicked up during the race from injuring his eyes.[130] For the other charioteers, six actors with extensive experience with horses were flown in from Hollywood, including Giuseppe Tosi, who had once been a bodyguard for Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.[47]
Filming[edit]
The chariot scene took five weeks (spread over three months) to film at a total cost of $1 million[131] and required more than 200 miles (320 km) of racing to complete.[122] Marton and Canutt filmed the entire chariot sequence with stunt doubles in long shot, edited the footage together, and showed the footage to Zimbalist, Wyler, and Heston to show them what the race should look like and to indicate where close-up shots with Heston and Boyd should go.[131] Seven thousand extras were hired to cheer in the stands.[13][122][p] Economic conditions in Italy were poor at the time, and as shooting for the chariot scene wound down only 1,500 extras were needed on any given day. On June 6, more than 3,000 people seeking work were turned away. The crowd rioted, throwing stones and assaulting the set's gates until police arrived and dispersed them.[132] Dynamite charges were used to show the chariot wheels and axles splintering from the effects of Messala's barbed-wheel attacks.[123] Three lifelike dummies were placed at key points in the race to give the appearance of men being run over by chariots.[133]
The cameras used during the chariot race also presented problems. The 70mm lenses had a minimum focal length of 50 feet (15 m), and the camera was mounted on a small Italian-made car so the camera crew could keep in front of the chariots. The horses, however, accelerated down the 1,500-foot (460 m) straightaway much faster than the car could, and the long focal length left Marton and Canutt with too little time to get their shots. The production company purchased a more powerful American car, but the horses were still too fast, and even with a head start, the filmmakers only had a few more seconds of shot time. As filming progressed, vast amounts of footage were shot for this sequence. The ratio of footage shot to footage used was 263:1, one of the highest ratios ever for a film.[133]
One of the most notable moments in the race came from a near-fatal accident when stunt man Joe Canutt, Yakima Canutt's son, was tossed into the air by accident; he incurred a minor chin injury.[134] Marton wanted to keep the shot, but Zimbalist felt the footage was unusable. Marton conceived the idea of showing that Ben-Hur was able to land on and cling to the front of his chariot, then scramble back into the quadriga while the horses kept going.[135] The long shot of Canutt's accident was cut together with a close-up of Heston climbing back aboard, resulting in one of the race's most memorable moments.[136] Boyd did all but two of his own stunts.[15] For the sequence where Messala is dragged beneath a chariot's horses and trampled, Boyd wore steel armor under his costume and acted out the close-up shot and the shot of him on his back, attempting to climb up into the horses' harness to escape injury. A dummy was used to obtain the trampling shot in this sequence.[134]
Several urban legends exist regarding the chariot sequence. One claims that a stuntman died during filming, which Nosher Powell claims in his autobiography,[137] and another states that a red Ferrari can be seen during the chariot race. The book Movie Mistakes claims this is a myth.[138] Heston, in a DVD commentary track for the film, mentions that a third urban legend claims that he wore a wristwatch during the chariot race, but points out that he wore leather bracers up to the elbow.[139]
Release[edit]



 Haya Harareet promoting the film in Amsterdam in October 1960
A massive $14.7 million marketing effort helped promote Ben-Hur.[140] MGM established a special "Ben-Hur Research Department" which surveyed more than 2,000 high schools in 47 American cities to gauge teenage interest in the film.[141] A high school study guide was also created and distributed.[141] Sindlinger and Company was hired to conduct a nationwide survey to gauge the impact of the marketing campaign.[142] In 1959 and 1960, more than $20 million in candy; children's tricycles in the shape of chariots; gowns; hair barrettes; items of jewelry; men's ties; bottles of perfume; "Ben-Her" and "Ben-His" towels; toy armor, helmets, and swords; umbrellas; and hardback and paperback versions of the novel (tied to the film with cover art) were sold.[94][108]
Ben-Hur premiered at Loew's State Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1959. Present at the premiere were William Wyler, Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, Martha Scott, Ramon Novarro (who played Judah Ben-Hur in the 1925 silent film version), Spyros Skouras (president of the 20th Century Fox), Barney Balaban (president of Paramount Pictures), Jack Warner (president of Warner Bros.), Leonard Goldenson (president of the American Broadcasting Company), Moss Hart (playwright), Robert Kintner (an ABC Television executive), Sidney Kingsley (playwright), and Adolph Zukor (founder of Paramount Pictures).[143]
