'Ben Hur', Part I Trivia Quiz

Answer: A Tale of the Christ

This title is from the book upon which the film is based, 'Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ'. The tale of Christ is the subtext that runs through the entire film. The beginning of the film features the birth of Christ, while at the end we see Christ being crucified as Ben Hur looks on. Though not made completely clear in the film, Ben Hur is supposed to be converted from Judaism to Christianity by the end of the film.

Answer: Lewis Wallace

Lew Wallace was a General from Indiana who fought for the Union side during the U.S. Civil War. He wrote his very popular novel 'Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ' in 1880, and is now more well-known for it than for his exploits during the war. During his lifetime, he saw his book become a very popular stage hit, but never saw it come to life in the cinema (he died in 1907).

Answer: Best Screenplay

While William Wyler won for Best Director, Charlton Heston and Hugh Griffith won for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. Karl Tunberg failed to win for his screenplay, and there is an interesting story behind why this is so. Apparently, Wyler had difficulty finding a quality screenplay, and sifted through over 40 before finally settling on Tunberg's. Wyler thought the screenplay, based on Wallace's book, of course, still needed much fine tuning, so he selected Gore Vidal to improve the quality of the dialogue.

After disagreements on tone and style between Wyler and Vidal (Vidal insisted on creating a homoerotic air between the Ben Hur and the Messala characters), Wyler turned to Christopher Fry, who completed the screen writing.

Unfortunately, the studio failed to recognize either Fry or Vidal's work, and gave the credit solely to Tunberg. Wyler protested and lobbied for Fry, but the die had already been cast.

Answer: Messala

Messala, played by Stephen Boyd, will be the young and ambitious new commander of the Roman legion in Jerusalem. It so happens that Messala is an old friend of our hero, Judah Ben Hur. Soon after Messala accepts command from the battle-weary Sextus, he meets with his old friend...and the rivalry begins!

Answer: Judah

It might be important to note at this point that there Judah Ben Hur is not an historic person, but rather a hero made up by Wallace to represent the repressed Jewish population under Roman rule. We find that Judah Ben Hur is a devoted religious man and a patriot, both anathema to his friend Messala, who insists on his friend's loyalty to the Roman Empire.

Answer: Mother and sister

Ben Hur's sister is called Tirzah (played by Cathy O'Donnell, sister-in-law of Wyler) and his mother is Miriam (portrayed by Martha Scott).

Answer: Esther

Esther is portrayed by Haya Harareet, the only Israeli national among the cast (she was born in Haifa, Palestine, in 1931). This was only one of seven films in which she made an appearance.

Answer: False

Indeed not. Rather, his servant Esther is engaged to a trader from Antioch named David. Fortunately for Ben Hur, she is taken by her master from the time she first set eyes on him and decides not to marry. The feeling is requited.

Answer: Accidentally dropping a piece of tile from a rooftop

Ben Hur and his sister Tirzah gaze from their rooftop as the new governor marches into Jerusalem. Unfortunately, a couple of tiles give way on the roof under Tirzah's hands, hitting the road below. The governor is knocked off of his horse, but lives. Messala sees this as his opportunity to teach the recalcitrant Jews a lesson, and imprisons Tirzah and Miriam. Ben Hur is sent to the galleys.

Answer: Christ gives water to Ben Hur

We never see the face of the actor, Claude Heater, who portrays Christ in the film, he only appears from behind. While Ben Hur is marched to the galley, Christ administers some water to our fallen hero in defiance of the Roman guards. The guard who commands that the prisoners be given no water seems overawed by Christ's presence.



Thank you for having tried this first installment, please feel free to try the other quizzes in this series.