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IMDbPro

The Ten Commandments

  • 19561956
  • GG
  • 3h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
72K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,423
151
Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Anne Baxter, Yul Brynner, John Carradine, Yvonne De Carlo, John Derek, and Vincent Price in The Ten Commandments (1956)
4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray + Digital
Play trailer1:32
3 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureDramaFamily
Moses, raised as a prince of Egypt in the Pharaoh's household, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people from slavery.Moses, raised as a prince of Egypt in the Pharaoh's household, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people from slavery.Moses, raised as a prince of Egypt in the Pharaoh's household, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people from slavery.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
72K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,423
151
    • 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")
    • A.E. Southon(this work contains material from the book "On Eagle's Wing")
  • Stars
    • Charlton Heston
    • Yul Brynner
    • Anne Baxter
    • 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")
    • A.E. Southon(this work contains material from the book "On Eagle's Wing")
  • Stars
    • Charlton Heston
    • Yul Brynner
    • Anne Baxter
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 336User reviews
    • 84Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar

    Videos3

    The Ten Commandments
    Trailer 1:32
    Watch The Ten Commandments
    The Ten Commandments: Blu-Ray Release
    Trailer 1:08
    Watch The Ten Commandments: Blu-Ray Release
    The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Trailer 1:04
    Watch The Ten Commandments (1956)

    Photos172

    Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Charlton Heston, Yvonne De Carlo, and John Derek in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Douglass Dumbrille, and Henry Wilcoxon in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Yul Brynner in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Debra Paget in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Charlton Heston, Anne Baxter, and Yul Brynner in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Charlton Heston and Anne Baxter in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Yul Brynner in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    Charlton Heston and Anne Baxter in The Ten Commandments (1956)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charlton Heston
    Charlton Heston
    • Moses
    Yul Brynner
    Yul Brynner
    • Rameses
    Anne Baxter
    Anne Baxter
    • Nefretiri
    Edward G. Robinson
    Edward G. Robinson
    • Dathan
    Yvonne De Carlo
    Yvonne De Carlo
    • Sephora
    Debra Paget
    Debra Paget
    • Lilia
    John Derek
    John Derek
    • Joshua
    Cedric Hardwicke
    Cedric Hardwicke
    • Sethi
    • (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
    Nina Foch
    Nina Foch
    • Bithiah
    Martha Scott
    Martha Scott
    • Yochabel
    Judith Anderson
    Judith Anderson
    • Memnet
    Vincent Price
    Vincent Price
    • Baka
    John Carradine
    John Carradine
    • Aaron
    Olive Deering
    Olive Deering
    • Miriam
    Douglass Dumbrille
    Douglass Dumbrille
    • Jannes
    Frank DeKova
    Frank DeKova
    • Abiram
    Henry Wilcoxon
    Henry Wilcoxon
    • Pentaur
    Eduard Franz
    Eduard Franz
    • Jethro
      • 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")
      • A.E. Southon(this work contains material from the book "On Eagle's Wing")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      At least 14,000 extras and 15,000 animals were used in this movie.
    • Goofs
      As Moses approaches the Burning Bush on Mount Sinai, tire tracks from the camera dolly are visible on the ground behind him.
    • Quotes

      Rameses: His god - IS God.

      [Rameses' last line, and final scene of Pharoah and Nefretiri]

    • Crazy credits
      This film ends with the line: "So it was written, so it shall be done."
    • Alternate versions
      In all of the film's theatrical releases, Cecil B. DeMille appears in a short prologue in which he prepares the audience for what they will see, including the fact that the picture will concentrate heavily on the early years of Moses before he led the Hebrews out of Egypt; he also indicates the length of the film and the fact that it will be shown with an intermission. This prologue has always been cut in the film's network television showings.
    • Connections
      Edited into Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
    • Soundtracks
      Chant of Priest and Priestesses
      (uncredited)

      Music by Elmer Bernstein

      Lyrics by Henry Noerdlinger

    User reviews336

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Colossal biblical kitsch, courtesy of Cecil B. DeMille.
    It doesn't get any better than this. You can count on this perennial favorite to show up every Easter just as you can count on "A Christmas Carol" during the yuletide season. The daddy of all contemporary religious instruction, 1956's "The Ten Commandments" is blockbuster spiritual entertainment in every way, shape and form, as Cecil B. DeMille depicts the life of Moses from his birth to slavery to Mt. Sinai in grandiose, reverential style. And what a life!

    This was the first movie I ever saw at the drive-in. I was only 6 at the time but I can remember the neighbors taking me to see this, snuggled up in pajamas and stuffed in the back seat. The parting of the Red Sea waters, the turning of the staff to a viperous snake, the green-colored pestilence of death seeping into the homes of every first-born, the creation of the tablets, the burning bush, the booming narrative. I sat in absolute silence and wonderment. This is my first remembrance of any kind of movie-making and the Oscar-winning visual effects and vivid pageantry are still pretty amazing, even by today's standards.

    Charlton Heston, the icon of biblical story-telling, still towers over anybody who has ever TRIED to played Moses – before or since. Stalwart and stoic to a fault, he possess THE look...cut out of pages of my old religious instructions book....the look that radiates magnificence and glory...the look of a man who has definitely seen God. His commanding stature and voice with its slow, deliberate intonation is eerie and unmatched. Yul Brynner portrays Ramses II as if he were the King of Siam in Egyptian pants. Nobody poses or plays majestic like Yul. He's forceful, regal, imperious...everything a biblical foe should be. Anne Baxter as the tempting Nefretiri, Queen of Egypt, borders on total camp in her role, her stylized line readings and breathy allure is laughable now, with posturings and reaction shots not seen since Theda Bara. But who cares? Baxter provides the most fun and its her florid scenes that I now look most forward to – whether she's throwing herself at the totally disinterested Moses or verbally sparring with Ramses, slyly pushing his emotional buttons. She alone puts the "k" in kitsch. The rest of the huge cast is appropriately stiff and solemn.

    DeMille's 1923 original version of "The Ten Commandments" is hardly subtle as well, but still impressive and certainly worth a look. In the 1956 remake, DeMille organizes a cavalcade of thousands to lend authenticity to the massive exodus scenes, while the ultimate picture-perfect frame for me is the three beautiful slave extras posing exotically and dramatically on a rock in front of a vivid blue-gray backdrop of furious, threatening clouds as Moses parts the sea. That vision alone is one for the books.

    Whenever I am tempted to break a commandment or embrace that golden calf, I know I'll always have to answer to Charlton – glaring down from Mt. Sinai ready to throw those heavy tablets at me for my transgression. Charlton not only sets you straight, he makes you BELIEVE!
    helpful•166
    30
    • gbrumburgh
    • Apr 9, 2001

    FAQ8

    • Does the film advocate civil rights?
    • What are the names of Jethro's other five daughters?
    • Why is Anne Baxter's character seducing her adoptive son, Moses and kissing him like lovers?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 5, 1956 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Ras Safsafa, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt
    • Production company
      • Motion Picture Associates (II)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 3 hours 40 minutes

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    Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Anne Baxter, Yul Brynner, John Carradine, Yvonne De Carlo, John Derek, and Vincent Price in The Ten Commandments (1956)
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