Box office[edit]
During its initial release the film earned $33.6 million in North American theater rentals (the distributor's share of the box office), generating approximately $74.7 million in box office sales. Outside of North America, it earned $32.5 in rentals (about $72.2 million at the box office) for a worldwide total of $66.1 million in rental earnings, roughly equivalent to $146.9 million in box office receipts.[140] It was the fastest-grossing film[13] as well as the highest grossing film of 1959,[144] in the process becoming the second-highest grossing film of all-time behind Gone with the Wind.[145]
Ben-Hur saved MGM from financial disaster,[146] making a profit of $20,409,000 on its initial release,[4] and another $10.1 million in profits when re-released in 1969.[13] By 1989, Ben-Hur had earned $90 million in worldwide theatrical rentals.[147]
Critical reception[edit]



 Charlton Heston and Marina Berti in Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release.[148] Bosley Crowther, writing for The New York Times, called Ben-Hur "a remarkably intelligent and engrossing human drama".[149] While praising the acting and William Wyler's "close-to" direction, he also had high praise for the chariot race: "There has seldom been anything in movies to compare with this picture's chariot race. It is a stunning complex of mighty setting, thrilling action by horses and men, panoramic observation and overwhelming use of dramatic sound."[149] Jack Gaver, writing for United Press International, also had praise for the acting, calling it full of "genuine warmth and fervor and finely acted intimate scenes".[150] Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times called it "magnificent, inspiring, awesome, enthralling, and all the other adjectives you have been reading about it."[151] He also called the editing "generally expert" although at times abrupt.[151] Ronald Holloway, writing for Variety, called Ben-Hur "a majestic achievement, representing a superb blending of the motion picture arts by master craftsmen," and concluded that "Gone With the Wind, Metro's own champion all-time top grosser, will eventually have to take a back seat."[152] The chariot race "will probably be preserved in film archives as the finest example of the use of the motion picture camera to record an action sequence. The race, directed by Andrew Marton and Yakima Canutt, represents some 40 minutes of the most hair-raising excitement that film audiences have ever witnessed."[152]
There was some criticism, however. Crowther felt the film was too long.[149] Scheuer, whilst mostly praising the film, felt that its biggest fault was "overstatement", and that it hammered home at points long after they had been made. He singled out the galley rowing sequence, Jesus' journey to the place of crucifixion, nearly all the sequences involving the lepers. He also lightly criticized Charlton Heston for being more physically than emotionally compelling.[151] John McCarten of The New Yorker was more critical of Heston, writing that he "speaks English as if he'd learned it from records."[153] Even William Wyler later privately admitted he was disappointed with Heston's acting.[15] Film critic Dwight Macdonald also was largely negative.[148] He found the film so uninvolving and lengthy that he said, "I felt like a motorist trapped at a railroad crossing while a long freight train slowly trundles by."[154] British film critic John Pym, writing for Time Out, was equally dismissive, calling the film a "four-hour Sunday school lesson".[155] Many French and American film critics who believed in the auteur theory of filmmaking saw the film as confirmation of their belief that William Wyler was "merely a commercial craftsman" rather than a serious artist.[26]
Accolades[edit]

Academy Awards
1. Best Picture, Sam Zimbalist (posthumous award)
2. Best Director, William Wyler
3. Best Actor in a Leading Role, Charlton Heston
4. Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Hugh Griffith
5. Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Color, Edward C. Carfagno and William A. Horning (posthumous award) (art direction); Hugh Hunt (set decoration)
6. Best Cinematography, Color, Robert L. Surtees
7. Best Costume Design, Color, Elizabeth Haffenden
8. Best Special Effects, A. Arnold Gillespie, Robert MacDonald and Milo Lory
9. Best Film Editing, John D. Dunning and Ralph E. Winters
10. Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Miklós Rózsa
11. Best Sound Recording, Franklin Milton, MGM Studio Sound Department
Golden Globe Awards

BAFTA Awards
1. Best Motion Picture – Drama
2. Best Director, William Wyler
3. Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, Stephen Boyd
