Ben Hur (50th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray]

It was wonderful to revisit an old movie I saw in my teens. Of course the chariot race was spectacular!

I can't say more about this wonderful movie that hasn't been said already except to give kudos to all the fine actors and their performances including but not limited to: Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Frank Thring and Haya Harraret, who helped make this the greatest movie of all time. The race begins!

The product is good, especially meticulous packaging. Silver is really the best. The best item I've ever received. It was. Thank you.

Just for clarification, I am writing a review of the 2 disk Bluray 50th Anniversary Edition only and not the box set. I just watched this film for the first time, and I must say... How did I not know about this great film? I am still a college student, so most of my friends prefer movies more in the "popcorn flick" style, but I have always been a fan of classics. This is probably one of the more understated classics, as I discovered it on a Bluray sale on Amazon and had never heard of it before. After a little research on ye olde Rotten Tomatoes and a few other reviews, I just went for it, and I am glad to now have this as part of my collection. STORY The story takes place in biblical times and covers Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who grew up with the childhood friend, Messalla, who went on to join the Roman empire, and you can probably already guess that there would be conflict there. It is sort of a classic tale of revenge and forgiveness, and that is probably all I want to reveal.. I hate spoilers. I will say that the movie advertises as being a Christian film, which it is in a way, but not really "in your face" about it. You do see Jesus, but it is filmed in a very classy manor and leaves some mystery behind who Jesus actually was, instead focusing on Ben-Hur, his family, and his arch-nemesis, Messalla. There are some amazing scenes in this film, including the infamous chariot race, and another one of my personal favorites, the battleship scenes. All that said, the film is quite long at over 4 hours, and I recommend watching it in two sittings, stopping at the intermission. Bluray The Bluray was done VERY well. You can tell that this is a complete restoration, and I read that they spent a LONG time restoring it cell by cell from the master film reel. It shows. The picture is amazing. There were a few hiccups throughout the film, likely where the master film had to be spliced, but it is nothing major. This is probably the only way to watch this film anymore, as I am sure any previous versions pale in comparison. Please note that the only extras included are an audio commentary and two trailers, as well as a separate music track. If you are looking for extras, you are going to want to splurge on the boxed version. Overall To sum up my review, this is a great film. It is a little long and a little drawn out at parts, but some of these scenes are just unspeakably good.

This review is for Ben-Hur: Ultimate Collector's Edition (1959) blu-ray. Sound quality and visuals are excellent. Disc change for part 2. Also includes special features on a third disc. This is the edition to get for your collection if you're on a budget but want the best quality for the film itself.

Movie arrived quickly. Movie is a classic and still entertaining after 66 years.

This was one of the great spectaculars of its time. It is long; 2 hours and 20 minutes, and like all silent movies, you must pay attention every minute, but it is fun to watch. The chariot race is very well done, with overhead shots and a camara mounted on an axel. There is a bad pile up near the end of the race that may or may not have been in the script. Chariot racing is very dangerous and in those days, there was not much concern for animal welfare on movie sets. The costumes are really dreadful. Ramon Novarro, (Ben Hur) looks like a ballet dancer in skimpy tunics that barely cover the essentials. His armour is chain mail and a pointy helmet (very popular about 11 centuries later) The Egyptian harlot who tries to tempt Ben Hur the night before the race wears a bizarre headress not found on any Egyptian wall painting or bas relief. Francis X Bushman (Masala) has a winged helmet that makes him look like the Mecury Messenger. But for all that, one set property is right on. There are a lot of cavalry scenes and the horses always have saddles with no stirrups. Novarro is obliged to vault onto his horse in dashing array, just as it was done 2000 years ago. This is one area where most movies about the ancient world fail - the saddles usually have stirrups, which is incorrect. They did not come into regular use until the 5th century or so, although why such a common sense idea took so long is another question. If you have access to Ben Hur I as part of the recently released Ben Hur four disk set, check it out before going to the feature attraction. This movie is good enough to stand on its own and shouldn't be considered a practice run for the 1959 version. Still, it is easy to see where William Wyler got some of his material.

I haven't seen Ben-Hur in ages, and one day I'm lying on the couch watching TV and it hits me: I want to see Ben-Hur. So, I went to Amazon.com and found this great box set. It comes with a lovely photo album of stills from the movie and casual shots of Charlton Heston with his family on the set. I really enjoyed seeing the human side of a great American film star in the classic mold. Combined with Heston's personal diary which he kept on the set of The Ten Commandments, you learn a lot about the man himself. I've seen comments disparaging the film as too long (one reviewer complains bitterly about having to listen to the ten-minute musical introduction), as being boring (another reviewer said three of four viewers fell asleep during the movie), and as being a ridiculously cornball Sunday School story (this reviewer also complained that Messala's friendship with Judah had homosexual overtones). It seems to me that these reviewers must be younger viewers who never lived the wonder of a great movie house showing this film. The ten-minute opening music gave latecomers a chance to find their seats and patrons a chance to get their popcorn, candy, and drinks at the snack bar without missing the first part of the movie. The intermission music gave patrons a chance to stretch their legs, take a bathroom break, and get a drink at the water fountain. This film is the product of a movie-going culture that the reviewers I've mentioned seem to know nothing about. I'm sad they missed it; it was a wonderful time to go to the movies. Unlike contemporary action films with nonstop car chases and fast cuts from scene to scene, this movie takes its time to develop character, to establish the old friendship before Messala's betrayal of Judah and his family, to show what Judah suffers and make us, the viewers, want revenge as badly as Judah does. Romantic interest is a must, even in modern film, so the relationship between Judah and Esther is simply part of the history of film right from the very beginning of the art form. And yes, the story is ultimately religious, depicting one family's conversion to Christianity and the miracles that Jesus promised to believers, in this case, healing Judah's mother and sister of leprosy (the New Testament reports Jesus curing lepers during his ministry) and healing Judah's heart of hate and revenge. It may seem strange to younger people in our present society, but people in 1959 took religion and the Bible much more seriously than they do today. There was nothing odd about going to see a movie that included biblical themes. From 1949 to 1965 Hollywood made The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, Samson and Delilah, Quo Vadis, The Robe, The Big Fisherman, King of Kings, Barabbas, The Shoes of the Fisherman, The Gospel According to St. Matthew, and The Greatest Story Ever Told. People went to watch them, and some of them won Oscars for best picture: Quo Vadis, The Ten Commandments, The Robe, and Ben Hur, which won 11 that year, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Charlton Heston). As for the supposed "homosexual overtones," it saddens me to see how modern culture has tainted people's perceptions of this classic film and it's "good triumphs over evil" message. Frankly, in 1959, few, if any, children knew what homosexuality was, and polite society didn't talk about it or tolerate it much in their movies. What a contrast between generations!