The numbers speak volumes 100,000 costumes, 8,000 extras, 300 sets and a staggering budget in its day the largest in movie history. Ben-Hur's creators made it the best, the greastest Biblical-era epic ever.
Charlton Heston brings a muscular physical and moral presence to the role of Juda Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman in Palestine whose heroic odyssey includes enslavement by the Romans, a bold escape from an embattled slave galley, vengeance against his tormentors during a furious arena chariots race and fateful encounters with Jesus Christ. Heston's charismatic performance brought him the Best Actor Oscar, the winner as 1959's Best Picture with the legendary William Wyler earning his third Best Director trophy, the film won a total 11 Academy Awards - a tally unequaled until 1997's Titanic set sails