Ben-Hur [DVD] [1959]

I collect classic films. This is a must have. I am not just saying this either. I cannot emphasise how great and spectacular this film is. Its one of the Golden Classics which any collector would love to have. Watch when CH finds his mother and sister. Watch when Jesus is crucified. The chariot race is I could say is the greatest chariot race on this earth. I am going to give this film 10 out of 10. An absolute masterpiece. Really well worth buying so you can watch it again. This is a collectors set. It comes as 2 DVD's. The second DVD also is a bonus due to the fact that it shows an earlier filming of the same film many years before this one. The original is in black and white. Not in colour. A masterpiece of filming. On the black and white version, they has 42 cameras all over the place. Absolutely brilliant. PC. 11. 05. 2018. PS. I could go on and on about this film. But it is well worth buying.

This is a piece of movie history so should be in any film buff's collection. The picture quality was very good with sharp bright vibrant colours. I have seen sharper, but that is to be expected as it is an old film. Sound is not bad for Blu Ray as the levels are much more synced in with the human ear. Most Blu Rays I find have ridiculous sound levels as the speech is so low you can't hear it unless unless you turn the volume up all the way. The problem with that is that as soon as some music starts, you will blow your windows out. This disc thankfully didn't suffer from that as much as most. I have the same film on DVD which still has far superior sound levels (I can hear what they are saying without turning the volume up, yippee!) but visually this is much better.It's a long one, but some serious eye candy and a very well crafted film that doesn't flag which is surprising considering the epic run time. I'd recommend it.

ALONG WITH SPARTACUS, MADE THE YEAR AFTER IN 1960, THIS HAS TO BEONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES OF THE MAGICAL BRILLIANCE OF FILM MAKING FROM HOLLYWOODS GOLDEN AGE BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY CANNOT MAKE FILMS OF THIS QUALITY NOW !. THE SHEER QUEST FOR BRILLIANCE AND PERFECTION IN EVERY SCENE BY EVERYONE INVOLVED REQUIRES A COMMITMENT AND EFFORT WHICH MOST ACTORS NOW DAYS SEEM UNABLE TO MUSTER AS WELL AS DIRECTORS SADLY. ITS A TRIUMPH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT IN BOTH THE STORY AND IN THE MAKING OF IT. THE RESTORATION IS SUPER TO !.

Bought used, arrived on time and in the condition advertised.My teen kids have taken a liking to the old Hollywood 'epics' ever since I told them the numbers of human actors/extras that were used in the big scenes - it came as a surprise to them it wasn't CGI - so they watch the large scenes in awe.Ben Hur is, of course, a classic epic movie and about as good as it gets. I'm not overly bothered about buying DVD rather than the higher resolution Bluray due to the age of the movie .... we have more DVD players than Bluray payers and the lower DVD cost, plus all the extras (no pun intended) that the special edition DVDs have, often make the DVDs a better choice for us.In my opinion this is a far better movie than the recent remake.

Excellent set. The three region free discs are the same as in the Limited Numbered US Box set release. Both 1959 and 1923 releases look just about as good as they ever will-- which is terrific. Indeed, the 1959 looks on my upscaling (t0 2160) Samsung hd blu-ray player, likes REAL 4K! Amazing. Don't hesitate to order if you want both films without the hard-to-find, now expensive US limited edition box.

A true cinema classic,the picture and sound quality is superb.The 1959 version is presented in it's correct 2.55-1 which makes for slightly more extreme letterbox.The added attraction is that amongst the many extras we have the Thames Silents Kevin Brownlow restored version of the Ramon Novarro silent version fully tinted with two tone Technicolor sequences,the only two sections in black & white are the galley battle and the chariot race.I fondly remember seeing this version at the London Palladium with a full orchestra.One wish I have though that is one day someone will transfer the version that I saw at the N.F.T. in which the main part of the film is presented in 35mm 1.33-1 then the screen opens up for the galley battle & chariot race in 70mm it was incredible to watch.

Judah Ben Hur is reunited with his childhood friend Messala who is a Roman and has been promoted to tribune of Jerusalem. After a disagreement over religion and Ben Hur refusing to name Jewish citizen who oppose Rome, Messala ends up condemning him to a life time of slavery and his mother and sister are sent to the dungeons. Ben Hur however gains his freedom and returns to Jerusalem for revenge.Charlton Heston was born to play Ben Hur, he has a imposing physical stature and a brings life to the character, some of the scenes really stuck in my mind, the ones where he discovers his mother and sister are plagued by leprosy, his confrontation with Messala trying to prove their innocence and his encounters with Jesus Christ. Stephen Boyd is menacing as Messala, his cruel face and hardened voice make his character seem even more evil and after watching the extra features I did notice the sexual undertones hinted at between him and Ben Hur. The rest of the cast features talanted actors such as Jack Hawkins as a Roman General who Ben Hur saves the life of, Frank Thring as Pontius Pilate and Hugh Griffith as the wealthy Arab Sheik Ilderim.As everyone who has seen this film will know the two key scenes in the film are the naval battle and the Chariot race. Both scenes are impressively staged but its defiantly the race that really stands out as a perfect example of classic film making without any use of CGI but all the excitement anyone could ask for. The scenes where the fellow riders are killed are as brutal as any you will see in a film today, most notably Messala's death as he trampled as his chariot flips over.Overall a classic Hollywood epic filled with a cast of thousands, impressive sets and a haunting score by Miklos Rozsa that's a must see.DVD Quality is very good and a duel sided disc, the second side features a very interesting documentary about the making of both the silent version and the 1959 versions of Ben Hur.