Ben Hur (2003 film)

"I’m Charlton Heston, I’d like to tell you a story. The tale of Ben Hur has been around for over a hundred and twenty years, it was written in the nineteenth century by a man named Lew Wallace, a Civil War general, then stationed at a remote Indiana outpost, a famous Union Commander, he fought at Shiloh, Monocacy, and Cincinnati, General Wallace was no stranger to war, he could have written stories of battle and conquest, but instead he chose to tell us a tale of faith and forgiveness, the story of a brave Hebrew Prince, and how his life was changed by Jesus Christ. In 1880 the first edition of Wallace’s novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ was published, it was the first American novel to sell more than a million copies, and in the 1890s it was made into a stage play where the famous chariot race was performed with horses on a treadmill, this production toured the nation and became a staple of the American theater. Ben Hur has also been adapted three times for film including a silent movie with Ramon Novarro and even as a musical. Widely translated into many languages, Ben Hur is a classic tale of love, forgiveness, and redemption, known throughout the world. I’m pleased to present to you the animated version of this wonderful story based on the original novel by Lew Wallace: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ."

"Ben-Hur is a tale of love, forgiveness, redemption, and the power of faith, its author Lew Wallace died in Crawfordsville, Indiana in 1905, but his story lives on, five years after his death Indiana honored him with a statue in the capitol. It’s been said that Ben-Hur brought millions to their feet to cheer and more millions to their knees to pray, I hoped you enjoyed it as well, I’m Charlton Heston, thank you for watching."

"Charlton Heston — Judah Ben-Hur"

"Scott McNeil — Jesus"

"Gerard Plunkett – Pontius Pilate"

"Tabitha St. Germain — Miriam"

"Kathleen Barr — Esther"

"Willow Johnson — Tirzah"

"Long John Baldry — Balthazer"