The Ten Commandments (1956)

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

J.H. Ingraham (novel) and
A.E. Southon (novel) ...

Release Date:

5 October 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

The Greatest Event in Motion Picture History

Plot:

The Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people.

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Jew | Dead Boy | Barefoot | Theremin

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Moses
Yul Brynner	...	Rameses
Anne Baxter	...	Nefretiri
Edward G. Robinson	...	Dathan
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Sephora
Debra Paget	...	Lilia
John Derek	...	Joshua
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Sethi (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Nina Foch	...	Bithiah
Martha Scott	...	Yochabel
Judith Anderson	...	Memnet
Vincent Price	...	Baka
John Carradine	...	Aaron
Olive Deering	...	Miriam
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Jannes

Runtime:

220 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) | Dolby Digital (1998 re-release) | Dolby (1989 re-release) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Iceland:16 | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Netherlands:AL | Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:G (1972) | West Germany:16 | Canada:PG | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Abu Rudeis, Egypt

Company:

Motion Picture Associates

Trivia:

Considerable controversy exists over who supplied the voice of God for the film, for which no on-screen credit is given. The voice used was heavily modified and mixed with other sound effects, making identification extremely difficult. Various people have either claimed or been rumored to have supplied the voice: Cecil B. DeMille himself (he narrated the film), Charlton Heston and Delos Jewkes, to name a few. DeMille's publicist and biographer Donald Hayne maintains that Heston provided the voice of God at the burning bush, but he himself provided the voice of God giving the commandments. In the 2004 DVD release, Heston in an interview admitted that he was the voice of God.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Moses is standing on the rock with the Ten Commandments in his hand, he points to the Hebrews and his voice is heard saying, "Blasphemers! Idolaters!" but his lips do not move.

Quotes:

Baka: You foolish, stupid man. I would have kept Lilia only a short while. I would have returned her to you, shall we say, more worthy. Now to whom shall I return Lilia? You will not be there, Joshua. You've seen me drive my chariot. I can pick a fly from my horse's ear without breaking the rhythm of his stride. You've seen me use my whip. You make no outcry, Joshua. But you will. You will cry for the mercy of death.
Joshua: One day you will listen to the cry of slaves.
Baka: This is not that day, Joshua.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Charlton Heston's Greatest Role.

The acting is stagy, but the story is great, and Charlton Heston IS Moses. This is Charton Heston's greatest role. He is what makes this movie work. Heston gives one of the greatest performances in the history of Hollywood. Whether as the prince of Egypt, or as a slave, or as a shepherd, or as a leader and a prophet, Charlton Heston is the central player in this story. Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, E. G. Robinson, etc., are great in their supporting roles too, but this is Charlton Heston's movie. This movie conveys the intensity of a time when a people held in cruel bondage were soon to be freed and were soon to be led by someone whose emergence onto the scene is so improbable as to confound everyone around him. For who was Moses? Was he an Egyptian posing as a slave? Was he a Hebrew masquerading as an Egyptian prince? Was he a prophet? Or was he an opportunist, using the plight of the Hebrews to gain a following and thereby confront and defeat his rival Rameses? The movie raises these questions. Now the movie may not be historically accurate, but that's not important. What IS important is the story this movie tells, which is about a man who is on a mission to liberate an entire people from the shackles of slavery and sacrifices everything - wealth, power, the love of Pharoah's daughter - to accomplish what he sets out to do - and does it.