Sundance Institute

Institute History

1988 Sundance Film Festival

Description

Ben-Hur is a classic silent film of epic proportions, and its restoration (including color sequences) by archivists Kevin Bronlow and David Gill is a major event. From the novel by former Union General Lew Wallace, the film chronicles the epic tale of Ben-Hur, Prince of Jerusalem, beginning about 20 years after the birth of Christ. It features two sequences in particular, that will forever be a part of American collective cinematic memory: the great sea battle in which Ben-Hur, a galley slave, rescues his Roman Commander; and the spectacular chariot race between Ben-Hur and his life-long nemesis, Messala.

With some films as D. W. Griffith’s Intolerance, Ben-Hur epitomizes the grand, melodramatic sweep of America’s silent cinema. The Festival presentation will include either the sound-on-film score recorded in 1931 by the MGM studio orchestra or a live performance of the same.

Screening Details

Section: Premiere
Film Type: Dramatic Feature
Country: U.S.A.
Run Time: 128 min.

Credits

Actor
Production Designer
- Ferdinand Pinney Earle
- Horace Jackson
Screenwriter
- June Mathis
- Lew Wallace
Director
- Fred Niblo
Cinematographer
Producer
- Irving Thalberg
Based on the novel by
- Lew Wallace

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