Blu-ray Review: Ben-Hur (1959)

When you mention the term 'biblical epic', one film instantly leaps to mind above all others, despite Hollywood having produced numerous examples of the genre. That film is Ben-Hur, William Wyler's legendary tale of a Jewish prince who, freed from slavery in a Roman galley, battles his childhood friend - now Jerusalem's Roman consul - in a mammoth chariot race, meeting a certain carpenter from Nazareth along the way. Everything about Ben-Hur screams epic, from the pacing (slower than most films could get away with), to the scale, and even the poster design, where the title is seemingly chiselled out of rock, towering above human figures. Leading man Charlton Heston, the man whose very name has come to connote the epic, is a similarly towering presence in the film, his gravitas and authority overcoming any acting limitations. This is probably his finest performance, mastering a role that runs the gamut of emotions while also requiring immense physicality. (He spent months learning to drive a chariot himself.)

There's a good reason why Ben-Hur remains at the top of the pile amongst epics, because it's not only one of the most successful (its record-setting 11 Oscars remaining unbeaten, not to mention its box office haul): it's also one of the best. Only Spartacus, released a year later and motivated by Kirk Douglas losing out on the Ben-Hur role, challenges it amongst the sword 'n' sandal school. What makes it work on a level that, say, Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 The Ten Commandments fails to, is by treating the narrative as a human, character-driven story, rather than one where the epochal events drive the characters. Heston's Judah Ben-Hur feels like an active agent rather than a bystander. Anchoring the story in an intimate family struggle also engenders greater engagement with the protagonist plight, which is instrumental in holding the attention for three hours and forty minutes.

Of course, the film's most iconic sequence is the chariot race, and justifiably so. A brilliant combination of seamless scale and dynamic editing, it is this ferocious set-piece that elevates the film to the status of classic (and inspired George Lucas to imitate it in The Phantom Menace). It has been called the first modern action sequence, which may well be the case; with its superb construction, maintaining immense kineticism throughout and showcasing some jaw-dropping stunt work, other action sequences of the period pale in comparison. Just compare, say, the battles in Heston's next epic, the Spanish medieval adventure El Cid (1961): they're logistically impressive but dated and stodgy, which Ben-Hur's chariot race certainly is not.

While you would not call the rest of Ben-Hur modern, it did represent a clear step towards realism in the set design and costuming, which favours the naturalistic over gaudy Technicolor stylings. The lighting is also exemplary, Wyler content to bath swathes of his elaborate sets in deepest shadows, taking some inspiration from film noir. The pacing, on the other hand, is defiantly old-school; you could probably eliminate thirty minutes by just tightening most of the dialogue exchanges, without losing anything, and the middle section and the last hour or so after the chariot race do drag. But that was part of the deal with epics back in the day: the bigger the better, and they don't come much bigger than Ben-Hur.



 
Release Information
Country: US / Region: Free / Version: Fiftieth Anniversary Limited Edition / Discs: 3 / Distributor: Warner Bros.

Presentation
Ben-Hur has received an 8K restoration, one of the first of its kind, taking full advantage of the 65mm resolution to deliver a truly stunning image. There's almost no grain but DNR is nowhere to be found; this is entirely down to the large-format film stock. Detail is accordingly outstanding and colours shine through - just check out the reds of the Roman cloaks. The picture is stable throughout with not a speck of print damage or dirt having eluded the restorers. This is a grade-A job, and perhaps the best HD transfer of an older film yet seen. It really is like looking through a window at times. The only drawback is unavoidable - with such a wide aspect ratio (2.76:1) the black bars take up a lot of screen real estate.

There was less to work with in the sound department, the capabilities of 1950s recording equipment not quite equalling the visuals. Still, the 5.1 DTS-HD track is perfectly competent, giving Miklos Rosza's stirring score room to breathe; on the other hand, there's little depth or LFE.

Extras
This 3-disc set houses the film on two discs (to maintain the highest bitrate), divided by the intermission, while the third contains the extras. They consist of everything found on the 4-disc DVD, including two hour-long documentaries, the full 1925 silent film of Ben-Hur (even more impressive scale-wise than its remake), screen tests - including Leslie Nielsen! - and more. The documentaries are superb, one being a well-made Ted Turner-produced Making Of from the 1990s, the other a retrospective made for the 2005 DVD release. The commentary - mostly by film historian FX Feeney, but also with some input by the late Heston - is also present and correct.

These are further complimented for the Blu-ray by a brand new 80-minute documentary comprising home video footage shot by Heston's wife during the prolonged making of the film, also encompassing the actor's childhood, and with numerous interview contributors. This US release also contains a booklet featuring reproduced pages from the Heston's diary, which is truly fascinating and shows he was a highly intelligent man who thought deeply about his work. Finally, there's another book too, a large glossy photo book with numerous stills from the film and the production. (The UK release excludes these physical extras and the fancy packaging but is much cheaper - the choice is yours.)



Summary
Ben-Hur epitomises the Hollywood epic, and remains a stirring adventure. The chariot race is justifiably legendary; the rest of the film, sometimes overwrought and sluggish, slightly less so. It probably hasn't looked or sounded better since its premiere.