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      Ben-Hur

Original film poster by Reynold Brown,Directed by William Wyler,Produced by Sam Zimbalist,Screenplay by Karl Tunberg,
Uncredited:Gore Vidal,Christopher FryBased on Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by,Lew Wallace,Narrated by Finlay Currie,
Starring Charlton Heston,Jack Hawkins,Haya Harareet,Stephen Boyd,Hugh Griffith,Music by Miklós Rózsa,
Cinematography Robert L. Surtees,Editing byJohn D. Dunning,Ralph E. Winters,Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
Release date(s)November 18, 1959 (1959-11-18),Running time 212 minutes,Country United States,Language English,
Budget $15 million,Gross revenue $90 million

Ben-Hur (or Benhur) is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and 
starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film version of Lew 
Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. It premiered at Loew's State 
Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1959. The film went on to win a record 
of eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, a feat equaled only by Titanic 
in 1997 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003.
      Contents[hide]
        1 Plot
        2 Cast
        3 Music
        4 Production 
          4.1 Financing
          4.2 Aspect ratio
          4.3 Casting and acting
          4.4 Galley sequence
          4.5 Chariot race
        5 Differences between novel and film
        6 Box office performance
        7 Awards and honors
        8 First telecast
        9 DVD release 
          9.1 2001 release
          9.2 2005 release
        10 See also
        11 References
        12 Further reading
        13 External links


[edit] PlotThe film's prologue depicts the traditional story of the Nativity of 
Jesus Christ.
In AD 26, Prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is a wealthy merchant in 
Jerusalem. His childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd), now a military tribune, 
arrives as the new commanding officer of the Roman garrison. Ben-Hur and Messala 
are happy to reunite after years apart, but politics divide them; Messala 
believes in the glory of Rome and its imperial power, while Ben-Hur is devoted 
to his faith and the freedom of the Jewish people. Messala asks Ben-Hur for 
names of Jews who criticize the Roman government; Ben-Hur counsels his 
countrymen against rebellion but refuses to name names, and the two part in 
anger.
Ben-Hur, his mother Miriam (Martha Scott), and sister Tirzah (Cathy O'Donnell) 
welcome their loyal slave Zaimonides (Sam Jaffe) and his daughter Esther (Haya 
Harareet), who is preparing for an arranged marriage. Ben-Hur gives Esther her 
freedom as a wedding present, and the two realize they are in love with each 
other.
During the parade for the new governor of Judea, Valerius Gratus, a tile falls 
from the roof of Ben-Hur's house and startles the governor's horse, which throws 
Gratus off, nearly killing him. Although Messala knows it was an accident, he 
condemns Ben-Hur to the galleys, and imprisons his mother and sister, to 
intimidate the restive Jewish populace by punishing the family of a known friend 
and prominent citizen. Ben-Hur swears to return and take revenge. En route to 
the sea, he is denied water when his slave gang arrives at Nazareth. As Ben-Hur 
collapses in despair, a local carpenter whose face is hidden from the viewing 
audience, but who is obviously Jesus, gives him water and renews his will to 
survive.
After three years as a galley slave, Ben-Hur is assigned to the flagship of 
Consul Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins), assigned to destroy a fleet of Macedonian 
pirates. As slave "Number 41," Ben-Hur's self-discipline and resolve are noticed 
by the commander who offers to train him as a gladiator or charioteer. But, 
Ben-Hur declines, declaring that God will aid him.
As Arrius prepares for battle, he orders the rowers chained but Ben-Hur to be 
left free. Arrius's galley is rammed and sunk, but Ben-Hur unchains other 
rowers, escapes and saves Arrius's life and, since Arrius believes the battle 
ended in defeat, prevents him from committing suicide. Arrius is credited with 
the Roman fleet's victory, and in gratitude petitions Tiberius Julius Caesar 
Augustus (George Relph) to drop all charges against Ben-Hur, adopting him as his 
son. With regained freedom and wealth, Ben-Hur learns Roman ways and becomes a 
champion charioteer, but longs for his family and homeland.
While returning to Judea, Ben-Hur meets Balthasar (Finlay Currie) and his host, 
Arab sheik Ilderim (Hugh Griffith), who owns four magnificent white Arabian 
horses. Ilderim introduces Ben-Hur to his "children" and asks him to drive 
Ilderim's quadriga in the upcoming race before the new Judean governor, Pontius 
Pilate (Frank Thring). Ben-Hur declines, but hears that champion charioteer 
Messala will compete; as Ilderim observes, "There is no law in the arena. Many 
are killed."
Ben-Hur learns that Esther's arranged marriage did not occur and that she is 
still in love with him. He visits Messala and offers to forget Messala's 
betrayal in exchange for freeing his mother and sister, but the Romans discover 
that Miriam and Tirzah contracted leprosy during their five years in prison and 
expel them from the city. They beg Esther to conceal their condition from 
Ben-Hur, so she tells him that his mother and sister have died in prison.
Enraged, and seeking his vengeance, Ben-Hur enters the race. Messala drives a 
"Pict Chariot," with blades on the hubs, such chariots were believed to have 
originally been designed by the Persians to destroy the legs of soldiers in 
battle but here ostensibly designed to tear apart competing chariots. Such 
chariots were believed to have been used by the Picts in battles against the 
invading Romans in Britain ref Boudica Queen of the Icenae. The part of sheikh 
Ilderin is played by Welshman Hugh Griffith whose Welsh accent saying "Pict" may 
be mistaken by some for "Greek". There is no evidence that the Greeks ever used 
bladed chariot hubs. In the violent and grueling race, Messala attempts to 
destroy Ben-Hur's chariot but destroys his own instead; Messala is trampled and 
mortally wounded, while Ben-Hur wins the race. Before dying, Messala tells 
Ben-Hur that "the race is not over" and that he can find his mother and sister 
"...in the Valley of the Lepers, if you can recognize them."
The film is subtitled "A Tale of the Christ", and it is at this point that Jesus 
Christ reappears. Esther is moved by the Sermon on the Mount. She tells Ben-Hur 
about it, but he will not be consoled; blaming Roman rule — not Messala — for 
his family's fate, Ben-Hur rejects his patrimony and citizenship, and plans 
violence against the Empire. Learning that Tirzah is dying, Ben-Hur and Esther 
take her and Miriam to see Jesus Christ, but they cannot get near Him; his trial 
has begun, with Pilate washing his hands of responsibility for Jesus Christ's 
fate. Recognizing Jesus Christ from their earlier encounter in Nazareth, Ben-Hur 
attempts to return the long-ago favor by giving Jesus water during His march to 
Calvary but guards pull them apart.
Ben-Hur witnesses the Crucifixion. Miriam and Tirzah are healed by a miracle, as 
are Ben-Hur's heart and soul. He tells Esther that as he heard Jesus Christ talk 
of forgiveness while on the cross, "I felt His voice take the sword out of my 
hand." The film ends with an emotional reunion between Ben-Hur and his mother 
and sister, followed by a scene of the empty crosses of Calvary and a shepherd 
leading his flock.
[edit] CastCharlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur
  Stephen Boyd as Messala
