Ben Hur- Four Disc Collector's Edition DVD Review:

Director William Wyler was a junior assistant on the 1925 version of Ben-Hur, which is included in the incredible four-disc collector’s edition of the film. With 100,000 costumes, 8,000 extras, and a running time of nearly four hours, Wyler’s Ben-Hur still stands as one of the most influential films of all time. The fantastic scope of the film uses a fictional character placed in a historical background, creating a film which has defined the meaning of epic in a way that has not been matched, and with the creation of digital extras and special effects, will not likely be replicated ever again.

Ben-Hur is a biblical era epic in which Jesus Christ’s story is shown through the eyes of fictional character Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman in Palestine. Ben-Hur encounters Jesus on numerous situations although his voice is never heard and his face is never seen. The story is of such grand scales from the very beginning to the famous chariot scene, guaranteeing the winning of eleven Academy Awards including Best Actor, Best Film and Best Director.

The film looks fantastic split over two discs, with colors popping off of the screen. It is easy to see why this film is so famous, with many shots which are to be rivaled even today. The third disc in this incredible set is the 1925 version of Ben-Hur, which is a silent film of grand scales. It cost four million dollars when it was made, which was an unheard of number in the twenties.

The film contains commentary by film historian T. Gene Hatcher, as well as select scene commentary by Charlton Heston. Heston spends most of the commentary complimenting actors while Hatcher does a great job giving tons of facts. He points out flubs and gives great insight. There is also the option of watching the film with only the musical score, something many people might never use, but a great addition just the same.

The package is a fat foldout cardboard sleeve which is fit into a cardboard case as well. It looks a bit more amazing than it is in reality, but the insert booklet is a great addition. The menus could have looked slightly better considering the package, and it also seems to me that the cover of the package looks slightly too light and cheerful for such a film.

Special Features:

2005 Documentary Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema:
This hour long documentary is essentially an examination of the film by industry players. As well as some of the people involved in the film such as William Wyler and Charlton Heston, there are comments by unrelated filmmakers who were influenced by the film. Directors of epics, such as George Lucas and Ridley Scott, compare the film to their experiences. Perhaps the most interesting comments come from Director of Photography Ernest Dickerson. The documentary runs at about an hour.

1994 Documentary Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic:
His documentary is as detailed as they come. It examines the story from the creation of the fictional character, to the book, to the play, and on to the films. It is so extensive and full of facts that not all may be convinced to sit through it. As often happens when providing information, it is possible to provide so much that it becomes slightly long or slow for some viewers. However, fans of the film will enjoy the facts given when the documentary advances to the point in which the film was made, a second time.

Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures:
This feature is essentially a series of photographs over the musical score. It runs at about five minutes, which is more than enough. Personally I would rather have seen the photos in a booklet in the package.

Screen Tests:
The highlight of the screen tests is a test by Leslie Nielson, something I never would have imagined.

Vintage Newsreels Gallery:
Highlights from the 4/4/60 Academy Awards Ceremony:
This roughly cut feature is most amazing because of its historical significance. It is also remarkable how different the awards were then.

Theatrical Trailer Gallery:



Ryan Izay