Tag Archives: William Wyler
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.
Roman Holiday (Paramount Presents) – Blu-ray Review
Amazon Commissions Earned
Roman Holiday (Paramount Presents) – Blu-ray Screenshots
– Amazon Commissions Earned –
1953 film Roman Holiday on Blu-ray September
– Amazon Commissions Earned –
The 1953 film “Roman Holiday“ will officially be making its debut to Blu-ray Disc on September 15th, via Paramount Presents – as spine #9. The film, directed by William Wyler and winner of 3 “Oscars” (Academy Awards), starred Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, and Eddie Albert. The tech specs for the release have not yet fully been detailed but it is known that the release has received a new 4K restoration, as detailed in the press release.
The original negative was processed at a local film lab in Rome and was unfortunately badly scratched and damaged. The film had to be pieced back together, but the splices were so weak due to the damage that extensive amounts of tape had to be used to allow the negative to make it through a printing machine. Because of the fragile state of the negative, a Dupe Negative was made and then blown up a few thousandths of an inch to cover all the splice tape that held the original negative together.
In anticipation of this new Blu-ray release, the film was digitally restored using the Dupe Negative and a Fine Grain element to capture the best possible image. Every frame was reviewed, and the film received extensive clean up to remove thousands of scratches, bits of dirt, and other damage. Because audio elements to properly up-mix to 5.1 do not exist, the original mono track was remastered, and minor anomalies were corrected. The result is a film returned to its original vibrancy and beauty that remains true to director William Wyler’s vision.
You can now find the Blu-ray listed for preorder over at Amazon and retailer Best Buy. The release will include a digital copy of the film and the following bonus materials.
- Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on Roman Holiday
- Behind the Gates: Costumes
- Rome with a Princess
- Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years
- Dalton Trumbo: From A-List to Blacklist
- Paramount in the ’50s: Remembering Audrey
- Theatrical Trailers
- Four Photo Galleries: Production, The Movie, Publicity, The Premiere
Below, after the break, you can find the full details regarding this upcoming release.