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Ben-Hur [1959]

Director: William Wyler
Actors: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD

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Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

15 reviews
Sales Rank: 2473

Format: Dubbed, Pal, Widescreen
Languages: Bulgarian (Subtitled), Dutch (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), German (Subtitled), Italian (Subtitled), Romanian (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Dubbed)
Rating: Parental Guidance
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 213
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.6

EAN: 7321900655064
ASIN: B00005BCEW

Theatrical Release Date: October 14, 1960
Release Date: November 1, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new and factory sealed! - Brand New. Despatched same day if payment is received before 3pm. Fast delivery from the UK. International delivery is available. A trusted long established Amazon

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
Ben-Hur scooped an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards in 1959 and, unlike some later rivals to this record-breaking win, richly deserved every single one. This is epic filmmaking on a scale that had not been seen before, and is unlikely ever to be seen again. It cost a staggering 15 million dollars and was one of the largest film productions ever undertaken: the Circus Maximus set alone covered 18 acres and was filled with 40,000 tons of Mediterranean sand. But it's not just running time or a cast of thousands that makes an epic, it's the subject-matter that counts and in Ben-Hur the subject is rich, detailed and sensitively handled. Despite both the original novel's and the film's subtitle, "A Tale of the Christ", this is really a parallel life, that of Prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) and his estrangement from old Roman pal Messala (Stephen Boyd). The eponymous character's journey of self-discovery through bitterness and hate to eventual redemption has many deliberate echoes of Christ's life (at one point, Judah is mistaken for Jesus, much as Brian would be later in Monty Python's masterful satire), and the multi-layered script from (uncredited) literary titans Gore Vidal and Christopher Fry wrings out every nuance and every possible shade of meaning.

Director William Wyler, who had been a junior assistant on MGM's original silent version back in 1925, never sacrifices the human focus of the story in favour of spectacle (he had the good sense to leave the great chariot race to second-unit director and experienced stuntman Yakima Canutt), and it is his concentration on human drama and fully rounded characters that gives Wyler's epic its heart. In this he is aided immeasurably by Miklos Rozsa's majestic musical score, arguably the greatest ever written for a Hollywood picture, in which the development of character-driven leitmotifs produces the effect of grand opera. The Christian theme concentrates on the central character's love and compassion for his family (evoked by the discovery of their leprosy) rather than any heavy-handed sermonising (the figure of Christ is seen but never heard--his presence signalled by a serene musical motif instead).

On the DVD: this long-awaited release presents the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.76:1 in a glorious anamorphic print, complete with remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The music sounds fresher than ever, and both the theatrical "Overture" and "Entracte" are included (civilised times the 1950s: they had specially composed intermission music to enjoy while topping up on ice cream and popcorn!). There's an extensive and enjoyable documentary tracing the history of the story from Lew Wallace through stage productions to the first MGM version in 1925 and then to the 1959 production. Charlton Heston provides an intermittent commentary, evidently enjoying the experience of watching the film again, and his comments are usefully indexed so you can skip to the next bit without having to sit through chunks of silence (during the chariot race he voiced his concern to second-unit director Yakima Canutt that the stuntmen were better drivers. Replied Canutt: "Chuck, just drive the damn chariot and I guarantee that you'll win"). There's also a couple of screen tests, one with Leslie Nielsen in pre-Naked Gun days as Messala and a photo gallery and theatrical trailers complete an epic DVD package. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Every time I see this I get charged April 25, 2008
It's definitely one of my favorites of all time because it's got stuff that most movies don't have: Everything. MGM and company unintentionally created a work of popular art that could only be fully appreciated in its original, pristine print, 70mm, super widescreen glory. It is no longer possible to make a film like Ben-Hur. Oh, George Lucas tries with all his computerized graphics, but this is a REAL spectacle, not some virtual one. 8,000 extras, tens of thousands of costumes, a $15 million budget (in the 1950's!), massive sets depict the power of Rome on the grandest possible scale. It took six years to complete production. Yet, its focus remains sharply on the detail, the private human experience of it all. The story doesn't get lost in the enormous vision of the work.

Ben-Hur is a drama at its best. It's the story of a family that had it all, was destroyed and then given their lives back. Ben Hur depicts both the best and worst of the Roman Empire, its glory and progress and the oppression of the less fortunate who lived under its rule.

There are two action scenes that really get my heart pounding each time this. First, the scene on the galley where the slaves are put through a grueling, forced rowing of their ship under the eye of General Quintus Arrius. The way that scene builds with the alternating of the camera from the slaves to the drums to the general, all the while picking up the pace, is quite riveting. Second, the chariot race. Some of the best action ever produced by Hollywood. The race itself keeps people on the edge of their seats. It appears to have been put together close to real time, which makes it all the greater.

Although the movie slows down after the race I am still moved by what happens later. The movie follows up with how Judah dealt with the festering anger inside him and what happens to his mother and sister. His love, Esther, helps the family and tries to console Judah. I really like the character of Esther that is portrayed.

Most of all, the greatest character of all in this movie is that of Christ. In Christ we see someone suffering without the hatred and vengeance that is so shown by Judah. A favorite scene of mine is when Christ gives Judah water to drink. The Roman commander orders him to stop. Jesus looks at him and the soldier is speechless. That says it all.

Charlton Heston has said that this movie could not be made today because of the prohibitive budget that would be required. Heston gives a sensitive and intelligent performance, as does most of the supporting cast. Ben-Hur's 11 Oscar nominations has been equaled by very few films. There have been similar efforts in the past (The Ten Commandments (50th Anniversary Collection), Cleopatra, etc.) but nothing matches the dramatic intimacy balanced with the epic extravagance of Ben-Hur. Truly a film in a class by itself and an actor that will be miss.

5 out of 5 stars

The very definition of epic April 16, 2008
This movie is long, and those weaned on MTV might find it overly long. However, the story takes you away to another world, the story arc interweaving a revenge epic with the Christian tale. The wonderful thing about it is that the Jesus story is not forced and interweaves naturally with the plot. Charlton Heston is at his best here, and this movie would count among the best ten ever made.

5 out of 5 stars

great film , bad transfer December 18, 2007
one of my all time best movies.

BUT i've bought three, yes three copies of this film from three different sellers, all copies sealed and each one is defective arond thw chapter 15 mark. one copy is deffective from chapter15 onwards !
my guess is the transfer is dodgy so keep away from this 2001 release and pick up the recent 4 disc set instead.

5 out of 5 stars

One of the great films November 28, 2007
I have watched this film many, many times since my father took me to see it when it was first released. It is truly what the definition of an epic movie is all about. Mighty sets, huge cast of extras, spectacular action, great perfomances from all the leading actors. What is really great, though, about this movie epic,it also potrays a fantastic story of;
friendship, ambition, betrayal, redemption,greed, revenge,miracle,history,family,love,the Roman Empire,religous persicution,Jesus Christ,crucifiction,leprosy, though not necessarily in that order and it has a happy ending! Oh and somewhere in amongst all this it has a little thing called a Charriot Race, quite possibly the greatist live action sequence ever put on film!

5 out of 5 stars

Perfect May 19, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

What can I say that will add anything, Ben Hur is just the perfect film. Full of great acting, art work, suspense and so much more.

This print is very clear and bright.

Please but this DVD.