Post by Rob W. Case on Mar 31, 2021 15:47:21 GMT -6
It is an extraordinary thing when a movie becomes so meaningful, timeless, and impactful, that it remains relevant and popular while its audience grows with each new generation. In the case of Cecil B. De Mille’s The Ten Commandments, there are a multitude of reasons for that. The Ten Commandments has two significant components that work in its favor. For one, consider the source. The Biblical book of Exodus explicitly chronicles the sovereignty of God, as well as His intercessory involvement in freeing His chosen people, the Hebrews. It is an integral part of Hebrew history, and plays a vital role in the development and maintenance of western civilization, as well as the concept of liberty. It also introduces the world to God’s laws, and moral code to the world in a direct and straightforward way, which are in turn, set in stone. The second most significant component at work in this film is how the story plays out under the direction of legendary storyteller Cecil B. DeMille.
Cecil B. DeMille’s Legendary Craft:
Cecil B. DeMille once said, “the greatest art in the world is the art of storytelling.” DeMille was one of the founding fathers of the modern Hollywood motion picture industry, and through his successes, he became an authority and leader in the art of storytelling. DeMille was born to playwrights and actors and took on those crafts and talents himself. He wrote and was involved in plays, but had a desire to bring stories to working class people who might be better suited to experience them through the means of motion pictures, over the art of live performance. When motion pictures took off, De Mille was able to produce numerous successes both in the silent film era, and in the sound era as well. In the silent film era, Cecil B. DeMille brought considerable depth and dimension from a dramatic standpoint to biblical accounts, thus creating feature films such as The Ten Commandments in 1923, depicting the life of Moses and the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, and The King of Kings (1927) depicting the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The King of Kings would be seen by over 800 million people in its day, which was unprecedented for its time. As the art of movie making evolved, technology, special effects, and its forward moving advancements became more inviting and desirable to audiences, thus enhancing their experience. In the 1950’s, with the advent of the widescreen format, audiences would be treated to a larger movie screen, while studios would have larger film negatives and crisper images, which is why we are able to experience them so well today.
Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments:
When Vista Vision was first introduced to audiences with the release of the film White Christmas in 1954, its special cameras were already in use for Cecil B. De Mille’s new version of The Ten Commandments. This version of The Ten Commandments would become the most expensive movie ever made for its time, and it would be made by the same person who made the original silent film version a critical and financial success, another feat that was unprecedented. The film would feature a star-studded cast, and would treat with care and consideration, the scriptural account of Moses, as well as many of the other historical sources that were used in regards to his life.
The Story:
In the most powerful Kingdom on earth, the Pharaoh of the Egyptian empire, Rameses I (Ian Keith), is given a prophecy by his astrologers, of a deliverer who will change his rule and lead the Hebrews in the land of Goshen out of bondage, and that a star proclaims his birth. The “enemy to fear” they say, is “in the heart of Egypt”, and is among their newborn children. And so, the Pharaoh orders every Hebrew man child killed. Despite this order, one child survives. This child (Fraser Heston), born to Hebrew slaves Amram and Yochabel (Martha Scott), in the land of Goshen, is put into a basket that his mother made and sent adrift into the Nile River. From there, the basket makes its way to the Pharaoh’s palace, where his daughter Bithia (Nina Foch), is bathing with her handmaids. Bithia notices the basket, opens it up, and finds a child inside. Thinking that it was a gift sent to her by her dead husband, she draws him out of the water and names the child Moses, which means to “draw out”. Bithia notices a piece of cloth that accompanied the child in the basket, one that bears a Hebrew pattern. Bithia’s servant Memnet (Judith Anderson) is sworn to secrecy about what she has just seen and her life is threatened by Bithia should she tell the Pharaoh. Rameses I dies, and Sethi (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) succeeds him.
