Original subtitles

ILDERIM: In the time of the Messiah,

the Roman Empire grows to span thousands of miles.

It is an empire nourished by blood

and secured by fear.

They will take everything you have.

They will invite you to their games to watch others suffer

and forget what you have lost.

They will leave you with nothing but bitterness...

- (HORSE NEIGHS) - (SHUSHING)

...and desire for revenge.

You should have stayed away.

You should have killed me.

I will.

(CROWD CHEERING)

JUDAH: Don't burn out your horse too soon.

Three laps to go!

MESSALA: Try keeping up, Judah!

Don't embarrass yourself!

Watch your back, brother!

You're a prince, not a warrior!

ILDERIM: Prince Judah Ben-Hur, a Jew.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

Messala Severus, his adopted brother, a Roman.

(URGING HORSES)

They were as devoted to each other as they were competitive.

(GRUNTING AND LAUGHING)

MESSALA: You're a cheat!

Cheat? All is fair to you Romans!

Oh, that's low!

ILDERIM: Judah's father passed away

holding onto the hope that the two brothers

could be an example of unity in this divided land.

Cheat!

(BOTH URGING HORSES)

JUDAH: One more lap to go!

- (GRUNTING) - (LAUGHING)

(BOTH URGING HORSES)

- (LAUGHING) - (GRUNTS)

Judah.

(GRUNTS) Judah!

Judah!

(GROANING WEAKLY)

Help!

(MESSALA GRUNTING)

- (DOOR OPENS) - MESSALA: Mother?

Judah's hurt! Someone help!

- Mama! - (WOMAN SCREAMS)

Nanny. Nanny, help. Take him. Take him.

- Careful, careful. - What happened? Judah?

TIRZAH: Judah!

- He's lost a lot of blood. - Is he all right?

- What happened? - MESSALA: There was a rock.

TIRZAH: Mother?

Quick, fetch a doctor for your brother.

SIMONIDES: Tirzah! Run!

- Esther? - ESTHER: Yes, Father?

Prepare the room for Master Judah.

NAOMI: Get water. SIMONIDES: Hurry, Esther.

Careful, careful.

Get some water.

- Up. - (GRUNTING)

He's badly hurt. What have you done?

I haven't done anything. It was an accident.

Judah was thrown from his horse.

- We were riding and... - Racing!

Mum...

What should I do?

NAOMI: You've done enough. Now pray.

My son, will he live?

MESSALA: Minerva... NAOMI: He will recover.

- The doctor reassured us. - MESSALA:... Mother Goddess,

restore him by the skin.

TIRZAH: But, Mother, he looks like he's in so much pain.

NAOMI: Thank your Messala for that.

(DOOR OPENS)

ESTHER: Be strong, Master Judah.

(JUDAH BREATHING RAGGEDLY)

JUDAH: Wait. Wait.

You are like an angel.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

Tirzah.

Go to bed.

Good night.

We have different gods, Messala.

(SIGHS)

Did we have fun?

(CHUCKLES)

- (MUSIC PLAYING) - (LAUGHING)

(CROWD SINGING)

- Esther, dance with me. - I'm not allowed.

Well, we can give people something to talk about.

We can cause a scandal. Come on.

(SNORING)

Oh, let me help you.

I have it. It's not your place.

You know there's a whole world beyond Jerusalem.

Greece, Persia, Egypt.

I just want to experience it.

I'm tired of reading about it,

hearing about it from travelers.

- Are you? - Yes.

- But you make it sound so easy. - It's not easy.

But that's life.

NAOMI: Tirzah.

Could you help me to my bedroom, please?

(SIGHS)

(SIGHS)

You spend too much idle time with Messala.

(SCOFFS) If I didn't, you'd have nothing to complain about.

"Oh, have mercy on me, world!

"Not one of my 359 gods will smile upon me."

- Don't mock. - (CHUCKLES)

What's wrong with you? It's supposed to be a celebration.

It's a celebration of your faith, not mine.

Well, that's the virtue of wine. It doesn't discriminate.

So what happened with you and Tirzah?

Your mother doesn't want us speaking.

And who cares what Mother wants?

Your mother cares.

And?

- Listen, Judah, I... - You have feelings for Tirzah.

Messala, admit it.

What am I supposed to do with them?

You and your family are royalty.

And what does that matter?

I'd rather she was paying attention to you

than some other brute.

Thanks.

I'm not saying you're a brute, I'm saying you're brutish.

Oh...

Simonides, go to bed. Messala!

- You and Tirzah would be like... - Like what?

Like we were family. We're not family, are we?

Are we?

I'm just a lowly orphan your family took in.

Oh, my God. Of course we're family!

You're my brother. You'll always be my brother.

Everything I own is yours.

No. I'll never have your name.

And every time my name is spoken,

it will be spoken alongside stories of my grandfather.

