Ben Hur!

[RUR]

Finally, after unfulfilled rumor after rumor, it appears that the much-anticipated 6K remaster is finally near:

I guess we have one MORE MAJOR update for you. Warner has just informed us that they'll be releasing their long-awaited Ben-Hur: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition on Blu-ray and DVD this fall! (You may recall, we first teased this release back in November of last year.) The "limited and numbered" edition will be available in stores in time for the holiday shopping season - specific street date and SRP TBA. Included will be a reproduction of the personal diary that Charlton Heston kept during the production, complete with personal photos and his own sketches. There will also be a new HD documentary on Heston's experiences during the making of the film, entitled Charlton Heston & Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey, which includes home movie footage shot by his wife Lydia inside the Colosseum set. That's in addition to all of the previous DVD special features, which include audio commentary, Ben-Hur: The 1925 Silent Version, the 2005 Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema documentary, the 1994 Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic documentary, the Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures A/V presentation (featuring photos, storyboards, sketches, music and dialogue from the film), screen tests, vintage newsreels, highlights from the 1960 Academy Awards ceremony, trailers and more. You'll also get an exclusive book filled with production photos, production art and a reproduction of the original theatrical press book. The Blu-ray version will feature 2 BD-50s, while the DVD version will be a 5-disc set. And let me tell you, I've now had the chance to see before and after images of the new 6K HD restoration for Blu-ray, taken from the original 65mm camera elements, and the difference is stunning.

http://digitalbits.com/#mytwocents Emphases mine.

After all the care reputedly given the restoration, it's hard to imagine this won't be reference material.

 

[RBFC]

Definitely a must for the collection.

Lee

 

[mep]

Ben-Hur: The 1925 Silent Version, the 2005 Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema documentary, the 1994 Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic documentary, the Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures A/V presentation (featuring photos, storyboards, sketches, music and dialogue from the film), screen tests, vintage newsreels, highlights from the 1960 Academy Awards ceremony, trailers and more. You'll also get an exclusive book filled with production photos, production art and a reproduction of the original theatrical press book. The Blu-ray version will feature 2 BD-50s, while the DVD version will be a 5-disc set.

Looks like Ben Hur has been reissued and resold so many times they should rename it Ben Whore. Didn't someone actually get killed making that movie and they left the death scene in there after getting the ok from the widow?

 

[RUR]

Didn't someone actually get killed making that movie and they left the death scene in there after getting the ok from the widow?

Hadn't heard that, but snopes says it's not true of the 1959 version. Read the article for at least one death during the filming of the 1926 version.

 

[RUR]

‘Ben-Hur’ Coming to Blu-ray Sept. 27

Film classic Ben-Hur, winner of 11 Oscars and starring Charlton Heston, is coming to Blu-ray Disc Sept. 27 as part of the Ben-Hur 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition from Warner Home Video.

Directed by William Wyler, the 1959 gladiator epic underwent a $1 million restoration -- frame by frame from an 8k scan of the original 65 mm camera negative, making it the highest resolution restoration ever completed by Warner.

“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, EVP and GM, theatrical catalog with WHV.

The Ben-Hur 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition will be available for $64.99 (three-disc Blu-ray), $49.92 (five-disc DVD set) and $20.97 (two-disc 50th Anniversary Edition DVD). Pre-book is Aug. 23.

and more here: http://www.homemediamagazine.com/warner/ben-hur-coming-blu-ray-sept-27-24259

Exciting to hear about the scope of restoration for this eagerly anticipated release. Amazon pre-order is already up.