Ben-Hur is a film of epic proportions that has won 11 Academy Awards and is based on its literary counterpart, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lewis Wallace. It lasts 3 hours and 44 minutes and was released in 1959. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Ben-Hur is about a Jewish prince, Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) who is betrayed and enslaved by his once-Roman friend, Messala (Stephen Boyd) due to their conflicting religions. The quote: “You are either for me or against me! You have no other choice. “If that is the choice, then I am against you.” ” is between Messala and Judas respectively, and is during a key part of the film that highlights the theme of betrayal. Ben-Hur has become one of my favorite films, and it's one I would watch again any day. What is the most important aspect of any film that makes you want to watch it, something that no book can't do? The look and sound of the film, where Ben-Hur exceeds expectations. Before the title screen or even Leo the Lion, there is a 6 minute overture, and after 2 and a half hours, there is an intermission and an entr'acte, also with 3 minutes of just music. As for the music, the musical score is an achievement in itself. Miklós Rózsa wrote the score of over 3 hours, composed by a 100-piece orchestra. The score is a supreme example of creating atmosphere through music. If there were no dialogues in the film, the atmosphere could still be conveyed thanks to the brilliance of the different tools used. For the suspenseful parts, there were deep horns and sustained strings. For the less somber parts, there were oboes and horns with a higher pitch. I never thought I'd notice music like that, but Ben-Hur's music was truly phenomenal. On an aesthetic level it is nothing short of a unique sight. Ben-Hur shows what Technicolor could do and is a great example of a colorful film and proves that CGI isn't always the best part of a film. Throughout the nearly 4 hour film, no two scenes were the same. In every scene, even at night, you could find all the colors of the rainbow and more, especially black, white and gold, which, again, no two colors are the same. As for the acting, each character played their role flawlessly. I can't name any other actors who could have done a better job because there wasn't a better job to be done. Plus, the locations weren't just shot in a Hollywood warehouse. Notable locations include Rome, Israel, and North Africa. This adds to the "wow" factor, as the creators of the film wanted Ben-Hur to be one of a kind. To add mesmerizing views, thousands of costumes and props were needed to create the setting of Ancient Rome. The costumes were handmade and hundreds of camels and horses were imported from Sicily and North Africa, so they weren't just any horses, they were real horses. The sound, costumes, and props, however, weren't cheap, and Ben-Hur cost $15 million to make (but grossed a whopping $150 million). The director, William Wyler, initially didn't want to direct the film until MGM gave him a large sum of $10 million. But talking about Ben-Hur without mentioning the chariot scene would be pointless. Chariot racing was a popular Roman sport and makes its appearance at Ben-Hur. Carving the stone for the racetrack took about 1,000 workers, more than a year and a budget of $1 million. But it was definitely worth it, as it is one of the best scenes, if not the best, in the history of cinema. This scene combines.