Amazing! Thrilling! Colossal! Mighty!
Erstwhile childhood friends, Judah Ben-Hur and Messala meet again as adults, this time with Roman officer Messala as conqueror and Judah as a wealthy, though conquered, Israelite. A slip of a brick during a Roman parade causes Judah to be sent off as a galley slave, his property confiscated and his mother and sister imprisoned. Years later, as a result of his determination to stay alive and his willingness to aid his Roman master, Judah returns to his homeland an exalted and wealthy Roman athlete. Unable to find his mother and sister, and believing them dead, he can think of nothing else than revenge against Messala.
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) is a adventure, drama, romance and action film directed by Fred Niblo, released on December 25, 1925 with a runtime of 2h 23m. It stars Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy and Betty Bronson. Viewers rate it 7.3 out of 10 across 115 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ before you stream it.
Ramon Novarro
as Judah Ben-Hur
Francis X. Bushman
as Messala
May McAvoy
as Esther
Betty Bronson
as Mary
Claire McDowell
as Princess of Hur
Kathleen Key
as Tirzah
Carmel Myers
as Iras
Nigel De Brulier
as Simonides
Mitchell Lewis
as Sheik Ilderim
Leo White
as Sanballat
Frank Currier
as Quintus Arrius
Charles Belcher
as Balthazar
Directed by Fred Niblo, written by Carey Wilson, Lew Wallace and June Mathis, produced by Louis B. Mayer, J.J. Cohn and Irving Thalberg.
Average viewer score of 7.3/10 from 115 ratings.
What an epic. Watching this, you can see why Wyler wanted to remake it in the 50s. In this, you can see the emotions of the characters that are much more fleshed out compared to the first (unauthorised) screen version. Set design and costumes are grand, though the hairstyling is reminiscent of the 1920s (but maybe Romans were into that). The score is typical silent movie fare. Colourising the "Biblical scenes" is a…
Reviewed on April 24, 2021
What an amazing, absolutely beautiful film. Especially for nearly a century ago, but for any movie ever. The backgrounds, the grand sets, the sheer amounts of extras, and the animation of the stars and the coloring of the biblical scenes. Just...wow. And topless women! Its got everything. (not Mary) WI first heard about this version after seeing a video on TCM about silent films. Gonna watch the '59 version…
Reviewed on November 8, 2023
With the Roman legions securely ensconced in his Judaean homeland, Prince "Judah Ben-Hur" (Ramon Navarro) hopes that the arrival of his childhood friend "Messala" (Francis X. Bushman) might make things a bit easier for his conquered people. Fat chance! His erstwhile friend is far more concerned with impressing his boss and keeping the locals under control. An incident during the arrival procession of the new…
Reviewed on July 27, 2024
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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) includes Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy, Betty Bronson and Claire McDowell. The film was directed by Fred Niblo. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ was released on December 25, 1925 and runs for 2h 23m.
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) holds an average rating of 7.3 out of 10 from 115 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy adventure, drama and romance films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
