| Photos (see all 5 | slideshow) |
| Ramon Novarro | ... | Judah Ben-Hur | |
| Francis X. Bushman | ... | Messala | |
| May McAvoy | ... | Esther | |
| Betty Bronson | ... | Mary | |
| Claire McDowell | ... | Princess of Hur | |
| Kathleen Key | ... | Tirzah | |
| Carmel Myers | ... | Iras | |
| Nigel De Brulier | ... | Simonides | |
| Mitchell Lewis | ... | Sheik Ilderim | |
| Leo White | ... | Sanballat | |
| Frank Currier | ... | Quintus Arrius | |
| Charles Belcher | ... | Balthazar | |
| Dale Fuller | ... | Amrah | |
| Winter Hall | ... | Joseph | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Reginald Barker | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Clarence Brown | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Gilbert Clayton | ... | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Gary Cooper | ... | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Marion Davies | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| William Donovan | ... | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Ray Erlenborn | ... | Background extra (uncredited) | |
| Douglas Fairbanks | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| George Fitzmaurice | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Sidney Franklin | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Clark Gable | ... | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Rosita Garcia | ... | Bit Part (uncredited) | |
| John Gilbert | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Lillian Gish | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Harry Gordon | ... | Centurion (uncredited) | |
| Sid Grauman | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| William Green | ... | Extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Rupert Julian | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Henry King | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Harold Lloyd | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Myrna Loy | ... | Hedonist (Bit Part) (uncredited) | |
| Cliff Lyons | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Mickey Millerick | ... | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Carlotta Monti | ... | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Colleen Moore | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Claude Payton | ... | Jesus (uncredited) | |
| Mary Pickford | ... | Crowd extra in chariot race (uncredited) | |
| Leonora Summers | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) | |
| Tom Tyler | ... | Chariot driver (uncredited) | |
| Christiane Yves | ... | Roman Girl (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Fred Niblo | |||
| Charles Brabin | (uncredited) | ||
| Christy Cabanne | (uncredited) | ||
| J.J. Cohn | (uncredited) | ||
| Rex Ingram | (uncredited) | ||
Writing credits | ||
| Lew Wallace | (novel) (as General Lew Wallace) | |
| June Mathis | (adaptation) | |
| Carey Wilson | (scenario) | |
| Carey Wilson | (continuity) and | |
| Bess Meredyth | (continuity) | |
| Katherine Hilliker | (titles) (as Katharine Hilliker) and | |
| H.H. Caldwell | (titles) | |
Produced by | |||
| J.J. Cohn | .... | producer | |
| Charles B. Dillingham | .... | producer | |
| Abraham L. Erlanger | .... | producer | |
| Louis B. Mayer | .... | producer | |
| Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. | .... | producer | |
| Samuel Goldwyn | .... | producer (uncredited) | |
| Irving Thalberg | .... | producer (uncredited) | |
Original Music by | |||
| William Axt | |||
| Carl Davis | (1987) | ||
| David Mendoza | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Clyde De Vinna | (as Clyde DeVinna) | ||
| René Guissart | |||
| Percy Hilburn | |||
| Glenn Kershner | |||
| Karl Struss | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Lloyd Nosler | |||
Casting by | |||
| Robert McIntyre | (uncredited) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| Horace Jackson | |||
| Harry Oliver | (uncredited) | ||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Edwin B. Willis | (uncredited) | ||
Makeup Department | |||
| Max Factor | .... | body makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Harry E. Edington | .... | production manager (as Harry Edington) | |
| Liz Sutherland | .... | production manager | |
| Dave Friedman | .... | unit production manager (uncredited) | |
| Lawrence Marston | .... | production supervisor (uncredited) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Silas Clegg | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
| B. Reeves Eason | .... | second unit director (uncredited) | |
| Henry Hathaway | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
| Charles Stallings | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
| William Wyler | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| Cedric Gibbons | .... | settings | |
| A. Arnold Gillespie | .... | set designer | |
| Carl Bolzic | .... | plasterer (uncredited) | |
| Ferdinand P. Earle | .... | assistant art director (uncredited) | |
| Andrew MacDonald | .... | set constructor (uncredited) | |
| Camillo Mastrocinque | .... | art director: Italy (uncredited) | |
| E.H. Tate | .... | painter (uncredited) | |
| C.F. Wilhelm | .... | construction coordinator (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Dave Evans | .... | dubbing editor: restored version | |
| Mike Fairbairn | .... | dubbing editor: restored version | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Kenneth Gordon MacLean | .... | miniatures (uncredited) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Ferdinand P. Earle | .... | visual effects (uncredited) | |