Ben-Hur was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won an unprecedented 11. As of 2012, only Titanic in 1998 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2004 have matched the film's wins.[156][157] The lone category where Ben-Hur did not win was for Best Adapted Screenplay (losing to Room at the Top), and most observers attributed this to the controversy over the writing credit.[15][158] MGM and Panavision shared a special technical Oscar in March 1960 for developing the Camera 65 photographic process.[159]
Ben-Hur also won three Golden Globe Awards – Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Stephen Boyd – and received a Special Achievement Award (which went to Andrew Marton for directing the chariot race sequence).[160] Heston was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama category, but did not win. The picture also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film,[161] the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film,[162] and the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Motion Picture for William Wyler's masterful direction.[163]
Ben-Hur also appears on several "best of" lists generated by the American Film Institute, an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1967. The "AFI 100 Years... series" were created by juries consisting of over 1,500 artists, scholars, critics, and historians, with movies selected based on the film's popularity over time, historical significance, and cultural impact. Ben-Hur appeared at #72 on the 100 Movies, #49 on the 100 Thrills, #21 on the Film Scores, #56 on the 100 Cheers and #2 on the AFI's 10 Top 10 Epic film lists. Judah Ben-Hur was also nominated as a hero and Messala nominated as a villain in the AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains list. In 2004, the National Film Preservation Board selected Ben-Hur for preservation by the National Film Registry for being a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" motion picture.[164]
Broadcast and home video releases[edit]
The film's first telecast took place on Sunday, February 14, 1971.[165] In what was then a television first for a Hollywood film, it was broadcast over five hours (including commercials) during a single evening by CBS,[166][q] preempting all of that network's regular programming for that one evening. It was watched by 85.82 million people for a 37.1 average rating.[167] It was one of the highest rated movies ever screened on television at the time (behind the broadcast premiere of Bridge on the River Kwai),[168] though The Wizard of Oz was still drawing huge TV ratings on its annual telecasts at the time. Ben-Hur was repeated on CBS at least once more before being sold to local television stations.
Ben-Hur has been released on home video on several occasions. Recent releases have all been on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. A two-sided single disc widescreen release occurred in the United States on March 13, 2001.[139] This release included several featurettes, including a commentary by Charlton Heston, a making-of documentary (made for a laserdisc release in 1993), screen tests, and a photo gallery.[139] This edition was released soon thereafter as a two-disc set in other countries. The film saw another DVD release on September 13, 2005.[169] This four-disc edition included remastered images and audio, an additional commentary, two additional featurettes, and a complete version of the 1925 silent version of Ben-Hur.[169] A boxed "Deluxe Edition", issued in the U.S. in 2002, included postcard-sized reprints of lobby cards, postcard-sized black-and-white stills with machine-reproduced autographs of cast members, a matte-framed color image from the film with a 35mm film frame mounted below it, and a 27-by-40-inch (69 by 102 cm) reproduction film poster.[170]
In 2011, Warner Home Video released a 50th anniversary edition on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, making it the first home video release where the film is present on its original aspect ratio.[171] For this release, the film was completely restored frame by frame from an 8K scan of the original 65mm negative. The restoration cost $1 million, and was one of the highest resolution restorations ever made by Warner Bros.[172] A new musical soundtrack-only option and six new featurettes (one of which was an hour long) were also included.[173]
Remake[edit]
Main article: Ben-Hur (2016 film)
On April 25, 2014, Paramount Pictures and MGM announced that they will co-produce another Ben-Hur film with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who also made the recent miniseries The Bible. The film is set for release in February 2016.[5] On September 11, Morgan Freeman was added to the cast to play the role of Ildarin, the man who teaches the slave Ben-Hur to become a champion-caliber chariot racer.[174]
See also[edit]
List of historical drama films
List of films set in ancient Rome
List of films featuring slavery
References[edit]
Notes
a.Jump up ^ Although Karl Tunberg received sole credit for the screenplay, Maxwell Anderson, S. N. Behrman, Gore Vidal and Christopher Fry worked on the script in the course of development. See the writing section for more details.
