Next month, Warner Home Entertainment will reissue Ben-Hur on a 50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray edition. Director William Wyler's Biblical epic stars Charlton Heston (Planet of the Apes) as the title character, a Jewish nobleman whose rivalry with boyhood friend - and current commander of the Roman garrison - Messala (Stephen Boyd, The Fall of the Roman Empire) results in a journey that sees Ben-Hur enslaved and forced to fight for his life.
One of the most acclaimed films of all time, Ben-Hur swept the awards at the 1960 Oscars Ceremony, winning the following:
Best Picture
Best Director: William Wyler
Best Leading Actor: Charlton Heston
Best Supporting Actor: Hugh Griffith
Best Set Decoration, Color: Edward C. Carfagno, William A. Horning, & Hugh Hunt
Best Cinematography, Color: Robert Surtees
Best Costume Design, Color: Elizabeth Haffenden
Best Special Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie, Robert MacDonald, & Milo B. Lory
Best Film Editing: John D. Dunning and Ralph E. Winters
Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: Miklós Rózsa
Best Sound: Franklin Milton
Warner's four-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack presents the film in its original aspect ratio of 2.75:1 with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The disc also retains the following special features from the Ultimate Collector's Edition:
Commentary by film historian T. Gene Hatcher and Charlton Heston
Music-only track showcasing Miklós Rózsa's score
Theatrical trailers
Previously available as a Best Buy-exclusive, this version of Ben-Hur expands its release schedule to retailers everywhere on February 7th.