Ben-Hur (50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]

Experience the visual splendor, action, and drama of this record-setting Academy Award-winning film. Charlton Heston, in his Best Actor Oscar-winning role, is Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman in Palestine whose heroic odyssey includes enslavement by the Romans, vengeance against his tormentors during a furious arena chariot race and fateful encounters with Jesus Christ. Winning an Oscar® for Best Director, William Wyler masterfully grips the reins of an enduring and spellbinding spectacular.

Based on Lew Wallace’s best-selling novel and adapted by Karl Tunber, Ben-Hur stars Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O’Donnell, and Sam Jaffe.

A limited-edition restoration of the original epic. Click here for a larger image

Unique Features

For this release, Ben-Hur has undergone a $1 million restoration, the highest resolution restoration ever completed by Warner Bros. studio. Filmed with a process known as MGM Camera 65, one of the widest prints ever made, Wyler was able to capture spectacular panoramic shots and bold action sequences.

Fraser Heston (son of Charlton Heston) noted in a letter to Baker, “This is unquestionably the most remarkable restoration I have ever seen. It was an extraordinary, life- changing experience, like sitting next to Wyler in his answer print screening, only better.”

With 100,000 costumes, 15,000 extras, 300 sets and a $15 million budget that, at the time, was the most expensive in MGM’s history, Ben-Hur is widely considered to be one of the most accomplished Biblical-era epics of all time. The film ranks #13 in all-time box office when adjusted for inflation (source: Box Office Mojo).

Exclusive Content

Released in limited quantities and individually numbered, this set features exclusive, never-before released content:

Charlton Heston as Ben-Hur

Charlton Heston: A Personal Journey

An all-new high-definition feature-length documentary chronicling Charlton Heston’s life while filming Ben-Hur including behind-the-scenes details and home movie footage shot by his wife Lydia while in Rome. The film shows a rarely seen, different side of Heston – as a warm, loving father and husband balancing his home and work life, and as an artist devoted to his craft.

Charlton Heston: The Ben-Hur Diaries

A first-time exclusive look into an Oscar-winning actor’s experience while making an award-winning film, this reproduction of Charlton Heston’s private and insightful diary from January 1958 through April 1960, documents his time before production of the film all the way through his Oscar win. Included are personal photos from the Heston family and Charlton Heston’s own sketches.

Ben-Hur 50th Anniversary Hardbound Book

Exclusive hardbound book with rare photography, production art and reproductions from the original theatrical press book.

Blu-ray Special Features

A scene from the famous Chariot Race

Disc One & Two: The Movie

• Newly remastered and restored from original 65mm film elements
• Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio
• Commentary by film historian T. Gene Hatcher with scene specific comments from Charlton Heston
• Music-only track showcasing Miklos Rozsa’s score

Disc Three: Special Features

• Charlton Heston: A Personal Journey (78 min) [HD]
• Ben-Hur: 1925 Silent Version, from the Thames Television Restoration with stereophonic orchestral score by composer Carl Davis (143 min)
• 2005 Documentary: Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema - Current filmmakers such as Ridley Scott reflect on the importance and influence of the film on modern epics (58 min)
• 1994 Documentary: Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic Hosted by Christopher Plummer (58 min)
• Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures - Audiovisual recreation of the film via stills, storyboards, sketches, music and dialogue
• Screen Tests (30 min)
• Vintage Newsreels Gallery
• Highlights from the 1960 Academy Awards® Ceremony
• Theatrical Trailer Gallery