b.Jump up ^ MGM had extensive amounts of income in Italian lira. In the wake of World War II the Italian government banned the movement of lira out of Italy as a means of stabilizing the inflation-plagued Italian economy. Finding a way to spend this money in Italy would free up resources elsewhere for the studio.
c.Jump up ^ Instead of being healed as Christ carries His cross, the women are healed after accidentally soaking in rainwater stained by the blood of Jesus after the crucifixion
d.Jump up ^ Vidal says he worked on the script for three months. Fry did not arrive in Rome until May 1958 and Vidal says he did not leave Rome until mid or late June, so Vidal's arrival in Rome can be deduced with some accuracy. See: Vidal, p. 73; Herman, p. 400–401.
e.Jump up ^ See: Production of Ben-Hur (1959 film)
f.Jump up ^ Buford also says MGM offered Lancaster $1 million to star in the picture, and to pay off $2.5 million in debts owed by Lancaster's production company. Still Lancaster refused. See: Buford, p. 190.
g.Jump up ^ Hudson's agent, Henry Willson, refused to allow Hudson to take the role, believing that historical costume epics were not right for his client. See: Bret, p. 95; Gates and Thomas, p. 125.
h.Jump up ^ Industry columnist Louella Parsons claimed that Horne was all but cast in the film, due to his performance in The Bridge on the River Kwai. See: Hofler, p. 320.
i.Jump up ^ This inspired Douglas to make Spartacus a year later.[56]
j.Jump up ^ Martha Scott had played the mother of Heston's Moses in The Ten Commandments, and he'd worked with her previously on Broadway
k.Jump up ^ Most sources agree that the lenses were worth $100,000 each. But at least one source puts the value of each lens at $250,000. See: Herman, p. 406.
l.Jump up ^ The Libyan government learned that the production was scheduled to shoot in Israel. Libya, which was at war with Israel, had enacted legislation in 1957 banning any individual or company from doing business with Israel or Jews.
m.Jump up ^ There was so much footage of the sea battle left over that Charlton Heston used it in his 1972 film Antony and Cleopatra.[102]
n.Jump up ^ A mass media report in March 1959 indicated the running time was actually closer to five hours.[105]
o.Jump up ^ Heston also learned swordfighting, how to throw a javelin, camel riding, and rowing.[129]
p.Jump up ^ There is dispute over the number of extras used in the chariot race scenes. At least one non-contemporary source puts the number at 15,000. See: Cyrino, p. 73.
q.Jump up ^ Victor Davis Hanson erroneously states it telecast over four nights. See: Cowley, p. ii.
Citations
1.Jump up ^ "Ben-Hur". The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures. American Film Institute. Retrieved July 6, 2013. "Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. (Loew's Inc.); Distribution Company: Loew's Inc."
2.Jump up ^ Running time as printed on the English Blu-ray version
3.Jump up ^ Sheldon Hall, Epics, Spectacles, and Blockbusters: A Hollywood History Wayne State University Press, 2010 p 162
4.^ Jump up to: a b The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study
5.^ Jump up to: a b c "'Ben-Hur' remake set for 2016 release"
6.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Ben-Hur to Ride for Metro Again." The New York Times. December 8, 1952.
7.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Metro to Produce 18 Films in '53-'54." The New York Times. October 8, 1953.
8.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Bank of America Wins Movie Suit." The New York Times. November 4, 1953.
9.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Hollywood Dossier: New Market Analysis Is Set Up." The New York Times. December 5, 1954.
10.Jump up ^ "Six Books Bought for Fox Films." The New York Times. September 10, 1955.
11.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Sidney Franklin Resigns at M-G-M." The New York Times. June 17, 1958.
