Ben Hur (1907)

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Movie
Original title Ben Hur
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1907
length 12 minutes
Rod
Director Sidney Olcott
script Gene Gauntier
occupation

Ben Hur is a film by Sidney Olcott from the year 1907 . It is the first film adaptation of the novel of the same name . The original was based on the novel-based play by W. Young from 1899. In 1911, the filmmakers lost a copyright lawsuit against them that became a precedent for US copyright law .

action

The Jew Ben Hur lives in the early 1st century AD. He clashes with his former friend Messala, a Roman captain.

The plot is condensed and short. The focus of the film is the chariot race filmed with local firefighters on a New Jersey beach.

Remarks

The 1899 stage version of Lew Wallace's novel by W. Young served as a template for the film. He leans closely to the piece and, as was common in the early days of film production, the original was copied without the author's permission. This let the film producers ( Kalem Studios ), the Motion Picture Patents Company and the screenwriter Gauntier sue for copyright infringement. In 1911, the United States Supreme Court ultimately ruled against the filmmakers, applying copyright principles to films for the first time . This also indirectly created the basis for the profession of professional screenwriter.

Remakes

Successful remakes of the material were made in 1925 under the direction of Fred Niblo and in 1959 under the direction of William Wyler (who was already an assistant director in the 1925 version). There is also an animated version from 2003 directed by Bill Kowalchuk and a TV adaptation from 2010 . The latest adaptation was released in 2016, directed by Timur Nuruachitowitsch Bekmambetov .

literature

Web links

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