Ben-Hur 50th Anniversay Collection Giveaway
October 2nd 2011 04:38
William Wyler’s Ben-Hur (1959) is one of my all time favorite movies. The characters are engaging with action pack adventure. I always think of the chariot race when someone mentions Ben Hur – it is pure entertainment.
If you are into cinematography, this movie is a cut above the rest – true product of the days of Hollywood when special effects consisted of great camera work. I can’t think of any other movie that surpasses the grandeur of Ben-Hur.
At the time of production, the production for Ben-Hur was $15 million, making it one of the most expensive movies ever made. If you view the movie on screen, you’d agree. The production consisted of 100,000 costumes, 15,000 extras and more than 300 sets. The chariot race scene as an example endures three months to completion. Wyler had no computer-generated graphics to create the venue. Instead, the stunning spectacle around which the nine chariots raced was built within an open 18 acres lot, making it the largest film set ever.
Not only that, but Charlton Heston spent a month training to drive the chariot. Sure, stuntmen were hired to perform the trickier maneuvers and dummies were used for those unfortunate competitors who ended up trampled to death. Ben-Hur grossed $90 million at the box office, was 1959's highest-grossing film and saved studio MGM from bankruptcy.
Now, you can watch it at home on a giant screen with the movie completely remastered. You will appreciate this Blu-ray package with booklets and other extras you enhance your viewing pleasure. I can safely say this is the closest near-perfect version we will ever see.
Ben-Hur took home an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards in 1959 and clearly deserved every single one. Prince Judah Ben-Hur (Heston) and his estrangement from old Roman pal Messala (Stephen Boyd) is grand in detailed, and sensitively portrayed. Directed by William Wyler, who was the junior assistant on MGM's original silent version in 1925, the story is magnificent and never sacrifices the human focus in favor of spectacle. Miklos Rozsa's grandiose musical score, notably one of the greatest ever written for a Hollywood picture. At four hours it's a long tale but worth every moment.
Available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and for Download 9/27! Please make sure you Like Ben-Hur on Facebook and Follow Ben-Hur on Twitter.
Screenhead has One (1) DVD box set to giveaway. Please post your name here and I will pick the winner October 25, 2011.
| 20 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog