Burbank, Calif., June 20, 2011 – Ben-Hur – William Wyler´s unforgettable epic spectacle, starring Charlton Heston, that won a record-setting 11 Academy Awards® 1 (1959) including Best Motion Picture, Best Actor and Best Director — will make a dazzling debut on Blu-ray September 27 as Ben-Hur 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector´s Edition (UCE) from Warner Home Video (WHV).
An inspiration to generations of filmmakers with its legendary scale and scope, “50 years later filmmakers and film experts are still in awe of the film,” says Ben-Hur documentarian Gary Leva. People like Ridley Scott, Ernest Dickerson, and others told Leva how Wyler´s film inspired them to emulate the filmmaker years later. Even with today’s technology, they still aren’t sure how some of the scenes were able to be put on film. Scott, who directed Gladiator, said his arena was one-sixth the size of the one where Ben-Hur had his famous chariot race. The gigantic oval, with incredible statues and architecture, took more than a year to build.
For this release, Ben-Hur has undergone a $1 million restoration — frame by frame from an 8k scan of the original 65 mm camera negative, making this the highest resolution restoration ever completed by Warner Bros. studio.
“We have been working on this extensive restoration for several years, hoping we could be ready with a 2009 release for the actual 50th. The meticulous process took longer than expected, but our primary goal was to deliver the finest quality presentation possible, and we have succeeded in doing just that,” said Jeff Baker, WHV´s Executive Vice President and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog.
Ben-Hur has been on moratorium for the past year. Now limited and numbered, each set contains more than four hours of extras including an all-new hi-def feature length documentary hosted by son Fraser Heston; a reproduction of Heston’s diary during filming; and an exclusive hardbound photo book.
“The restoration is almost trumped by some newly-uncovered Heston family home movies, shot in Italy during production, that reveal unique behind-the-scenes activity. Believed to be the only footage of its kind in existence, this marks something truly historic and unprecedented. And we are thrilled to be able to incorporate it into the documentary made by Laurent Bouzereau and Charlton Heston´s son, Fraser. The documentary will be obtainable only with this release.”
Baker believes fans also will be enthralled with Heston´s diary, which “reflects his thoughts and feelings on many of the days before, during, and immediately after the film´s physical production.
“The diary is a replica of the original,” Baker said. “We did not transpose Chuck´s words onto a clean white piece of paper. The natural fading of the pages, and any mistakes, are all seen as they are in the original diary. The concept is to preserve the authenticity. It´s a remarkable, collectible keepsake. No other disc release in history has included a personal diary of an actor, let alone an Oscar®-winning legend, sharing this type of personal information.”
Baker said that while under his watch Warner has produced several other Ultimate Collector´s Editions of classic movies. “This physical package in terms of aesthetics, historical content, and originality is the new gold standard for not only Warner, but for all studios. No one can forget seeing Ben-Hur in a theater for the first time. And now, a half-century later, it looks the best it ever has on Blu-ray in this pristine high-definition film restoration, perfect for holiday gift giving.”
The Ben-Hur 50th Anniversary UCE will be available for $64.99 SRP (Three-Disc Blu-ray), $49.92 SRP (Five-Disc DVD set) and $20.97 SRP (2-Disc 50th Anniversary Edition DVD). Order due date for all is August 23, 2011.
After attending an early screening, Fraser 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.
The picture was clear and sharp, not crisp or brittle like some HD versions. It looks like film not pixels. The colors were rich and vibrant but not overly so, muted where they should be muted, and bright where they should be bright. Blacks were astonishingly, well … black! And the sound track was a rich experience in itself – lovely clear dialogue, rich mellow score and clean effects. I look forward to showing it to my family and friends as soon as I can.”
Blu-ray Special Features Include.
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] NEW!
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
