Ben Hur (1959) DVD

• 5.1 Dolby Digital (English)
• 5.1 Dolby Digital (French)
• Commentary by Film Historian T. Gene Hatcher
• Scene Specific Comments from Charlton Heston
• New Documentary: Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
• Current filmmakers such as Ridley Scott and George Lucas reflect on the importance and influence of the film
• 1994 Documentary: Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic Hosted by Christopher Plummer
• Directed by William Wyler - 1986 Emmy Award -nominated documentary featuring the last interview with Wyler before his death
• Featurette : Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures
• New audiovisual recreation of the film via stills, storyboards, sketches, music and dialogue
• Vintage Newsreels Gallery
• Highlights from the 1960 Academy Awards Ceremony
• Theatrical Trailer Gallery

Outtakes : Screen Tests:

• Leslie Nielsen and Cesare Danova
• Leslie Nielsen and Yale Wexler
• George Baker and William Russel
• Haya Harareet Hair and Make-up Tests

Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Hugh Griffith

The numbers speak volumes: 100,000 costumes, 8,000 extras, 300 sets and a staggering budget in its day the largest in movie history. Ben-Hur's creators made it the best, the greatest Biblical-era epic ever. Charlton Heston brings a muscular physical and moral presence to the role of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman in Palestine whose heroic odyssey includes enslavement by the Romans, a bold escape from an embattled slave galley, vengeance against his tormentors during a furious arena chariot race and fateful encounters with Jesus Christ. Heston's charismatic performance brought him the Best Actor Oscar; the winner as 1959's Best Picture with the legendary William Wyler earning his third Best Director trophy, the film won a total 11 Academy Awards - a tally unequaled until 1997's Titanic set sail.