Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

The original Ben-Hur — one of the most expensive and ambitious productions of the silent era, and the film that nearly bankrupted MGM before becoming a massive hit. The chariot race, filmed with a cast of thousands in a purpose-built Roman Colosseum set, is one of the most thrilling action sequences ever put on film and was shot with such dangerous abandon (multiple injuries, persistent rumors of on-set fatalities) that it could never be replicated today. Ramon Novarro brings a brooding intensity to the title role, and the sea-battle sequence — involving full-sized galleys in a giant studio tank — pushes silent-era spectacle to its absolute limit. The 1959 Charlton Heston remake is more famous, but this version has a raw, muscular energy and a willingness to risk everything for the shot that the later film can't touch.