Back in 1959, MGM remade the 1925 silent film Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, starring Charlton Heston, fresh off playing Moses in 1956’s The Ten Commandments. The Hollywood legend starred as Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy 1st century Jewish prince from Jerusalem who is falsely accused of treason and becomes a Roman slave – during which his life intersects with Jesus Christ. Directed by William Wyler, the Biblical epic was a Hollywood Golden Era record breaker.
At the time, Ben-Hur had the biggest movie budget ever at over $15 million ($174 million today) with the largest sets ever built. The mammoth production included 100 wardrobe fabricators and 200 artists and workmen to create the hundreds of friezes and statues in the movie. Over the six month shoot, filming days were 12-14 hours six days a week and post-production took another half a year. Animals-wise, over 2500 horses and 200 camels featured in Ben-Hur, alongside 10,000 extras. Featuring that iconic nine minute chariot race, the Hollywood epic went on to win a record 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Heston.
Ben-Hur is on BBC Two at 12pm on Sunday afternoon and will be streaming on BBC iPlayer afterwards for a limited time.
