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Ben-Hur (1959)
What is it? Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is falsely accused of an attempt on a Roman friend's life, and is sent away to labour in the galleys. He swears to return and take revenge: cue chariot race!
Why did it win? While there were many great films out that year, the Oscar nominees were merely good for the most part: infidelity drama Room at the Top, nunsploitation The Nun's Story, literary adaptation The Diary of Anne Frank and the pick of the lot, Otto Preminger's Anatomy of A Murder. Next to the titanic Ben-Hur, they all lacked that certain, as the French say, "races des chariots".
Did it deserve to win? It's the Oscar-iest film of the year, what with that combination of epic and slave galleys and really epic and chariot races with spinny knives on the wheels and seriously epic and, er, did we mention epic? But the best? Also out that year was the incomparable Some Like It Hot, the relentlessly pacy North By Northwest, the revolutionary 400 Blows, the quality Western Rio Bravo and one of Disney's finest hours, Sleeping Beauty.
Worth a look? Yes, if you have several hours and have already seen Some Like It Hot.
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