| | | Winner Of 11 Academy Awards
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.76:1, Pan and Scan (TV Format), Aspect Ratio 1.33:1, Audio Commentary, Documentaries, Outtakes, Featurettes, Gallery, Theatrical Trailer, English, French, Spanish, Subtitled, 4 Discs
The numbers speak volumes: 100,000 costumes, 8,000 extras, 300 sets and a staggering budget in its day the largest in movie history. Ben-Hur's creators made it the best, the greatest Biblical-era epic ever. Charlton Heston brings a muscular physical and moral presence to the role of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman in Palestine whose heroic odyssey includes enslavement by the Romans, a bold escape from an embattled slave galley, vengeance against his tormentors during a furious arena chariot race and fateful encounters with Jesus Christ. Heston's charismatic performance brought him the Best Actor Oscar; the winner as 1959's Best Picture with the legendary William Wyler earning his third Best Director trophy, the film won a total 11 Academy Awards -- a tally unequaled until 1997's Titanic set sail.
"A majestic achievement, representing a superb blending of the motion picture arts by master craftsmen." Variety.com
Editor's Note
Anno Domini: the seventh year of Augustus Caesar's reign. In the Roman province of Judea, Jews return to the city of their birth for the census. A bright star in the night over Bethlehem marks the birth of Jesus Christ. Years later, Roman commander Messala (Stephen Boyd), who was brought up in Judea, takes command of the Roman garrison in Jerusalem. His Jewish boyhood friend Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) greets him. Messala is delighted. But when Judah refuses to name Jewish patriots, Messala sentences him to the slave galleys and imprisons his mother, Miriam (Martha Scott), and sister, Tirzah (Cathy O'Donnell). Judah vows revenge.In BEN-HUR, William Wyler's much-lauded epic, the story of Judah's search for his mother and sister and his quest for revenge intersects with crucial biblical events such as the Sermon on the Mount and the crucifixion. Wyler gets fine performances from Heston, Boyd, Jack Hawkins (as a Roman admiral who befriends Judah), and Hugh Griffith (as an Arab sheik who dreams of racing his beautiful white horses against Messala). Among BEN-HUR's vivid dramatic sequences are a violent sea battle and the famous chariot race that pits Judah against Messala in one of cinema's great action sequences.
Plot Summary
William Wyler's biblical epic is a production of unheard-of scale, exhibiting the work of literally tens of thousands of people. The film tells the story of Judah Ben-Hur, a Judean prince who as a galley slave saves the life of a Roman nobleman, changing his life forever. The 1880 novel by Lew Wallace had previously been filmed to great acclaim in 1927 with Ramon Navarro.
| Features | Audio Commentary: Commentary By Film Historian T. Gene Hatcher With Scene Specific Comments From Charlton Heston | | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Documentaries: Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema - Current Filmmakers Such As Ridley Scott And George Lucas Reflect On The Importance And Influence Of The Film; 1994 Documentary - Ben-Hur: The Making Of An Epic Hosted By Christopher Plummer; "Directed By William Wyler" - 1986 Emmy Award -Nominated Documentary Featuring The Last Interview With Wyler Before His Death | | Featurette: Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures - New Audiovisual Recreation Of The Film Via Stills, Storyboards, Sketches, Music And Dialogue | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | The 1925 Feature-Length Silent Version Of Ben-Hur With A Stereophonic Orchestral Score By Composer Carl Davis. | | Vintage Newsreels Gallery | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | The 1925 Feature-length Silent Version of Ben-Hur with a stereophonic orchestral score by composer Carl Davis. | | Theatrical Trailer Gallery | | Highlights from the 1960 Academy Awards Ceremony | | Includes both Widescreen and Full Screen Presentations | | Outtakes | | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround Sound | | Directed by William Wyler - 1986 Emmy Award -nominated documentary featuring the last interview with Wyler before his death | | Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures - New audiovisual recreation of the film via stills, storyboards, sketches, music and dialogue | | Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema Documentary - Current filmmakers such as Ridley Scott and George Lucas reflect on the importance and influence of the film | | 1994 Documentary: en-Hur: The Making of an Epic Hosted by Christopher Plummer |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 11/13/2007 |
| Running Time: 768 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1959 | | Catalog ID: 67535 | | UPC: 00012569675353 | | Number of Discs: 4 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen/Standard 1.78:1/1.33:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Haya Harareet | | John D. Dunning, et. al. - Editor | | Karl Tunberg, et. al. - Screenplay | | Miklos Rozsa - Original Music By | | Robert L. Surtees - Cinematographer | | Sam Zimbalist, et. al. - Producer | | Vittorio Valentini - Production Designer |
| Awards |
Oscar (1960) |  | Charlton Heston, Winner, Best Actor | | Robert Surtees, Winner, Best Cinematogrphy, Color | | Elizabeth Haffenden, Winner, Best Costume Design | | William Wyler, Winner, Best Director | | Miklos Rozsa, Winner, Best Music, Original Score | | Sam Zimbalist, Winner, Best Picture | | Hugh Griffith, Winner, Best Supporting Actor |
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...William Wyler's 1959 Roman drama still has a self-confidence and sheer scope that's jaw-dropping..." 03/05/2001 p.42Premiere
"[H]istorically significant and fascinating." 10/01/2005 p.126 Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 9 of 10
Heston and Boyd are well matched as the proud Jew Ben-Hur and his boyhood friend Messala... the galley-slave sequence, and climactic chariot race (directed by Andrew Marton and staged by the legendary stunt expert Yakima Canutt) are still great... - Leonard Maltin
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| Essentials |
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