A Prince of Egypt:
Moses (Charlton Heston) grows up to be a strong prince, a conquering hero, wise, a successful diplomat, and is effective at growing the Egyptian empire at a faster pace by motivating the Hebrew slaves and increasing their productivity. Through his remarkable accomplishments, Moses earns the favor of Pharaoh Sethi, who judges Moses on his strengths, skills, and accomplishments, and is favored by Sethi to be his successor once he dies. Moses is also highly favored by the throne princess Nefretiri (Anne Baxter), the woman whom Sethi has appointed to be the future Queen of Egypt, and wife of the next Pharaoh. These things, and then some, cause many rifts and deep divisions within the palace, between Moses and Sethi’s biological son, Ramases II (Yul Brenner), who both have their staunchest supporters. Moses has proven that he can be a dynamic and effective leader who can grow and advance Egypt. That said, Rameses has set out to discredit Moses’s wisdom and stature, undermine the perception that he is a dynamic and powerful leader, and try to sour Sethi’s favor towards Moses, so that he can succeed his father as the future Pharaoh of Egypt. This in turn unleashes an array of palace politics, intrigue, conflict, jealousy, and drama. Everything reaches a boiling point when Nefretiri, excited that Moses is in line to become her future husband, is confronted by Memnet, who supports Rameses II in becoming the next Pharaoh, and reveals the truth about Moses, that he is not of the royal blood of the Egyptians, but the son of Hebrew slaves. Those who want Moses to be Pharaoh try hard to cover up this truth. Eventually the news hits Dathan (Edward G. Robinson), a turncoat Hebrew who sells out his people for selfish gain, and acts as an overseer to his fellow Hebrews on behalf of the Egyptians, where he also serves as an informant to them. The truth of Moses reaches Dathan’s ears, and so he calls Rameses to make a “deal” with him with this intensely valuable bit of information. Moses also gets word of the truth pertaining to his real roots, and begins to investigate it himself, finding out the history he never knew.
Set to kill Dathan if he is lying, Rameses takes the next step in acting on this truth, and calls for Moses to be brought to Sethi as the “deliverer” that is prophesied to the Hebrews, that the Egyptian astrologers warned about. This sets up a critical turning point in Moses’s life. Everything that was once within his reach, begins to evaporate quickly. The truth of Moses leads to his expulsion from Egypt, where Rameses humiliates Moses, giving him a “staff” made from a binding poll, and making him the “King of the desert” where he can “rule” over scorpions and serpents. Moses is turned over to the desert furnished only with a day’s worth of food and water and a coat that bears the Levite pattern that his mother made.
A New Direction:
Making his way across the desert, thirsty, starving, and with his strength running down to nothing, Moses reaches a well in a land named Midian, where he also finds food. When seven girls go to draw water from the well, they see Moses asleep on the ground. Soon, Amalekite shepherds come to drive the girls away from the well. Moses steps in, comes to their rescue, and waters their flock. News of this reaches the ears of Jethro (Eduard Franz), the High Priest of Midian, and the father of the seven girls, the oldest one being Sephora (Yvonne DeCarlo), whom Moses marries. Jethro tells Moses about their history as children of Abraham and Ishmael, as well as about the God of their fathers, whose presence resides atop Mount Sinai. Moses is very skeptical, having many questions and petitions for this god. As Moses learns more about God through Jethro and Sephora, He personally encounters God through the form of a burning bush. God speaks to Moses and commands him to go back to Egypt, confront Pharaoh, and command him to let his people go. Moses contests the assignment, but God assures Him that He will intervene on behalf of the enslaved Hebrews.
This in turn moves Moses to act.
A Day of Reckoning:
Moses confronts Pharaoh with the power of God behind him, enabled by the staff Rameses gave him. Moses commands Rameses to let his people go. Rameses refuses. Moses throws down his staff and it is turned into a serpent. Rameses’s magicians are able to duplicate the miracle, but with two snakes. But Moses’s staff devours them.
Moses tells Rameses again to let his people go. Ramases refuses. Moses tells Aaron to put the staff in the water where it changes it into blood.
Plague after plague hits Egypt. Each plague devastates Egypt and each and every “god” that the Egyptians look up to and worship is undermined by the power of the one true God. That said, the confidence, strength, and will of the Pharaoh’s advisors whittles away into fear and desperation as Egypt’s foreseeable desolation prompts them to advise Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go. But Pharaoh’s heart grows harder and harder. Moses warns Pharaoh the next plague brought on Egypt will be brought upon himself. Finally, Pharaoh has had enough, and tells Moses that if he sees his face again, he will surely die. Moses responds, “so let it be written.” Pharaoh orders all of the first born of Egypt to be killed, but God strikes Egypt with the same order of ill will that the Pharaoh was about to inflict on the Hebrews, via the angel of death.
