ECU Libraries Catalog

Ben-Hur : a tale of the Christ / Metro Goldwyn Mayer ; screen play by Karl Tunberg ; produced by Sam Zimbalist ; directed by William Wyler.

Format Video (DVD), Book, and Electronic
EditionFour-disc collector's ed.
Publication InfoBurbank, CA : Warner Home Video, ©2005.
Description4 videodiscs (365 min.) : sound, color and black and white ; 4 3/4 in. + 1 booklet ([32] pages : color illustrations ; 18 cm)
Subject(s)
Jesus Christ--Drama.
Bible. New Testament--History of Biblical events --Drama.
DVD-Video discs.
Enslaved persons--Italy --Rome --Drama.
Chariot racing--Drama.
Judaea (Region)--Drama.
Rome--History --Tiberius, 14-37 --Drama.
Holy Roman Empire--History --Drama.
Other author/creatorWyler, William, 1902-1981 director.
Other author/creatorTunberg, Karl screenwriter.
Other author/creatorZimbalist, Sam producer.
Other author/creatorHeston, Charlton actor.
Other author/creatorHawkins, Jack, 1910-1973 actor.
Other author/creatorHarareet, Haya, 1931-2021 actor.
Other author/creatorBoyd, Stephen, 1931-1977 actor.
Other author/creatorGriffith, Hugh, 1912-1980 actor.
Other author/creatorScott, Martha, 1914-2003 actor.
Other author/creatorO'Donnell, Cathy, 1925-1970 actor.
Other author/creatorJaffe, Sam, 1891-1984 actor.
Other author/creatorCurrie, Finlay, 1878-1968 actor.
Other author/creatorThring, Frank, 1926-1994, actor.
Other author/creatorLongdon, Terence, 1922-2011, actor.
Other author/creatorRelph, George, 1888-1960, actor.
Other author/creatorMorell, André, 1909-1978 actor.
Other author/creatorNovarro, Ramon, 1899-1968 actor.
Other author/creatorBushman, Francis X., 1883-1966, actor.
Other author/creatorMcAvoy, May, 1901-1984, actor.
Other author/creatorBronson, Betty, 1906-1971, actor.
Other author/creatorMcDowell, Clare, 1877-1966 actor.
Other author/creatorKey, Kathleen, 1903-1954, actor.
Other author/creatorMyers, Carmel, 1899-1980, actor.
Other author/creatorDe Brulier, Nigel, 1878-1948 actor.
Other author/creatorLewis, Mitchell, 1880-1956 actor.
Other author/creatorWhite, Leo, 1882-1948, actor.
Other author/creatorCurrier, Frank, 1857-1928 actor.
Other author/creatorBelcher, Charles, 1872-1943 actor.
Other author/creatorFuller, Dale actor.
Other author/creatorHall, Winter, 1878-1947, actor.
Other author/creatorRózsa, Miklós, 1907-1995 composer.
Other author/creatorSurtees, Robert cinematographer.
Other author/creatorHorning, William A., artistic director.
Other author/creatorCarfagno, Edward C., artistic director.
Other author/creatorHunt, Hugh, 1902-1988, set designer.
Other author/creatorGillespie, Arnold, 1899-1978 photographer.
Other author/creatorLeBlanc, Lee, 1913-1988, photographer.
Other author/creatorHoag, Robert R., 1908-1987, photographer.
Other author/creatorWinters, Ralph E. film editor.
Other author/creatorDunning, John D. (John Daniel), 1916-1991 film editor.
Other author/creatorMilton, Franklin, sound designer.
Other author/creatorHaffenden, Elizabeth, 1906-1976 costume designer.
Other author/creatorNiblo, Fred, 1874-1948, director.
Other author/creatorMathis, June, 1892-1927, adapter.
Other author/creatorWilson, Carey, 1889-1962 screenwriter.
Other author/creatorDavis, Carl, 1936- composer.
Other author/creatorGuissart, René, 1888-1960, cinematographer.
Other author/creatorStruss, Karl, 1886-1981 cinematographer.
Other author/creatorHilburn, Percy, cinematographer.
Other author/creatorDeVinna, Clyde, 1892-1953 cinematographer.
Other author/creatorGibbons, Cedric, 1895-1960 set designer.
Other author/creatorJackson, Horace, 1898-1952 set designer.
Other author/creatorNosler, Lloyd, 1900-1985, film editor.
Other author/creatorLeva, Gary, producer, director.
Other author/creatorPlummer, Christopher narrator.
Other author/creatorBenson, Scott producer, director.
Other author/creatorKaiser, May Adair, screenwriter, producer.
Other author/creatorWallace, Lew, 1827-1905. Ben-Hur.
Other author/creatorMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Other author/creatorThames Television, ltd.
Other author/creatorTurner Entertainment Co.
Other author/creatorLoew's Incorporated.
Other author/creatorLeva Filmworks Inc.
Other author/creatorWarner Home Video (Firm)
Uniform titleBen-Hur (Motion picture : 1959)
