Ben-Hur has been adapted into five live-action films, the grandest and most successful being the 1959 version, directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston. This poster format, known as a half-sheet, puts the chariot race front and center. The French caption praises the movie as “The greatest film in the history of cinema,” signifying its global popularity. Film historians often refer to the 1925 and the 1959 productions of Ben-Hur as the bookends to MGM’s golden era.