11. "Ben Hur" (1959) is the name of a Jewish prince accused of a murder attempt on the Roman governor. When Ben Hur is a slave on a war galley, he saves the life of the Roman general Quintus Arrius. Who plays the role of Judah Ben Hur?
From Quiz Liberty Leading the People on the Big Screen
Answer:
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston (1923-2008, born John Charles Carter) started his career with the title role in "Peer Gynt" (1941). He rose to success with the Cecil B. DeMille productions "The Greatest Show on Earth" (1952) and "The Ten Commandments" (1956). "Ben Hur" gained him his only Oscar.
Heston would also star in "El Cid" (1961), "55 Days at Peking" (1963) and "Planet of the Apes" (1968).
Those of you who wonder why "Ben Hur" is used in this "liberty movies" quiz, I'll give a longer text quote. "In the Year of our Lord, Judea - for nearly a century - had lain under the mastery of Rome. In the seventh year of the reign of Augustus Caesar, an imperial decree ordered every Judean each to return to his place of birth to be counted and taxed. The converging ways of many of them led to the gates of their capital city, Jerusalem, the troubled heart of their land. The old city was dominated by the fortress of Antonia, the seat of Roman power, and by the great golden temple, the outward sign of an inward and imperishable faith. Even while they obeyed the will of Caesar, the people clung proudly to their ancient heritage, always remembering the promise of their prophets that one day there would be born among them a redeemer to bring them salvation and perfect freedom. " These opening lines refer to the presence of the adult Christ (an uncredited role by Claude Heater) and the ideas Ben Hur embraces only at the end of the movie.
The false options all played in "Ben Hur". Jack Hawkins (1910-1973) played Quintus Arrius. Stephen Boyd (1931-1977) played the role of Messala. And Finlay Currie (1878-1968) was the narrator, and played also as the old wise man Balthasar.