Title of film : Ben-Hur
Director Name : Willi Wyler
Cast & crew :
Producer : William Wyler,Sam Zimbalist
Editor : John D Dunning
Cast :
Synopsis : Epic drama about an aristocratic Jew living in Judaea who incurs the wrath of a childhood friend, now a Roman tribune. Although forced into slavery on a galley and compelled to witness the cruel persecution of his family, he survives, harbouring dreams of vengeance. A battle at sea and a chariot race are among the memorable sequences. The film used 300 sets at Rome's Cinecitta Studios and won a record 11 Oscars.
Director Bio : William Wyler (1902-1981) was a German-born American film director, producer and screenwriter. Notable works included Ben-Hur (1959), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Mrs. Miniver (1942), all of which won Academy Awards for Best Director, as well as Best Picture in their respective years, making him the only director of three Best Picture winners. Wyler received his first Oscar nomination for directing Dodsworth in 1936, starring Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton and Mary Astor, “sparking a 20-year run of almost unbroken greatness.” Film historian Ian Freer called Wyler a “bona fide perfectionist,” whose penchant for retakes and an attempt to hone every last nuance, “became the stuff of legend.” His ability to direct a string of classic literary adaptations into huge box-office and critical successes made him one of “Hollywood’s most bankable moviemakers” during the 1930s and 1940s and into the 60’s. Other popular Wyler films include Funny Girl (1968), How to Steal a Million (1966), The Children's Hour (1961), The Big Country (1958), Friendly Persuasion (1956), Roman Holiday (1953), The Heiress (1949), The Letter (1940), The Westerner (1940), Wuthering Heights (1939), Jezebel (1938), Dodsworth (1936), and Hell's Heroes (1930). Wyler's films garnered more awards for participating artists and actors than any other director in the history of Hollywood. He received 12 Oscar nominations for Best Director and 13 of Wyler's films earned Best Picture nominations. In 1965, Wyler won the Irving Thalberg Award for career achievement. Eleven years later, he received the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.
Filmography :