Pharaoh, defeated, tells Moses that Him and his people are free to go. This prompts an Exodus of the Hebrews of massive proportions. Nefretiri, whose heart and desire burned wild for Moses, breathes new life into Rameses’s pride, and as such moves him to pursue the newly freed slaves of Egypt. He now turns to the means of conquest with the full power of Egypt’s armed forces to win his slaves back. When they begin catching up to the Hebrews, Moses turns to the power of God to sovereignly intervene. A pillar of fire holds the Egyptians back, and God provides a way to the Hebrews by parting the red sea……
God delivers the Hebrews, but the Hebrews do not know how to behave or conduct themselves with the freedom that they have been given. God provides his Law to Moses, while Dathan leads the people to wickedness, self-indulgence, idolatry, lasciviousness, violence, and they sink deeper and deeper into evil.
Moses then confronts the Hebrews with ten Commandments sent by God, and offers his people a fundamental choice.
My Take:
Every year since 1973, the ABC television network has aired the movie during the Passover/Easter season. After it was released on home video, and seeing the VHS tape listed in countless movie catalogs for years as a kid/teenager, I decided to tape it off of TV in the 90’s, and watch it. I will admit that when I first saw it, I wasn’t that impressed. After buying it on Blu-ray many, many years later and re-watching it as an adult, I picked up on a lot more than I did before, and appreciated it a lot more. That said, it is evident that maturity, life experience, and adversity allows these movies to be better appreciated. Why is that? I believe that Cecil B. DeMille said it best when he said, “The theme of this picture is whether men are to be ruled by God's law, or whether they are to be ruled by the whims of a dictator like Rameses. Are men the property of the state, or are they free souls under God? This same battle continues throughout the world today.” He was right. That very question still resonates with us today as strong as it did over 3000 years ago. The level of chaos, tumultuousness, lawlessness, and despair that we experience in daily life comes when we fail to uphold and maintain the gravity of this question. And how we regard it or disregard it affects everything. This movie does a fantastic job setting that distinction.
Apart from the substance of the movie itself, the breathtaking sets and high production values that make this film the wildly successful spectacle that it has become, has made this movie an unforgettable classic that continues to make an impression on people and grow its audience with each new passing generation. This is a film that Paramount Pictures has gone to great lengths, not only to preserve, but also to place on each and every home video format since the VHS tape. And that is an achievement that many other films, despite their level of prestigiousness, have not been able to reach.
The Ten Commandments is rated G and runs 3 hours and 40 minutes.
To view a trailer, please click on the “Play” button below.
Main Modern Trailer:
1966 Re-Issue Trailer:
The Ten Commandments is now available on 4K-UHD, Blu-Ray, DVD, and VHS videocassette tape. It is also available on various streaming sites as well.
Cecil B. DeMille’s Legendary Craft:
Cecil B. DeMille once said, “the greatest art in the world is the art of storytelling.” DeMille was one of the founding fathers of the modern Hollywood motion picture industry, and through his successes, he became an authority and leader in the art of storytelling. DeMille was born to playwrights and actors and took on those crafts and talents himself. He wrote and was involved in plays, but had a desire to bring stories to working class people who might be better suited to experience them through the means of motion pictures, over the art of live performance. When motion pictures took off, De Mille was able to produce numerous successes both in the silent film era, and in the sound era as well. In the silent film era, Cecil B. DeMille brought considerable depth and dimension from a dramatic standpoint to biblical accounts, thus creating feature films such as The Ten Commandments in 1923, depicting the life of Moses and the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, and The King of Kings (1927) depicting the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The King of Kings would be seen by over 800 million people in its day, which was unprecedented for its time. As the art of movie making evolved, technology, special effects, and its forward moving advancements became more inviting and desirable to audiences, thus enhancing their experience. In the 1950’s, with the advent of the widescreen format, audiences would be treated to a larger movie screen, while studios would have larger film negatives and crisper images, which is why we are able to experience them so well today.
Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments:
When Vista Vision was first introduced to audiences with the release of the film White Christmas in 1954, its special cameras were already in use for Cecil B. De Mille’s new version of The Ten Commandments. This version of The Ten Commandments would become the most expensive movie ever made for its time, and it would be made by the same person who made the original silent film version a critical and financial success, another feat that was unprecedented. The film would feature a star-studded cast, and would treat with care and consideration, the scriptural account of Moses, as well as many of the other historical sources that were used in regards to his life.
