Alright, inside the housing are four discs, each containing extra content. For the sake of coherence, I'm going to start with the first disc and evaluate the extras as they play out, then move on to the second, third and fourth discs in the set.

DISCS ONE AND TWO:

Seeing as the feature itself is spread over two discs, it makes sense that the extra features that pertain specifically to the movie itself would also be spread out with it, and that's how it is on this release - supplements on these two discs are limited to two alternate audio tracks, the first of which is a commentary, and the second of which is the isolated film score.

The commentary track is provided by T. Gene Hatcher, a film historian and author, with selected scene specific comments provided by the star of the film, Charlton Heston. The two participants were recorded separately from one another, with Heston's comments covering roughly a quarter to a third of the film and Hatcher's filling up the rest. This makes for a very interesting track that does a nice job of providing the anecdotal with the academic and between the two of them, they provide a wealth of information. Heston's memory was pretty sharp when this was recorded and he's got a lot to say about the time he spent on the set as he goes into a lot of detail about some of his co-stars and how their relationships were, as well as how he feels about how the movie turned out in contrast to his experiences while making it. He of course has a lot to say about the chariot race sequence and the final crucifixion scene and having the chance to listen to the film that he had such a huge part in making a classic is a joy. Hatcher does an excellent job of filling in the rest of the track, as he's got a ton of technical and factual information about the movie to offer as well. He details shot set ups, set design, casting decisions, and biographical information about the director and the stars. He talks about the novel by Lew Wallace that the film was based on and how it differs from the film and he gives us plenty of interesting historical trivia notes and background details that really add to the appreciation one has for the film. There is very little dead air or blank spaces in this track. It's edited together very well and Heston and Hatcher do a fine job of complementing the material that the other has to offer, resulting in an excellent commentary track that essentially provides us with a crash course in the history of this important film.

The alternate track including the film's score by Miklos Rozsa is a nice touch. The film really benefits from a few truly powerful musical pieces and having the chance to listen to them sans dialogue is a treat as they're just as emotive and strong without the action playing out over top as they are with the added dialogue and sound effects.

DISC THREE:

The solitary supplement on the third disc in the set comes in the form of the 1925 version of Ben-Hur. This black and white silent film runs for over a hundred and forty minutes and while it isn't as entertaining as the later version is, it's technically very impressive and Warner's decision to include it on this release should be commended as it makes for a very interesting comparison to the Heston version of the story. Interestingly enough, this version used forty eight cameras to film the sea battle sequence, a record for the time, and the results are pretty amazing and much more intense in this version of the scene than in the color version. Fred Niblo's direction is stylish and much more visually accomplished than many films of this era and he makes excellent use of the stark black and white canvas and through some clever cinematography makes his film a very unique looking picture. The chariot race sequence is also incredibly well done in this version, with some very cool camera angels such as the one where you see the carts race past you from the ground's view making for an interesting watch. Ramon Novarro makes for a likeable hero while Francis Bushman is a burly and intense Messala. Though the lead role lacks the charisma and attitude that Heston brought to his performance, this is still a fine film with fine performances and it's presence on DVD is very welcome.

DISC FOUR:

First up on this disc is the 1993 documentary, The Making Of Ben-Hur. Running a brisk fifty eight minutes in length, this featurette provides a detailed look behind the scenes at the making of a classic. Christopher Plummer's narration adds an air of class to the proceedings as we voyage back to fifties through plenty of behind the scenes photographs, behind the scenes footage and interview with those who were there. This documentary also does a very good job of detailing the origins of the story, how it made the transition from book to stage play to silent film and then finally to the 1959 spectacular we all know now. Pretty much everything you've ever wanted to know about the many incarnations of Ben-Hur is covered in this segment and it makes for a very interesting watch that complements the feature attraction very nicely.

A second documentary, also clocking in at roughly fifty eight minutes in length, is provided entitled Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema. This brand new featurette features comments and interview clips with director William Wyler, lead actor Charlton Heston, producer Arnon Milchen, fans and fellow directors like Ridley Scott and George Lucas (both of whom state Ben-Hur as a big influence on their own careers), as well as others involved in the production such as two cinematographers, costume designers, an editor and even Michael Douglas who pops in for a minute or so. The focus of this documentary isn't the making of the movie like it was in the first one but more how the film changed Hollywood and film making in general. Those interviewed discuss how the film changed or affected their careers or how it influenced them personally and this documentary does a nice job of exploring what made the 1959 version of Ben-Hur so good – the sets, the performances, the direction, the editing, the cinematography, the score and the costumes. A lot of this might come off as kissing up to the filmmakers but there's a sincerity behind it all that overrides a lot of that and it's interesting to see just how many people hold this film in such high regard and even more interesting to find out just why they do.

Up next is Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures which is essentially a glorified still gallery, albeit a very nice one. Clocking in at just over five minutes in length and presented in slideshow format, we're treated to publicity stills, behind the scenes pictures, conceptual artwork and some interesting promotional artwork as well, all set to music and audio clips from the film itself playing out over top of the images.

After that, there are a wealth of Screen Tests included. While we did see some of this material in the first documentary on this disc, this section presents the tests in their complete form. It's interesting to see the various actors included in here and to imagine what the film would have been like had one of the alternates been cast instead of the performers we're all so familiar with. Included in this section are: Cesare Denova playing the role of Ben-Hur, Leslie Nielson as Messala, Yale Wexler as Judah, George Baker as Ben-Hur, and William Russell as Messala.

Six Newsreel Clips run roughly nine minutes and they document the film's premiere in a few major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo. The film's landslide victory at the Academy Awards is also covered, as is some footage of Charlton Heston greeting attendees at a couple of different screenings. None of these clips are all that revelatory, but they are a fun look back at the movie when it was a brand new phenomena, and not a renowned classic as it is now.

Rounding out the video supplements is a Highlight Reel From The 1960 Academy Awards where the film took home a wealth of gold statues that night. There are a few spots where the sound goes bad and those segments play out silently but the bulk of the almost ten minutes of footage contained in this segment plays out just fine with proper sound. While the newsreel clip shows some of this material, it doesn't show nearly as much as is contained herein and this is a nice look back at how the Oscars were over forty years ago.

A selection of five different trailers for the film rounds out the extra features on the disc. Inside the packaging is a fancy thirty six page full color booklet that contains a reproduction of the film's original program that was available during its original theatrical run that contains some nice promotional photographs as well as the complete cast and crew listing for the movie.

This four disc special edition of Ben-Hur combines nearly flawless video quality with an excellent audio mix and scores of interesting and well put together extra features. The presentation is amazing and the overall package is a fantastic tribute to a truly epic film that has stood the test of time very well. This one gets high marks all the way around and has earned itself the DVD Talk Collector's Series seal of approval!

Ian lives in NYC with his wife where he writes for DVD Talk, runs Rock! Shock! Pop!. He likes NYC a lot, even if it is expensive and loud.