Ben-Hur (1959)

Regisseur:

William Wyler

Drehbuchautoren:

Lew Wallace (novel)
Karl Tunberg (screenplay)
(mehr)

Premierendatum:

10. Dezember 1959 (Argentina)

Genre:

Action | Abenteuer | Drama | Romanze

Werbezeile:

A Tale of the Christ

Plot:

When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Rescue From Drowning | Healing | Desert | Carpenter | Father Daughter Relationship

Auszeichnungen:

Won 11 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 5 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

A classic

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Aug. 28

4:00 PM

TCM

Besetzung

Charlton Heston	...	Judah Ben-Hur
Jack Hawkins	...	Quintus Arrius
Haya Harareet	...	Esther
Stephen Boyd	...	Messala
Hugh Griffith	...	Sheik Ilderim
Martha Scott	...	Miriam
Cathy O'Donnell	...	Tirzah
Sam Jaffe	...	Simonides
Finlay Currie	...	Balthasar
Frank Thring	...	Pontius Pilate
Terence Longdon	...	Drusus
George Relph	...	Tiberius Caesar
André Morell	...	Sextus
übrige Besetzung in alphabetischer Reihenfolge:
Ady Berber	...	Malluch (uncredited)
Marina Berti	...	Flavia (uncredited)
Hugh Billingsley	...	Mario (uncredited)
Jerry Brown	...	The Corinthian (uncredited)
Robert Brown	...	Chief of Rowers (uncredited)
Lando Buzzanca	...	Jewish Slave in the Desert (uncredited)
Joe Canutt	...	Sportsman (uncredited)
Otello Capanna	...	The Byzantine (uncredited)
Emile Carrer	...	Rower No. 28 (uncredited)
Richard Coleman	...	Metellus (uncredited)
Michael Cosmo	...	Raimondo (uncredited)
Alfredo Danesi	...	The Armenian (uncredited)
David Davies	...	Quaestor (uncredited)
Princess Carmen de Hohenlohe	...	Guest at Banquet (uncredited)
Victor De La Fosse	...	Galley Officer (uncredited)
Liana Del Balzo	...	Guest at Banquet (uncredited)
Mino Doro	...	Gratus (uncredited)
Michael Dugan	...	Seaman (uncredited)
Dino Fazio	...	Marcello (uncredited)
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Galley Officer (uncredited)
Giuliano Gemma	...	Roman in the Baths (uncredited)
John Glenn	...	Rower No. 42 (uncredited)
José Greci	...	Mary (uncredited)
Richard Hale	...	Gaspar (uncredited)
Claude Heater	...	Jesus - The Christ (uncredited)
John Horsley	...	Spintho (uncredited)
Eddie Juaregui	...	The Athenian (uncredited)
Bill Kuehl	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Duncan Lamont	...	Marius (uncredited)
Howard Lang	...	Hortator (uncredited)
Stevenson Lang	...	Blind Man (uncredited)
Lord Layton	...	Good Thief on Cross (uncredited)
John Le Mesurier	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Tutte Lemkow	...	Leper (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	...	The Lubian (uncredited)
Luigi Marra	...	The Syrian (uncredited)
Ferdy Mayne	...	Captain of Rescue Ship (uncredited)
Nona Medici	...	Guest at Banquet (uncredited)
Tiberio Mitri	...	Roman at Bath (uncredited)
Aldo Mozele	...	Barca (uncredited)
Thomas O'Leary	...	Starter at Race (uncredited)
Remington Olmstead	...	Decurian (uncredited)
Laurence Payne	...	Joseph (uncredited)
Aldo Pial	...	Cavalry Officer (uncredited)
Aldo Pini	...	Bad Thief on Cross (uncredited)
Diego Pozzetto	...	Villager (uncredited)
Edwin Richfield	...	Supplier to Leper Colony (uncredited)
Hector Ross	...	Officer (uncredited)
Maxwell Shaw	...	Rower No. 43 (uncredited)
Noel Sheldon	...	Centurion (uncredited)
Aldo Silvani	...	Man in Nazareth (uncredited)
Reginald Lal Singh	...	Melchior (uncredited)
Pietro Tordi	...	Pilate's Servant (uncredited)
Giuseppe Tosi	...	Chariot Driver (uncredited)
Ralph Truman	...	Aide to Tiberius (uncredited)
Raimondo Van Riel	...	Old Man (uncredited)
Stella Vitelleschi	...	Amrah (uncredited)
Dervis Ward	...	Jailer (uncredited)
Irina Wassilchikoff	...	Guest at Banquet (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen	...	The Egyptian - Chariot Racer (uncredited)

Regie
William Wyler

Buch
Lew Wallace		(novel) (as General Lew Wallace)
Karl Tunberg		(screenplay)
Maxwell Anderson		uncredited and
Christopher Fry		uncredited and
Gore Vidal		uncredited

Produktion
Sam Zimbalist	....	producer
William Wyler	....	producer (uncredited)

Originalmusik
Miklós Rózsa		(as Miklos Rozsa)

Kamera
Robert Surtees		(director of photography) (as Robert L. Surtees)

Schnitt
John D. Dunning
Ralph E. Winters

Casting
Irene Howard		(uncredited)

Szenenbild
Vittorio Valentini		(uncredited)

Bauten/Dekorationsbau (art directors)
Edward C. Carfagno		(as Edward Carfagno)
William A. Horning

Bühnenbildner/Ausstatter (set decorators)
Hugh Hunt

Kostüme
Elizabeth Haffenden

Maske/Frisuren
Gabriella Borzelli	....	hair stylist
Charles E. Parker	....	makeup artist (as Charles Parker)