The Story:
In the most powerful Kingdom on earth, the Pharaoh of the Egyptian empire, Rameses I (Ian Keith), is given a prophecy by his astrologers, of a deliverer who will change his rule and lead the Hebrews in the land of Goshen out of bondage, and that a star proclaims his birth. The “enemy to fear” they say, is “in the heart of Egypt”, and is among their newborn children. And so, the Pharaoh orders every Hebrew man child killed. Despite this order, one child survives. This child (Fraser Heston), born to Hebrew slaves Amram and Yochabel (Martha Scott), in the land of Goshen, is put into a basket that his mother made and sent adrift into the Nile River. From there, the basket makes its way to the Pharaoh’s palace, where his daughter Bithia (Nina Foch), is bathing with her handmaids. Bithia notices the basket, opens it up, and finds a child inside. Thinking that it was a gift sent to her by her dead husband, she draws him out of the water and names the child Moses, which means to “draw out”. Bithia notices a piece of cloth that accompanied the child in the basket, one that bears a Hebrew pattern. Bithia’s servant Memnet (Judith Anderson) is sworn to secrecy about what she has just seen and her life is threatened by Bithia should she tell the Pharaoh. Rameses I dies, and Sethi (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) succeeds him.
A Prince of Egypt:
Moses (Charlton Heston) grows up to be a strong prince, a conquering hero, wise, a successful diplomat, and is effective at growing the Egyptian empire at a faster pace by motivating the Hebrew slaves and increasing their productivity. Through his remarkable accomplishments, Moses earns the favor of Pharaoh Sethi, who judges Moses on his strengths, skills, and accomplishments, and is favored by Sethi to be his successor once he dies. Moses is also highly favored by the throne princess Nefretiri (Anne Baxter), the woman whom Sethi has appointed to be the future Queen of Egypt, and wife of the next Pharaoh. These things, and then some, cause many rifts and deep divisions within the palace, between Moses and Sethi’s biological son, Ramases II (Yul Brenner), who both have their staunchest supporters. Moses has proven that he can be a dynamic and effective leader who can grow and advance Egypt. That said, Rameses has set out to discredit Moses’s wisdom and stature, undermine the perception that he is a dynamic and powerful leader, and try to sour Sethi’s favor towards Moses, so that he can succeed his father as the future Pharaoh of Egypt. This in turn unleashes an array of palace politics, intrigue, conflict, jealousy, and drama. Everything reaches a boiling point when Nefretiri, excited that Moses is in line to become her future husband, is confronted by Memnet, who supports Rameses II in becoming the next Pharaoh, and reveals the truth about Moses, that he is not of the royal blood of the Egyptians, but the son of Hebrew slaves. Those who want Moses to be Pharaoh try hard to cover up this truth. Eventually the news hits Dathan (Edward G. Robinson), a turncoat Hebrew who sells out his people for selfish gain, and acts as an overseer to his fellow Hebrews on behalf of the Egyptians, where he also serves as an informant to them. The truth of Moses reaches Dathan’s ears, and so he calls Rameses to make a “deal” with him with this intensely valuable bit of information. Moses also gets word of the truth pertaining to his real roots, and begins to investigate it himself, finding out the history he never knew.
Set to kill Dathan if he is lying, Rameses takes the next step in acting on this truth, and calls for Moses to be brought to Sethi as the “deliverer” that is prophesied to the Hebrews, that the Egyptian astrologers warned about. This sets up a critical turning point in Moses’s life. Everything that was once within his reach, begins to evaporate quickly. The truth of Moses leads to his expulsion from Egypt, where Rameses humiliates Moses, giving him a “staff” made from a binding poll, and making him the “King of the desert” where he can “rule” over scorpions and serpents. Moses is turned over to the desert furnished only with a day’s worth of food and water and a coat that bears the Levite pattern that his mother made.
A New Direction:
Making his way across the desert, thirsty, starving, and with his strength running down to nothing, Moses reaches a well in a land named Midian, where he also finds food. When seven girls go to draw water from the well, they see Moses asleep on the ground. Soon, Amalekite shepherds come to drive the girls away from the well. Moses steps in, comes to their rescue, and waters their flock. News of this reaches the ears of Jethro (Eduard Franz), the High Priest of Midian, and the father of the seven girls, the oldest one being Sephora (Yvonne DeCarlo), whom Moses marries. Jethro tells Moses about their history as children of Abraham and Ishmael, as well as about the God of their fathers, whose presence resides atop Mount Sinai. Moses is very skeptical, having many questions and petitions for this god. As Moses learns more about God through Jethro and Sephora, He personally encounters God through the form of a burning bush. God speaks to Moses and commands him to go back to Egypt, confront Pharaoh, and command him to let his people go. Moses contests the assignment, but God assures Him that He will intervene on behalf of the enslaved Hebrews.
