Ben Hur Chariot Race #1 (From Eric Beheim)

Several months ago, Buckles’ Blog posted a pictorial summary of the chariot race from the 1925 silent film BEN-HUR. As spectacular as it was, that race was topped by the one in the 1959 re-make starring Charlton Heston. The 1959 race was staged by ace stuntman/second unit director Yakima Canutt, who described how it was filmed in his 1979 autobiography STUNT MAN. Like its predecessor, the 1959 race goes by so quickly and is so action-packed that, to fully appreciate it, it must be studied almost frame by frame. Here are some frame enlargements from that race, along with Yakima Canutt’s comments on how the various stunts were staged.