  Martha Scott as Miriam
  Cathy O'Donnell as Tirzah Bat-Hur
  Haya Harareet as Esther Bat-Simonides
  Sam Jaffe as Simonides
  Jack Hawkins as Quintus Arrius
  Terence Longdon as Drusus
  Hugh Griffith as Sheik Ilderim
  Frank Thring as Pontius Pilate
  Claude Heater (uncredited) as Jesus
  Marina Berti as Flavia
  Jose Greci (uncredited) as Mary
  Laurence Payne (uncredited) as Joseph
  Richard Hale (uncredited) as Gaspar
  John Le Mesurier (uncredited) as Chariot Race Surgeon
  Reginald Lal Singh as Melchior
  Michael Dugan (uncredited) as a seaman
  Finlay Currie as Balthasar/Narrator
[edit] MusicThe film score was composed and conducted by Miklós Rózsa, who 
scored most of MGM's epics. Rózsa won his third Academy Award for his work on 
the film. The soundtrack is one of the most popular motion picture scores ever 
written, and is listed on the AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores. The entire 
two-and-a-half hour score has been issued on a 2-CD Rhino Entertainment set.
[edit] Production[edit] FinancingBen-Hur was an extremely expensive production, 
requiring 300 sets scattered over 340 acres (1.4 km²). The $15 million 
production was a gamble made by MGM to save itself from bankruptcy; the gamble 
paid off when it earned a total of $90 million worldwide.
[edit] Aspect ratio 
The chariot race scene, illustrating the extremely wide aspect ratio used 
(2.76:1).The movie was filmed in a process known as "MGM Camera 65", 65 mm 
negative stock from which was made a 70 mm anamorphic print with an aspect ratio 
of 2.76:1, one of the widest prints ever made, having a width of almost three 
times its height. An anamorphic lens which produced a 1.25X compression was used 
along with a 65 mm negative (whose normal aspect ratio was 2.20:1) to produce 
this extremely wide aspect ratio. This allowed for spectacular panoramic shots 
in addition to six-channel audio. In practice, however, "Camera 65" prints were 
shown in an aspect ratio of 2.5:1 on most screens, so that theaters were not 
required to install new, wider screens or use less than the full height of 
screens already installed.
[edit] Casting and actingMany other actors were offered the role of Ben-Hur 
before Charlton Heston. Burt Lancaster claimed he turned down the role of 
Ben-Hur because he "didn't like the violent morals in the story".[citation 
needed] Paul Newman turned it down because he said he didn't have the legs to 
wear a tunic.[citation needed] Rock Hudson and Leslie Nielsen were also offered 
the role.[citation needed] Kirk Douglas was interested in taking the role, but 
was turned down in favor of Heston. This inspired Douglas to make Spartacus a 
year later.[1]
Out of respect, and consistent with Lew Wallace's stated preference, the face of 
Jesus is not shown. He was played by opera singer Claude Heater, who received no 
credit for his only film role.
In an interview for the 1995 documentary The Celluloid Closet, screenwriter Gore 
Vidal asserts that he persuaded Wyler to direct Stephen Boyd to create a veiled 
homoerotic subtext between Messala and Ben-Hur. Vidal says he wanted to help 
explain Messala's extreme reaction to Ben-Hur's refusal to name his fellow Jews 
to a Roman officer, and suggested to Wyler that Messala and Ben-Hur were lovers 
or spouses who'd had a falling out, so that Messala's vindictiveness would be 
motivated by his feeling of rejection. Since the Hollywood production code would 
not permit this, the idea would have to be implied by the actors, and Vidal 
suggested to Wyler that he direct Stephen Boyd to play the role that way, but 
not tell Heston. Vidal claims that Wyler took his advice, and that the results 
can be seen in the film.[citation needed]
[edit] Galley sequenceThe original design for the boat Ben-Hur is enslaved upon 
was so heavy that it couldn't float. The scene therefore had to be filmed in a 
studio, but another problem remained: the cameras didn't fit inside, so the boat 
was cut in half and made able to be wider or narrower on demand. The next 
problem was that the oars were too long, so those were cut too; however, this 
made it look unrealistic, because the oars were too easy to row; so weights were 
added to the ends.
During filming, director Wyler noticed that one of the extras was missing a 
hand. He had the man's stump covered in false blood, with a false bone 
protruding from it, to add realism to the scene when the galley is rammed. Wyler 
made similar use of another extra who was missing a foot.
The galley sequence includes the successive commands from Arrius, “Battle speed, 
Hortator... Attack speed... Ramming speed!” The word hortator is no longer in 
use, and is notably absent from most modern dictionaries. It was a Latin word 
that on a ship meant “chief of the rowers”, or “he who has command over the 
rowers”,[2] and likely has roots in the Latin verb hortor (“to exhort, 
encourage”). The command "Ramming speed, Hortator!", which is widely remembered 
and parodied, never occurs.
The galley sequence is purely fictional, as the Roman navy, in contrast to its 
early modern counterparts, did not employ convicts as galley slaves.[3]
[edit] Chariot raceThe chariot race in Ben-Hur was directed by Andrew Marton, a 
Hollywood director who often acted as second unit director on other people's 
films. Even by current standards, it is considered to be one of the most 
spectacular action sequences ever filmed.[who?] Filmed at Cinecittà Studios 
outside Rome long before the advent of computer-generated effects, it took over 
three months to complete, using 15,000 extras on the largest film set ever 
built, some 18 acres (73,000 m2).[citation needed] Eighteen chariots were built, 
half being used for practice. The race took five weeks to film. Tour buses 
visited the set every hour.
The section in the middle of the circus, the spina, is a known feature of 
circuses, although its size may be exaggerated to aid filmmaking. The golden 
dolphin lap counter was a feature of the Circus Maximus in Rome.
      Theme of Ben-Hur

