Tag Archives: Martha Scott
The 1959 film Ben-Hur is coming to 4K in February
Commissions Earned
The 1959 film “Ben-Hur” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook on February 17th via Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. William Wyler directed the film, which won a total of 11 Academy Awards. It starred Charlton Heston, Haya Harareet, Hugh Griffith, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Martha Scott, Cathy O’Donnell, and Sam Jaffe.
The movie has been digitally restored and will be presented in a 2160p video format with a 2.76:1 aspect ratio, featuring Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and Dolby Atmos, as well as lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 surround sound. This will span across a total of two 4K UHD Blu-ray discs. A digital code (copy) of the movie will be included with both releases, compatible with Movies Anywhere. A bonus Blu-ray disc will be included, making this a 3-disc set.
The 4K UHD Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook are now available for preorder at Amazon. Additionally, the 4K UHD Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook (pictured in detail below) are now available for preorder on GRUV.
The bonus materials included with the releases are listed below.
4K UHD Blu-ray includes:
- Audio Commentary by Film Historian T. Gene Hatcher with Charlton Heston
- Music-Only Track
Bonus Blu-ray includes:
- Two-All New Special Features:
- Ben-Hur: Anatomy of an Epic
- The Cinematography of Scale
- Charlton Heston Documentary
- Making-of Featurette
- Screen Tests and more!
RUMOR: Ben-Hur comes to 4K SteelBook in February
Commissions Earned
The 1959 epic “Ben-Hur” is reportedly coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook on February 24th via Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, according to retailers. It will also come to the UK on February 27th. William Wyler directed the film. It starred Charlton Heston, Haya Harareet, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, and Hugh Griffith. It co-starred Martha Scott, Cathy O’Donnell, Sam Jaffe, Finlay Currie, and Frank Thring.
This features a 4K restoration, as previously seen at a TCM film festival. The tech specs and info about the bonus materials have yet to be detailed. However, it is known that the movie will be split up across two 4K UHD Blu-ray Discs and include a Blu-ray Disc for extras, making it a 3-disc set. You’ll have to wait until there’s an official announcement, though, for more details. There is no word on whether a digital code (copy) of the film will be included with the release or not. And, it should be noted that the artwork (above) is only temporary.
It seems that a standard 4K UHD Blu-ray release will be coming as well, according to a Barnes & Noble listing and a Zavvi listing. Those listings, however, do feature an incorrect [US] release date. It also seems a 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook Collector’s Edition will be coming as well, possibly stateside, according to a Zavvi listing. Preorder listings are now showing for the UK version, which will be released on 2/27 (as mentioned). In fact, that’s where the first hint at the US release date came from.
You can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook available for preorder at Amazon, GRUV, and Walmart.
1956 film The Ten Commandments is coming to 4K in March
Amazon Commissions Earned
The 1956 version of the film adaptation of “The Ten Commandments” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on March 30th via Paramount. The film, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starred Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo, Debra Paget, John Derek, Cedric Hardwicke, Nina Foch, Martha Scott, Judith Anderson, John Carradine, and Vincent Price.
The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray release include a 6K scan and restoration of the original VistaVision 35mm film presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of HDR (high dynamic range) and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound. You can find a bit of information regarding this restoration and the 4K tech specs below, taken from the press release.
“As part of the restoration done in 2010, the film was scanned in 6K and those files were the basis for this brand-new Dolby Vision version, which shows off the full beauty of the original VistaVision negative. The VistaVision format used special cameras to feed 35mm film into the camera horizontally in order to capture a wider image spread over two 35mm film frames, giving VistaVision twice the resolution of regular 35mm film. In addition, Paramount spent well over 150 hours doing new color work and clean-up on the scan. The move to Dolby Vision created the opportunity to further improve the look of the film: blacks are enhanced and improvements were made to smooth out special effects mattes to create the most vibrant and pristine image possible.”
The 4K release will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that it will include the Blu-ray Disc counterpart and a digital code (copy) of the film. UPDATE: you can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray listed for preorder over at Amazon as well as at retailer Target. The bonus materials set to be included on the 4K release are detailed below.
4K Ultra HD Disc
- 1956 feature film in 4K Ultra HD
- Commentary by Katherine Orrison, author of “Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic The Ten Commandments”
Blu-ray Disc™ #1
- 1956 feature film in high definition (Part 1)
- Commentary by Katherine Orrison, author of “Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic The Ten Commandments”
Blu-ray Disc™ #2
- 1956 feature film in high definition (Part 2)
- Commentary by Katherine Orrison, author of “Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic The Ten Commandments”
- Newsreel footage of the film’s New York premiere
- Theatrical trailers, including at 10-minute “making of” trailer
Further below, after the break, you can find the full announcement regarding the upcoming 4K UHD Blu-ray release of this classic film.