Easter is nearly here and, for most, it's a time to spend with family along with the giving and receiving of eggs. But in reality Easter is a celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus.So on the run up to Easter here at FemaleFirst we are taking a closer look at the top five movies of Christ.While Ben Hur doesn't revolve around the life and death of Jesus it does contain themes of religion and faith the movie also details the Biblical story of Jesus Christ, including his crucifixionIn the Roman province of Judea, Jews return to the city of their birth for the census. A bright star in the night over Bethlehem marks the birth of Jesus Christ. Years later, Roman commander Messala (Stephen Boyd), who was brought up in Judea, takes command of the Roman garrison in Jerusalem. His Jewish boyhood friend Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) greets him. Messala is delighted. But when Judah refuses to name Jewish patriots, Messala sentences him to the slave galleys and imprisons his mother, Miriam (Martha Scott), and sister, Tirzah (Cathy O'Donnell). Judah vows revenge.For three years Ben-Hur suffers the brutalities of Roman war galleys, until he is freed, adopted, and brought to Rome by Quintus Arrius, the Roman Admiral whose life he saves in battle. Though lauded as an athlete and desired by Flavia, a wanton, Ben-Hur insists upon returning to Jerusalem in the hope of tracing his family. On the way he encounters Sheik Ilderim, a lusty Arab who plans to race his chariot against the Romans at the Jerusalem games.
Having astonished the Sheik by his horsemanship, Ben Hur arrives at his derelict home and immediately confronts Messala, who tells him that his mother and sister are dead.
Ben-Hur now agrees to ride for Ilderim in the chariot race against Messala. He drives Messala to the ground, fatally injured, and accepts the victor's laurel from the Governor, Pontius Pilate.
But Messala has his revenge. With his dying breath he tells Ben-Hur that Miriam and Tirzah are alive but lepers.
The film won, at the time, an unprecedented eleven Academy Awards, matched since only by Titanic and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
Awards included best Actor for Charlton Heston, Best Direction for William Wyler and Best Picture.
The chariot race still remains one of the most exciting and spectacular action sequences ever committed to film.
Long before special effects were used actor Charlton Heston spent weeks learning how to drive a chariot. It took over three months to complete, using 8000 extras.
Over the years Ben Hur's popularity has not diminished as many recognise the effort to get a movie of this scale shot in a time before computers.
And now almost fifty years after it was released Ben Hur remains the grandest of Hollywood's classic biblical epics.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw