After his boyhood friend Messala's fanatic loyalty to Rome makes him a powerful enemy, Judah Ben-Hur is found guilty of an attempted murder he did not commit. His family is banished and he is enslaved on a warship. Through his ferocity in a raging sea battle, he is able to escape and become a horse trainer. To exact his revenge, Ben-Hur decides to compete against Messala in the Roman chariot races. They race, locked in a battle to the death. Barely surviving, Ben-Hur forsakes the sword for Christ and finally finds redemption.

• 3 hr 43 min
• Directed by

  William Wyler
• Written by Karl Tunberg

• Starring

  Charlton Heston

  ,

  Jack Hawkins

  ,

  Haya Harareet

  ,

  Stephen Boyd

  ,

  Hugh Griffith

  ,

  Martha Scott

  ,

  Cathy O'donnell

  ,

  Sam Jaffe

  ,

  Finlay Currie

  ,

  Frank Thring

  ,

  Terence Longdon

  ,

  Andre Morell

  ,

  Marina Berti

  ,

  Jose Greci

  ,

  Laurence Payne

  ,

  John Horsley

  ,

  Duncan Lamont

  ,

  Ralph Truman

  ,

  Richard Hale

  ,

  Mino Doro

  ,

  Robert Brown

  ,

  Tutte Lemkow

  ,

  John Le Mesurier

  ,

  Enzo Fiermonte

  ,

  Jerry Brown

  ,

  Cliff Lyons

  ,

  Joe Canutt

  ,

  Ferdinand "Ferdy" Mayne