A few words about...™ Ben-Hur -- in Blu-ray - Page 7

I should have been more clear. I wonder if the age of the film is an issue as to how it is scanned. Would a modern print need a higher res scan ?

Okay, so I am a little late to the party....

 

I held off purchasing Ben Hur on Blu-ray until the price

was just right.  Last week Barnes and Noble was offering

a 30% off sale and I nabbed the boxed set for just under 

$29 which I felt was an enticing price.

 

Since I am on vacation this week, I am spending time 

in front of my large display enjoying classics like these.

 

The boxed set is beautiful.  Despite the fact that Warner

tends to put out these pricey boxed sets full of junk, at

least Ben Hur seems smartly put together.  The inclusion

of a color book as well as Charlton Heston's personal diary

were very interesting to look through.

 

Didn't get to watch all the supplements, but I did spend

a lot of time with the newsreel and promotional footage

which I found fascinating -- particularly the inclusion of

the 1960 Academy Awards highlights.  One of these days

I am going to watch the 1925 silent version of the film.

 

As for the film itself....

 

It's gorgeous!  One of the best (if not the best) restorations

I have seen.  The film looks gloriously incredible.  I don't

think I saw a single scratch in the print.  

 

It has been years since I have seen the film (and I have

only seen it once previously) so excuse me for the following

observations:

 

There were two instances where I noticed missing frames.

One scene involved Heston and Hawkins in the ship cabin.

The other was during the chariot race where a horse suddenly

jumps ahead a few feet.   Just nitpicking.

 

Also rather surprised that the filmmakers darkened the

frontal view of Jesus during the trial.  It's rather obvious

and I don't quite understand why the need to do so.

 

If you can find this boxed set on sale, it's a necessity 

to purchase.  This is one of the finest films ever made 

and Warner should be exceptionally proud with the job

they did on this restoration.   I simply sat and marveled

at all of it.

 

 

 

I finally got around to it yesterday, part one and tonight was part two.

Bought it at Walmart awhile ago, movie only version.

I wasn't surprised that Jesus face was blurred out near the end because they never showed his face any other time in the movie. Although for a split instance he walks away from that blur and is face is there but even on my 73" I couldn't really see the face clearly.

First time I have seen the movie since the special Ed. DVD came out years ago. The blu looked and sounded great?

RAH is right. If 8K is scanning perf to perf, then that portion of the resolution ratio is constant. The only difference is how much is taken in horizontally, since IMAX runs sideways through the projector @ 15 perf per frame, yielding a native AR of ~1.43:1.

I'm one of the lucky ones that scored the Best Buy version of the big box with the figurine for $12.99.
Even though the web site showed no stock at any stores near me, one had two in stock. I grabbed both, one to keep and one for a gift.
As to the film itself, as others have noted, it's absolutely stunning.
This release is what Blu Ray is all about.

A former filmmaker and lifelong movie fan, I built a giant screen home theater. From the moment the idea was conceived, I was hoping for a high quality Blu Ray release of "Ben-Hur". The 50th Anniversary edition that came out this year is an absolutely supreme experience on our screen. I saw it about a month after its premiere at Loews State Theater in NYC, and saw it numerous times thereafter in first-run theaters around the country. The Blu Ray restoration more closely approximates that original 70mm experience than I could ever have thought possible. I have seen a very promising looking HD airing of "Lawrence of Arabia" on the SonyHD channel. It was in a narrower format than the original, but it looked very sharp, with vibrant color. Do you know if "Lawrence" will be out in a U.S. Blu Ray edition anytime soon? As an obsessive aficionado, I long to see this one, and numerous other long neglected titles become available in Hi Def. One other question: Can anyone discover if the original cut of Carl Foreman's "The Victors" (1963) might ever be seen again?

Ron, the jump cut in the ship scene has always been there - even in 70mm prints. There was additional dialogue filmed (to do with Hawkins discussing the death of his wife and son I believe) which was cut before theatrical showings. I haven't checked to look at the horse scene.

For the last couple years, the rumor has always seemed to be "Lawrence Of Arabia is coming to Blu-ray later this year" but since this year is the 50th anniversary, maybe it will actually come out this this year.

My only nit-picking quibble with the new restoration is that the "shadow" over Jesus's face during the trial scene was a subtler effect in the original road-show screenings. It was never a really effective, convincing device, but somehow looks even more awkward in the restoration. To me, this is such a minor issue, involving a few seconds out of a 220 minute picture, that it is of no consequence. I did wonder what the restorers were struggling with when dealing with that shot.

 

 

 

Exactly.  Did not understand that.  They couldn't get a guy

with a beard that looks like Jesus rather than just placing a

shadow over his face that looks like a black blotch on this

restoration?

