The Ten Commandments (1956)

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

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

Dorothy Clarke Wilson (this work contains material from the book "Prince of Egypt"), J.H. Ingraham (this work contains material from the book "Pillar of Fire"),

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlton Heston	...	Moses
Yul Brynner	...	Rameses
Anne Baxter	...	Nefretiri
Edward G. Robinson	...	Dathan (as Edward G Robinson)
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

Storyline

To escape the edict of Egypt's Pharoah, Rameses I, condemning all newborn Hebrew males, the infant Moses is set adrift on the Nile in a reed basket. Saved by the pharaoh's daughter Bithiah, he is adopted by her and brought up in the court of her brother, Pharaoh Seti. Moses gains Seti's favor and the love of the throne princess Nefertiri, as well as the hatred of Seti's son, Rameses. When his Hebrew heritage is revealed, Moses is cast out of Egypt, and makes his way across the desert where he marries, has a son and is commanded by God to return to Egypt to free the Hebrews from slavery. In Egypt Moses's fiercest enemy proves to be not Rameses, but someone near to him who can 'harden his heart'.

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Plot Keywords:

hebrew | pharaoh | egypt | desert | slavery | 

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Taglines:

The Greatest Event in Motion Picture History

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los diez mandamientos

Filming Locations:

Abu Rudeis, Egypt

Box Office

Budget:

$13,282,712 (estimated)

Gross:

$80,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Motion Picture Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

220 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (1998 re-release) Dolby (1989 re-release) Mono (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cecil B. DeMille picked Charlton Heston for the role of Moses because he bore a resemblance to Michelangelo's statue of Moses in Rome, Italy. Heston later played Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy.

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Goofs

The Red Sea changed color many times while being parted. Perhaps, this is due to the blue screen process, color-timing errors, or print degradation, but at times it appears blue, green, and even gray in color. When later remastered (for TV and DVD) the Red Sea became deep blue in color without a hint of green in it.

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Quotes

Nefretiri: You need have no fear of me.
Sephora: I feared only his memory of you.
Nefretiri: You have been able to erase it?
Sephora: He has forgotten both of us. You lost him when he went to seek his God. I lost him when he found his God.

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Crazy Credits

This film does not end with the credit "The End", but with the written line "So it was written, so it shall be done".

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Space Children (1998)

User Reviews

No better Moses. No finer cast.Simply Outstanding.

Nobody ever wants to see a movie more than once because the quality and charm of the movies of today are just not enough to coax you to. But every once in a while there comes a movie which, firstly never lets you take your eyes off the screen for the full length of its feature and secondly,makes you want to watch it over and over again without boring you. Not only that, the more times you watch it, you feel that you missed something the last time. Cecil B. DeMille's THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is that kind of a movie. There have been many movies made on the topic of this Hebrew born prince of Egypt, but none compare to the way in which it has been portrayed in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. There are a number of reasons for that:

1. When casting the role of Moses, Charlton Heston was chosen above all others including Bert Lancaster, not because of his knowledge of the Bible, but of his striking Physical resemblance to Michelangelo's sculpture of Moses especially the facial structure not to mention the stout build of a prince.

2. The sets for the film were specially designed and the splendour of ancient Egypt in all its glory was recreated especially for this movie.

3. The role of Rameses II was given to Yul Brynner after DeMille observed his magnificent performance as the King of Siam in Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I, confirming that he is well suited for a stubburn and malificent heir to the Egyptian throne.

It was not only Heston as Moses who made this movie a success, but all the elements that came together, the cast of thousands, the special effects,the costumes, the sets and most of all the simply unbelievable "parting of the red sea".

It is a wonder why this movie only received one oscar; that of the Special effects, yet I think it deserved alot more. It did not even strike at the box office. Even then it never fails to enchant millions, no matter what religion they follow. Movies like THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and it success in the hearts of millions, shows quite clearly that a movie, in order to be loved by millions the world over, does not necessarily have to strike gold at the box office.

To watch this film, you don't have to believe in God, but if you believe in good triumphing over evil and freedom from slavery of foreign masters, then this is the movie for you.