50 Fun Facts About Ben-Hur

Who directed the 1959 film Ben-Hur?

Wyler had been one of 30 assistant directors on the 1925 silent version and later joked that it took a Jew to make a good film about Christ.

How many Academy Awards did Ben-Hur (1959) win, a record at the time?

Only Titanic (1998) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2004) have since matched the total; none has beaten it.

Which two later films have tied Ben-Hur's Oscar haul?

Both matched the record; The Return of the King went a perfect 11-for-11 on its nominations.

Who wrote the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ?

A Union general at Shiloh, he later served as U.S. minister to the Ottoman Empire and retired to Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Which best-selling novel did Ben-Hur surpass to become the top-selling American novel of the 19th century?

It stayed atop the all-time list until 1936, when Margaret Mitchell's Civil War epic overtook it, then reclaimed the crown after the 1959 film sent readers back to the book.

Ben-Hur was the first novel ever to receive what honor?

Pope Leo XIII blessed it, fitting for a book called the most influential Christian work of the 19th century.

Which office was the novel's author holding when Ben-Hur was published?

He served as territorial governor from 1878 to 1881, dealing with the Lincoln County War and Billy the Kid, then went to Constantinople as U.S. minister.

An 1876 train talk with which famous agnostic spurred the author to finish his book about Christ?

Ingersoll invited him into his railroad compartment on the way to Indianapolis and challenged his beliefs; the author had already drafted a serial about the Magi.

How did the 1899 Broadway stage version of Ben-Hur pull off the chariot race?

The horses galloped full-tilt toward the audience, held by steel cable traces; the show opened November 29, 1899, and toured for two decades.

Who starred as Ben-Hur in the 1925 silent film?

George Walsh was fired on location in Italy and replaced by Novarro; Bushman played Messala. The film became the costliest of the silent era.

Which scenes of the 1925 Ben-Hur were shot in two-color Technicolor?

The color segments were later replaced by black-and-white takes for decades before restoration.

What was Ben-Hur's 1959 production budget, the largest of any film to that point?

It had started at $7 million; adjusted for inflation the final figure is about $168 million, and MGM bet the studio's survival on it.

Which 1956 Paramount hit inspired MGM to revive its long-stalled Ben-Hur remake?

MGM was in financial distress after losing its theater chains and needed a blockbuster; the DeMille epic showed biblical spectacle could still sell.

Why does the MGM lion stay silent at the start of Ben-Hur instead of doing its usual thing?

Wyler got permission to open with a quiet Leo so the sacred Bethlehem scene would not be undercut.

Which star turned down the role of Ben-Hur saying he did not have the legs to wear a tunic?

Lancaster called the script boring and belittling to Christianity, Brando and Hudson were also offered it, and Douglas wanted it but lost out to Heston.

Which Welsh actor won Best Supporting Actor for playing Sheik Ilderim?

Griffith, a veteran of Ealing comedies, was only the second Welsh-born actor to win an Oscar after Ray Milland.

Which Northern Irish actor played Messala, winning a Golden Globe?

Boyd had to wear brown contact lenses that irritated his eyes for months afterward, and called the shoot the most exciting experience of his life.

Which Israeli actress played Esther, becoming the first Israeli signed to a Hollywood studio contract?

She had debuted in Hill 24 Doesn't Answer, Israel's first feature film, and signed a multi-year deal with MGM.

Which writer claimed he gave the Judah–Messala reunion a homoerotic subtext?

Vidal made the claim in The Celluloid Closet (1995); Heston denied it, and a bitter credit dispute left Tunberg with sole screenplay credit.

In the film, what accident lets Messala condemn Judah to the galleys?

The tile falls from the Hur roof during the new governor's parade; Miriam and Tirzah are jailed and later contract leprosy.

Which Roman consul does Judah save from drowning, who then adopts him?

Jack Hawkins played Arrius. Emperor Tiberius gives Judah to Arrius as a slave, and Judah becomes a champion charioteer in Rome.

How was the sea battle in the 1959 film staged?

An artificial lake was built at the Rome studio for the galley scenes, but the battle itself was model work back in California.

In which Rome studio complex was Ben-Hur (1959) chiefly shot?

Pre-production began there around October 1957; the chariot arena set was among the largest ever built.

Roughly how long is the film's chariot race sequence?

Second-unit directors Andrew Marton and a stunt legend shot it; the arena was modeled on a historic circus in Jerusalem.

Which future spaghetti Western director worked as a senior assistant on the chariot race's second unit?

Leone handled retakes; a few years later he was making A Fistful of Dollars.

