'Ben-Hur (50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition)'

Back in 1959 "Ben-Hur" won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director. You'd figure an epic like this would have been out on Blu-ray a while ago, but it only hit stores at the end of September (2011).

If you're wondering why the math doesn't add up on that 50th anniversary, the restoration process, which cost $1 million, took longer than expected and the 2009 release for the actual 50th was missed. Warner Bros. says the the frame-by-frame restoration from an 8k scan of the original 65mm camera negative was the highest-resolution restoration ever completed by the studio and the picture here is stunning. So, too, is the audio, with an impressive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. In short, this is a truly epic restoration of an epic.

As far as bonus features go, the "Ben-Hur Ultimate Collector's Edition Blu-ray" has more than four hours of extras, including an all-new hi-def feature length documentary hosted by son Fraser Heston; a reproduction of Heston's diary during filming; and an exclusive hardbound photo book. The price is a bit steep on the Ultimate Collector's Edition (Amazon has it for $47.99), but you can dig up of the standard version for less than $15 (at the time of this writing, it's $11.49). In March, you'll also be able to pick up a double-feature Blu-ray pack that includes "Ben Hur" and the "Ten Commandments" for $14.99.

See pricing for "Ben-Hur (50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition)" from Amazon.com.

See pricing for "Ben-Hur: 50th Anniversary Edition (standard version)" from Amazon.com.

See pricing for "Ben-Hur/Ten Commandments" combo disc from Amazon.com.