"Ben-Hur" the story of the rich young man was a Jew, who by accident was accused of the assassination attempt on the Roman Governor, and falls into slavery and his sister and mother go to jail.
On the way to the galleys, he encounters with Jesus Christ, the son of a carpenter, which will give the water suffering. When the ship sunk by pirates, Ben-Hur saves a Roman centurion from death, and who in gratitude adopts him
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
| Year | 1925 |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Tagline | The Picture Every Christian Ought to See! |
| Director | Fred NibloCharles BrabinChristy Cabanne |
| Cinematography | Clyde De VinnaRené GuissartPercy Hilburn |
| Scriptwriters | Lew WallaceCarey WilsonBess Meredyth |
| Produced | Kevin BrownlowDavid GillJ.J. Cohn |
| Music | Carl DavisWilliam AxtDavid Mendoza |
| Art Direction | Horace JacksonHarry OliverEdwin B. Willis |
| Editing | Lloyd Nosler |
| Genres | DramaMelodramaAdventure |
| USA Gross | $4 359 000сборы |
| Release Date | December 25, 1925 |
| Runtime | 143 min. |
Plot Summary
Did You Know?
The film is based on the novel by American writer Lew Wallace.
The film is the most expensive silent film in history the shooting took 3.9 million dollars. In prices of the beginning of the XXI century it is around $ 40 million.
The film was the second adaptation of the novel by Lew Wallace. The previous one came out in 1907.
Work on the film beginning, the company "Goldwyn Pictures" in 1923, but in 1924 it merged with "Metro Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Pictures" and formed the "Metro Goldwyn Mayer" (MGM).
"Ben-Hur" was not only a very successful novel, but also a very popular theatrical production that ran on the stage for twenty-five years. Only in 1922, two years after the last tour of the show "Ben-Hur", "Goldwyn Pictures" were finally able to afford to buy the film rights of the novel. The show's producer, Abraham Erlanger, demanded unaffordable for Studio price. It was able to negotiate only by offering a very large share in the profits of the project and the ability to control any detail of filmmaking.
Shooting began in Italy in 1923.
A total of 960 60 meters (200 000 feet) of film was expended during the shooting of the scene of chariot races, of which after installation was only 229 meters (750 feet). This scene was repeated many times in other cinematic works. In particular, it was repeated by William Wyler, shooting in the 1959 remake of this film
Some scenes of the movie were filmed using the two-tone technology "Technicolor" (eng. Technicolor).
One of the assistants to the Director of the movie was very young in those years, William Wyler, which will create in 1959, the famous remake of this film.
An additional set of actors (including the approval of Ramon Novarro for the role of Ben-Hur) and the replacement of the Director significantly increased the planned budget of the movie. Sales studios, advertising film, operated on such slogans as: "This is the picture that should be seen by every Christian!", trying to attract to the cinema as the wider public. Although the picture has collected about nine million dollars of revenue, its huge expenses and the onerous obligations of the Studio before Alangaram and not allowed MGM to return to their chetyrehrjadnye investment in this film.
During the filming of a scene of a competition car-voznica acted very slowly and carefully, rather than irritated Mayer. To make the scene more believable, he offered a prize of $100 to the winner of the race. What happened in result of a terrible accident was filmed by the operator and is present in the film. Several horses were killed.
