Ben-Hur [Box set] [Double CD] [Original recording reissued] [Original recording remastered] [Soundtrack]

If you are a lover of soundtracks, then you just cannot ommit this double CD set from your collection. Its a classic score. Its superb because unlike many 1950's film scores which tended to be a dreamy background extra which sent you to sleep on a lazy sunday, this score has beautiful sublime moments, and big fanfare suprises too to appeal to all. Like the grand epic movie itself, the soundtrack takes you on a journey of many lands, cultures, positions and situations over two discs. This is what makes this score wonderful to own. Tracks like "Rowing of the galley slaves" fit the movie like a glove and stand alone as wonderful powerful music in their own right that could fit any movie scene today. Its a classic thematic score too. Every situation and person has their theme, and thats why i feel it will appeal to modern soundtrack admirers too who are fond of Williams,Goldsmith, Horner etc. Mass fanfairs and marches for the start of the legendary chariot race for example. Sweeping love themes. Moments of tragedy and sorrow. Everything is here. The cues in the score representing the scenes of Jesus are sounds of peacefull shimmering divinty in the wake of the marching fanfair cues of the Roman legions. The producers of this set really knew what they were doing, and took care and time over this project i feel. Sound is perfect. You can almost feel a personal interest from those who made this. The tracks are wonderfully split into exact sections of musical style. For instance, a dreamy love theme will run up to the end of track 22, and then track 23 starts with a fanfair (unlike some modern CD's where the fanfair will begin messily on the last few seconds of the love track and run over into the next track). Care and interest was put into this production.

When i first saw the price of this soundtrack, i admit i gasped like most people would. But when the CD's arrived, they were presented in a beautifull hard cover book about half the length of a long calendar and packaged with all the pomp and grandeur that makes the movie so wonderful. A stunning booklet inside details the history of the story itself and the various films that were made (including lots of juicy information about this Heston version). It also goes on to detail each track on the CD's in a screenplay of the film explaining what is happening in the movie on the particular track you are listening to. I now consider this money well spent indeed. Its worth every penny to have this classic score presented in such a way,and not just stuck in an impersonal plastic box. And if you do not own the DVD of this movie, then what are you waiting for?. The pristine DVD print is worth every penny too.

Ben Hur will stay forever the example how a good music score enhances a good film so we'll treated with an exceptional result. Try to see some of the well-known scenes without music and you'll know. Charlton Heston in love without Rozsa's Love Theme isn't very moving.

The way Rhino Records gives us an indepth exploration of the film in an extraordinary book and presentation that comes with this set is very strongly recommended. You'll also learn why Rozsa didn't want to use music for the big chariot scene as Carl Davis has done - years later - so wrongly with the earlier silent Ben Hur film.

But I'm not sure this presentation is the one I mean. The original 2 CD package had the size of a slightly bigger DVD box with 48 pages full of color and stories of the making of the film and it's wonderful music. So try to find out first if you insist on this extras.

In the US the DVD of this film has been announced for March 2001 and I sincerely hope I don't have to wait very long before I can get it in Region 2.

In the meantime use these CD's to wet your appetite. Bath in splendid orchestral sounds, turn up the volume a bit, and you'll be given one of the most spectacular recorded vintage 1950s stereo sounds ever. The recording is so well done that it excells most digital recordings of today.

Don't hesitate please, buy, before it's too late!