12.Jump up ^ United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc., 334 US 131 (1948)
13.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Block and Wilson, p. 411.
14.Jump up ^ Eagan, p. 558–559.
15.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Eagan, p. 560.
16.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Eagen, p. 559.
17.^ Jump up to: a b c Hawkins, Robert F. "Viewed on the Bustling Italian Film Scene." The New York Times. February 16, 1958.
18.^ Jump up to: a b c d Solomon, p. 207.
19.Jump up ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2014. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
20.Jump up ^ Schumach, Murray. "Metro Stills Leo for the First Time." The New York Times. November 26, 1959.
21.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Vidal, p. 73.
22.^ Jump up to: a b c Morsberger and Morsberger, p. 482.
23.Jump up ^ Kaplan, p. 440.
24.Jump up ^ Freiman, p. 24.
25.Jump up ^ "Wyler Weighs Offer." The New York Times. February 5, 1957.
26.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 394.
27.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 395.
28.Jump up ^ Makiewicz, Don. "Tour Around the Lot." The New York Times. April 7, 1957.
29.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Debbie Reynolds Is Cast By M-G-M." The New York Times. January 4, 1958.
30.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 393.
31.Jump up ^ Eldridge, p. 15.
32.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Herman, p. 400.
33.^ Jump up to: a b Madsen, p. 342.
34.^ Jump up to: a b c Kaplan, p. 442.
35.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 396.
36.Jump up ^ Kaplan, p. 441.
37.^ Jump up to: a b Kaplan, p. 445.
38.Jump up ^ Giddins, p. 247.
39.Jump up ^ Joshel, Malamud, and McGuire, p. 37–38.
40.Jump up ^ "Chuck Roast." The Advocate. June 25, 1996, p. 82. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
41.Jump up ^ Quoted in Kaplan, p. 444.
42.Jump up ^ Feeney, p. 66–73.
43.^ Jump up to: a b c d Herman, p. 401.
44.Jump up ^ "'Ben-Hur' Credit Is Urged for Fry." The New York Times. October 29, 1959.
45.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Hudgins, Morgan. "'Ben-Hur' Rides Again." The New York Times. August 10, 1958.
46.Jump up ^ Hezser, p. 136–138.
47.^ Jump up to: a b c Freiman, p. 25.
48.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Hawkins, Robert F. "Answer to a Question: Quo Vadis, 'Ben-Hur'?" The New York Times. January 11, 1959.
49.^ Jump up to: a b Parish, Mank, and Picchiarini, p. 27.
50.Jump up ^ Magill, p. 150.
51.^ Jump up to: a b c Herman, p. 402.
52.Jump up ^ Alexander, p. 84–85.
53.^ Jump up to: a b Right, Gordon (May 2006). "Getting It Right the Second Time". British Lights Film Journal. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
54.Jump up ^ Giddins, p. 247–248.
55.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 395–396.
56.Jump up ^ Rode, p. 132.
57.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Heston Will Star in M-G-M 'Ben-Hur'." The New York Times. January 23, 1958.
58.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Goetz to Produce 3 Columbia Films." The New York Times. April 14, 1958.
59.Jump up ^ McAlister, p. 324, n. 59.
60.Jump up ^ "An Actor to Watch," Coronet, January 1, 1959, p. 22.
61.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Frenke Signs Pact With Seven Arts." The New York Times. August 4, 1958.
62.Jump up ^ Heston, p. 196.
63.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Seven Arts Unit Joins Paramount." The New York Times. July 18, 1958.
64.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Israeli Actress Cast in 'Ben-Hur'." The New York Times. May 17, 1958.
65.Jump up ^ Pratt, p. 135.
66.Jump up ^ "An Actor to Watch," Coronet, January 1, 1959, p. 71.
67.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Seven Arts Group Teaming With U.A." The New York Times. April 4, 1958.
68.Jump up ^ Monush, p. 296.
69.Jump up ^ Opera News. Metropolitan Opera Guild. 1960. p. 79.
70.Jump up ^ Sultanik, p. 299.