Which stuntman was thrown into the air in the race's most famous near-fatal accident?

He escaped with a minor chin injury, and the shot of Judah being flung over the front of his chariot stayed in the film.

What breed of horses played Ben-Hur's 'Arabian' team in the chariot race?

The rival teams were mostly Lipizzans; 78 horses were imported from Yugoslavia and Sicily and trained for months.

Which stunt legend did Wyler bring in to protect the horses after 100 died on the 1925 film?

Canutt co-directed the race with Andrew Marton; a vet, a harness maker and 20 stable boys tended the horses daily.

How many horses were used in the making of the 1959 film, according to MGM?

Plus more than 200 camels and some 10,000 extras; the costume department made over 100,000 costumes and 1,000 suits of armor.

Who composed the score, then the longest ever written for a film?

He won his third Oscar for it, having researched Greek and Roman music for authenticity, and conducted the 100-piece MGM orchestra himself.

Which uncredited opera singer played Jesus, whose face is never shown?

The American was singing with the Vienna State Opera in Rome when he was asked to screen test; Wyler kept the camera off his face throughout.

What happened to producer Sam Zimbalist during filming in November 1958?

Zimbalist had shepherded the project since 1953; the film's Best Picture Oscar was awarded posthumously.

Where did Ben-Hur premiere on November 18, 1959?

A huge marketing campaign preceded it, and the film became the fastest-grossing release of 1959.

At the time of its release, Ben-Hur was the second highest-grossing film ever, behind which title?

It was the top earner of 1959 and, along with the novel, sat just behind Margaret Mitchell's epic on both the film and book charts.

What widescreen process was Ben-Hur (1959) filmed in?

The 65 mm process was later marketed as Ultra Panavision 70; MGM had originally announced CinemaScope back in 1953.

Which subplot from the novel did screenwriter Karl Tunberg cut entirely?

He also dropped everything after the crucifixion and changed how the leprous women were healed.

How did Wyler's Ben-Hur salary compare with what other filmmakers of the day were earning?

He got a $350,000 base plus 8 percent of the gross or 3 percent of net, and admitted he wanted to outdo Cecil B. DeMille with a 'thinking man's' epic.

Which three films earned Wyler his Oscars for directing?

All three also won Best Picture, and Wyler holds the record for directing nominations with twelve.

Which biblical figure had Charlton Heston played in his star-making film three years before Ben-Hur?

Cecil B. DeMille cast him in the 1956 Paramount epic; Heston later served five terms as NRA president.

In the film's ending, what happens to Miriam and Tirzah's leprosy?

They shelter in a cave with Esther during the storm; when it lifts they are healed, and Judah embraces forgiveness over revenge.

Who directed the 2016 remake of Ben-Hur?

The Kazakh-Russian director of Wanted was reluctant to take on a story with so towering a predecessor, and tried to make it as different as possible.

Who played Judah Ben-Hur in the 2016 film?

He was first offered Messala, which went to Kebbell; Santoro played Jesus and Morgan Freeman the sheik.

How did the 2016 Ben-Hur fare commercially?

Marketing and distribution costs made the loss even larger; reviews were generally negative.

In the novel, what falsely gets Judah convicted?

The tile falls during a military parade and knocks the governor from his horse — the same device the 1959 film keeps.

In what year was Ben-Hur added to the National Film Registry?

The AFI had already ranked it the 72nd best American film in 1998 and the second-best American epic in its 10 Top 10 list.

In the novel, who eventually becomes Judah Ben-Hur's wife and mother of his children?

Wallace named the modest daughter of the merchant Simonides after his own mother, Esther French Wallace; Iras instead becomes Messala's mistress.

Which 1936 novel finally knocked Ben-Hur off the top of the US all-time bestseller list?

For decades Ben-Hur was 'second only to the Bible' in American sales; a 1946 edition boasted 26 million copies.

So impressed was President Garfield by Ben-Hur that he sent Lew Wallace as US Minister to where?

Wallace served in Constantinople from 1881 to 1885; Ulysses S. Grant and Jefferson Davis were also enthusiastic fans of the book.

How did the 1899 stage version solve Wallace's objection that no actor could portray Christ?

Dramatist William Young's idea won Wallace over, and the Klaw and Erlanger production opened at New York's Broadway Theater on November 29, 1899.

In which languages was all the dialogue of the 2009 arena show Ben Hur Live in London?

With 46 horses, 500 tons of sand and 400 cast and crew, it still struck The Guardian as lacking the spectacle to fire the imagination.