Ben-Hur [Fiftieth Anniversary] [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]

Director: William Wyler, Sam Zimbalist

Overview

This 1959 version of Lew Wallace's best-selling novel, which had already seen screen versions in 1907 and 1926, went on to win 11 Academy Awards. Adapted by Karl Tunberg and a raft of uncredited writers including Gore Vidal and Maxwell Anderson, the film once more recounts the tale of Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), who lives in Judea with his family during the time that Jesus Christ was becoming known for his "radical" teachings. Ben-Hur's childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) is now an ambitious Roman tribune; when Ben-Hur refuses to help Messala round up local dissidents on behalf of the emperor, Messala pounces on the first opportunity to exact revenge on his onetime friend. Tried on a trumped-up charge of attempting to kill the provincial governor (whose head was accidentally hit by a falling tile), Ben-Hur is condemned to the Roman galleys, while his mother (Martha Scott) and sister (Cathy O'Donnell) are imprisoned. But during a sea battle, Ben-Hur saves the life of commander Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins), who, in gratitude, adopts Ben-Hur as his son and gives him full control over his stable of racing horses. Ben-Hur never gives up trying to find his family or exact revenge on Messala. At crucial junctures in his life, he also crosses the path of Jesus, and each time he benefits from it. The highlight of the film's 212 minutes is its now-legendary chariot race, staged largely by stunt expert Yakima Canutt. Ben-Hur's Oscar haul included Best Picture, Best Director for the legendary William Wyler, Best Actor for Heston, and Best Supporting Actor for Welsh actor Hugh Griffith as an Arab sheik.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/07/2012
UPC:	0883929209422
Original Release:	1959
Rating:	G
Source:	Warner Home Video
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	3:42:00
Sales rank:	242

Special Features

Commentary by Film Historian T. Gene Hatcher with Charlton Heston; Music-Only Track Showcasing Mikl?s R?zsa's Award-Winning Score; Theatrical Trailers

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Charlton Heston	Judas Ben-Hur
Jack Hawkins	Quintus Arrius
Stephen Boyd	Messala
Haya Harareet	Esther
Martha Scott	Miriam
Sam Jaffe	Actor
Cathy O'Donnell	Actor
Finlay Currie	Actor
Frank Thring	Actor
George Relph	Actor
Marina Berti	Actor
Hugh Griffith	Actor
Terence Longdon	Actor
Adi Berber	Actor,Malluch
Claude Heater	Actor
Jose Greci	Actor
Richard Hale	Actor
Dino Fazio	Actor
Stella Vitelleschi	Actor
Laurence Payne	Actor
John Horsley	Actor
Richard Coleman	Actor
Duncan Lamont	Actor
Ralph Truman	Actor
Reginald Lal Singh	Actor
David Davies	Actor
Dervis Ward	Actor
Mino Doro	Actor
Robert Brown	Actor,Actor
John Glenn	Actor
Maxwell Shaw	Actor
Emilio Carrer	Actor,Rower No. 28
Tutte Lemkow	Actor
Howard Lang	Actor,Actor
Ferdy Mayne	Actor,Captain of Rescue Ship
John Le Mesurier	Actor
Aldo Mozele	Actor
Thomas O'Leary	Actor
Noel Sheldon	Actor
Hector Ross	Actor
Al Silvani	Man in Nazareth
Bill Kuehl	Actor
Aldo Silvani	Actor
Diego Pozzetto	Actor
Michael Cosmo	Actor
Aldo Pial	Actor
Remington Olmstead	Actor
Victor De La Fosse	Actor
Enzo Fiermonte	Actor
Hugh Billingsley	Actor
Tiberio Mitri	Actor
Pietro Tordi	Actor
Otello Capanna	Actor
Luigi Marra	Actor
Cliff Lyons	Actor
Edward J. Auregul	Actor
Joe Yrigoyen	Actor
Alfredo Danesi	Actor
Raimondo Van Riel	Actor
Michael Dugan	Actor
Andr? Morell	Sextus
Joe Canutt	Actor
Les Ballets Africains	Dancers at Roman Banquet
Karl Tunberg	Actor
Carmen Hohenlohe	Guest at Banquet
John Zaccaro	Actor
Franco Fantasia	Roman Soldier Who Brings Crown to Gratus
Fortunato Arena	Soldier
Bruno Arie	Roman Officer
Emma Baron	Jewish Woman
Lando Buzzanca	Jewish Slave in the Desert
Antonio Corevi	Senator
Liana del Balzo	Guest at Banquet
Giuliano Gemma	Roman Officer with Messala
Mikl?s R?zsa	Composer

Technical Credits

Karl Tunberg

Lew Wallace

Maxwell Anderson

S.N. Behrman

Christopher Fry

Gore Vidal

Karl Tunberg	Screenwriter
Joseph Vogel	Executive Producer,Producer
Sam Zimbalist	Producer
A. Arnold Gillespie	Special Effects
Robert MacDonald	Special Effects
Milo Lory	Sound Effects
Umberto Dessena	Special Effects
Bill Babcock	Stunts
Sash Fisher	Sound Effects
Lew Wallace	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Sol C. Siegel	Executive Producer,Producer
Franklin Milton	Sound Effects
William Steinkamp	Sound Effects
Van Allen James	Sound Effects
Maxwell Anderson	Screenwriter
S.N. Behrman	Screenwriter
Christopher Fry	Screenwriter
Gore Vidal	Screenwriter
J.J. Cohn	Producer

Editorial Reviews

After more than 40 years, one of the few biblical epics that doesn’t sacrifice humanity for spectacle, Ben-Hur -- an international box-office smash of legendary proportions and the winner of a then-unprecedented 11 Academy Awards -- still retains its power to enthrall viewers. This third movie adaptation of Lew Wallace’s bestselling novel provided Charlton Heston with perhaps his most memorable role: proud Jewish aristocrat Judah Ben-Hur, falsely accused of a crime and sold into slavery, later to confront his Roman enemies and have his life transformed by contact with Jesus Christ. Director William Wyler (Best Years of Our Lives) ensured success by surrounding himself with some of the industry’s greatest artisans, many of them rewarded with Oscars for their contributions to this flawlessly produced movie. Technical perfection aside, Wyler rated his Best Director Oscar for his superb handling of a fine cast including Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, and Sam Jaffe. But Ben-Hur’s undisputed highlight remains the climactic, breathtaking chariot race, for which Heston and Boyd did most of their own stunt work. That race, and the film’s other spectacular sequences, can now be fully appreciated by home viewers in the newly mastered, wide-screen DVD edition, which augments the film with an illuminating commentary by Heston. Other extras include a documentary on the production ("The Making of an Epic"), a gallery of stills, a theatrical trailer, and recently discovered screen tests.