| Frank D. Williams | .... | traveling matte shots (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| B. Reeves Eason | .... | stunt coordinator (uncredited) | |
| Buster Gallagher | .... | stunt double: Ramon Novarro (uncredited) | |
| Mickey Millerick | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| David Sharpe | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Spike Spackman | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Tom Tyler | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Silvano Balboni | .... | camera operator (uncredited) | |
| John W. Boyle | .... | camera operator (uncredited) | |
| Edoardo Bragaglia | .... | still photographer: Rome (uncredited) | |
| Paul Eagler | .... | photographer: trick photography (uncredited) | |
| Paul Ivano | .... | director of photography: second unit (uncredited) | |
| Donald Biddle Keyes | .... | still photographer (uncredited) | |
| Louis Kolb | .... | chief electrician (uncredited) | |
| Ruth Harriet Louise | .... | still photographer (uncredited) | |
| D.W. Martinelli | .... | additional photographer (uncredited) | |
| George Meehan | .... | camera operator (uncredited) | |
| George Gordon Nogle | .... | camera operator: second unit (uncredited) | |
| Cliff Shirpser | .... | assistant camera (uncredited) | |
| E. Burton Steene | .... | camera operator (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Mrs. E.F. Chaffin | .... | wardrobe supervisor (uncredited) | |
| Erté | .... | costumes: Carmel Myers (uncredited) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Renata Bernabei | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
| Irene Coletta | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
| William Holmes | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
| Ben Lewis | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
| Harry Reynolds | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
| Aubrey Scotto | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
| Basil Wrangell | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Richard Bradford | .... | music recordist: restored version | |
| Carl Davis | .... | conductor: new score | |
| Colin Matthews | .... | orchestrator: Carl Davis | |
| Maurice Baron | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Colonel Braden | .... | technical advisor | |
| Charles B. Dillingham | .... | producer: stage version | |
| Ferdinand P. Earle | .... | art effects | |
| B. Reeves Eason | .... | associate director (as Reeves Eason) | |
| Abraham L. Erlanger | .... | producer: stage version | |
| Alfred Raboch | .... | associate director (as Alfred L. Raboch) | |
| Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. | .... | producer: stage version | |
| Ferdinand P. Earle | .... | director: Nativity scene (uncredited) | |
| Henry Hathaway | .... | assisitant: Mr. Eason (uncredited) | |
| Herbert Howe | .... | publicist: Mr. Novarro (uncredited) | |
| Mrs. M.F. Lee | .... | script reader (uncredited) | |
| John M. Nickolaus | .... | laboratory supervisor (uncredited) | |
| Emma Peterson | .... | set medic (uncredited) | |
| Miss Remington | .... | copyist (uncredited) | |
| Miss Underwood | .... | copyist (uncredited) | |
| William Wyler | .... | assisitant: Mr. Eason (uncredited) | |
| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Is there a crappy dvd out there with only the B+W? | vintage_houstonguy |
| Just saw it | FRANKDRAFTING |
| stunt men question | RichardLJackson |
| strange light | roman_g |
| Iras | 398 |
| PLEASE TELL ME... | roman_g |
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After seeing the famous 1959 version of this film a number of times in the last 45 years, it was interesting to contrast this 1925 silent version to it. However, let me say right off the bat that I enjoyed both versions, and I am not going to get into the "which movie is better?" argument.
This silent-film version was more true to the book than the more-famous 1959 movie, mainly from the Christian angle. Just look at the main title and notice "A Tale Of The Christ" was dropped for the '59 film even though that is the official title and the name of Lew Wallace's book. In this film, the life of Christ is much more prominent, and that's the major difference.
Both films feature a cast of thousands, the great sea battle and the dramatic chariot race. We have the intense and bitter rivalry between Judah Ben-Hur and Messala, capped off by the chariot race. To compare action scenes would be unfair since cameras and technical knowledge improve with time. Both versions wowed audiences in their day. The chariot race in the '59 version is still considered by some the great action scene ever filmed, especially since it was done without special effects.
Unlike the '59 movie, this silent version had TWO big stars in the leads: Ramon Narvarro and Francis X. Bushman, playing Ben-Hur and Messala, respectively. It also has an interesting mix of (mostly) black-and-white and tinted scenes. All the scenes involving Jesus had color. As in the '59 version, you never saw Christ's face.
Both had touching scenes with Ben-Hur and his sister and his mother. Speaking of women, a shocker in this silent version was a quick parade of topless women.
At 2 hours and 25 minutes this Ben-Hur was shorter than the '59 version. However, this is a long, long movie for a silent film and many people today probably wouldn't put up with no dialog for that long, but if you appreciate great film-making - from any era - this is a "must" for your collection.