Ben-Hur
G

Ben-Hur

The entertainment experience of a lifetime!

1959 • 212 min • History · Drama · Adventure

Synopsis

In ancient Judea, a Jewish aristocrat opposing Roman occupation of his homeland reunites with his childhood friend, now a Roman commander — setting in motion a saga of betrayal, adventure, tragedy, revenge, and faith.

Our family guide

Best from age 10
92
Movie Knight Score
3202 reviews
  • 100 Reviewers · 4 · 60%
  • 79 Audience · 3198 · 40%

Ben-Hur is an epic tale of betrayal, revenge, and redemption set in ancient Judea. A Jewish prince is wrongly condemned to slavery, endures hardship, and seeks vengeance against his former friend, ultimately finding faith. It offers a grand historical scope with dramatic personal stakes.

Violence & peril
6/10
Language
1/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking
2/10
Romance & sensuality
1/10
Scary moments
4/10

Heads up

  • Extended chariot race is intense
  • Characters endure harsh slavery
  • Themes of injustice and loss
  • Betrayal and loss

What it models well

  • Redemption and forgiveness
  • Perseverance through adversity
  • The power of faith
  • Loyalty and friendship

Talk about it after

  • The historical context of Roman rule
  • The meaning of forgiveness
  • The concept of justice vs. revenge
  • Different paths to redemption

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Ben-Hur. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

Where to watch

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Top billed cast

Director: William Wyler • Crew: Karl Tunberg

Trailers & clips

Chariot Race - Movie Clip

Judah & Messala Reunite

Fathom Events Spot

Macedonian Pirates Attack the Roman Fleet - Movie Clip

Condemned to the Galleys

Macedonian Pirates Attack the Roman Fleet

Chariot Race - Full Scene

Full Movie Preview

Reviewer notes

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers

This is one I had never seen before but finally say down for the 3.5 hour running time and found it thoroughly engaging, though after the chariot race scene, felt it slowed down quite a bit. Still, great performances all around and the scale, not just for its time but even today, was amazing. **4.5/5**

Recommended

It will probably be remembered for it's chariot race long after all of the rest of it has faded away, but this is more than just that. It is a story about friendship, religion, power and opportunity - it is also about sheer bloody-mindedness and cruelty. It resonates all the more because these are all human traits that abound in all of us to some extent. The film looks truly amazing and Miklós Rósza is on top form...

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers

What can be said about this film that hasnt already been said? I could (justly) use every superlative known and it still does not cover just how amazing this film is. It is the essence of EPIC (and not just historical epic). It is easy to see why it was not matched in the number of Oscars given for 50 years (and those 'equals' did not include any acting oscars and had more categories to choose from). I...

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers

Majestic in scope and story telling. The truth is, is that Ben-Hur deserved every award that was showered upon it. It's a titanic film both in structure and scope. It doesn't need me to go over old ground about how much the film cost to make, the number of extras, the number of sets and etc, it's now folklore that this film could have bankrupted MGM such was the investment, but they needn't have worried since t...

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Gallery

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Details

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