How much of a classic was the ben hur movie?

The most honored film of all-time, BEN-HUR (1959) won eleven of the twelve Academy Awards for which it was nominated -- and deservedly so. More than just an almost-four hour long Roman spectacle of pomp and pageantry, BEN-HUR has become known as an "intimate epic" -- that is, a film that doesn't lose sight of its characters and their personal struggles amidst its large-scale production values and grandeur. It is a spectacle; it is entertainment; and therein lies the film's initial attraction.

But the human drama of the characters, their struggle with each other and with themselves, makes BEN-HUR a picture worth more than the sum total of all its sets, costumes and special effects. It is a story of a man, and therein lies its eternal appeal. http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/BenHur/benhur.htm Classic Movies : Ben-Hur All the classic movies from a golden age in movie history