Studio buffs up 'Ben Hur' DVD

A new four-disc "Ben-Hur" set was released on DVD this week, along with several other movies worth looking for.

• "Ben-Hur: Four-Disc Collector's Edition" (Warner, 1959, G, $39.92, four discs). "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" remains an excellent film, and a lesson for filmmakers of huge, epic, powerhouse movies — don't forget to strive for compelling intimacy in the storytelling.

Charlton Heston is at his best in the title role, and Ben-Hur's loyalty to his Jewish heritage and the effect that meeting Jesus Christ has on his life is still most effective.

Of the film's big moments, the galley-slave sequence remains highly charged, but the sea battle looks a bit weak in this age of digital effects. But the chariot race is still among the best action sequences ever put on film.

If you have the two-sided "Ben-Hur" DVD that was released in 2001, you have many of the elements contained in this edition. Heston's audio commentary is the same, but it's now supplemented by a film historian who adds more colorful detail, and the making-of featurette and screen tests from that disc are also here.

Additionally, there are a new making-of featurette (with comments by George Lucas and Ridley Scott, among others), an array of vintage newsreels (one with Oscar clips), and a small booklet that replicates the hardback program book that accompanied the film in 1959 (minus a three-page foldout photo of the chariot scene).

In addition, there is a disc devoted to the 1925 silent version of the film — which also remains a fine film in its own right (and it could be argued that the sea battle is even better than the '59 version). Carl Davis provides a fine musical score, and there are several color sequences (mostly scenes involving Jesus).

The visual and audio quality of the film itself are also top-of-the-line, greatly improved to a level that makes the film leap off the screen.

Extras: Widescreen (1959 version), full-frame (1925 version), audio commentary (by Heston, with film historian T. Gene Hatcher), making-of featurettes, screen tests, newsreels, Oscar footage, music-only track, trailers, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.

• "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (Touchstone, 2005, PG, $29.99). This goofy sci-fi comedy, based on the famous book by Douglas Adams, is an utter delight, and it's a shame that its summer run was overshadowed by that other sci-fi picture . . . what was it called? Oh, yeah. "Star Wars: Episode Something."