The Ten Commandments (1956)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

J.H. Ingraham (novel) and
A.E. Southon (novel) ...

Release Date:

5 October 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

The Greatest Event in Motion Picture History

Plot:

The Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people.

Plot Keywords:

Dead Boy | Theremin | Biblical Plagues | Old Testament | Jew

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Moses
Yul Brynner	...	Rameses
Anne Baxter	...	Nefretiri
Edward G. Robinson	...	Dathan
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Sephora
Debra Paget	...	Lilia
John Derek	...	Joshua
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Sethi (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Nina Foch	...	Bithiah
Martha Scott	...	Yochabel
Judith Anderson	...	Memnet
Vincent Price	...	Baka
John Carradine	...	Aaron
Olive Deering	...	Miriam
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Jannes

Also Known As:

Dez Mandamentos, Os (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Diez mandamientos, Los (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Dix commandements, Les (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Tio budorden, De (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Zehn Gebote, Die (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Deset bozijih zapovesti (Yugoslavia: Serbian title) [sr]
Deu manaments, Els (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Dieci comandamenti, I (Italy) [it]
Dziesiecioro przykazan (Poland) [pl]
Kymmenen käskyä (Finland) [fi]
Tízparancsolat (Hungary) [hu]
Ti bud, De (Denmark) [da]

Runtime:

220 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) | Dolby Digital (1998 re-release) | Dolby (1989 re-release) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | Brazil:Livre | USA:Approved (Certificate #18021) (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Netherlands:AL | Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:G (1972) | West Germany:16 | Canada:PG | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Abu Rudeis, Egypt

Company:

Motion Picture Associates

Trivia:

Urban legend has it that Anne Baxter's character's name was changed from Nefertiti to Nefertiri because Cecil B. DeMille was afraid people would make "boob" jokes. In reality, DeMille was sticking to history: Rameses II's queen was called Nefretiri. Nefertiti lived about 60 years earlier than the events in The Ten Commandments. Both names mean "Beautiful".

Goofs:

Continuity: When the chariots are riding out of the city, the shots alternate between a clear blue sky and a sky with clouds.

Quotes:

Bithiah: Your tongue will dig your grave, Memnet.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Jack Frost (#9.13)" (1997)

Charlton Heston's Greatest Role.

The acting is stagy, but the story is great, and Charlton Heston IS Moses. This is Charton Heston's greatest role. He is what makes this movie work. Heston gives one of the greatest performances in the history of Hollywood. Whether as the prince of Egypt, or as a slave, or as a shepherd, or as a leader and a prophet, Charlton Heston is the central player in this story. Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, E. G. Robinson, etc., are great in their supporting roles too, but this is Charlton Heston's movie. This movie conveys the intensity of a time when a people held in cruel bondage were soon to be freed and were soon to be led by someone whose emergence onto the scene is so improbable as to confound everyone around him. For who was Moses? Was he an Egyptian posing as a slave? Was he a Hebrew masquerading as an Egyptian prince? Was he a prophet? Or was he an opportunist, using the plight of the Hebrews to gain a following and thereby confront and defeat his rival Rameses? The movie raises these questions. Now the movie may not be historically accurate, but that's not important. What IS important is the story this movie tells, which is about a man who is on a mission to liberate an entire people from the shackles of slavery and sacrifices everything - wealth, power, the love of Pharoah's daughter - to accomplish what he sets out to do - and does it.

There are some critics who make fun of this movie for its stagy acting and stodgy story. Well, this is complete balderdash. Yul Brynner and Charlton Heston were never better and Anne Baxter is positively beautiful. The movie is a story about liberation, redemption and hope. It's about people who were led from the house of bondage and became a nation, guided by the great and profound prophet, Moses. That this movie is remembered over fifty years after its release is proof enough of its timelessness.