One Hundred Years of a Forgotten Fascination: Ben-Hur. A Tale of The Christ (Fred Niblo, 1925)

  • Oscar Lapeña Universidad de Cádiz
Keywords: CINEMA, ANCIENT ROME, CRISTIANISM, LEWIS WALLACE

Abstract

The years prior to the arrival of talkies collect important examples of films set in the ancient world. Among all these titles, Ben-Hur. A Tale of the Christ, directed by Fred Niblo in 1925 and with the actor Ramón Novarro as the absolute protagonist. Having as an excuse that, in 2025, one hundred years will be celebrated since its premiere, we want to claim in these pages Niblo's film as one of the most important films made in the years of silent cinema, and not only the one that deals with Antiquity . The historical reconstruction and the spectacular nature of many of its scenes do not hide the fact that Ben-Hur is above all a religious film with a proselytizing message for Christianity.

Published
2025-07-31
How to Cite
Lapeña, Oscar. 2025. “One Hundred Years of a Forgotten Fascination: Ben-Hur. A Tale of The Christ (Fred Niblo, 1925)”. Latente - Revista De Historia Y Estética Del Cine, Fotografía Y Cultura Visual, no. 23 (July), 9-31. https://doi.org/10.25145/j.latente.2025.23.01.