Ben Hur: A Tale Of The Christ Francis X. and similar items

Vintage original 8x10 in. U.S. single-weight glossy photograph by Warren Lynch, fine+ condition. The epic silent film drama, BEN-HUR: A TALE OF THE CHRIST was released in 1925 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and directed by Fred Niblo. Originally shot on location in Italy with actor George Walsh in the lead role, the footage that was taken was scrapped and the entire cast and crew were ordered back to Hollywood, as the costs were spiraling out of control. Filming subsequently resumed under watchful eyes in Hollywood with Walsh replaced by Ramon Novarro as Judah Ben-Hur. The image features a medium shot Judah of the Roman officer Messala (Francis X. Bushman) enjoying a happy moment with his childhood friend, Judah Ben-Hur (Ramon Novarro) and Judah's sister, Tirzah (Kathleen Key) and their mother, the Princess of Hur (Claire McDowell). The relationship between the two friends soon turns into one of hatred and culminates in the film's celebrated Chariot Race sequence. On the top of the verso in light purple ink is a small rubber stamp crediting the photographer: Photographed by - WARREN LYNCH - Credit Appreciated. Printed on single-weight stock with a glossy finish, this vintage original photograph is in fine+ condition with slightly rounded corners; a 0.5 in. long area beneath the edge of the top border where the emulsion has come off; a tiny bit of wear on the edge of the right border above the bottom corner with a 1.5 in. long light surface scratch between the "3" and "6" in the film's negative number (that is primarily visible when viewing the photo at an angle); a 0.25 in. diagonal crease on the bottom left corner; and 3 very small thin vertical scratches to the left of Bushman's shoulder. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; 1925; dir: Fred Niblo; cast: Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy, Betty Bronson, Claire McDowell, Kathleen Kay, Carmel Myers, Nigel De Brulier, Mitchell Lewis, Leo White, Frank Currier, Charles Belcher, Dale Fuller, Winter Hall.