Just two-and-a-half years after the actual 50th anniversary of the 1959 classic BEN-HUR, Warner Brothers will release the long-awaited Blu-ray edition of the film and just label it The 50th Anniversary Edition. It’s an interesting exercise in marketing that probably won’t be met with many complaints by the throngs of fans who have been waiting with baited breath for this biblical epic to get the Blu-ray treatment. The winner of (then) an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards and clocking in at 212 minutes, the film was directed by WILLIAM WYLER and starred CHARLTON HESTON, STEPHEN BOYD, JACK HAWKINS, MARTHA SCOTT and CATHY O’DONNELL. Probably best remembered for its still remarkable chariot race, the film has been surrounded by legend since its release. One of the greatest stories involves author GORE VIDAL’S account of being brought in to punch-up the script and surreptitiously adding a gay subtext to the friendship between the characters played by HESTON and BOYD. It was an assertion that forever had HESTON seeing red, as evidenced by his response during the 2001 press conference for the original DVD release of the film. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)