More than a chariot race!

Ben-Hur is a spectacular film starring Charlton Heston in the lead and Stephen Boyd as Massala, Ben-Hur's childhood friend who eventually becomes his bitter enemy.

Massala returns to his boyhood home of Judea as a Roman centurion. He meets with Judah and asks him to help in quieting the natives because there seems to be an uprising starting among these new Christians and Rome doesn't want that, but Judah refuses to betray his people. This is where Massala becomes Judah's enemy because Massala wants power and glory but if the people revolt, Massala won't get either.

While watching the new governor come into town from their rooftop, Judah's sister knocks a tile off the roof. It falls on the new governor and the penalty for harming an official is death. Romans charge into the house and take Judah and his sister and mother into custody. Massala condems Judah to be put on a galley slave ship. Judah vows revenge when he returns but Massala says "When you return????" as if to say "you're never coming back because most men die on the ship." The sister and mother are put in prison.

On the way to his punishment, Judah, along with several other slaves, walks past the house of Joseph, Mary and the Christ. Everyone is given water except Judah -- but when Christ hands Judah a cup and the Roman yells, "I said he is not to have any water!", Christ looks at the Roman and the Roman backs off. Judah is put on a galley slave ship.

He is on this ship when a new "owner" comes aboard. This new owner (Jack Hawkins) sees something in Judah and taunts him. Out of those taunts the Roman owner comes to respect Judah for standing his ground -- and tells the jailer to unshackle Judah. All of a sudden there are war ships approaching. One war ship rams into Judah's boat and most of the men die but the Roman owner is saved by Judah.

When a Roman ship picks them up, Judah thinks he is going to be a slave again, but the Roman takes him back to his house and eventually adopts Judah as the son he never had. Here in Rome, Judah learns how to race chariots and becomes one of the best.

Judah goes home to what is supposed to be an empty house but is now occupied by a former slave and his daughter -- whom Judah loves. She was supposed to get married but when the Romans came and took Judah away, her and her father remained behind. Her and her father went to look for Judah and his family after they were arrested, but were arrested themselves. The Romans put the father in jail and hurt him so that he couldn't walk anymore. Eventually, he and his daughter were set free.

Judah goes to Massala and with the ring that the Roman gave him, and presents himself as the son of this nobleman. Massala lets him in the house and is VERY surprised that it is Judah. Judah demands to know where his mother and sister are but even Massala doesn't know. The viewer comes to find out that the sister and mother now have leprosy and they are released from prison.

The mother and sister go to the house and the girlfriend finds them hiding. The mother tells the girlfriend not to tell Judah about them and they leave for the Valley of the Lepers.

Judah is searching for his family when he happens upon an Arab who has this beautiful team of Arabian white stallions. The Arab treats these horses like children. Judah teaches the horses to run like a team and when the Arab says that he wants to race his whites against the blacks of Massala, Judah says he will race them just to get revenge on Massala.

Now comes the famous chariot race and Massala loses in the end to Judah but not before Massala has the last laugh on Judah. He tells Judah that his sister and mother are now in the Valley of the Lepers.

Judah goes to the Valley and convinces his family to go and see this new rabbi named Christ. His girlfriend has seen Him and has told Judah of the many wonderful things that He has spoken. The whole entourage goes to see Christ, only to get there on the day of His Crucifixion.

The mother and sister go back to the Valley, but Judah follows Christ and at one time tries to give Christ water to return the favor that Christ did for him.

After Christ is crucified, Judah returns to the cave where his family is and during the rainstorm that took Christ, the mother and sister are miraculously healed.

This is one story -- religion excluded -- that will make you think of all the wonderful miracles that happen every day in your life.

If you only get ONE Charlton Heston movie, this should be the one even though the Ten Commandments is just as good.