71.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 406.
72.^ Jump up to: a b Hall and Neale, p. 145.
73.Jump up ^ Eldridge, p. 57.
74.Jump up ^ Haines, p. 114.
75.Jump up ^ Eyman, p. 351.
76.Jump up ^ Block and Wilson, p. 333.
77.Jump up ^ Hall and Neale, p. 153.
78.Jump up ^ Cyrino, p. 74.
79.Jump up ^ Freiman, p. 31.
80.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 410.
81.Jump up ^ Freiman, p. 26, 30.
82.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Freiman, p. 27.
83.^ Jump up to: a b "Ben-Hur." AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. 2014. Accessed March 13, 2014.
84.Jump up ^ Hawkins, Robert F. "Observations on the Italian Screen Scene." The New York Times. August 4, 1957.
85.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Hollywood's Varied Vistas." The New York Times. January 12, 1958.
86.Jump up ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "Libya Cancels U.S. Film Permit." The New York Times. March 12, 1958.
87.Jump up ^ "Ben-Hur," AFI Catalog of Feature Films, American Film Institute, 2014, accessed 13 March 2014; Otman and Karlberg, p. 33.
88.Jump up ^ Schiffer, Robert L. "Israel Screen Scene." The New York Times. June 8, 1958.
89.^ Jump up to: a b c d e "'Ben-Hur to Race for 213 Minutes." The New York Times. October 7, 1959.
90.Jump up ^ Kaplan, p. 444.
91.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 403.
92.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 409.
93.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 404.
94.^ Jump up to: a b c Solomon, p. 213.
95.^ Jump up to: a b Freiman, p. 26.
96.^ Jump up to: a b c d Freiman, p. 29.
97.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Cyrino, p. 73.
98.Jump up ^ Eagan, p. 559–560.
99.^ Jump up to: a b Freiman, p. 30.
100.^ Jump up to: a b Freiman, p. 7.
101.^ Jump up to: a b c d Dunning, p. 253.
102.Jump up ^ Rothwell, p. 156.
103.Jump up ^ Brosnan, p. 28.
104.Jump up ^ Raymond, p. 31.
105.^ Jump up to: a b Pryor, Thomas M. "Extras Negotiate for Pay Increases." The New York Times. March 15, 1959.
106.Jump up ^ Dunning, p. 253–254.
107.Jump up ^ Dunning, p. 255.
108.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 411.
109.Jump up ^ Rózsa in a Today (BBC Radio 4) interview, BBC Sound Archives
110.^ Jump up to: a b "On the Sound Track." Billboard. July 20, 1959, p. 19. Accessed December 27, 2011.
111.^ Jump up to: a b c Winkler, p. 329.
112.Jump up ^ "Discourse." Billboard. November 23, 1959, p. 24. Accessed April 21, 2012.
113.Jump up ^ MacDonald, p. 1966.
114.Jump up ^ Winkler, p. 329–330.
115.^ Jump up to: a b DeWald, Frank K. (2012). "Ben-Hur. Online Liner Notes.". Film Score Monthly. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
116.Jump up ^ Wyler, p. 216.
117.Jump up ^ Dunning, p. 252
118.Jump up ^ Solomon, p. 15.
119.Jump up ^ Frayling, p. 97.
120.Jump up ^ Dunning, p. 251.
121.Jump up ^ Brownlow, p. 413.
122.^ Jump up to: a b c Coughlan, p. 119.
123.^ Jump up to: a b c Solomon, p. 210.
124.Jump up ^ Pomerance, p. 9.
125.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 398.
126.Jump up ^ Solomon, p. 207, 210.
127.^ Jump up to: a b Freiman, p. 28.
128.Jump up ^ Ben-Hur Rides a Chariot Again. Life magazine. January 19, 1959. p. 71.
129.Jump up ^ Raymond, p. 32–33.
130.^ Jump up to: a b Solomon, p. 129.
131.^ Jump up to: a b Herman, p. 405
132.Jump up ^ "Romans in Mob Scene Not in 'Ben Hur' Script." United Press International. June 7, 1958.
