But Ben-Hur finds it difficult to join in a pact against Jewish rebels.Messala realizes the difficulty of what he asks, as he pours wine for a toast: "It""s an insane world, but in it here""s one sanity, the loyalty of old friends."The wizened old woman and the werewolf performed black sorcery to resurrect the spirit of the White Witch/Jadis (Tilda Swinton), frozen in a solid wall of ice.The film received no Academy Award nominations.Only a few other directors have done so well with their debut film - e.g., Orson Welles withCitizen Kane (1941), Delbert Mann withMarty (1955), Jerome Robbins withWest Side Story (1961), Steven Spielberg withSugarland Express (1973)(another lovers-on-the-run film), Robert Redford withOrdinary People (1980), James L.[Note: An oft-quoted observation was made about Selznick rise to power - "The son-in-law also rises" - a clever word-play on Hemingway""s 1926 novelThe Sun Also Rises.