Originally released as a motion picture in 1959; Silent version originally produced in 1925.

Based on the novel by Lew Wallace.

Special features: Commentary by film historian T. Gene Hatcher with scene-specific comments from Charlton Heston; new digital transfer from restored 65MM elements; music-only track; Disc 3: the 1925 feature-length silent version of 'Ben-Hur with a stereophonic orchestral score by composer Carl Davis. Disc 4: 2005 documentary: 'Ben-Hur: The epic that changed cinema'; current filmmakers such as Ridley Scott and George Lucas reflect on the importance and influence of the film; 1994 documentary: 'Ben-Hur: The making of an epic' hosted by Christopher Plummer; 'Directed by William Wyler' the 1986 Emmy Award-nominated documentary featuring the last interview with Wyler before his death; 'Ben-Hur: A journey through pictures' a new audiovisual recreation of the film via stills, storyboards, sketches, music and dialogue; screen tests: Leslie Nielsen and Cesare Danova, Leslie Nielsen and Yale Wexler, George Baker and William Russel; highlights from the 4/4/1960 Academy Awards ceremony; vintage newsreels gallery; theatrical trailer gallery.

1959 version: Director of photography, Robert L. Surtees ; art director, Edward Carfagno, William A. Horning ; editors, John D. Dunning, Ralph E. Winters ; music, Mikls̤ Rz̤sa ; costume designer, Elizabeth Haffenden.

1925 version: directed by Fred Niblo ; adaptation by June Mathis.

1959 version: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Sam Jaffe, Finlay Currie, Frank Thring, Terence Longdon, George Relph, Andr M̌orell.

1925 version: Ramon Novarro, Betty Bronson, Mary McAvoy, Francis X. Bushman, Carmel Myers.

Judah Ben-Hur is a young Jewish nobleman from a prominent who is reunited with his childhood friend Messala. Messala returns to Judea as a Roman tribune. There is a genuine friendship between the two men, yet the clash of their cultures drives a wedge between them. That wedge finally drives Messala to banish Judah to the slave galleys and sends his mother and his sister to prison. From that point forward, Judah's life becomes a quest: a quest to survive and a quest for vengeance. Judah survives the galleys to become the adopted son of a Roman general, and his triumphant return to Judea permits him to challenge and subsequently confront Messala in a chariot race.

MPAA rating: G; 1959 version.

Not rated; silent version.

DVD, region 1; Dolby Digital 5.1 surround.

Closed-captioned. English or dubbed French dialogue, English, French or Spanish subtitles.