Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925 film) his body. Gertrude Olmstead was cast as Esther. While on location in Italy, Walsh was fired and replaced by Ramon Novarro. The role of Esther went to May McAvoy. Shooting began in Rome, Italy in October 1923 under the direction of Charles Brabin who was replaced shortly after filming began. Additional recastings (including Ramon Novarro as Ben-Hur) and a change of director caused the production's budget to skyrocket. After two years of difficulties and accidents, the production was eventually moved back to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Culver City, California and production resumed in the spring of 1925. B. Reeves Eason and Christy
The Burmese Harp (1956 film) audience of 3.87 million people, then the second largest Japanese box office hit. The Burmese Harp (1956 film) The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of 1956. In 1985, Ichikawa remade "The Burmese Harp" in color with a new cast, and the remake was a major box office success, becoming the number one Japanese film on the domestic market in 1985 and the second largest Japanese box office hit up to that time. Private Mizushima, a Japanese soldier, becomes the harp (or "saung") player of Captain Inouye's group, composed of soldiers who fight and