BEN-HUR (1959)

WORLD PREMIERE RESTORATION

The historical epic was an important genre that Hollywood used to combat the rise of television in the 1950s. But even grandiose productions like Quo Vadis (1951) and The Ten Commandments (1956) were dwarfed by MGM’s remake of the legendary 1925 silent film. It took three years to prepare Italy’s Cinecitta Studios for the production, which featured 300 sets, more than 100,000 costumes, and over 8,000 extras. That grandeur is as vivid as ever in this world premiere restoration, but thanks to William Wyler’s sensitive direction, the film maintains a personal side that led many critics to hail it as an “intimate epic.” Wyler focused on the interpersonal relationships among Charlton Heston as Hebrew prince Judah Ben-Hur, Stephen Boyd as his childhood friend turned enemy, Jack Hawkins as the Roman aristocrat who adopts Heston, and Hugh Griffith as the sheik who sponsors him in the legendary chariot race. The film won a record 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.

d. William Wyler, 223m, DCP

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Classics. Restoration by Warner Brothers Discovery in collaboration with The Film Foundation.