The Ten Commandments (1923)

After hearing the story of Moses, the sons of a devout Christian mother go their own ways, while the atheist brother's breaking of the Ten Commandments leads to tragedy.

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille (as Cecil B. De Mille)

Writer:

Jeanie Macpherson (story)

Stars:

Theodore Roberts, Charles de Rochefort, Estelle Taylor

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Theodore Roberts	...	Moses - The Lawgiver
Charles de Rochefort	...	Rameses - the Magnificent: Prologue (as Charles De Roche)
Estelle Taylor	...	Miriam - The Sister of Moses
Julia Faye	...	The Wife of Pharaoh - Prologue
Pat Moore	...	The Son of Pharaoh - Prologue (as Terrence Moore)
James Neill	...	Aaron - Brother of Moses
Lawson Butt	...	Dathan - The Discontented
Clarence Burton	...	The Taskmaster - Prologue
Noble Johnson	...	The Bronze Man - Prologue
Edythe Chapman	...	Mrs. Martha McTavish
Richard Dix	...	John McTavish - Her Son
Rod La Rocque	...	Dan McTavish - Her Son
Leatrice Joy	...	Mary Leigh
Nita Naldi	...	Sally Lung - a Eurasian
Robert Edeson	...	Redding - an Inspector

Storyline

The first part tells the story of Moses leading the Jews from Egypt to the Promised Land, his receipt of the tablets and the worship of the golden calf. The second part shows the efficacy of the commandments in modern life through a story set in San Francisco. Two brothers, rivals for the love of Mary, also come into conflict when John discovers Dan used shoddy materials to construct a cathedral.

---

Plot Keywords:

blockbuster | moses | cathedral | physician | money | 

---

Taglines:

The Mightiest Dramatic Spectacle of All the Ages.

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 1923 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die zehn Gebote

Filming Locations:

Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White Color (2-strip Technicolor) (some sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The effect of the parting of the Red Sea was created by placing two blocks of blue gelatin side-by-side, heating them until they melted...then running the footage in reverse.

---

Goofs

The type of staff used by Moses and his followers has a Star of David on the end. The Star of David didn't become a symbol of Judaism until the Middle Ages.

---

Quotes

Redding - an Inspector: Listen Boy - 'every day in every way' we're getting slicker and slicker! But we're building this church on filled ground - and I tell you it isn't safe!

---

Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Hist-o-Rama: Cecil B. DeMille (1962)

User Reviews

All this, and Jello too!

I hope God doesn't smite me for the line above, but the effect is somewhat obvious. But as obvious as the Jello used for the Red Sea parting is, it cannot take away from how great this film really is. Now don't get me wrong, the 1956 version is unbelievable itself, but while looking at this one you get a sense of DeMille trying to tell us something about ourselves, our way of life, and of course, what we are doing wrong. The prologue itself is extremely quick. That could be because I saw the '56 version prior to this one. The rest of the story drags a little bit, but not too much, don't get me wrong this is a long movie (the package reads 146 minutes, it's really 136), but if you have the time you could make it through in one sitting. I'd recommend renting this movie (only if you can find it though) because it really is worth watching it and seeing how we are today and how we can make ourselves better by doing certain things a certain way. I can't put it in to words though, only this film can. It's an intriguing motion picture experience to behold. 8/10