BEN-HUR (1959) 8529

riginal MGM One Sheet Poster (81x81) for the William Wyler historical epic, BEN-HUR (1959) starring Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, and Hugh Griffith. Considered by many critics to be one of the greatest achievements in cinematic history, 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 epic. 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. Of all the epics made by the major studios, BEN-HUR alone makes a statement of faith without pandering to sex and violence, and as such, represents one of the few really big films to approach religion in a respectful way. This original one sheet poster is in very fine condition.