The Ten Commandments
Starring: Charlton Heston, Yul Brenner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carl, Debra Paget, John Derek, Cedric Hardwicke, Nina Foch, Martha Scott, Judith Anderson, Vincent Price, John Carradine, Donald Curtis, Robert Vaughn (uncredited)
Directed by: Cecil B. DeMille
Rating: G
Genre: Adventure, Drama
1956

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Moses (Charlton Heston) learns about his true background as God calls upon him to deliver his people from bondage in Egypt.

Review:

Tim: The Ten Commandments is one of the most epic Hollywood movies of the 1950s, a towering achievement of a film, and a great movie. Cecil B. DeMille's expansive story of Moses is grand, stunningly detailed, and utterly unforgettable. While it does have some flaws that I'll mention, there's no doubt this is a landmark film.

This movie is one of the most financially successful films of all time. Adjusted for inflation, it's the 6th highest grossing movie ever. That is a remarkable achievement. In addition, it was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won 1, Best Special Effects.

I have to say that the movie is certainly epic in scope. It clocks in at 3 hours and 40 minutes. That's pretty incredible. The sets are stunning, including one that is one of the largest of all time. The cast is quite large. You have to appreciate the scale of this film and give DeMille credit. It's always a fascinating experience to see a movie painting on a canvas this large. Now, to be fair, I do believe the movie is a tad long. There are some stunning moments throughout this film, but there's a bunch of filler, too. I love that the film takes so much time to develop its characters and I love some of the stunning visual effects-heavy scenes. In between those, there was definitely some lower return sequences that could have been cut. Even knocking out 25 minutes would have made a big difference. As is, this film is a bear to sit through. I remember my family putting this film on during many Easters and as a kid, I'd always groan. There were some cool parts, certainly, but you knew the movie would be on television for nearly the whole day. I've come to appreciate that much more as I've aged, but there is still a sense of "this movie is too long". It feels like there's a massive amount of time spent early on in Egypt and eventually you want to story to progress to the more familiar parts of Moses' story. I didn't feel like the scene where Moses destroys the Ten Commandments was all that effective. There's something off about it- it doesn't quite explain why so many people would so easily lose faith. It's always a scene that I didn't quite think worked.

As mentioned, this film won the Academy Award for Best Special Effects and it absolutely deserved it. There's some stunning work done here that results in these iconic, unforgettable scenes. The scope of the city building was impressive. The burning bush scene is very cool and Heston's voice there sticks in your memory. The scene with the Nile turning to blood is quite effective. I loved the creepiness of the final plague of Egypt as it wafted through the streets, striking down the first born of every Egyptian family. The writing of the Ten Commandments is beautiful. And of course, the most incredible, memorable sequence is when Moses parts the Red Sea to allow the Hebrews to escape. This is the most iconic moment in the film and one that holds up even 60 years later. It's hard not to get caught up in the scale and grandeur of this moment. I loved it.

Charlton Heston does a great job of Moses. It's a bit troubling to see the whitewashing in this film, but the 1950s were a very different time period. Heston is strong and projects nobility. His Moses isn't just a figure from the Bible, but he imbues him with a bit of vulnerability and passion. Yul Brenner gives a strong performance as Rameses. He occasionally feels a bit too villainous, but Brenner makes him human as well. Anne Baxter has a few good scenes, but it felt like she overplayed her role. I didn't hate her performance, but it felt a bit too forced. The rest of the cast is good- there's quite a lot of talent assembled here and while there's too few actual Egyptians in the cast, the supporting players do good work.

I do think it's interesting to consider how much DeMille departed from the actual Biblical text. The movie could deservedly get a lot of scorn for all the liberties it takes with the story. Some of these are warranted- the characters feel more fleshed out than in the Bible. They feel less like Biblical heroes and more like actual people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. I appreciated the deeper insight into these characters. On the other hand, a lot of the story here feels unnecessary since it offers up a fictionalized account of these Biblical characters (I'm not going to touch on "fictional" when discussing the Bible). Part of the reason the movie is too long is because of these added details. The movie might have been a bit better had it not included the sheer number of scenes and character details that we're given. It might have helped to adhere a bit closer to the Biblical text.

Despite some flaws, The Ten Commandments is a stunning epic. The movie holds up 60+ years after its release and I find it fascinating that this film is still played every Easter weekend and that quite a few people tune in. Considering multiple different data points, DeMille's film is a landmark movie and one that transcends time. It's a great movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



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