Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ culture: gender and family; slavery and freedom; ethnicity and empire; and nationhood and citizenship". With the chariot race as its central attraction and the character of Judah emerging as a "heroic action figure", "Ben-Hur" enjoyed a wide popularity among readers, similar to the dime novels of its day; however, its continued appearance on popular lists of great American literature remained a source of frustration for many literary critics over the years. The novel had millions of fans, including several influential men in politics. U.S. president and American Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant, U.S. president James Garfield, and Jefferson Davis,
Ben-Hur (2016 film) as "Misguided, diminished and dismally done in every way". "Rolling Stone" labeled the film "A Remake Disaster of Biblical Proportions." "Empire" summarized it as "Passable for the most part, but laughably inept in places." Sister Rose Pacette wrote a positive review for the "National Catholic Reporter", objecting only to the anachronistic costumes worn by Jewish women in the film. The movie has resulted in a court fight about labor agreements. Ben-Hur (2016 film) Ben-Hur is a 2016 American epic historical period drama film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Keith Clarke and John Ridley. It is the fifth film