      composed by Miklós Rózsa



      Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Charlton Heston spent four weeks learning how to drive a chariot. He was taught 
by the stunt crew, who offered to teach the entire cast, but Heston and Boyd 
were the only ones who took them up on the offer (Boyd had to learn in just two 
weeks, due to his late casting). At the beginning of the chariot race, Heston 
shook the reins and nothing happened; Aldebaran, Altaïr, Antares and Rigel, the 
four horses named after celestial stars, remained motionless. Finally someone 
way up on top of the set yelled, "Giddy-up!" The horses then roared into action, 
and Heston was flung backward off the chariot.[citation needed]
To give the scene more impact and realism, three lifelike dummies were placed at 
key points in the race to give the appearance of men being run over by chariots. 
Most notable is the stand-in dummy for Stephen Boyd's Messala that gets tangled 
up under the horses, getting battered by their hooves. This resulted in one of 
the most grisly fatal injuries in motion picture history up until then, and 
shocked audiences.[citation needed]
Unfortunately, one lack of authenticity missed by the director was the close-up 
of the knives fitted to the wheels of Messala's chariot clearly showing the 
knife blades electrically welded to the hub plates, a process not in use until 
the 20th century.
There are several urban legends surrounding the chariot sequence, one of which 
states that a stuntman died during filming. Stuntman Nosher Powell claims in his 
autobiography, "We had a stunt man killed in the third week, and it happened 
right in front of me. You saw it, too, because the cameras kept turning and it's 
in the movie".[4] There is no conclusive evidence to back up Powell's claim and 
it has been adamantly denied by director William Wyler, who states that neither 
man nor horse was injured in the famous scene. The movie's stunt director, 
Yakima Canutt, stated that no serious injuries or deaths occurred during 
filming.[5]
Another urban legend states that a red Ferrari can be seen during the chariot 
race; the book Movie Mistakes claims this is a myth.[6] (Heston, in the DVD 
commentary track, mentions a third urban legend that is not true: That he wore a 
wristwatch. He points out that he was wearing leather bracers right up to the 
elbow.)
However, one of the best-remembered moments in the race came from a near-fatal 
accident. When Judah's chariot jumps another chariot which has crashed in its 
path, the charioteer is seen to be almost thrown from his mount and only just 
manages to hang on and climb back in to continue the race. In reality, while the 
jump was planned, the character being flipped into the air was not planned, and 
stuntman Joe Canutt, son of stunt director Yakima Canutt, was considered 
fortunate to escape with only a minor chin injury. Nonetheless, when director 
Wyler intercut the long shot of Canutt's leap with a close-up of Heston 
clambering back into his chariot, this resulted in one of the most memorable 
moments.[7]
[edit] Differences between novel and filmThere are several differences between 
the original novel and the film. The changes made serve to make the film's 
storyline more immediately dramatic.
  In the novel, Messala is seriously, but not fatally, injured in the chariot 
  race. In the movie, Messala falls victim to an accident that is caused by his 
  own attempts to sabotage Ben-Hur, and he dies from the wounds sustained from 
  the accident. In the book, Messala plots to have Ben-Hur murdered in revenge, 
  but his plans go awry. It is revealed at the end of the novel that Iras (who 
  is Messala's mistress and does not appear in the 1959 film) had murdered 
  Messala in a fit of anger about five years after the chariot race.
  The film has the chariot race taking place in Jerusalem, the novel however has 
  it taking place in Antioch.
  In the novel, Ben-Hur becomes a convert to Christianity before, rather than 
  after, the Crucifixion, and he does not display the harsh bitterness that he 
  does in the William Wyler film. Similarly, the healing of Ben-Hur's mother and 
  sister takes place earlier in the book, not immediately after the death of 
  Christ.
  In the novel, the character of Quintus Arrius was acquainted with Ben-Hur's 
  father, but in the movie there was no such prior association between the 
  Arrius and Hur families. In the novel, Arrius dies and passes his property and 
  title on to Ben-Hur prior to Ben-Hur's return home. No mention of Arrius's 
  death is made in the 1959 film, so presumably he is still alive at film's end.
  The novel ends about 30 years after the chariot race, with the Ben-Hur family 
  living in Misenum, Italy. While in Antioch, Ben-Hur learns that Sheik Ilderim 
  (who does not die in any of the film versions of the novel) had bequeathed him 
  a large amount of money. At about the same time he learns of the persecution 
  of Christians in Rome by Emperor Nero, Ben-Hur helps establish the Catacomb of 
  San Calixto so that the Christian community will have a place to worship 
  freely. The movie, however, ends almost immediately after the Crucifixion of 
  Christ and the healing of Ben-Hur's mother and sister. This is presumably only 
  a few years after the chariot race, not thirty years afterward. None of the 
  characters (except Balthasar, who appears in the Nativity Scene) is shown to 
  age in the film.
[edit] Box office performanceBen-Hur earned $17,300,000 at the box office.[8] It 
was the highest money earning film of 1959.[9]
[edit] Awards and honorsThe film won an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards, a 
number matched only by Titanic in 1998 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of 
the King in 2004.
  Best Motion Picture;
