9 Surprising Facts About Ben-Hur

First Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ was a novel, then a play, then two silent films, two animated films, an Oscar-winning Best Picture, and a television miniseries. The story of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince condemned to slavery in the time of Jesus has engaged and inspired us for almost 140 years. Next month a new version will come to theaters, starring “Boardwalk Empire’s” Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, and Rodrigo Santoro, produced by “The Bible’s” Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. We’ve uncovered some interesting behind-the scenes facts about Ben-Hur, from the Civil War general who wrote the novel to the blink-and-you-miss them stars appearing as extras in the 1925 version and how Charlton Heston, who won a Best Actor Oscar for the 1959 version found a way to return to the part one more time 44 years later. It is a timeless story of revenge and redemption, with a thrilling chariot race.

The First Version of Ben-Hur was Published in 1880

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The many movie versions of the story are based on Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, first published in 1880, which surpassed Uncle Tom’s Cabin to become the best-selling book of the 19th century. It remained on the best-seller list for decades. The author was Lew Wallace, who had a remarkably varied and adventurous career. He was a lawyer, the youngest Union major general in the Civil War, the governor of the New Mexico Territory who told Pat Garrett to arrest Billy the Kid, a politician, and a diplomat who served as the US representative to Constantinople. He served on the tribunal that tried Lincoln’s assassination conspirators. There is a museum dedicated to his life and work at his home in Indiana.

Ben-Hur is a Reflection of the Author's Own Life

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Wallace was inspired in part by a chance argument with famous atheist Robert Ingersoll, whose efforts to persuade Wallace that God was a myth led him to write one of the most popular Christian books of all time. He was also influenced by his time as a soldier, especially his disgrace after failing to get his troops where they were needed during the Battle of Shiloh. Most historians consider it a failure of communications rather than a failure of judgment or courage, but even though Wallace’s performance was praised in other Civil War engagements, his reputation suffered. Judah Ben-Hur is punished and haunted by a tragic mistake, a reflection of Wallace’s experiences in war.

The Story is a Literary Great

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Bigger than Ben-Hur: The Book, Its Adaptations, and Their Audiences is a collection of appreciations and analyses of the various versions of the story. In the forward, film scholar Neil Sinyard says that the novel has “two great ideas, one of which was not especially unusual in the fiction of the time, and the other strikingly original. The first was “the story of an ordinary individual who suddenly finds himself at the center of extraordinary historical events….More remarkably, though, Wallace chose to tell the biblical story from the perspective of a minor fictional character who has his own history. This character fills in gaps and margins of the main story to give it a new dimension.”

The Theatrical Production Ran Over 6,000 Performances

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The book was adapted for a theatrical production that ran for more than 6000 performances in the late 1800’s. The first movie adaptation was an unauthorized short film released in 1907. Herman Rottger played Judah Ben-Hur, the Jewish prince condemned to slavery, and cowboy star William S. Hart played his rival Messala, a part he originated for the Broadway stage. It was the first commercial film set in Biblical times. It was also a violation of copyright law, as were many films in the early days of the silent era. The publisher and Wallace’s estate filed a lawsuit which culminated in a US Supreme Court ruling that movie companies must secure the rights before making a film based on copyrighted material.

The Second Movie Version was a Silent Film

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The second movie version was a 1925 silent film called “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ,” one of the greatest epics in film history, with thousands of extras. Silent stars Ramon Novarro and Francis X. Bushman played Ben-Hur and Messala. The action scenes were in black and white and the religious scenes were filmed in color. Many Hollywood luminaries and future stars came to watch the chariot race scene and were added to the crowd scenes as extras. If you look carefully, you can see John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Marion Davies, Myrna Loy, John Gilbert, Douglas Fairbanks, Clark Gable, Harold Lloyd, Carole Lombard, Janet Gaynor, Fay Wray, Mary Pickford, and the man who would direct the Charlton Heston version released in 1959, William Wyler.

There is a Behind-the-Scenes Documentary

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A new documentary called “The Man who Saved Ben-Hur,” is the behind-the-scenes story of John Alarimo, second cousin of filmmaker Joe Forte. In the film, now available on demand, Alarimo talks about his life as a crew member during the height of the Hollywood studio system, revealing for the first time many photos and artifacts. Forte wrote: “ Like a real-life Forest Gump or Zelig, his wonderful, magical life emerged. Hundreds of photographs, letters, and mementoes, all carefully labeled and preserved. There was John and Bette Davis. Heston. Rock Hudson. Wyler. Gore Vidal. Richard Burton and John Wayne. There Kirk Douglas or Angie Dickensen. Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, Mae West or Jeanne Crain. And dozens more.”

The 1959 Movie Version Earned 11 Oscars

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The 1959 movie version starring Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd is still tied for first place for the most Oscars with 11, including the awards for Best Picture, Actor, Director, Supporting Actor (Hugh Griffith as Sheik Ilderim), and Music (Miklós Rózsa). The famous chariot scene, still one of the most exciting action scenes in the history of movies, took five weeks to film. There are some famous mistakes in the film. The Star of David as a symbol of Judaism and the tradition of tilting the mezuzah (box containing a Hebrew prayer that is placed by the door of Jewish homes) were not adopted until the Middle Ages, more than five centuries after the events of the film. Also, there are camera tracks in the sand in one shot and the shadow of a camera can be seen on the back of the actor playing Jesus.

Heston Played the Role of Judah Ben-Hur Twice

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In 2003, Heston played the role of Judah Ben-Hur again, this time in an animated film produced by his son. It was his last performance. While the character of Jesus is only glimpsed in the 1925 and 1959 films, in this version we see His face and hear His voice. We also see the Wise Men on their way to present their gifts to Jesus in Bethlehem. The character of Messala is different from the 1959 film. He approaches Ben-Hur for forgiveness, limping, and he joins Ben-Hur's family and Balthazar to witness the passion of Jesus. We see Ben-Hur gives water to Jesus on the way to Calvary. Jesus heals Ben-Hur's family of leprosy, and enables Messala to walk again. There is also a 1988 animated version.

The New Movie Arrives

The 2016 version, to be released on August 19, stars Jack Huston (“Boardwalk Empire”) whose illustrious family includes three Oscar winners: director John Huston and actors Walter and Anjelica Huston. Messala is played by Toby Kebbell and Morgan Freeman plays Sheik Ilderim. Russian director Timur Bekmambetov is best known for vampire movies and intense action (“Day Watch,” “Hardcore Harry”). But he says that what drew him to this story was not the revenge drama but the theme of forgiveness. He told Collider: “In the Roman Empire, the most important values were pride, rivalry, power, strength, the dictatorship of power and self-love. This kind of world does not have any prospects today. Humanity has to learn how to love and forgive. This would be our only solution.” Unlike the 1959 version, this one features an important encounter between Judah Ben-Hur and Jesus (played by Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro). Executive producer Roma Downey, working with her husband Mark Burnett as she did for “The Bible” and “Son of God,” told MovieGuide: “Ultimately [Judah Ben-Hur] brings a hardened heart until the end of the movie where he’s angry and has a desire for revenge. And through an encounter with Jesus he ultimately lays this down, and it’s an extraordinary moment in film.” And, she promised, “if you thought the [original] chariot race was amazing, wait until you see [the new one].”