BEN-HUR (1959) 5459B

Original MGM Color Printed Lithograph Still (8x10) for the William Wyler historical epic, BEN-HUR (1959) starring Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, and Hugh Griffith. The absolute apogee of the religious epic, Wyler not only had to direct literally "a cast of thousands," but also was able to pull from his main actors the performances of their lives. Everything about this production was enormous - 50,000 people were used to make the film on 300 sets covering more than 340 acres. The famous chariot race scene was shot in an 18-acre arena that took 40,000 tons of sand to make the track. The stands were packed with 8,000 extras, and it took over three months to shoot the entire scene. MGM, which nearly went bankrupt making the picture, spent over $12.5 million, but grossed over $40 million on the project. The film won eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor to Heston, Best Supporting Actor to Griffith, and Best Director to Wyler. Interestingly enough, Gore Vidal worked as a script doctor on this film. Vidal, it is alleged, conspired with Wyler to add a homosexual element to Boyd's character in the script, creating a sexual tension in the relationship of the two boyhood friends. This still is one of the most famous from the film and is in very fine condition. This color printed still was found with a cache of roadshow material, all dated 1959.