Ben-Hur

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Ben-Hur

1925

2h 23m

History

Drama

Action

Romance

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

An immediate box office smash, this silent masterpiece follows a Palestinian Jew who battles against the tyranny of the Roman Empire. With a cast of thousands, it remains one of the most expensive silents ever-produced. Features a hair-raising chariot race that holds its own against today's best action films. Selected by the prestigious American Film Institute as one of the 400 best American films of all time. Inducted in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

Mordaunt Hall

New York Times

08/31/2020

Ramon Novarro, who plays the part of Ben-Hur, is a sturdy, handsome young chap, with an excellent figure. His performance is all that one could wish, for he is fervent and earnest throughout.

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Fred Schader

Variety

08/31/2020

Ben Hur is a picture for all times. No matter what happens to others, Ben Hur will remain, as the Bible remains.

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SMH Staff

Sydney Morning Herald

08/31/2020

The part of Ben Hur Is magnificently played by Ramon Navarro. In his hands the character shows a gradual and logical development, beginning with Judah's boyish bearing in the streets of Jerusalem, adopting a harder tone [as the film progresses].

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

04/07/2025

7/10

It is, without a doubt, a very exciting biblical epic. [Full review in Spanish]

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Irish Times Staff

Irish Times

12/14/2023

Without seeing for one’s self it is hard to picture the pulsating realism of the mad gallop round the arena of horses with their charioteers; the deadly rivalry of the drivers; and the wild scenes as chariots are overturned.

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Martin Dickstein

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

08/31/2020

As a spectacle, a tremendous pictorial achievement, a truly Immense conception of the unlimltatlons of the motion picture camera, I can for comparison with the film... only hazy recollections of D. W. Griffith's Intolerance.

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Bob Z

@Bobzacamano76 Jan 19

They killed over 100 horses. FJB!

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David Manuel R

@RT45103128 Aug 18

This movie is impressive, especially for 1925 silent genre

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georgan g

@RT98616417 04/10/2022

While this movie is impressive, especially for a 1925 silent genre, there was too much I could not tolerate. Humane filming is not totally done even today, but nearly 100 years ago it was grim & cruel. The horses killed during the chariot race was horrendous.

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06/06/2021

I was lucky enough to see this film with a live orchestra with Stuart Copeland of the Police. He's worked with this film many times, and you should beg him to come to your theatre and perform it again because it is mesmerizing. I have never had an experience at the theatre like that in my whole life, and I saw Chaplin's "City Lights" with a live orchestra. This is what you pay money to see, musicians sweating out the old time capsule in its full regalia. I had to remind myself to breathe while in the theatre with this beast, as it was breathtaking. There was quite a bit of horse abuse in the making of this film, and as someone who's sensitive to that, I thought it might be too much to see. I had searched before the film "How many horses died?"...Up to 150 is that answer. Jesus Christ! is right. However, if the jackasses were gonna kill like that, at least they made a powerful film. It shakes the soul, and still is an effective and very emotional artifact. The urinals exploded in our theatre the night this was performed, as the tension of the piece was too much for even the plumbing to handle.

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Ethan S

@RT80629691 03/02/2021

A visual treat with a compelling story and excellent action sequences. The physicality and expression of the acting helps to eliminate the need for a lot of intertitle exposition also, though probably my familiarity with the later Heston sound-version of the story might make me a little biased in that respect.

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s r

@ScottR 04/07/2020

Epic to say the least.

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Fred Niblo

Director

Ramon Novarro

Judah Ben-Hur

Francis X. Bushman

Messala

May McAvoy

Esther

Claire McDowell

Princess of Hur

Betty Bronson

Mary

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Synopsis

An immediate box office smash, this silent masterpiece follows a Palestinian Jew who battles against the tyranny of the Roman Empire. With a cast of thousands, it remains one of the most expensive silents ever-produced. Features a hair-raising chariot race that holds its own against today's best action films. Selected by the prestigious American Film Institute as one of the 400 best American films of all time. Inducted in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

Director: Fred Niblo
Producer: Kevin Brownlow, David Gill
Screenwriter: Carey Wilson
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre: History, Drama, Action, Romance, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 30, 1925, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2011
Runtime: 2h 23m