Ben Hur (1907 film)

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This page is about the silent film. For other uses see Ben-Hur

Ben Hur
Directed by	Sidney Olcott Frank O. Rose H. Temple
Written by	Lew Wallace (book) Gene Gauntier
Starring	Herman Rottger as Ben Hur William S. Hart as Messala
Distributed by	Kalem Company
Release date(s)	December 7, 1907
Country	United Kingdom
Language	Silent film
IMDb profile

Ben Hur is a 15 minute long 1907 silent film, the first film version of Lew Wallace's novel Ben-Hur, one of the best-selling books at that time.

This movie is most notable as a precedent in copyright law. The movie was made without the permission of the author's estate, which was common practice at that time. The screenwriter, Gene Gauntier, remarked in her 1928 autobiography how the film industry at that time infringed upon everything. As a result of the production of Ben Hur, Harper & Brothers and the author's estate brought suit against Kalem Studios, the Motion Picture Patents Company, and Gauntier for copyright infringement. The United States Supreme Court ultimately ruled against the film company in 1911.

The film was directed by Canadian director Sidney Olcott. At fifteen minutes long, only a small portion of the story was put on screen. The focus of the piece was the chariot race, which was filmed on a beach in New Jersey with local firemen playing the charioteers and the horses that normally pulled the fire wagons pulling the chariots.