Watch Order
0 / 5 watchedAll five screen versions in release order.
About Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur adapts Lew Wallace's 1880 novel about Judah Ben-Hur and Messala in Roman Judea. The 1907 one reel short came first, then the 1925 silent epic with Ramon Novarro. The 1959 William Wyler version with Charlton Heston runs 212 minutes, won 11 Oscars and defined the chariot race for most viewers.
A 2003 animated version retells the story for younger viewers with Heston voicing Ben-Hur. The 2016 Timur Bekmambetov version with Jack Huston reframes the brothers as childhood friends and gives Jesus a larger role. Each film adapts the novel on its own, so there is no shared continuity to untangle.
Good to know
Watch in release order to see how the chariot race staging changes from silent spectacle to 1959 pageantry to digital 2016. The 1959 film is the one most guides mean by Ben-Hur, and the others play as alternate tellings. No new adaptation has been announced, so the 2016 film is the current endpoint.