This in turn moves Moses to act.
A Day of Reckoning:
Moses confronts Pharaoh with the power of God behind him, enabled by the staff Rameses gave him. Moses commands Rameses to let his people go. Rameses refuses. Moses throws down his staff and it is turned into a serpent. Rameses’s magicians are able to duplicate the miracle, but with two snakes. But Moses’s staff devours them.
Moses tells Rameses again to let his people go. Ramases refuses. Moses tells Aaron to put the staff in the water where it changes it into blood.
Plague after plague hits Egypt. Each plague devastates Egypt and each and every “god” that the Egyptians look up to and worship is undermined by the power of the one true God. That said, the confidence, strength, and will of the Pharaoh’s advisors whittles away into fear and desperation as Egypt’s foreseeable desolation prompts them to advise Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go. But Pharaoh’s heart grows harder and harder. Moses warns Pharaoh the next plague brought on Egypt will be brought upon himself. Finally, Pharaoh has had enough, and tells Moses that if he sees his face again, he will surely die. Moses responds, “so let it be written.” Pharaoh orders all of the first born of Egypt to be killed, but God strikes Egypt with the same order of ill will that the Pharaoh was about to inflict on the Hebrews, via the angel of death.
Pharaoh, defeated, tells Moses that Him and his people are free to go. This prompts an Exodus of the Hebrews of massive proportions. Nefretiri, whose heart and desire burned wild for Moses, breathes new life into Rameses’s pride, and as such moves him to pursue the newly freed slaves of Egypt. He now turns to the means of conquest with the full power of Egypt’s armed forces to win his slaves back. When they begin catching up to the Hebrews, Moses turns to the power of God to sovereignly intervene. A pillar of fire holds the Egyptians back, and God provides a way to the Hebrews by parting the red sea……
God delivers the Hebrews, but the Hebrews do not know how to behave or conduct themselves with the freedom that they have been given. God provides his Law to Moses, while Dathan leads the people to wickedness, self-indulgence, idolatry, lasciviousness, violence, and they sink deeper and deeper into evil.
Moses then confronts the Hebrews with ten Commandments sent by God, and offers his people a fundamental choice.
My Take:
Every year since 1973, the ABC television network has aired the movie during the Passover/Easter season. After it was released on home video, and seeing the VHS tape listed in countless movie catalogs for years as a kid/teenager, I decided to tape it off of TV in the 90’s, and watch it. I will admit that when I first saw it, I wasn’t that impressed. After buying it on Blu-ray many, many years later and re-watching it as an adult, I picked up on a lot more than I did before, and appreciated it a lot more. That said, it is evident that maturity, life experience, and adversity allows these movies to be better appreciated. Why is that? I believe that Cecil B. DeMille said it best when he said, “The theme of this picture is whether men are to be ruled by God's law, or whether they are to be ruled by the whims of a dictator like Rameses. Are men the property of the state, or are they free souls under God? This same battle continues throughout the world today.” He was right. That very question still resonates with us today as strong as it did over 3000 years ago. The level of chaos, tumultuousness, lawlessness, and despair that we experience in daily life comes when we fail to uphold and maintain the gravity of this question. And how we regard it or disregard it affects everything. This movie does a fantastic job setting that distinction.
Apart from the substance of the movie itself, the breathtaking sets and high production values that make this film the wildly successful spectacle that it has become, has made this movie an unforgettable classic that continues to make an impression on people and grow its audience with each new passing generation. This is a film that Paramount Pictures has gone to great lengths, not only to preserve, but also to place on each and every home video format since the VHS tape. And that is an achievement that many other films, despite their level of prestigiousness, have not been able to reach.
The Ten Commandments is rated G and runs 3 hours and 40 minutes.
To view a trailer, please click on the “Play” button below.
Main Modern Trailer:
1966 Re-Issue Trailer:
The Ten Commandments is now available on 4K-UHD, Blu-Ray, DVD, and VHS videocassette tape. It is also available on various streaming sites as well.