Perhaps I am being too simple, but I always inferred that this effect was an attempt on the filmakers' part to make Jesus "unknowable" in a sense - so exalted that anyone who gazed upon Him would see his or her own interpretation - or truth -if you will. I had never considered that it might be some kind of defect, in fact, I always found it rather moving. But, again, perhaps my impression of this effect is naive.

Right now the price of the box is so close to the price of the 2-disc BR I'm thinking I'll buy the box.
Is everyone satisfied with the color on this Blu-ray? the black level?
I have reasons for asking, and I want to be reassured before I spend the money.

FWIW, to my eyes, it's perfect.
And the box is really nicely done.

I would agree with your interpretation. The only problem with this one shot is that the effect they employed to obscure the face looks so unnatural and strange. As noted, something about the hi def restoration makes the problem more serious.

For anyone who purchased the UK version, can you confirm that the audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1? The website says something about it being Dolby Digital 5.1. The last thing I want on a blu-ray is compressed audio. Thanks.

The back of the case says DTS-HD Master 5.1 for English, Dolby Digital 5.1 for the other languages.

It is.

Hi, Fritz,

I saw your DVD cover of Ben Hur and really liked it. Is it possible that I download it somehow?

If anyone is a fan of the great score by Miklos Rozsa be advised that it is now available from Filmscore Monthly and can be ordered from ScreenArchives.com. This is a 5 cd disc complete version that includes the original soundtrack recording, alternates as well as the three MGM Lp versions released at the time the film was released. Limited to 2000 copies. The samples sound wonderful.

Yeah, great score by MR. I like popping in my blu-rays of these epics as I do dishes. By the time they are done with the overture and credits music, and then the opening few minutes of the movie, I'm usually getting close to getting the dishes done. But just listening to the music pure would be a good thing.

I do love the higher sound quality that blu-rays have. Isn't it higher than CDs?

Most definitely.
 

 

I think the best way to do it, is to PM Fritz requesting the cover.

The blu-ray box set is the "deal of the day" at amazon today, 2/27/12, for $28.99.

Ben-Hur is coming to theaters this week for one day only.

It's playing in my hometown Louisville, KY, at the local Cinemark Tinseltown theater this coming Thursday at 2 and 7. This is a nice theater. Find out if you have a theater near you playing this classic--which deserves to be seen on the big screen. The chariot race, ramming speed, and more, like you've probably never seen it before...The link below can be used to look for your local Cinemark theater (if any):

http://www.cinemark.com/

Here's another link for this particular movie:

http://www.cinemark.com/movie-detail.aspx?node_id=50971

Does anyone know if this will be higher res than our blu-rays? Is it 4k?
Edited by benbess - 3/10/12 at 7:27am

I've seen Ben Hur on the big screen, and agree that it is a different experience. Thanks for the heads up.

I saw Ben Hur back in November on the big screen as part of the Cinema Series in Canada, and it was almost like seeing it for the first time. The only problems were:

1) The projectionist cut off the music at the end of Part 1 just as the screen went to black and before the "Intermission" card came up- then forwarded through the first couple minutes of Part 2.

2) There was no intermission - there was 4 minutes of music between part 1 and 2 for people to "take a break".

Also, our cinema showed the blu ray discs - the theater doors were open as they were getting ready, and they had the blu ray title menu up on the screen.

This is the first time I've posted at this site. I always enjoy the comments and discussion.
I saw the presentation of Ben-Hur at a Cinemark Theater in early February. It was projected on an IMAX type screen named XD. It looked amazing. They showed the complete film including overture & intermission with entr'acte music. Before the film began a message was shown on the screen explaining that a musical interlude would precede the film. The same type of message preceded the entr'acte music. A few people giggled as the overture began, but you could hear a pin drop throughout the rest of the showing.

I've seen Ben-Hur several times in 70 mm projection including its original showing at NYC's
Loew's State Theater. I also have the recent blu-ray disc. One of the things I always look for is during the scene of the sermon on the mount. When Christ is shown in the foreground Judah is walking in the very far background; he can clearly be seen in this presentation. The sound was also excellent. It sounded as if the orchestra was plaing live behind the screen. On the negative side, I believe that the full width of the frame may have been slightly cut off. All in all it was quite impressive. If I have the time I will try to see it again at a Cinemark in Boca Raton on a conventional theater screen this week (3/15/12).

As an aside, this has been an amazing year for Ben-Hur fans. Film Score Monthly has released a wonderful complete soundtrack of Rozsa's score including alternate takes and the complete 3 LP
releases of years ago.

cinemel1: Thanks very much for this report! I'm going with my family this Thursday at 2 pm. I'm looking forward to it!

No such luck. Looks like my Cinemark will only be playing Casablanca (March 21) which I'm not a big enough fan to go and see on the big screen.