Produktionsleiter (production managers)
Edward Woehler	....	unit production manager
Dave Friedman	....	production manager (uncredited)

Regieassistenten
Gus Agosti	....	assistant director
Yakima Canutt	....	second unit director
Alberto Cardone	....	assistant director
Andrew Marton	....	second unit director
Sergio Leone	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Mario Soldati	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Richard Thorpe	....	third unit director (uncredited)

Ausstattung (Stab)
Ken Adam	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Mentor Huebner	....	primary conceptual artist and production illustrator (uncredited)
Harold Michelson	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Italo Tomassi	....	head scenic painter (uncredited)

Ton Stab
Sash Fisher	....	sound recordist
Franklin Milton	....	recording supervisor
William Steinkamp	....	sound recordist
Van Allen James	....	co-supervising sound editor (uncredited)
Milo B. Lory	....	special sound effects (uncredited)
Mauro Zambuto	....	sound engineer (uncredited)

Spezialeffekte
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special photographic effects
Robert R. Hoag	....	special photographic effects
Lee LeBlanc	....	special photographic effects
Doug Hubbard	....	special effects (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects
Robert MacDonald	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Matthew Yuricich	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Bill Babcock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Brown	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Canutt	....	stunt double: Charlton Heston (uncredited)
Joe Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tap Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Michael Dugan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Juaregui	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Glenn Randall Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd Stockman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen	....	stunt double: Stephen Boyd (uncredited)
Ian Yule	....	stunts (uncredited)

Kamera und Elektrik (Stab)
Piero Portalupi	....	additional photographer (as Pietro Portalupi)
Harold E. Wellman	....	additional photographer
Eric Carpenter	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Nino DiGiovanni	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Edward Phillips	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Piero Portalupi	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
John Schmitz	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Edward Wahrman	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Harold E. Wellman	....	camera operator: third unit (uncredited)

Kostüm und Garderobe (Stab)
Jack Martell	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Schnitt (Stab)
Joan Bridge	....	color consultant: costumes
Charles K. Hagedon	....	color consultant: settings
Fredric Steinkamp	....	associate editor (uncredited)

Musik (Stab)
Eugene Zador	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Restlicher Stab
Morgan Hudgins	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Ralph McCutcheon	....	horse trainer (uncredited)
Glenn H. Randall Sr.	....	horse trainer (uncredited)
Mauro Zambuto	....	set engineer (uncredited)

Produktionsfirmen

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presented by)

Verleihfirmen

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1959) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1959) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1960) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1960) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1961) (Finland) (theatrical)
• CBS Television (1971) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere) (pan/scan)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1977) (Finland) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (Finland) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1997) (Finland) (TV)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2002) (UK) (TV) (BBC2)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• V8 (2003) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Veronica (2004) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2004) (Finland) (TV)
• Net5 (2005) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Nothing's New Video (2005) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD) (4-disc collector's edition)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (19??) (West Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Varus Video (19??) (Russia) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Alternativ:

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (USA) (alternative title)
Ben Hur (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

212 Min | Sweden:219 Min (1970) | Sweden:224 Min (1962) | UK:222 Min (1993 re-release) | 214 Min (DVD edition)

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Farbe (Technicolor)

Seitenverhältnis:

2.76 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Dolby (1993 re-release) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Altersfreigabe:

Canada:G (video rating) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | USA:Approved (certificate #19158) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:Alle | China:(Banned) | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Australia:PG (alternate rating) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Norway:12 (1959) | Peru:PT | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) | USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | West Germany:16 | Iceland:12

Drehorte:

Anzio, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Firma:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Dies und das:

William Wyler was a renowned stickler for detail. Charlton Heston recalled one particular scene where Judah Ben-Hur simply walks across a room upon his return from slavery. Such a simple scene required 8 takes before the actor finally asked Wyler what was missing. The director informed him that he liked the first take where Heston had kicked a piece of pottery to give the scene its only sound. Heston on the other hand had assumed that Wyler didn't like the kicking and had therefore deliberately avoided doing it again.

Pannen:

Faktische Fehler: Most of the Roman soldiers seen are not displaying the Roman Army's "Winged Lightning" symbol on their shields.

Dialogzitate:

[first lines]
Balthasar: [narrating] In the Year of our Lord, Judea - for nearly a century - had lain under the mastery of Rome. In the seventh year of the reign of Augustus Caesar, an imperial decree ordered every Judean each to return to his place of birth to be counted and taxed. The converging ways of many of them led to the gates of their capital city...

Querbezüge:

Bezug enthalten in The Little Rascals (1994)

A classic

One of the best epics, this is a story of the friendship between two young boys. Eventually they grow up to be enemies and end up hating each other, one being Jewish and the other one Roman.

One could easily assume "Ben-Hur" is a story from The Holy Bible, and although this is not the case it was the intention when writing it. It certainly is one of the greatest stories ever told. This is the third adaptation of the classic tale, and it's the only one really remembered today. Many elements were inspired and copied from the first two, filmed in 1907 and 1925, but with a vast improvement: special-effects. The set wasn't as dangerous in 1959 because of the technical revolution that had taken place since the last time around.

"Ben-Hur" is full of drama, action and romance. There's also a tension between the two leads that could be interpreted as a love-affair gone horribly wrong, but this was toned down by the studio as homosexuality was a big taboo at the time.

Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd are great, with a wonderful supporting cast to back them up, making this a classic.

8/10