  Best Director for William Wyler;
  Best Leading Actor for Charlton Heston;
  Best Supporting Actor for Hugh Griffith;
  Best Set Decoration, Color for Edward C. Carfagno, William A. Horning, and 
  Hugh Hunt;
  Best Cinematography, Color;
  Best Costume Design, Color;
  Best Special Effects;
  Best Film Editing for John D. Dunning and Ralph E. Winters;
  Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture; and
  Best Sound.
Additionally, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted 
Screenplay.
The film also won four Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture, Drama, Best 
Motion Picture Director, Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for Stephen 
Boyd, and a Special Award to Andrew Marton for directing the chariot race 
sequence. It won the BAFTA Award for Best Film, the New York Film Critics Circle 
Award for Best Picture and the DGA award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement 
in a Motion Picture.
American Film Institute Lists
  AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies - #72
  AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills - #49
  AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains: 
    Judah Ben-Hur - Nominated Hero
  AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores - #21
  AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers - #56
  AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) - #100
  AFI's 10 Top 10 - #2 Epic film
Ben-Hur also appeared in Empire magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies 
of all time where it ranked at number 491.[10]
The Library of Congress added Ben-Hur for preservation into the National Film 
Registry in 2004.
[edit] First telecastThe film's first telecast took place on Sunday, February 
14, 1971.[11] The film was shown in full-screen pan and scan format, as a prime 
time network television special on CBS. Because of the film's length, the entire 
evening's regular CBS lineup, beginning with 60 Minutes, was scrapped for just 
that one night, one of the few times in the history of CBS that 60 Minutes was 
preempted for a movie special. The commercials forced a five-hour running time 
on the film, which was shown between 7:00 P.M. and 12:00 A.M., E.S.T.
[edit] DVD releaseBen-Hur has been released to DVD on three occasions. The first 
was on March 13, 2001 as a one-disc widescreen release, the second on September 
13, 2005 as a four-disc set, and the third as part of the Warner Bros. Deluxe 
Series.
[edit] 2001 release(2-Disc release in some countries, a 2 sided disc in the 
U.S.) Disc One & Two: The Movie + Extras
  Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
  Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  Commentary by: Charlton Heston
  Documentary Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic
  Newly discovered screen tests of the final and near-final cast including 
  Leslie Nielsen, Cesare Danova, and Haya Harareet
  Addition of the seldom-heard Overture and Entr'acte music
  On-the-set photo gallery featuring Wyler, producer Sam Zimbalist, cameraman 
  Robert Surtees, and others
[edit] 2005 release(4-Disc) Discs One & Two: The Film
  Newly Remastered and Restored from Original 65–mm Film Elements
  Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio
  Commentary by Film Historian T. Gene Hatcher with Scene Specific Comments from 
  Charlton Heston
  Music-Only Track Showcasing Miklós Rózsa's Score (only available on Region 1 
  editions, even though on other Region releases it was advertised on cover, it 
  is absent in those regions)
Disc Three: The 1925 Silent Version
  The Thames Television Restoration with Stereophonic Orchestral Score by 
  Composer Carl Davis
Disc Four: About the Movies
  New Documentary: Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema—Current filmmakers, 
  such as Ridley Scott and George Lucas, reflect on the importance and influence 
  of the film
  1994 Documentary: Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic, hosted by Christopher 
Plummer
  Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures—New audiovisual recreation of the film via 
  stills, storyboards, sketches, music and dialogue
  Screen Tests
  Vintage Newsreels Gallery
  Highlights from the 1960 Academy Awards Ceremony
  Trailer Gallery
Also Included in paperback form
  36 page booklet about the production
[edit] See alsoList of historical drama films
  List of films set in ancient Rome
[edit] References^ Spartacus (1960 film)
  ^ https://books.google.com/books?id=hU8MAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA344&dq=hortator
  ^ Casson, Lionel (1971). Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. Princeton: 
  Princeton University Press. pp. 325–326. 
  ^ Nosher Powell (2001). Nosher!: p.254
  ^ Canutt, Yakima; Drake, Oliver. "Stunt Man: The Autobiography of Yakima 
  Canutt, Chapter 1: The Race to Beat"(1979)
  ^ Sandys, John (2002, 2005). Movie Mistakes Take 4: p.5
  ^ Canutt, Yakima; Drake, Oliver. "Stunt Man: The Autobiography of Yakima 
  Canutt" (1979) p. 16-19
  ^ Steinberg, Cobbett (1980). Film Facts. New York: Facts on File, Inc.. p. 23. 
  ISBN 0-87196-313-2.  When a film is released late in a calendar year (October 
  to December), its income is reported in the following year's compendium, 
  unless the film made a particularly fast impact (p. 17)
  ^ Box Office Report - Revenue Data - 1959.
  ^ https://www.empireonline.com/500/1.asp
  ^ https://www.brainyhistory.com/events/1971/february_14_1971_140094.html
[edit] Further reading"Charlton Heston: An Incredible Life: Revised Edition" 
  Michelel Bernier, Createspace, 2009
[edit] External linksWikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: 
      Ben-Hur (1959 film)
      Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ben Hur (1959 film)

