Ben- Hur" Returns To Movie Theaters On March 29th

The 1959 adaptation of "Ben – Hur" features Charlton Heston in the title role of a Jewish charioteer who is falsely accused of a crime during the times of the ancient Roman empire and decides to seek revenge for his misfortune. However, while plotting his revenge, he encounters Jesus Christ as he is being marched to the seacoast to be a galley slave. Over time, he becomes inspired by Christ's teachings and forsakes his sword in favor of Christ's teachings. So unfolds the epic drama of "Ben – Hur" that won a record 11 Academy Awards. With Charlton Heston winning the Oscar for Best Actor. Now, 67 years later, the classic motion picture is returning to big screens nationwide in 4K on Sunday, March 29th, Wednesday, April 1st and Thursday, April 02nd.

With a running time of three hours and forty-seven minutes, "Ben – Hur" is known for being one of Hollywood's lavish period drama spectacles. 300 different sets at the Cinecitta Studios in Rome were used to film the motion picture. With the chariot race featured in the film being one of its most iconic scenes. The film, itself, is based on the novel by the Indiana native, Lew Wallace, entitled, "Ben – Hur: A Tale of the Christ" which was published on November 12th, 1880.

The novel which features quotes such as, "Out of that vast tomb Christianity issued to supersede the Caesars", was one of the best – selling novels of the 19th century. Where it remained at the top of the U.S. all-time bestseller lists until Margaret Mitchell's, "Gone With The Wind", was published in 1936. While the author, Lewis "Lew" Wallace, had a varied career from being a lawyer, to serving in the military during the Mexican – American War, being a Yankee general in the War Between the States, and governor of the New Mexico Territory, he is by far best known today for his historical adventure story, "Ben – Hur: A Tale of the Christ". The writing of which led to Wallace's own belief in Jesus Christ.

For at the outset of writing "Ben – Hur", Lew Wallace, although married to Susan Elston who came from a Quaker family, was an agnostic. It was while he was researching The Bible for his novel and studying the Holy Land that he became a believer in "the Divinity of Jesus Christ". Stating in his autobiography that he believed in the "Christian conception of God". It was after weeks of reflection once the idea for the novel first entered into his mind in 1876, that Wallace decided "to show the religious and political condition of the world at the time of the coming. Perhaps those conditions would demonstrate a necessity for a Savior".

There have been at least five adaptations of Lew Wallace's novel, with the first one being a silent short film that was made in 1907. The novel was then given a feature-length Biblical epic adaptation in the silent film era in 1925. With there being an animated version in 2003 that featured the same Charlton Heston in his final role. In 2016, there was even a live action version of the novel released that was directed by Timur Bekmambetow. However, the definitive adaptation of "Ben – Hur" is the 1959 classic that was directed by William Wyler, the winner of three Academy Awards for Best Director.

An Illinois native, Charlton Heston, spent his early years hunting and fishing when his family moved to Michigan. However, after his parents divorced, he moved back to Illinois with his mother. Living in a Chicago suburb where he considered himself to be "a skinny hick from the woods". Yet, the high school he went to, would also be the high school where two other top name actors, Rock Hudson, and Ann-Margaret, went to school. He married Lydia Marie Clark at the Grace Methodist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina in March of 1944 and then joined the armed forces as a member of the United States Army Air Forces. Where he served for two years as a radio operator and aerial gunner.

By the time Charlton Heston starred in "Ben – Hur" he was already a veteran of Biblical epics. For he starred in the 1956 version of "The Ten Commandments" as Moses. Becoming identified with Biblical epics as an actor, as a result of both films. In his later years, Heston became an icon for conservatives as he gave speeches on the culture wars and championed gun rights through his support of the National Rifle Association.

Tickets for the rerelease of "Ben – Hur" are available through fathom entertainment. And a preview of the film can be viewed at https:www.fathomentertainment.com/releases/ben-hur-2026/

Luisa Reyes is a Tuscaloosa attorney, piano instructor, reporter, poet, vocalist, and columnist who writes about current affairs and the arts.