Ben-Hur (1959) (Ultimate Collector's Edition)

[HillSprinter]

Originally Posted by Suicide Stu

I watched the remake and it almost made me do myself in.

It’s frankly amazing you’re still with us Stu.

[Driver78]

There was a Ben-Hur remake? Was it a Netflix exclusive or something? First I'm hearing about it.

[CrimsonLegionVMCXIX]

Originally Posted by Driver78

There was a Ben-Hur remake? Was it a Netflix exclusive or something? First I'm hearing about it.

No, theatrical release. I think 2016. It's an hour and a half shorter than the 1959 version. Technically not a remake since all these films are based on a book.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by Driver78

There was a Ben-Hur remake? Was it a Netflix exclusive or something? First I'm hearing about it.

1925 was the first feature length and then William Wylder remade it in 1959.

[spiderfan1985]

WB needs to hurry up and get this bad boy out on 4K. The Ten Commandments got the treatment so what is holding this back?

[mzupeman]

Originally Posted by spiderfan1985

WB needs to hurry up and get this bad boy out on 4K. The Ten Commandments got the treatment so what is holding this back?

I don't know, but I've been aching for this to be available in 4K, too. The Ten Commandments looks -fantastic - and I can only imagine how good Ben-Hur would look.

[spiderfan1985]

Originally Posted by mzupeman

I don't know, but I've been aching for this to be available in 4K, too. The Ten Commandments looks -fantastic - and I can only imagine how good Ben-Hur would look.

The funny thing is that before Zaslav took over WB used to rule when it came to catalog releases. Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind (whatever your personal opinions of the film are and mine are complex), Ben-Hur, The Exorcist and other classic titles used to get the royal treatment with fully stocked and loaded Collector’s Edition sets with lots of swag as well as the standard non-swag releases. It’s crazy. At least The Exorcist, Dirty Harry, and Lethal Weapon have gotten 4K releases recently and Wizard of Oz got a great 4K release, but still no Ben-Hur or Gone With the Wind (though I am half expecting them to bury that one given the current climate.)? I mean hell, Disney is giving The Sound of Music (my beloved and one of my all time favorites) a 4K release this month and we all know how stingy they are with catalog releases.

[HillSprinter]

Originally Posted by Suicide Stu

I'm gonna do it one day, believe me.

I’m convinced good cinema will keep you around for a while yet.

[sherlockjr]

Originally Posted by spiderfan1985

At least The Exorcist, Dirty Harry, and Lethal Weapon have gotten 4K releases recently and Wizard of Oz got a great 4K release, but still no Ben-Hur or Gone With the Wind (though I am half expecting them to bury that one given the current climate.)?

GONE WITH THE WIND is actively being prepared for a new restoration and release. The huge (480 pound) three-strip Technicolor negative was sent to WB MPI for a new scan on the highest resolution, most modern scanners in the fall of 2024.

GWTW is almost four hours long. Since it's a three strip negative that means almost 12 hours worth of negative, or the equivalent of about six normal features. Each of the three strips of negative needs to be individually physically repaired and prepared, scanned individually, digitally cleaned individually, restored individually (and any damaged/missing frames dealt with), and then the three separate B+W negatives need to be digitally combined frame by frame individually due to differential shrinkage of the three negative strips before they can start doing color grading and preparing for any type of release.

It's a massive and massively expensive undertaking which WB is actively working on. GWTW will be coming. But it's taken as much as a couple of years for WB to do Warner Archive quality restorations of normal length three-strip Technicolor features, and this film is far longer and they will be sure to do it right, not fast--because that's what MPI does. Climate has nothing to do with it.

[darrellmaclaine]

Originally Posted by spiderfan1985

The funny thing is that before Zaslav took over WB used to rule when it came to catalog releases.

WB are the ONLY studio still doing a proper catalogue release programme, dozens and dozens of titles a year, done properly. The new special features aren't really done now for catalogue because they were done so well in the 2000s when a lot more people were alive.

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by CrimsonLegionVMCXIX

I actually was not all that bothered by the recent remake. To be fair, I thought I would hate it, so my expectations were low. They cut quite a bit down, though.

I actually revisited it this week. Picked it up from Hamilton Book for $5. It’s not great.

Originally Posted by Driver78

There was a Ben-Hur remake? Was it a Netflix exclusive or something? First I'm hearing about it.

[chewbabka]

Originally Posted by mzupeman

I don't know, but I've been aching for this to be available in 4K, too. The Ten Commandments looks -fantastic - and I can only imagine how good Ben-Hur would look.

The Ten Commandments looks nice until people start moving. Just don’t look too hard at anyone waving their arms around.

This will probably look better given WB’s practices on classics relative to Paramount’s digi-smear.