Until I earn it back.

Messala, wait. Wait!

Messala.

- Where are you going? - I'm going to Rome.

Wait. What do you mean, you're going to Rome?

Messala, stop.

The Emperor's called for men to put down the rebellion in Germania.

He's called for idiots to fight and die.

I can't believe this.

After everything we've done for you,

you still want to go and fight for those murderers!

The pay's steady.

"The pay's steady"?

So I can come back to Tirzah with stature and wealth.

But wealth doesn't mean anything.

- It never does if you're rich. - Messala, please.

Look, tell Tirzah...

If you have something to say to her, say it yourself.

Otherwise you're just walking away.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Judah?

Where's Messala?

(MEN YELLING AND GRUNTING)

JUDAH: Messala,

I hope this letter finds you well, if at all.

As with all the others I've sent over the past three years,

I expect no response.

(MEN YELLING)

I can only hope that it is by your choice and not by the way of your demise.

I always prefer not to see my food before I eat it.

That's probably the best idea.

You would hardly recognize your Jerusalem now.

What? What are you looking at?

ESTHER: The circus.

The Romans continue to leave their mark

and build their circus.

When you come home, I will honor the monstrosity

by humiliating you in one of those chariots you Romans so love.

MAN: Yes, of course.

But, brother, I do have news to tell you.

Here, try it.

Two months ago,

Esther's father found a wealthy Roman for her to marry.

- Hmm. - Hmm.

We still have to find you something special.

Oh, no, that's okay. I don't want anything.

I gave my blessing knowing in my heart it was a mistake.

I was reminded of how I used to jest to Mother

that one day we would wed...

Go with God.

...knowing the thought of her son, a prince,

marrying a servant would send her to an early grave.

I couldn't let her go.

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

If you leave me, you leave me with nothing.

She is now my wife, brother.

Despite the wonderful life we have together,

Rome has come to lay a hard hand on the city.

Repeated attacks have left them with little patience.

Thankfully, we've been able to retain their favor.

Well, for now.

Hear my plea.

Be safe. Return home.

I will listen to stories of your travels.

Judah.

- What have you found? - I don't know what it is.

I know what this is! This is a Senet board.

- How much for this? - Five shekels.

A Zealot, and that he will be subject today

to the customary punishment of crucifixion.

- MAN: No! - May his punishment

stand as a warning.

- Ah, the Zealots. - All they want is freedom.

And at what cost?

If they had their way,

they'll bring the whole of Rome down on us.

Then where will our freedom be?

- How much is it? Five? - Thank you, My Lord.

There's freedom elsewhere.

Excuse me?

Love your enemies.

"Love your enemies." Well, that's very progressive.

JESUS: It's the truth.

(BLOWS)

God is love. He made us to share that love.

And where will your love be when the Romans

turn their anger on the rest of us?

Hate and fear are lies.

They turn us against each other.

Those are the lies that make us slaves.

He has a path planned for you.

If He has a path planned for me,

how am I better off than a slave?

Why don't you ask her?

Esther.

There's truth to what he's saying.

There must be something better.

Better than what?

Look around you.

The roads are lined with the sick and poor.

We should be grateful we're not one of them.

- Can you spare something, please? - We can be more than grateful.

Esther, I'm not denying the fact that the world is a cruel place.

But it's our responsibility to take care of ourselves

and the ones we love.

If people took care of themselves, we'd all be saved.

If God is righteous, then we should do righteous things.

If there is a God, then why doesn't He do right by the world?

MAN: (WHISPERING) Come. Follow me.

(WHISPERING) Follow me. Follow me. This way.

Let's go. Stay with me.

(HORSE GRUNTING)

Who's there?

(GASPS) Jacob, stop. He's my brother.

Put the knife down.

Put it down.

- TIRZAH: Judah. - (MAN 1 WHIMPERING)

(BREATHING SHAKILY)

JUDAH: What happened to him? MAN 2: He's wounded.

- Yes, I can see that. How? - The cemetery.

Romans take the stones of our ancestors

to build their circus.

Not anymore.

- You're Zealots! - We fight for your freedom.

From what I can see, you get young boys injured.

We need a doctor.

JUDAH: No, a doctor would inform the centurions.

Go and get a candle. Go.

(MAN 1 WHIMPERING)

I need your knife.

What's your name?

- Dismas. - Dismas.

(BREATH TREMBLING)

- (DISMAS WHIMPERING) - I hope you're proud of yourselves.

JACOB: You know our aim.

Independence from Caesar, ending the occupation of the Holy Land.

- By killing Romans? - We settle scores.

Not here. Not in Jerusalem.

Dismas, it's a little bit of pain and then it's done.

Let me see.

(MUFFLED SCREAMING)

JUDAH: You're a part of this?

The man you love is a Roman!

We don't kill all Romans.

