Reception Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

1 adaptations

1.1 stage
1.2 film, radio, , television
1.3 selected film , stage adaptations
1.4 books

adaptations
stage

a 1901 poster production of play @ illinois theatre, chicago

after novel s publication in 1880, wallace deluged requests dramatize stage play, resisted, arguing no 1 accurately portray christ on stage or recreate realistic chariot race. dramatist william young suggested solution represent jesus beam of light, impressed wallace. in 1899, wallace entered agreement theatrical producers marc klaw , abraham erlanger turn novel stage adaptation. resulting play opened @ broadway theater in new york city on november 29, 1899. critics gave mixed reviews, audience packed each performance, many of them first-time theater-goers. became hit, selling 25,000 tickets per week. 1899 until last performance in 1921, show played in large venues in u.s. cities such boston, philadelphia, chicago, , baltimore, , traveled internationally london , sydney , melbourne, australia. stage adaptation seen estimated 20 million people, , william jennings bryan claimed greatest play on stage when measured religious tone , more effect. popularity introduced theater new audience, many of them devout churchgoers who’d been suspicious of stage.

the key spectacle of show recreated chariot race live horses , real chariots running on treadmills rotating backdrop. elaborate set , staging came @ time when theatre yearning cinema. after wallace saw elaborate stage sets, exclaimed, god. did set of in motion?

when play produced in london in 1902, era s drama critic described how chariot race achieved 4 great cradles 20 feet (6.1 m) long , 14 feet (4.3 m) wide, moved , front on railways , while horses secured invisible steel cable traces galloped on treadmills towards audience. horses drove movement of vast cyclorama backdrop, revolved in opposite direction create illusion of rapid speed. electric rubber rollers spun chariot wheels, while fans created clouds of dust. production had imported 30 tons of stage equipment united states, employed cast of more 100, , featured sets fountains, palm trees, , sinking of roman galley. critic illustrated london news described london production in 1902 marvel of stage-illusion memorable beyond else , while sketch s critic called thrilling , realistic ... enough make fortune of play , noted stage, has bear 30 tons weight of chariots , horses, besides huge crowds, has had expressly strengthened , shored up.

in 2009, ben hur live staged @ o2 arena on greenwich peninsula in london. featured live chariot race, gladiatorial combat, , sea battle. production used 46 horses, 500 tons of special sand, , 400 cast , crew. of show s dialogue in latin , aramaic of period, voiceover narration. however, despite massive staging, critic guardian remarked lacked theatrical spectacle inspire imagination of audience. in contrast, london s battersea arts centre staged lower-key version of ben-hur in 2002 featured limited cast of 10 , chariot race.

film, radio, , television

the development of cinema following novel s publication brought film adaptations in 1907, 1925, 1959, 2003, , 2016, north american tv miniseries in 2010.

in 1907, sidney olcott , frank oakes ross directed short film kalem company based on book, did not have wallace heirs or book publisher s permissions. author s son henry wallace, stage producers klaw , erlanger, , book’s publisher harper , brothers sued film’s producers violating u.s. copyright laws. landmark case kalem co. v. harper brothers (1911) [222 u.s. 55 (1911)] went u.s. supreme court , set legal precedent motion picture rights in adaptations of literary , theatrical works. court s ruling required film company pay $25,000 in damages plus expenses.

wallace s son continued receive offers sell film rights book after father’s death. henry refused offers until 1915, when changed mind , entered agreement erlanger $600,000. metro-goldwyn-mayer later obtained film rights. 1925 film adaptation of ben-hur under director fred niblo starred ramon novarro ben-hur , francis x. bushman messala. filming began in italy , completed in united states. cost mgm $3.9 million, making expensive silent film in history. film premiered on december 20, 1925, @ george m. cohan theater in new york city. received positive reviews , became top-grossing silent film of era.

in 1955, mgm began planning new version of film william wyler director, had worked assistant director of chariot race in 1925 film. 1959 film adaptation of ben-hur starred charlton heston judah, stephen boyd messala. shot on location in rome. filming wrapped on january 7, 1959, @ cost of estimated $12.5 $15 million; became expensive motion picture made time. among successful films ever made. film premiered @ loews state theater in new york city on november 18, 1959. earned more $40 million @ box office , estimated $20 million more in merchandising revenues.

wallace’s novel eclipsed popularity of wyler s 1959 film adaptation, blockbuster hit mgm , won record 11 academy awards academy of motion picture arts , sciences , became top-grossing film of 1960. heston won oscar best actor, , called best film work ; wyler won academy s award best director. in 1998, american film institute named wyler s film 1 of 100 best american films of time. screenplay credited solely karl tunberg. christopher fry , gore vidal made significant contributions during production. vidal stated had added homoerotic subtext, claim disputed heston.

a bbc radio 4 dramatization of book in 4 parts first broadcast in united kingdom in march–april, 1995, starring jamie glover ben-hur, cast included samuel west , michael gambon.

selected film , stage adaptations

ben-hur (play) debuted on broadway in new york city on november 29, 1899.
ben hur (1907 film) silent film short.
ben-hur (1925 film) mgm silent film starring ramon novarro; premiered in new york city on december 20, 1925.
ben-hur (1959 film) mgm sound film starring charlton heston; premiered in new york city on november 18, 1959.
ben hur (2003 film) animated direct-to-video film featuring voice of charlton heston
ben hur live 2009 stage adaptation.
ben hur (tv miniseries) 2010 adaptation.
ben-hur (2016 film) film adaptation mgm , paramount pictures, released worldwide after august 17, 2016.
in name of ben hur (2016 film) different adaptation.

books

ben-hur s success encouraged publication of other historical romance stories of ancient world, including g. j. whyte-melville s gladiators: tale of rome , judea (1870), marie corelli s barabbas (1901), , florence morse kingsley s titus, comrade of cross (1897). other novels adapted wallace s story: herman m. bien s ben-beor (1891), j. o. a. clark s esther: sequel ben-hur (1892), miles gerald keon s dion , sibyls (1898), , j. breckenridge ellis s adnah (1902). esther , other unauthorized uses of wallace s characters led court cases initiated wallace , son henry, protect authors copyrights.

at least 8 translations of book hebrew made between 1959 , 1990. of these versions have involved wholesale restructuring of narrative, including changes character, dropping of christian themes, , plot.

in 2016, wallace s great-great-granddaughter, carol wallace, published version of ben-hur released coincide new film version, using prose 21st century readers.