Moses (Charlton Heston), an Egyptian Prince, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people.
While many people remember Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 spectacular big-screen interpretation of the Book of Exodus, “The Ten Commandments,” starring Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner, not many remember his earlier 1923 version of the same name. While his 1956 version was grandiose in every aspect (the filmmakers actually shot on location in Egypt, Mount Sinai, and the Sinai Peninsula,) his 1923 rendition was split up into two parts: a biblical prologue and a modern story demonstrating the consequences of breaking the Ten Commandments. It was also a silent picture, utilizing only music and title cards. I mention this because the 1923 version is also included in this new Blu-ray release and if you haven’t seen it, it is worth watching, as a sort of precursor of what was to come.
The main attraction here, though, is DeMille’s 1956 epic drama, filmed in glorious Technicolor. Before sitting down to watch it in its 3 hours and 40-minute glory, I had only ever watched bits and pieces of it when I was a kid but be prepared for a lot of mini-breaks throughout. Over the years, critics have argued that dramatic license and liberties were taken with the making of the movie as it claimed to be authentic but as with any film interpretation from any segment of the bible, there is always going to be dramatic license taken to fill in the gaps for dramatic and emotional purposes.
The film tells the story of Moses (Charlton Heston), who, as a baby, was set adrift in a basket by his mother Yochabel (Martha Scott) in the Nile River after Pharaoh Rameses I of Egypt (Ian Keith) ordered the death of all newborn Hebrew males, fearful that the Israelites’ numbers were growing and that they would eventually rise up and overthrow him and his people. Bithiah (Nina Foch), the Pharaoh’s recently widowed daughter, finds the baby in its basket and secretly raises him as her own, never disclosing his true heritage to anyone, except her servant Memnet (Judith Anderson). The movie follows Moses as he grows up to become the eventual leader of the Israelites, leading them to freedom from the bondage of Egypt and the wrath of its leader, Rameses II (Yul Brynner), and his venomous wife Nefretiri (Anne Baxter), who was once in love with Moses, until he was outed as a Hebrew by Memnet and exiled from his royal heritage.
Initially, Moses does not believe in God but after an encounter with the burning bush on the summit of Mount Sinai, God speaks to him and informs him that he must return to Egypt to free his people from Rameses’ tyrannical reign. He does so and tries to convince Rameses if he does not do as he orders, God will unleash 10 plagues upon him and his people. Rameses refuses and one by one, the plagues are released on Egypt. With the tenth plague, where all of Egypt’s firstborn are killed, including Rameses’ own son, he exiles the Hebrews into the desert but shortly afterward, regrets his decision and pursues Moses where he eventually catches up with him at the Red Sea. Utilizing God’s help, Moses parts the Red Sea and this allows his people to cross to safety but when Rameses’ men try to follow, the water is released and drowns them all, separating Moses from Rameses.
While “The Ten Commandments” claimed to be authentically adapted from the bible upon its initial release in 1956, even with an almost four-hour runtime, there is no way that the filmmakers could have included everything that was written about Moses in the bible so it only stands to reason that much of what is seen on screen has been condensed and a large portion of it has been dramatized. For many, the bottom line is that it shows Moses rejecting his royal legacy in favor of leading his people to freedom and that about sums up the movie. The parting of the Red Sea is the one scene that stands out for most people because, at the time, nothing as spectacular had ever been witnessed on the big screen before and even though director Ridley Scott made “Exodus: Gods and Kings” in 2014, which was inspired by The Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, right up to the parting of the Red Sea, that film’s big wave scene paled in comparison to DeMille’s 1956 scene because Scott utilized special effects that were similar to those seen in “The Day After Tomorrow” and “2012” and instead of exciting audiences with it spectacle, instead, it came across as tedious and unexciting.
Because of its runtime, “The Ten Commandments” is not a film that one would sit down and watch on a regular basis but it deserves to be seen at least once. For me, Charlton Heston was never much of an actor, he was a larger-than-life movie star that exuded screen presence and charisma but here, it seems like the part of Moses was tailor-made for him. Yul Brynner fares much worse as he spends most of the movie standing in arranged poses that, at times, come off as comical, not the desired effect I’m sure Mr. DeMille was going for. The supporting cast, led by Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo, John Derek, John Carradine, and Vincent Price, play their roles with delectable relish but it is the special effects that own this movie. The film won the Academy Award for Best Special Effects by John P. Fulton and even though they are outdated, at least by today’s standards, I can only imagine what it must have been like to witness the parting of the Red Sea on the big screen in 1956.
This spectacular Blu-ray release features three Blu-ray Discs™ and includes not only the fully restored 1956 version of the film but also DeMille’s original 1923 silent version, as well as a 16-page booklet featuring rare photos and historical facts about both productions. The set also includes an in-depth, 73-minute documentary entitled “The Ten Commandments: Making Miracles,” commentary on the 1956 film by Katherine Orrison, author of “Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic, The Ten Commandments,” newsreel footage of the film’s New York premiere, theatrical trailers, hand-tinted footage of the Exodus and Parting of the Red Sea sequence from the 1923 version, a two-color Technicolor segment, and photo galleries.
Available on a new Blu-ray Digibook March 10th
