In this Biblical epic, Jewish nobleman Ben Hur (Heston) struggles against Roman tyranny in 1st century Palestine. No Track Information Available Media Type: DVD Artist: HESTON/HAWKINS/BOYD/HARAREET/G Title: BEN-HUR (1959) Street Release Date: 01/16/2007 Domestic Genre: ACTION / ADVENTURE
Ben-Hur scooped an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards® in 1959 and, unlike some later rivals, richly deserved every single one. This is epic filmmaking on a scale that had not been seen before and is unlikely ever to be seen again. But it's not just running time or a cast of thousands that makes an epic, it's the subject matter, and here the subject--Prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) and his estrangement from old Roman pal Messala (Stephen Boyd)--is rich, detailed, and sensitively handled. Director William Wyler, who had been a junior assistant on MGM's original silent version back in 1925, never sacrifices the human focus of the story in favor of spectacle, and is aided immeasurably by Miklos Rozsa's majestic musical score, arguably the greatest ever written for a Hollywood picture. At four hours it's a long haul (especially given some of the portentous dialogue), but all in all, Ben-Hur is a great movie, best seen on the biggest screen possible. --Mark Walker
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Timeless Epic:
Ben-Hur (Four-Disc Collector's Edition) This is the best American movie ever made. Everything is done superbly. Great story, outstanding acting, fantastic picture made with 65mm cameras, masterful music score. It is hard to find anything bad about this movie. Aspect ratio of this movie is incredible 2.76:1. On standard 4:3 TV black bars will occupy more space than the movie itself. This method creates spectacular panoramic shots which is important for epic movies with great action scenes.more info
Classic:
Ben-Hur is an epic tale of childhood friends who ended up on opposite sides of a very harsh line in the time of Christ. The movie is an undeniable classic, and epic in every way. Fun to watch, powerful, touching at times - a must see!
The Zenith of Biblical Epics:
First time I saw this film was on the big screen during it's 10th anniversary re-release in 1969 when I was 12. Couldn't take my eyes off it! It has everything a 12 year old kid wants in a film: action, adventure, visual splendor and even an emotional story that you can learn something from. We all know the story about two childhood friends, one Jew, the other a Roman, caught up in the turbulent times of Roman imperialism only to be split apart as adults due to their own ideology and becoming bitter... more info
The very definition of epic:
This movie is long, and those weaned on MTV might find it overly long. However, the story takes you away to another world, the story arc interweaving a revenge epic with the Christian tale. The wonderful thing about it is that the Jesus story is not forced and interweaves naturally with the plot. Charlton Heston is at his best here, and this movie would count among the best ten ever made.
