Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
Adventure, Drama, Romance • 2h 23m
Overview
Erstwhile childhood friends, Judah Ben-Hur and Messala meet again as adults, this time with Roman officer Messala as conqueror and Judah as a wealthy, though conquered, Israelite. A slip of a brick during a Roman parade causes Judah to be sent off as a galley slave, his property confiscated and his mother and sister imprisoned. Years later, as a result of his determination to stay alive and his willingness to aid his Roman master, Judah returns to his homeland an exalted and wealthy Roman athlete. Unable to find his mother and sister, and believing them dead, he can think of nothing else than revenge against Messala.
Director: Fred Niblo
Cast: Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy, Betty Bronson, Claire McDowell, Kathleen Key, Carmel Myers, Nigel De Brulier, Mitchell Lewis, Leo White, Frank Currier, Charles Belcher, Dale Fuller, Winter Hall, Reginald Barker, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Clarence Brown, Manuel Caballero, Gilbert Clayton, Joan Crawford, Jacob Dance, Marion Davies, William Donovan, Bill Elliott, Ray Erlenborn, Douglas Fairbanks, George Fitzmaurice, Sidney Franklin, Rosita Garcia, Janet Gaynor, John Gilbert, Dorothy Gish, Lillian Gish, Samuel Goldwyn, Harry Gordon, Sid Grauman, William Green, Noble Johnson, Rupert Julian, Henry King, Harold Lloyd, Carole Lombard, Cliff Lyons, Mickey Millerick, Carlotta Monti, Colleen Moore, Claude Payton, Mary Pickford, Satini Pualoa, Leonora Summers, Tom Tyler, Christiane Yves, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Myrna Loy
Director: Orson Welles
MoC 4K Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are similar
Director: Orson Welles
MoC 4K Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are similar
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: John McTiernan
Director: John McTiernan
Director: John Ford
Director: John Ford
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
Director: Alfred E. Green
Director: Alfred E. Green
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: Fred Niblo
Film Preservation Society Blu-ray is a newer restoration than the previous Cohen one. From various review like Robert Harris and Damn Fool Crusade this new restoration is really good.
Director: Fred Niblo
Film Preservation Society Blu-ray is a newer restoration than the previous Cohen one. From various review like Robert Harris and Damn Fool Crusade this new restoration is really good.
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray > US Paramount 4K Blu-ray for the US Cut.
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray, is significantly better than the US Paramount 4K Blu-ray (even with FEL Baked in and Dolby Vision), with more grain retention and detail
SDR Comparisons: International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray vs US Paramount 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/TEPHtKjl
HDR Comparisons: International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray vs US Paramount 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/hIFe11Hx
Comparisons in SDR using L8 Trim from CM v4.0 (both UHDs can use CM v4.0): Remux vs USA UHD: https://slow.pics/c/mkrhVtpl
The International Cut, which contains alternate, more violent shots in the final act, hasn't been released on home video to date.
International Cut contains alternate, more violent shots in the final act.
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray > US Paramount 4K Blu-ray for the US Cut.
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray, is significantly better than the US Paramount 4K Blu-ray (even with FEL Baked in and Dolby Vision), with more grain retention and detail
SDR Comparisons: International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray vs US Paramount 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/TEPHtKjl
HDR Comparisons: International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray vs US Paramount 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/hIFe11Hx
Comparisons in SDR using L8 Trim from CM v4.0 (both UHDs can use CM v4.0): Remux vs USA UHD: https://slow.pics/c/mkrhVtpl
The International Cut, which contains alternate, more violent shots in the final act, hasn't been released on home video to date.
International Cut contains alternate, more violent shots in the final act.
Director: Mike Hodges
Director: Mike Hodges
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Bob Clark
Director: Bob Clark
Director: Martin Scorsese
2024 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray
2024 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray
Director: Martin Scorsese
2024 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray
2024 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray
Director: Chuck Russell
Director: Chuck Russell
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Like previous releases, the 4K Blu-ray was scanned from an interpositive rather than the original camera negative at Paul Thomas Anderson’s request which may explain the softness.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Like previous releases, the 4K Blu-ray was scanned from an interpositive rather than the original camera negative at Paul Thomas Anderson’s request which may explain the softness.
WB 4K Blu-ray, caveat: mild DNR throughout the transfer, non-IMAX scenes appear soft due to being scanned from an interpositive rather than the original camera negative.
Best Buy exclusive Steelbook Blu-ray has the exclusive The Dark Knight Reborn Featurette
WB 4K Blu-ray, caveat: mild DNR throughout the transfer, non-IMAX scenes appear soft due to being scanned from an interpositive rather than the original camera negative.
Best Buy exclusive Steelbook Blu-ray has the exclusive The Dark Knight Reborn Featurette
Edit History
4/12/2026
Format
Added
DVD
Added
DVD
Best Video Release
Added
While it is included in Warner Bros 50th Anniversary Blu-ray it's still the same DVD version
Added
While it is included in Warner Bros 50th Anniversary Blu-ray it's still the same DVD version
Additional Info
Added
Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray doesn't include this as an extra any more
Added
Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray doesn't include this as an extra any more
Blu-ray.com
Added
https://www.blu-ray.com/Ben-Hur-A-Tale-of-the-Christ/349958/#Releases
Added
https://www.blu-ray.com/Ben-Hur-A-Tale-of-the-Christ/349958/#Releases
