Ben-Hur (1959) Poster

(1959)

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Sex & Nudity

  • Galley slaves are bare-chested.
  • Judah and Esther kiss.
  • Nude men (covered by towels) seen in a Roman bath.

Violence & Gore

  • Judah burns a man's face with a torch in a brief but rather disturbing scene.
  • Messala threatens to have Judah's mother and sister crucified as Judah points a spear at Messala.
  • A soldier hits Judah in the head with a chain, knocking him down. Blood is mildly shown.
  • Judah's steward is arrested and tortured by Roman authorities. The abuse is not shown, but we see him crippled years later.
  • There is a long forced march in which we see the men's bloody feet. One dies and rolls down a hill.
  • Two men are whipped during a chariot race drawing blood. Two men are trampled by chariots, one after being dragged a considerable distance. He is shown with some skin ripped off with blood covering most of his body. The latter is seen in conversation on a bed during a lengthy, important scene. Several chariots crash.
  • The crucifixion of Jesus is shown. We see the hammer descend as the soldiers drive the nail into his feet. We see his wrists with nails driven through them and blood flowing onto the wood. We also see blood from the cross flowing on the ground.
  • During a naval battle, a ship is rammed and several men are killed. The water inside part of the ship turns red, presumably with blood. Galley slaves are chained to their seats inside the ship and whipped. The shackles cause bleeding at the ankles of some of the men. There is so much bloodletting on the ship that we can see the sea around the ship turning red.
  • One of the slaves emerges from the hold of the ship, missing a hand. We see the bloody stump and exposed bone.
  • A man threatens to commit suicide by knife, but he is hindered by being knocked out by a blow to the head with a chain.
  • Lepers are shown with body parts rotting away.

Profanity

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

  • Some drinking; one character is shown drunk.

Frightening & Intense Scenes

  • Judah and his family are arrested as they are accused of conspiracy to kill the governor. Messala stands by doing nothing in an act of betrayal.
  • Judah returns at night to his mansion that he was taken from four years earlier. The old house appears dilapidated and slightly spooky.
  • The naval battle is pretty intense. The chariot race is very intense. A man going into a cave filled with lepers is worrisome.
  • As two men descend into a dungeon, disturbing cries of water-deprived prisoners are heard. Two women are found left in the dungeon so long that they have become lepers. The lepers are not visible, but the guard's reactions are shown. That scene is pretty shocking.

See also

Taglines | Plot Summary | Synopsis | Plot Keywords


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