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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 508

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

1925141 minUnited States
DramaAdventure
Video edition
YouTube
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
142:34
Subtitles
English

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Synopsis

A Jewish nobleman's reunion with a Roman childhood friend exposes their opposing loyalties. An accident gives the officer an excuse to condemn him to the galleys and imprison his family. Survival turns into a search for revenge and reunion, unfolding alongside encounters with the emerging story of Jesus.

Cast

DirectorsFred NibloCharles Brabin

Inspirations

The film adapts Lew Wallace's 1880 novel on a scale that extended the popular stage version into cinematic spectacle. Ramon Novarro's performance anchors the vast production, whose naval action and chariot race became enduring reference points for historical adventure films.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceDuke Center for the Study of the Public Domain — US term reference

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

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Availability checked on September 10, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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