Well, that's not very comforting to the dead ones.

If your father was alive, he would support us.

You, I don't know, so you can shut your mouth.

JACOB: This is your home, this is your land, too.

They turn our brothers into slaves

and that doesn't move you?

Killing doesn't get us up from under.

- Being passive has done what? - It keeps the peace.

You confuse peace with freedom.

Jacob.

The High Priests, you in the privileged class...

You get Caesar's favor in exchange for obedience.

(MUFFLED SCREAMING)

The rest of us get scraps.

(FLESH SIZZLING)

I won't condone violence.

Nobody's asking your permission.

You keep my family and my house clean of this.

Now get out.

- The boy? - JUDAH: He's safe here.

Safer than with you.

I said get out!

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

JUDAH: You know, Mother has hopes for a grandchild.

She asks me every day. I tell her, "Soon."

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

But I know "soon" isn't soon enough for her.

That sounds wonderful.

Judah Ben-Hur?

- Yes? - Follow us.

ESTHER: Where are you taking him?

Don't worry, we've done nothing wrong.

It's all right, go inside.

(MEN SHOUTING)

I've brought the Jew.

I haven't changed that much, have I?

You look like one of those statues

you Romans insist on putting everywhere.

You look like the clay they make them from.

Statues are made of marble, not clay.

Not the one they'd make of you.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

(SIGHING)

Look at this.

Wow.

Well, come on, tell me. Tell me everything.

(MEN YELLING)

Up Mars!

Move forward!

- Move forward! - (GROANS)

MESSALA: I'm not sure you want to hear everything.

And you were right about life as a soldier.

(CHOKING)

Sleepless nights in the mud. Cold and wet.

Drusus, move forward!

- If we stay here, we'll die! - Then you go!

One night in Persia...

Your name?

...I met him.

- Your name! - Messala Severus.

Captain Messala Severus. These are your men now.

- Start leading! - Sir!

His name was Pontius Pilate.

He gave me a chance.

He reminded me of what we were fighting for.

Things you and I believe in, Judah.

A civilized world, progress, prosperity, stability.

I battled and marched through countries

and across continents I'd once dreamed of.

(GRUNTING)

(YELLING)

I led my men from battle to battle, to the heights of glory.

But we crushed the freedom of innocent civilizations

simply because they were different.

(GRUNTING SOFTLY)

I saw much blood spilled.

(KID LAUGHING)

More than I can describe.

MAN: Attention!

My true fight became with my commander,

Marcus.

(SHEEP BLEATING)

Why haven't you attacked the city?

An attack wasn't needed. My orders were to pacify the city.

Leaving no able-bodied man alive.

Well, who will till the field or harvest...

We need to stamp out revolt in every corner of the Empire.

If you want to offer up another lifeless husk

- to the Empire... - Messala Severus?

We've heard the stories about your grandfather.

His hand in betraying Julius Caesar.

And how he wailed when he was crucified.

MESSALA: In spite of that, I'm thankful Pilate's on my side, brother.

More thankful to see you.

Me, too.

To think you were just a lowly Hur before you left.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

Well, Mother missed you every day.

Ah, I'm sorry I left you alone with her.

Tirzah?

How is she?

Tirzah's good, she's well.

Judah, will you tell her...

No, you can tell her yourself. She's not yet married.

(CHUCKLES)

My God, you still have it. (CHUCKLES)

Why didn't you write?

What would I say?

I don't know. That you're alive? That you're well?

Anything would have sufficed.

Judah,

I had to be able to come back on my own terms.

Your family gave me everything.

I wanted to be able to return the favor.

Now I can.

Mmm. Judah, listen.

- I need your help. - FLORUS: Messala.

You're needed outside. There's been another attack.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

ROMAN SOLDIER: Stretcher bearer, over here.

What's being said about Pontius Pilate?

To be honest, nothing good.

In a few days, he wants to ride through Jerusalem

at the head of a legion.

JUDAH: Why?

The Zealots.

I've tried to deal with them peacefully. Peace doesn't work.

- So now you try a legion. - That's not my choice.

All they want from Rome is their land back.

It was never their land. It belonged to you, the wealthy.

You don't really believe in a return to the Age of Solomon.

When the Zealots are done with us, they'll turn on you.

I don't care about their politics. I just care about keeping the peace.

Then we're agreed!

Look, Zealots are the common enemy.

Listen, you're a prince. You have the ear of your people.

Pontius Pilate has to ride through Jerusalem with no trouble.

That's all I'm asking.

Brother, I've been away a long time.

If I come back now, believe me, it's important.

I want to give you this.

I've done a lot of work with this.

It would give me nothing but joy

to know it was in your hands and lay forever idle.

I'll speak to my people, find out what I can.

Thank you.

- But you must come to dinner. - (CHUCKLES) I will.

But nothing special. Just a simple meal.

I