Home Entertainment : Epic Treatment of ‘Ben-Hur’ in Commemorative Edition : The laser disc release marking its 35th anniversary includes a compelling hourlong documentary with historical footage and interviews.

Epic films seem to call for epic laser-disc presentations, so the 35th anniversary of “Ben-Hur” brings with it a commemorative MGM/UA Home Video edition ($100) almost as imposing as the 212-minute movie.

The 1959 film, starring a dashing Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur, the Judean locked in combat against his childhood pal Messala--played by Stephen Boyd--a key Roman commander in biblical Jerusalem, swept the Academy Awards with 11 statuettes, more than any other film before or since. Its Oscars include best picture, director (William Wyler), actor (Heston), supporting actor (Hugh Griffith), color photography, editing, set decoration and music (Miklos Rozsa).

The film, based on Gen. Lew Wallace’s popular 19th-Century novel, is a mesmerizing view of Christ through the eyes of a contemporary, the ultimately converted Ben-Hur. Wyler says in footage from a 1981 interview, included in the compelling documentary made for this commemorative edition (and also available on video), that he staged all the scenes with Christ “so that you only show the back of his head. You saw the way people reacted to him. You think you saw him, you think you heard his voice, but you didn’t really.” It is an effective means of storytelling.

The film’s monumental 20-minute chariot race pitting Heston against his enemy Boyd has never been more exciting on the home screen than in this full wide-screen laser presentation. The race itself took more than a year to prepare, with legendary stunt man Yakima Canutt overseeing it. He put the stunt men who were to race the chariots through a rigorous daily regimen.

Heston determinedly showed up at every session. “When the picture started he could drive a chariot just about as well as anyone in the business,” the late Canutt says admiringly in an archival interview in the accompanying documentary, “Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic.”

Yet Heston was not the first choice for the lead. In fact, reports Gore Vidal, who was never credited with the script by the Writers Guild but was among those brought in to help salvage it, “Heston was never on the list.”

Paul Newman (“Silver Chalice”) was, but said he would never again “act in a cocktail dress.” Others considered included Kirk Douglas, Marlon Brando and just about every other actor in and out of Hollywood, many who tried out in an open casting call. Some of these screen tests are included in the hour documentary as part of this lavish laser package.

But Wyler, just coming off “The Big Country,” remembered the actor who had played the intense ranch foreman for him. Wyler thought he would be perfect, his daughter Catherine recalls.

The new five-disc laser set comes in the CAV mode (standard play), so that the full features of the format (freeze frame, single frame, slow motion) can all be used as all three hours and 42 minutes unreel on eight sides. Presented in its big-screen aspect ratio of 2.76:1, the thin band of film is topped and bottomed with wide black bands.

This makes it possible to see director Wyler’s original framing and vision, but it does reduce the image to roughly a third of the screen.

The rich color digital video transfer loses none of the big-screen epic’s detail or power, with the color as brilliant as though it had been shot yesterday.

The powerful Miklos Rozsa score can be isolated and enjoyed simply as a musical sound track on a separate analog track, re-mastered to Dolby Surround sound from the MGM film’s original magnetic masters.

The ninth side, in CLV (extended play), offers the 59-minute documentary, narrated by Christopher Plummer. It’s not a bad idea to watch it first, especially if you’re not familiar with the film’s background.

Since the documentary is not letterboxed, it helps you appreciate how much is lost, especially in the chariot race and the Roman galley scenes, when the action is reduced to the ratio of a TV screen without letterboxing.

Almost as engrossing as the film itself, the documentary, produced by Scott Benson over nine months, includes wonderful archival footage tracing the history of the epic, from novel through stage and film incarnations.

Like its 1926 predecessor, the 1959 “Ben-Hur” was also the most expensive movie of its day. A costly $18-million gamble (when the average film ran $2 million-$3 million), it was in production for three years. In today’s dollars that would translate to roughly $150 million, according to MGM/UA Home Video chief George Feltenstein. Was it worth it? See for yourself.

Laserbits

New Movies Just Out: “Wayne’s World 2” (Paramount, $35); “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” (Warner, $35); “Cool Runnings” (Image, $40) “Look Who’s Talking Now” (Columbia TriStar, $35); “Dangerous Game,” MGM/UA, $35).

Coming Soon: MCA/Universal’s “The Getaway,” starring Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, arrives in stores Wednesday, at $40, available in wide screen and in R or unrated versions. Also due Wednesday, Columbia TriStar’s “Rudy,” with Sean Astin, at $35. HBO/Savoy’s “Shadowlands,” with best-actress nominee Debra Winger, comes out July 13 at $40. Paramount’s “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” starring Oscar nominee Leonard Dicaprio, is due July 27 at $40. Columbia TriStar’s “Philadelphia,” featuring Tom Hanks’ Oscar-winning performance, is due July 27 at $40.