I am beginning to find something rather incredible inside the world of DVD, not only is silent cinema beginning to get the attention it really deserves it is beginning to take the time and care necessary to produce decent quality versions silent cinema DVDs.

It seems that silent cinema is getting far better attention from DVD companies than ever before with the likes of Eureka and their Masters of Cinema series and even now from the big studios such as Warner Brothers and Universal.

I was rather shocked but delighted to discover then that with latest re-release of William Wyler�s 1959 version of Ben Hur on DVD (a single disc version of Ben Hur has been available since 2001), Warner Brothers have decided to include as an extra Fred Niblo�s 1925 silent version of Ben Hur starring Roman Novarro and Francis X Bushman.

The plot is basically a mirror of the 1959 version. Judah Ben-Hur (Ramon Novarro) is forced into slavery by his old childhood companion Messala (Francis X. Bushman). The childhood friends, Judah (Ben-Hur) and Messala meet again as adults, this time with Roman officer Messala as conqueror and Judah as a wealthy, though conquered, Israelite. A slip of a brick during a Roman parade causes Judah to be sent off as a galley slave, his property confiscated and his mother and sister imprisoned. Years later, as a result of his determination to stay alive and his willingness to aid his Roman master, Judah returns to his homeland exalted and wealthy though he can think of nothing else than revenge against Messala.

What seems to be different in this version is there is more of a connection with the story of Jesus Christ and Judah in Niblo�s version than in Wyler�s and at points this slows down the narrative. This is particularly evident in the scenes just after the sea battle. However, the sea battle and the infamous chariot race are extraordinary and keep the film going until it�s destructive ending.

However, whether or not the plot mirrors the better-known 1959 version, what is great here is that for the first time we are able to compare the set pieces of each version. When watching the silent version�s sea battle it seems far more extensive than the Wyler version. And in particular when studying the 1925 version of the chariot race, and then comparing Wyler�s version of the race we can see an incredible likeness of the setup of the race to the 1925 version. Even particular camera setups found in the 1959 version are identical to those found in the 1925 version, even if the violence of the falls are not as brutal as found in the later.

The print transfer for this DVD of the 1925 version is the Kevin Brownlow and David Gill restored print from 1980s as part of the then Thames Silents season.

The print is (in comparison with most recent silent cinema DVD releases) very good. However in some sections of the print, there seems to be changes to contrast and particularly the early technicolor sections of the film which seem to be rather faded. However, seeing that this version of Ben Hur is classed as a special feature it is defiantly worth getting the set for this film alone.

The soundtrack track by Carl Davis is rather precise with the action on the screen (in particular the chariot race) and the opening sequences works with the feel and richness of particular shots. What is disappointing however is that there is hardly any background information on the 1925 version. The audio commentary is by Gene T Hatcher and an 11-minute feature discusses the development of the film found on the fourth disc. While the 11 minutes are rather informative it does not offer enough detail and set the viewing of the 1925 version at a bit of a disadvantage, particularly as the background of the 1925 version seems to be more dramatic than the later.

At a cost of $3.9 million the 1922 Ben Hur claims to be the most expensive silent film ever made. Other production information such as the death of a stuntman during the chariot race sequence (sometimes confused with the 1959 version) actually happened when a chariot�s side wheel snapped off while in production.

To my mind it is a wonderful extra on a rather impressive DVD set. In the shadow of this DVD set is the re-release of Cecil B. DeMille�s Ten Commandments (1956), which includes DeMille�s 1923 silent version as a bonus on the 3disc box set. So it seems that, at last, silent cinema is getting the attention it deserves on DVD.

James Harrison (2006)
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