Ben-Hur - an epic film of the century

Ben-Hur - an epic film of the century

My friend Swami from Mumbai recently sent me a video clip of the chariot race from the movie "Ben-Hur." I remember watching this movie about fifty years ago at the Anand Theatre on Mount Road (now Anna Salai). At that time, Anand and Saffire (now extinct) were the most popular air-conditioned theaters in Anna Salai, where most English films were screened in the city. Back then, I didn't know the actors, directors, or even the fluent language spoken in the film. The main attraction for me was the cool air-conditioned comfort, providing relief from the hot weather outside for a few hours.

Ben-Hur, an American dramatic film released in 1959, is often considered the best of Hollywood’s biblical epics. Not only was it a massive commercial success, but it also set a record by winning 11 Academy Awards.

The story follows the journey of Judah Ben-Hur (played by Charlton Heston), a young Jewish prince from a powerful family. The film begins with his reunion with his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd), now a Roman tribune with significant authority in Jerusalem. Initially, the two men enjoy reminiscing about old times, but their relationship sours when Messala requests Ben-Hur's assistance in curbing the rising Jewish protests against Roman rule, and Ben-Hur refuses. A rift between them deepens when an accident leads to Ben-Hur being falsely accused of attempting to assassinate a Roman official. Despite knowing Ben-Hur's innocence, Messala allows him to be convicted of the crime, leading to the imprisonment of Ben-Hur's mother and sister.

Ben-Hur is subsequently enslaved on a Roman galley, and during a fierce battle, his ship sinks. He rescues a high-ranking Roman official, Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins), who, in gratitude, adopts him. Ben-Hur becomes known for his bravery and skill as he competes in deadly chariot races. He also searches for his mother and sister, only to hear that they have died. Driven by a desire for revenge, Ben-Hur agrees to face Messala in a chariot race, which he wins after a grueling contest. However, Messala is fatally injured and, with his dying breath, reveals to Ben-Hur that his beloved mother and sister are actually in a leper colony.

In his quest to save his family, Ben-Hur, inspired by Jesus Christ, witnesses the crucifixion. Following this, both his mother and sister are cured of leprosy.

MGM has been reported to have spent $16 million on the film, making it the largest budget for any movie based on Lewis Wallace’s 1880 novel. Charlton Heston received an Academy Award for his performance. The famous chariot race is considered one of cinema’s most impressive action sequences, mainly because it featured up to 15,000 extras. Ben-Hur received 12 Oscar nominations and won 11 awards, a feat that would be equaled only by Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) over the next 50 years.

 

In 1959, MGM released Ben-Hur, a costly quasi-biblical epic that became the most expensive film ever made at the time. It had a budget of nearly $16 million, making it the biggest-budget film to date. The movie was based on the 1880 novel by Lewis Wallace. Charlton Heston won an Academy Award for his role. The famous chariot race is considered one of cinema's most impressive action sequences, featuring up to 15,000 extras. Ben-Hur received 12 Oscar nominations and won 11 awards, a record matched only by Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) in the 50 years that followed.

The famed chariot race alone required an 18-acre set at Rome’s Cinecitta Studios, a five-week shooting schedule, and 7,000 extras, won a record 11 Academy Awards.

The chariot race in Ben-Hur was directed by Andrew & Yakima.

The chariot arena covered 18 acres and was the largest film set ever built at that time. Constructed at $1 million, it took a thousand workmen more than a year to carve the oval out of a rock quarry. The racetrack featured 1,500-foot-long straights and 5-story-high grandstands.

Planning for the chariot race took nearly a year to complete. Seventy-eight horses were bought & imported from Yugoslavia and Sicily in November 1957, exercised into peak physical condition, and trained by Hollywood animal handler Randall to pull the quadriga.

The chariot scene took over three months to film, costing $1 million, and covering more than 320 km of racing.

The cameras used during the chariot race posed several challenges. The 70mm lenses had a minimum focusing distance of 50 feet and were mounted on a small Italian-made car so the camera crew could stay ahead of the chariots. However, the horses accelerated much faster down the 1,500-foot straight than the car could, and the long focal length gave the cinematographers too little time to get their shots.

The production company bought a faster American car, but the horses were still too quick. Even with a head start, the filmmakers only had a few more seconds to capture the shot. A huge amount of footage was filmed for this scene. The ratio of footage shot to footage used was 263:1, one of the highest ratios ever for a film. This occurred for an 11-minute spectacle, and the rest is history.

 

Unbelievable... Simply thrilling... Can we ever forget this epic we saw in the movie theatre?