I have always shown the 1959  Ben Hur movie with Charlton Heston to my 1st year classes as a medium to highlight Roman culture.  Students are given a handout of questions that they must fill out as they watch the movie.
However, another idea struck me after

Pop Classics recently did a review of the 1925 silent film, Ben Hur:
What if my Latin class made title cards in Latin throughout a section of the film?  Inventing dialogue, searching for vocabulary, and using  proper grammar all lead to active engagement in the target language with some giggling in the process.  Students can also incorporate a specific grammar item such as the passive periphrastic:

"Judah, the turning post must be avoided by you!" 

"A longer tunic ought to be worn by that charioteer!"

"That lady with a peacock on her head has to be tossed out!"

And did you know that the pod racing scene in the Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was influenced by the chariot scene in Ben Hur? 

You can watch the clips below:

We have been talking a lot about chariot racing in Latin class and watching the famous circus scene from Ben Hur.  Now, like all good films, it is now a musical.