In ancient Judea, a Jewish aristocrat opposing Roman occupation of his homeland reunites with his childhood friend, now a Roman commander — setting in motion a saga of betrayal, adventure, tragedy, revenge, and faith.
Direction
Wyler's intimate epic balances spectacle and human suffering.
Practical Effects
The chariot race: real stunts, real danger, no CGI nonsense.
Cinematography
Sweeping desert vistas that defined 'widescreen' forever.
Director
William Wyler
Charlton Heston
Judah Ben-Hur
Stephen Boyd
Messala
Hugh Griffith
Scheich Ildirim
Jack Hawkins
Quintus Arrius
Haya Harareet
Esther
Martha Scott
Miriam
Cathy O'Donnell
Tirzah
Sam Jaffe
Simonides
Finlay Currie
Balthasar
Frank Thring
Pontius Pilatus
George Relph
Tiberius Caesar
André Morell
Sextus
Terence Longdon
Drusus
Ady Berber
Malluch
Lando Buzzanca
Jewish Slave in the Desert (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The chariot race took 10 weeks to film with a $1 million budget slice—no studio would risk this today.
Lew Wallace's 1880 novel was banned in the Confederacy for its sympathetic portrayal of Jewish protagonists.
US
