Ben-Hur

The numbers (as well as star Charlton Heston, in the accompanying commentary) speak for themselves: 100,000 costumes, 8,000 extras, 300 sets and an unheard of budget for the time. The result? An over-long and often plodding "vengeance will be miner" with a very curious three-act structure (the film's climax comes in the second act, and the third act has nothing to do with the rest of the story!). Still, the magnitude of the effort is staggering--as the excellent Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic documentary, included herein, attests--and yes, the famous chariot race is still a not-to-be-missed white-knuckle experience. Less than the sum of its extraordinary parts, this 11-Oscar winning 1959 classic, presented here with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound in English or French (with additional subtitle options for Spanish and Portuguese), is nevertheless a must for any library. Recommended. (S. C. Sickles)[DVD Review—Sept. 20, 2005—Warner, 4 discs, 222 min., G, $39.95—Making its fourth appearance on DVD, 1959's Ben-Hur sports a beautiful transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Discs one and two contain the 1959 movie with audio commentary by film historian T. Gene Hatcher with star Charlton Heston, and a music-only track showcasing Miklos Rozsa's score. Disc three contains the 143-minute 1925 silent version of Ben-Hur in a black & white Thames Television restoration with color sequences and a stereophonic orchestral score by Carl Davis. Disc four features extras that include two documentaries: 2005's “Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema” (58 min.) and 1994's “Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic” (58 min.), four screen/makeup and hair test segments—featuring Leslie Nielsen, Cesare Danova, Yale Wexler, George Baker, William Russell, and Haya Harareet (29 min.), six vintage newsreels (10 min.), highlights from the April 1960 Academy Awards ceremony (10 min.), a “Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures” audiovisual recreation including stills, storyboards, sketches, music, and dialogue (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: an excellent, extras-laden presentation of a landmark film.][Blu-ray Review—Sept. 27, 2011—Warner, 3 discs, 222 min., G, $64.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1959's Ben-Hur features a superb transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by film historian T. Gene Hatcher with star Charlton Heston, the new documentary “Charlton Heston & Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey” (78 min.), “The Epic That Changed Cinema” (58 min.), “The Making of an Epic” (58 min.), an “Additional Footage” section with screen tests, vintage newsreels, and highlights from the 1960 Academy Awards ceremony (50 min.), “A Journey Through Pictures” photo montage (5 min.), the 1925 silent version of the film, a music-only track showcasing composer Miklos Rozsa's score, a 128-page replica of Heston's journal and sketches, and a collectible 64-page book with rare photos. Bottom line: a beautiful collector's edition of a multi-Oscar-winning classic.]