Ben Hur must rate very highly in anyone's ranking when it comes to a real epic tale, wrapped up with all that splendour and spectacle. It is no mean feat to turn out a movie like this and even those who aren't attracted to the story content of Ben Hur, can't deny the sheer artistry that went into the making of it.

It's the seventh year of Augustus Caesar's reign and in the Jews from Judea are making their way to their home cities for the census. A bright star in the Eastern sky announces the birth of Jesus Christ. A few years later a Roman Commander, Messala, who grew up in Judea, takes control of the area. His boyhood friend Ben Hur is there to meet him.

Ben Hur refuses to name Jewish patriots and is sent away on a slave galley and his mother is imprisoned. Ben Hur's search for revenge and to find his mother and sister are mixed in with biblical stories like the Sermon on The Mount and The Crucifixion.

The most memorable scenes are the chariot race where Ben Hur is pitted against Messala and the violent sea battle in the galleys.

The stars of this movie as Charlton Heston as Ben Hur, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet and Hugh Griffith. The director of Ben Hur was William Wyler and the composer of the fabulous soundtrack is Miklos Rozsa.

Ben Hur is the one movie everyone thinks of when they talk about a Biblical epic. It is certainly over done and much too long but it has earned itself a place in Hollywood history. The movie is 50 years old but it is still intensely watchable and somehow captivating with its hundreds of different sets and huge number of extras. It cost a small fortune to produce but its magnificence as a Hollywood production still holds good today.

Ben Hur Title Music 1959

Ben Hur On The Galley Ship