Posted Tue May 17, 2011 at 12:00 PM PDT by Tom Landy
Details are slowly trickling in for one of the greatest epics of all time planned for Blu-ray release this year!
As previously reported, Warner Brothers is working on 'Ben-Hur: Ultimate Collector's Edition' for a Blu-ray release sometime in 2011.
Directed by William Wyler, the winner of 11 Oscars (including Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture) tells the tale of a Jewish prince (Charlton Heston) who is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend and not only regains his freedom, but also comes back for revenge.
For its 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition release, the film is being meticulously restored with a newly minted frame-by-frame transfer from the original 65mm negative at a resolution of 6k (six times the resolution of the previous DVD edition).
The Blu-ray release will contain two BD-50 Blu-ray discs (or five DVDs in the standard-definition version shown at the end of this article) and loads of special features including the brand new Charlton Heston & Ben-Hur A Personal Journey -- a feature length documentary chronicling the life of the actor while making the film. The feature is composed of behind-the-scenes footage, rare Heston home movies, and much more.
Other bonuses include: Ben-Hur, A Journey Through Pictures: An audiovisual re-creation assembled using stills, storyboards, sketches, music, dialogue and other archive materials; Ben Hur: The 1925 Silent Film; 2005 Documentary, Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema; 1994 Documentary, Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic; Original Screen Tests; Vintage Newsreel Gallery; Highlights from the 4/4/60 Academy Awards Ceremony; and a Theatrical Trailer Gallery.
Inside the package will also be two collectible books, with the first being "Charlton Heston: The Ben-Hur Diaries" -- an in-depth look at the actor's experiences during filmmaking with personal photos and some of Charlton Heston's sketches.
A second book will be packed with rare photographs, production artwork, and reproductions from the original theatrical press book.
You can find the latest specs for 'Ben-Hur: Ultimate Collector's Edition' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under PENDING.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.