  Ben-Hur at the Internet Movie Database
  Getting It Right the Second Time — a comparative analysis of the novel, the 
  1925 film, and the 1959 film, at BrightLightsFilm.com
      Awards
      Preceded by
      The Best Years of Our LivesAcademy Award winner for Best Actor and Best 
      Supporting ActorSucceeded by
      Mystic River
            [show]v · d · eFilms directed by William Wyler

            1920sThe Crook Buster (1925) • The Gunless Bad Man (1926) • Ridin' 
            for Love (1926) • The Fire Barrier (1926) • Don't Shoot (1926) • The 
            Pinnacle Rider (1926) • Martin of the Mounted (1926) • Lazy 
            Lightning (1926) • The Stolen Ranch (1926) • The Two Fister (1927) • 
            Kelcy Gets His Man (1927) • Tenderfoot Courage (1927) • The Silent 
            Partner (1927) • Blazing Days (1927) • Shooting Straight (1927) • 
            Galloping Justice (1927) • The Haunted Homestead (1927) • Hard Fists 
            (1927) • The Lone Star (1927) • The Home Trail (1927) • Gun Justice 
            (1927) • The Phantom Outlaw (1927) • The Square Shooter (1927) • The 
            Horse Trader (1927) • Daze of the West (1927) • The Border Cavalier 
            (1927) • Desert Dust (1927) • Thunder Riders (1928) • Anybody Here 
            Seen Kelly? (1928) • The Shakedown (1929) • The Love Trap (1929)

