There’s only two facts the average person can spit out about Ben-Hur. The first is that it’s really old, probably older than Dick Clark’s first facelift. The second is Ben-Hur held the record for most Oscar wins before Titanic burst in and tied it up at 11-11. For nearly 40 years, Ben-Hur held the title for most Oscar wins without really getting mad props for the achievement. Even now, no great film has beaten Ben-Hur’s record; but what does it get? After 50 years, Ben-Hur gets a tricked out, jacked up, fine looking Anniversary Edition which hits Blu-Ray and DVD on September 27.

The 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition is intended to be viewed on Blu-Ray. Even though DVD is mentioned in the former paragraph, it’s advisable to ignore it entirely. The studio spent a million dollars doing a frame by frame restoration of the footage so we can better understand what Charlton Heston’s sinewy arm muscles look like. The process was so arduous, the release was meant to hit stores in 2009, during the actual fiftieth anniversary of Ben-Hur’s release.

It took the crew quite a bit longer to get its shit together. On the bright side, during the extra time it took to complete the restoration, some home movies of Charlton Heston hanging out with his family were found, and will be included in the “Charlton Heston: A Personal Journey” documentary included with the film. Also, diaries Heston kept while filming Ben-Hur will also be made public, for the first time ever, with the release. Finally, a hardback book with photography, restoration footage, and other memorabilia will round out the special features.

In a related story, September 27 is my birthday. I feel like a police officer who’s just pulled over someone with the same special day, so let’s not make a big deal out of this; just do me a solid and think of Cinema Blend when you buy your copy.