Five New Easter Titles Recapture The Passion, Power And Drama Of The “Greatest Stories Ever Told”
(December 16, 2010 – Burbank, CA) – On March 29, timed for the upcoming Easter holiday, Warner Home Video will release the critically acclaimed documentary “Charlton Heston Presents The Bible” along with the long-awaited Blu-ray version of the stirring epic, “King of Kings.” The films are being released in a year which commemorates the 400th anniversary of the King James Version, a classic Bible that still outsells many of the most contemporary translations. The titles will also be available On Demand and for permanent download through online digital retailers.
“Charlton Heston Presents The Bible” consists of four films featured on single DVDs: “Genesis,” “The Story of Moses,” “Jesus of Nazareth” and “The Passion,” all vividly narrated by the late Charlton Heston (“Ben-Hur,” “The Ten Commandments”), and each with a 28-minute behind-the-scenes featurette. Available for $12.97 SRP each, these films will mesmerize the entire family at Easter and throughout the year.
Hosted by Academy Award®-winning actor Charlton Heston (Best Actor in a Leading Role, “Ben-Hur,” 1959) and filmed entirely on location in the Holy Land, from Beit She'an, Jericho, Jerusalem, the Negev Desert, the Red Sea to the Sea of Galilee, “Charlton Heston Presents The Bible” combines dramatic readings by Heston of passages from the Old and New Testaments with historical commentaries in the land where these stories took place. Famous for his epic roles in “Ben-Hur” and “The Ten Commandments,” Heston said of the project, "I'm not a priest or a scholar. I’m a story teller. These are the greatest stories ever told."
Jeffrey Hunter, Rita Gam, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, and Robert Ryan star in “King of Kings” which is widely regarded as one of the finest cinematic retellings of the life of Jesus Christ and is now brought to life as never before on stunning Blu-ray Disc ($19.98 SRP). The film was directed by Nicholas Ray (“Rebel Without a Cause”) and produced by Samuel Bronston (“El Cid”) and tells of the life of Jesus Christ, from the Nativity to the Resurrection, and His sacrifice for humanity. The criminal figure of Barabbas is featured prominently and his violent struggle against the Romans is contrasted by Christ’s message of love.
About “Charlton Heston Presents The Bible”:
In the beginning, before there was a written language, the stories in the Bible were told to people sitting around a campfire in the dark, listening to the tales of what had happened and what was yet to come. Now Charlton Heston recaptures all the passion, the power, the drama, and the sheer beauty those first storytellers passed on to us with his own dazzling new exploration of the greatest stories ever told.
Shot entirely on location in the Holy Land, this incredible production is more than great literature come to life. It is a walk through history itself. Directed by Tony Westman, executive-produced by Fraser Heston and Philip Fehrle, the documentary first aired on A&E in the early 1990s.
“Charlton Heston Presents The Bible”: “Genesis”
The stories were told through the generations, stories of what had happened and what was to come. “The best stories there ever were,” Charlton Heston says about the Bible’s tales. In “Genesis,” the first of Heston’s acclaimed four-part series, the renowned actor serves as storyteller. An ancient Roman amphitheater and other locales in Israel provide the settings for the “Ben-Hur” Academy Award winner. He relies on the King James text, his dramatic skill and insightful observations plus great works of art and music to give flesh and bone to the Biblical wonder of creation, the forming of Adam and Eve, the plight of Jericho, the time of Noah, the lineage of Abraham and more. Walk through the Holy Land. Breathe in its rich history. And experience the greatest stories ever told. Special Features:
“Ever since playing Moses in ‘The Ten Commandments,’” Charlton Heston has said, “I’ve felt a deep, personal connection with the Bible, which remains as vivid and vital today as when it was told around campfires centuries before there was any written language.” Heston brings his own storytelling gifts to “The Story of Moses,” the second in the actor’s acclaimed four-part Bible series drawing on the King James text, shot as often as possible at actual story locales and augmented with illustrative artworks. From the Book of Exodus comes the towering story of a foundling claimed from the bulrushes, the faceoffs with Pharaoh, the plagues, the Red Sea’s parting and an enslaved people’s liberation, the Ten Commandments…and more of the greatest stories ever told. Special Features:
“There’s been more ink – and blood – spilled over this man since they nailed Him to the cross than over any single human being in history.” Drawing from the King James version of accounts by those – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – who first wrote down the story, Charlton Heston hosts “Jesus of Nazareth,” the third volume in the acclaimed four-part series of Bible-based stories and explorations. Against important locations that include the Jordan River, the wilderness temptation area, the Mount of the Beatitudes, the Galilee and the Temple Mount, Heston tells of the Nazarene’s ministry, miracles and message. It’s a story of humble birth, youthful promise and intense preparation; a story of strength and compassion, of faith and prophecy…a story that would literally shape the world. Special Features:
“We come now to the tragic and triumphant coda of the New Testament,” host Charlton Heston says in “The Passion,” the fourth and final segment of the acclaimed Bible series rooted in faith and in the well-honed storytelling skills of “Ben-Hur” Academy Award winner Heston. The Passover and Last Supper, the betrayal by Judas and Peter’s thrice-confirmed denial, the clamorous trial and the agonized hours of the cross, the empty tomb and the victory over death – Heston revisits the stirring tale in locations that include the Hall of the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Via Dolorosa. As The New York Times’ John J. O’Connor wrote in his review of the series: “Heston scores powerfully with [his] readings. It works beautifully.” Special Features:###
The stories were told through the generations, stories of what had happened and what was to come. “The best stories there ever were,” Charlton Heston says about the Bible’s tales. In “Genesis,” the first of Heston’s acclaimed four-part series, the renowned actor serves as storyteller. An ancient Roman amphitheater and other locales in Israel provide the settings for the “Ben-Hur” Academy Award winner. He relies on the King James text, his dramatic skill and insightful observations plus great works of art and music to give flesh and bone to the Biblical wonder of creation, the forming of Adam and Eve, the plight of Jericho, the time of Noah, the lineage of Abraham and more. Walk through the Holy Land. Breathe in its rich history. And experience the greatest stories ever told. Special Features:
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• “Charlton Heston: Behind the Scenes”
• Subtitles: English (Episode. Bonus Material/Trailer May Not Be Subtitled)
“Ever since playing Moses in ‘The Ten Commandments,’” Charlton Heston has said, “I’ve felt a deep, personal connection with the Bible, which remains as vivid and vital today as when it was told around campfires centuries before there was any written language.” Heston brings his own storytelling gifts to “The Story of Moses,” the second in the actor’s acclaimed four-part Bible series drawing on the King James text, shot as often as possible at actual story locales and augmented with illustrative artworks. From the Book of Exodus comes the towering story of a foundling claimed from the bulrushes, the faceoffs with Pharaoh, the plagues, the Red Sea’s parting and an enslaved people’s liberation, the Ten Commandments…and more of the greatest stories ever told. Special Features:
-
• “Charlton Heston: Behind the Scenes”
• Subtitles: English (Episode. Bonus Material/Trailer May Not Be Subtitled)
“There’s been more ink – and blood – spilled over this man since they nailed Him to the cross than over any single human being in history.” Drawing from the King James version of accounts by those – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – who first wrote down the story, Charlton Heston hosts “Jesus of Nazareth,” the third volume in the acclaimed four-part series of Bible-based stories and explorations. Against important locations that include the Jordan River, the wilderness temptation area, the Mount of the Beatitudes, the Galilee and the Temple Mount, Heston tells of the Nazarene’s ministry, miracles and message. It’s a story of humble birth, youthful promise and intense preparation; a story of strength and compassion, of faith and prophecy…a story that would literally shape the world. Special Features:
-
• “Charlton Heston: Behind the Scenes”
• Subtitles: English (Episode. Bonus Material/Trailer May Not Be Subtitled)
“We come now to the tragic and triumphant coda of the New Testament,” host Charlton Heston says in “The Passion,” the fourth and final segment of the acclaimed Bible series rooted in faith and in the well-honed storytelling skills of “Ben-Hur” Academy Award winner Heston. The Passover and Last Supper, the betrayal by Judas and Peter’s thrice-confirmed denial, the clamorous trial and the agonized hours of the cross, the empty tomb and the victory over death – Heston revisits the stirring tale in locations that include the Hall of the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Via Dolorosa. As The New York Times’ John J. O’Connor wrote in his review of the series: “Heston scores powerfully with [his] readings. It works beautifully.” Special Features:
-
• “Charlton Heston: Behind the Scenes”
• Subtitles: English (Episode. Bonus Material/Trailer May Not Be Subtitled)
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• Vintage Featurette: “The Camera's Window of the World”
• “King of Kings”: Impressive Premiere on Two Coasts
• “King of Kings”: Egyptian Theater Premiere, Hollywood, CA
• Trailer
• Audio: English, French
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, and Latin Spanish