133.^ Jump up to: a b Didinger, p. 157
134.^ Jump up to: a b Raymond, p. 32.
135.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 407
136.Jump up ^ Canutt and Drake, p. 16–19.
137.Jump up ^ Powell, p.254.
138.Jump up ^ Sandys, p. 5.
139.^ Jump up to: a b c Nichols, Peter M. "Home Video: All of 'Ben-Hur' and Its Secrets." The New York Times. March 16, 2001.
140.^ Jump up to: a b Block and Wilson, p. 324.
141.^ Jump up to: a b Doherty, p. 189.
142.Jump up ^ Dowdy, p. 6.
143.Jump up ^ "Notables at Premiere." The New York Times. November 19, 1959.
144.Jump up ^ Stempel, p. 23.
145.Jump up ^ Thomas, Bob (August 1, 1963). "Movie Finances Are No Longer Hidden From Scrutiny". The Robesonian. p. 10.
146.Jump up ^ Malone, p. 23.
147.Jump up ^ Ross, pp. 278–279.
148.^ Jump up to: a b Wreszin and Macdonald, p. 13.
149.^ Jump up to: a b c Crowther, Bosley. "The Screen: 'Ben-Hur,' a Blockbuster." The New York Times. November 19, 1959.
150.Jump up ^ Gaver, Jack. "Ben-Hur' Grandiose, Gripping Spectacle." United Press International. November 20, 1959.
151.^ Jump up to: a b c Scheuer, Philip K. "Magnificent 'Ben-Hur' Inspiring in Premiere." Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1959.
152.^ Jump up to: a b Holloway, Ronald. "Ben-Hur." Variety. November 17, 1959.
153.Jump up ^ McCarten, John. "The Children's Hours." The New Yorker. December 5, 1959, p. 153.
154.Jump up ^ Wreszin and Macdonald, p. 16.
155.Jump up ^ Pym, p. 91.
156.Jump up ^ "The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
157.Jump up ^ Dirks, Tim. "Academy Awards Summaries". Filmsite.org. AMC Networks. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
158.Jump up ^ Herman, p. 412
159.Jump up ^ Clark, p. 151.
160.Jump up ^ "Ben-Hur." Hollywood Foreign Press Association. GoldenGlobes.org. Accessed March 18, 2014.
161.Jump up ^ "Film Nominations 1959." British Academy of Film and Television Arts. BAFTA.org. 2010. Accessed December 31, 2011.
162.Jump up ^ Weiler, A.H. "'Ben-Hur,' Stewart, Audrey Hepburn Cited by Critics." The New York Times. December 29, 1959.
163.Jump up ^ Sennett, p. 289.
164.Jump up ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence. "Arts, Briefly." The New York Times. December 29, 2004.
165.Jump up ^ Cowley, p. ii.
166.Jump up ^ The Alfred I. Du Pont-Columbia University Survey of Broadcast Journalism, p. 98; Segrave, p. 82.
167.Jump up ^ "'GWTW' Knocks ABC Out of First for Week, Sets Modern Nielsen Record." Broadcasting. November 13, 1976, p. 8.
168.Jump up ^ Kramer, p. 45.
169.^ Jump up to: a b Kehr, Dave. "New DVD's." The New York Times. September 13, 2005.
170.Jump up ^ Nichols, Peter. "Home Video: Old Favorites in a New Format." The New York Times. January 4, 2002.
171.Jump up ^ Taylor, Charles. "Other New Releases." The New York Times. September 18, 2011.
172.Jump up ^ "Ben-Hur (50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]". Amazon. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
173.Jump up ^ "'Ben-Hur (50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition)'". CNET. CBS Interactive. 2013-12-22. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
174.Jump up ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (September 11, 2014). "Morgan Freeman Set For ‘Ben-Hur’ Redo". deadline.com. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
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External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ben Hur (1959 film).
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur at the American Film Institute Catalog
Ben-Hur Official Website
Ben-Hur at the Internet Movie Database


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Categories: 1959 films
English-language films
1950s drama films
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