            1930sHell's Heroes (1930) • The Storm (1930) • A House Divided 
            (1931) • Tom Brown of Culver (1932) • Her First Mate (1933) • 
            Counsellor at Law (1933) • Glamour (1934) • The Good Fairy (1935) • 
            The Gay Deception (1935) • Barbary Coast (1935) • These Three (1936) 
            • Dodsworth (1936) • Come and Get It (1936) • Dead End (1937) • 
            Jezebel (1938) • Wuthering Heights (1939)

            1940sThe Westerner (1940) • The Letter (1940) • The Little Foxes 
            (1941) • Mrs. Miniver (1942) • Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying 
            Fortress (1944) • The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) • Thunderbolt! 
            (1947) • The Heiress (1949)

            1950sDetective Story (1951) • Carrie (1952) • Roman Holiday (1953) • 
            The Desperate Hours (1955) • Friendly Persuasion (1956) • The Big 
            Country (1958) • Ben-Hur (1959)

            1960sThe Children's Hour (1961) • The Collector (1965) • How to 
            Steal a Million (1966) • Funny Girl (1968)

            1970sThe Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970)

            [show]v · d · eAcademy Award for Best Picture (1941–1960)

            How Green Was My Valley (1941) · Mrs. Miniver (1942) · Casablanca 
            (1943) · Going My Way (1944) · The Lost Weekend (1945) · The Best 
            Years of Our Lives (1946) · Gentleman's Agreement (1947) · Hamlet 
            (1948) · All the King's Men (1949) · All About Eve (1950) · An 
            American in Paris (1951) · The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) · From 
            Here to Eternity (1953) · On the Waterfront (1954) · Marty (1955) · 
            Around the World in 80 Days (1956) · The Bridge on the River Kwai 
            (1957) · Gigi (1958) · Ben-Hur (1959) · The Apartment (1960)

            Complete list · (1927–1940) · (1941–1960) · (1961–1980) · 
            (1981–2000) · (2001–2020)

            [show]v · d · eGolden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama 
            (1951–1960)

            A Place in the Sun – George Stevens (1951) · The Greatest Show on 
            Earth – Cecil B. DeMille (1952) · On the Waterfront – Sam Spiegel 
            (1954) · East of Eden – Elia Kazan (1955) · Around the World in 80 
            Days – Michael Todd (1956) · The Bridge on the River Kwai – Sam 
            Spiegel (1957) · The Defiant Ones – Stanley Kramer (1958) · Ben-Hur 
            – Sam Zimbalist (1959) · Spartacus – Edward Lewis (1960)

            Complete List · (1951–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · 
(2001–2020)

            [show]v · d · eBAFTA Award for Best Film

            Best Film from Any SourceThe Best Years of Our Lives (1948) · Hamlet 
            (1949) · Bicycle Thieves (1950) · All About Eve (1951) · La Ronde 
            (1952) · The Sound Barrier (1953) · Forbidden Games (1954) · The 
            Wages of Fear (1955) · Richard III (1956) · Gervaise (1957) · The 
            Bridge on the River Kwai (1958) · Room at the Top (1959) · Ben-Hur 
            (1960)

            Best British FilmOdd Man Out (1948) · The Fallen Idol (1949) · The 
            Third Man (1950) · The Blue Lamp (1951) · The Lavender Hill Mob 
            (1952) · The Sound Barrier (1953) · Genevieve (1954) · Hobson's 
            Choice (1954 film) (1955) · Richard III (1956) · Reach for the Sky 
            (1957) · The Bridge on the River Kwai (1958) · Room at the Top 
            (1959) · Sapphire (1960)

            Complete list · 1948–1960 · 1961–1980 · 1981–2000 · 2001–present


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