Contents Ben-Hur : a tale of the Christ / Metro Goldwyn Mayer ; screen play by Karl Tunberg ; produced by Sam Zimbalist ; directed by William Wyler (222 min., c1959) -- Ben-Hur : a tale of the Christ / Thames Television and Turner Entertainment Co. present Thames silents ; Metro Goldwyn Mayer ; controlled by Loew's Incorporated ; produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in arrangement with Abraham L. Erlanger, Charles B. Dillingham and Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. ; directed by Fred Niblo ; adapted by June Mathis ; produced from the scenario of Carey Wilson (143 min., c1925) -- Ben Hur : the epic that changed cinema / produced and directed by Gary Leva ; edited by Anne Erikson ; Leva FilmWorks, Inc. (58 min., c2005) -- Ben-Hur : the making of an epic / narrated by Christopher Plummer ; produced and directed by Scott Benson ; written and co-produced by May Adair Kaiser ; edited by Allison Marks ; Turner Home Entertainement (58 min., c1993).
Abstract Judah Ben-Hur is a young Jewish nobleman from a prominent family who is reunited with his childhood friend Messala. Messala returns to Judea as a Roman tribune. There is a genuine friendship between the two men, yet the clash of their cultures drives a wedge between them. That wedge finally drives Messala to banish Judah to the slave galleys and sends his mother and his sister to prison. From that point forward, Judah's life becomes a quest: a quest to survive and a quest for vengeance. Judah survives the galleys to become the adopted son of a Roman general, and his triumphant return to Judea permits him to challenge and subsequently confront Messala in a chariot race.
General noteBased on the novel: Ben-Hur, a tale of the Christ / by General Lew Wallace.
General noteSpecial features: Disc 1 & 2. Commentary by T. Gene Hatcher with Charlton Heston; Music-only track. Disc 4. "Ben-Hur : the epic that changed cinema" featurette; "Ben-Hur : the making of an epic" featurette; "Ben-Hur : a journey through pictures" featurette; Screen tests (Leslie Nielsen, Cesare Danova, Yale Wexler, George Baker, William Russell, Hay Harareet); Vintage newsreels (Costliest film makes screen history, The night Ben-Hur comes to Broadway, West Coast welcomes Ben-Hur, VIP opening: capital welcome for Ben-Hur, Japan's emperor goes to the movies, Oscar likes Ben-Hur); "Highlights from 4/4/1960 Academy Awards Ceremony"; Theatrical trailers. Booklet: "The story of the making of Ben Hur" reprinted promotional material about the 1959 film.
CreditsMusic by Miklos Rozsa ; director of photography, Robert L. Surtees ; additional photography, Harold E. Wellman and Pietro Portalupi ; art directors, William A. Horning and Edward Carfagno ; set decorations, Hugh Hunt ; special photographic effects, A. Arnold Gillespie, Lee LeBlanc and Robert R. Hoag ; film editors, Ralph E. Winters, John D. Dunning ; recording supervisor, Franklin Milton ; costumes designed by Elizabeth Haffenden.
Credits1925 version: Music by Carl Davis ; continuity by Carey Wilson and Bess Meredyth ; directorial associates, Alfred L. Raboch and Reeves Eason ; photography by Rene Guissart, Karl Struss, Percy Hilburn, Clyde DeVinna ; art effects by Ferdinand P. Earle ; settings by Cedric Gibbons and Horace Jackson ; titles by Katharine Hilliker and H.H. Caldwell ; film editor, Lloyd Nosler ; assistant director, Charles Stallings ; costumes by Theaterkunst Hermann J. Kaufmann.
Performer Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Sam Jaffe, Finlay Currie, Frank Thring, Terence Longdon, George Relph, André Morell.
Performer 1925 version: Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy, Betty Bronson, Claire McDowell, Kathleen Key, Carmel Myers, Nigel de Brulier, Mitchell Lewis, Leo White, Frank Currier, Charles Belcher, Dale Fuller, Winter Hall.
Technical detailsDVD.
LanguageIn English or dubbed French, with optional English, French or Spanish subtitles. Closed-captioned.
Language1925 version: Silent film with English intertitles and musical accompaniment.
Awards noteNational Film Registry selection, 2004 (1959 version). National Film Registry selection, 1997 (1925 version)
Awards noteAcademy Award, 1960: Best Picture; Best Director; Best Actor (Heston); Best Supporting Actor (Griffith); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color; Best Cinematography, Color; Best Costume Design, Color; Best Effects, Special Effects; Best Film Editing; Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture; Best Sound.
Other title Ben-Hur (Motion picture : 1925)
Other title Thames silents (Television program)
Other titleBen-Hur, the epic that changed cinema.
Other titleBen-Hur, the making of an epic.
Other titleStory of the making of Ben-Hur.
ISBN1419810790
ISBN9781419810794
UPC 012569675353
Publisher number67535 Warner Home Video

Available Items

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner Compact DVDs PN1997.2 .B4640 2005 DVD V. 1&2 ✔ Available Place Hold
Joyner Compact DVDs PN1997.2 .B4640 2005 DVD V. 3&4 ✔ Available Place Hold
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