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.

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Plot Keywords:

blockbuster | moses | cathedral | physician | money | 

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Taglines:

The Mightiest Dramatic Spectacle of All the Ages.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 1923 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Ten Commandments

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

When Mary writes a "Good-bye" note on the page of a book, the page she writes on is the poem "Hélas" by Oscar Wilde.

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Goofs

The McTavish carpenter shop is always portrayed to be on the ground floor, but at the very end, when John reads the bible to Mary, the view from the window behind them clearly shows an overhead view of the city.

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Quotes

Mary Leigh: [catching John with another woman] There's still one commandment he hasn't broken, he hasn't killed anybody yet.

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Connections

Referenced in The Passion: Films, Faith & Fury (2006)

User Reviews

Church of the Poison Mind

Cecil B. DeMille's Paramount EPIC "The Ten Commandments" tells the Old Testament's "Moses" story during its first hour. The "special effects" highlights are: Theodore Roberts (as Moses) parting the Red Sea, and the Biblical patriarch's thunderous receiving of God's commandments. The production is first rate throughout. After about fifty minutes of spectacle, the film switches to a "Modern Story" - wherein Mr. DeMille seeks to tell a morality story involving "The Ten Commandments".

For the main story (the more memorable Moses segments were a mere "prologue"), DeMille introduces the McTavish brothers - saintly carpenter Richard Dix (as John), and partying atheist Rod La Rocque (as Dan). While Mr. Dix stays home to read The Bible, with dear mother Edythe Chapman (as Martha McTavish), Mr. La Rocque breaks Commandments, with lovely Leatrice Joy (as Mary Leigh). Of course, Dix falls in love with Ms. Joy, after she becomes his brother's wife…

DeMille's morality tale is extremely heavy-handed, but nevertheless enticing, and expertly directed.

The "Biblical" and "Modern" story format recalls D.W. Griffith's superior "Intolerance" (1916). The all-star cast (it's 1923, remember) performs exceptionally, with La Rocque being seen in one of his finest performances. As any actor will tell you, La Rocque was halfway there, upon receiving the "bad brother" role, over Dix - and, La Rocque runs away with the film. His is a "Best Actor"-worthy performance. Nefarious Nita Naldi (as Sally Lung) leads a strong supporting cast.

All things considered, this one's a lot more fun than the 1956 re-make.

********* The Ten Commandments (11/23/23) Cecil B. DeMille ~ Rod La Rocque, Richard Dix, Leatrice Joy, Theodore Roberts