Star-studded, epic adaptation of Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel based in Rome during the time of Nero. Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor), a commander in the army, returns to the city and falls in love with a Christian girl called Lygia (Deborah Kerr). However, as he is a pagan, she rejects his suit and refuses to have anything to do with him. Meanwhile, Nero (Peter Ustinov) burns down the city, blames it on the Christians, and prepares to feed them to the lions.

Ben Hur (Charlton Heston) is a Jewish prince who falls out with his close Roman friend (Stephen Boyd) when he refuses to promote Roman rule over his people - his mother and sister are imprisoned and he is enslaved. Hur plans and achieves revenge, but finds true peace when he joins the new following of Jesus Christ. This lavish biblical epic won a record-breaking eleven Oscars and is best known for its exciting chariot race sequence.