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Download, Watch online The Ten Commandments (1956) Movie.
| Genres: | Adventure | |
| Drama | ||
| Actors: | Charlton Heston | |
| Anne Baxter | ||
| Vincent Price | ||
| Yul Brynner | ||
| John Carradine | ||
| Yvonne De Carlo | ||
| Nina Foch | ||
| Director(s): | Cecil B. DeMille | |
| IMDB Rating: | 7.8 out of 10 (25387 votes) | |
| Year: | 1956 | |
| Country: | USA | |
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Storyline
Plot Summary:
To escape the edict of Egypts Pharoah, Rameses I, condemning all first-born Hebrew males, the infant Moses is set adrift on the Nile in a reed basket. Saved by the pharaohs daughter Bithiah, he is adopted by her and brought up in the court of her brother, Pharaoh Seti. Moses gains Setis favor and the love of the throne princess Nefertiri, as well as the hatred of Setis son, Rameses. When his Hebrew heritage is revealed, Moses is cast out of Egypt, and makes his way across the desert where he marries, has a son and is commanded by God to return to Egypt to free the Hebrews from slavery. In Egypt Mosess fiercest enemy proves to be not Rameses, but someone near to him who can harden his heart.
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Visitors Review
11th Commandment: Thou Needeth A Remake!
This was a remake of the 1923 silent film, and was a big hit. Itcontinues to be a popular film on TV, especially at Easter. However,now that it has been 51 years since this last one, it's about time foranother updated version! Come on, Hollywood!Because the story of the plagues and the parting the Red Sea is socrucial to the dramatics of this famous Old Testament story, this filmis crying out for updated special-effects. The FX in this 1956 movieare almost laughable, they look so primitive compared what is donetoday.Filmmakers could really make an awesome-looking story with today'stechnology but, alas, the ultra-secular mindset of Hollywood in thepast 50 years doesn't make it look like it will happen. It will take awealthy individual, not tied to a Hollywood studio, to finance a remakeof this movie.That's not to say this film isn't without merit, even today. Of courseit is, and with the likes of Charleton Heston, Yul Brynner, Edward G.Robinson, Anne Baxter and Yvonne DeCarlo , you have a nice cast. Whocan deny Heston isn't memorable as "Moses?" I thought Brynner as"Rameses," the pharaoh of Egypt, was just as intense. There also issuch a grand scale to this that, even with outdated effects, it canstill awe and inspire. Hey, it's a Cecille B. DeMille directed film, soyou know it will epic in the true sense of the word.However, at three-and-a-half hours, and Moses not returning to Egyptafter almost two hours of mostly-boring (and Scriptually inaccurate)ramblings, this film lags in too many spots. It isn't just thespecial-effects that need upgrading, it needs a tighter script, too.
As indestructible as the Pyramids themselves, and as human....
Every time I stumble across this essential slab of Hollywoodiana on cable,satellite, etc., I sit for a few minutes, cackling like a road-companyJackNicholson at the utter cheesiness of it all, and the numbing seriousnesswith which everyone in the super-starry cast seems to approachit.But may that scary Old Testament God of the Hebrews strike me with 11plagues if, after the manic reaction wears off, I'm not utterly hooked onit, AGAIN.It's the exuberance that DeMille, then in his 70s, brings to this timelessdreck that saves it; it's as if he's blithely indifferent to thequasi-Kahlil Gibran-esque dialogue and the danger of meddling too muchwithone of the Almighty's fave tales. He just keeps piling on the extras andtheset decoration until it all just WORKS.The acting is resolutely stony, with Chuck Heston (then all of 26) settingthe tone with the granitine baritone and the chiseled features of acinematic golem. (For all that, he'd never give a better actingperformancein toto than this one.) The smirking Anne Baxter holds up the distaff endwith sleazy, slippery girlpower, and the very yong Yul Brynner matchesHeston brick for brick as the young Rameses.The veteran Edward G. Robinson, playing the scheming Jew that allProtestantAmerica knows lurks in corporate boardrooms the world over, seems to betheonly cast member acquainted with the notion of dramatic irony: he sneerslike some Eigth Avenue pawnbroker who's heard one too many sad stories,andhe's utterly unrepentant when he (almost) puts the kibosh on Moses' partyinthe desert.I could spend hours delineating why this creaking tripe shouldn't work,butwhy bother? "The Ten Commandments" is just a indelible piece of Hollywoodcraft the likes of which, for good or ill, we shall likely never seeagain.--30--
Great Piece of art
An epic created about the happenings in the BIBLE and a must see for all young and old. This movie should be re released. The case was an awesome contirbution from the director and all praises to the director of this movie.
A Fine Achievement
Cecil B. DeMille is often regarded as a specialist in Biblical epics,although these formed only a small part of his large total output. Hemade several epics, not all Biblical, during the silent era, and didhis best to keep the genre alive during the thirties, a period duringwhich it had gone into a decline, largely because of the difficultiesof location shooting in the early days of sound.DeMille had made a silent film on the subject of "The Ten Commandments"in 1923, and in 1956 remade it in sound and colour. The film tells thestory of Moses and the. Exodus, although it is not always faithful tothe Biblical account. In this version Moses is believed to be the sonof the Egyptian Princess Bithiah and is the adopted son of her brother,the Pharaoh Seti I. The film focuses on the supposed rivalry of Moseswith the Pharaoh's own son Rameses. The two men are rivals for powerand for the love of the same woman, the "throne princess" Nefretiri,who is destined to marry the next Pharaoh. (The relationship betweenMoses, Rameses and Nefretiri parallels that between Sinuhe, Horemheband Baketaten in another epic set in Egypt, "The Egyptian" from twoyears earlier).At first Moses seems set to become the next Pharaoh; he has impressedSeti by proving his mettle as a military leader and as peacetimeadministrator, and Nefretiri is deeply in love with him. When, however,Moses discovers his own background as the son of Hebrew slaves, heabandons the idea of taking power in Egypt, is converted to the worshipof the Hebrew God and plans to liberate his people from slavery.Rameses marries Nefretiri and becomes Pharaoh on Seti's death, leadingto his final confrontation with Moses.DeMille was seventy-five in 1956, and in some ways this is very much anold man's film. It is conservative in its religious values, being asrespectful as possible to the Jewish and Christian scriptures andtraditions. It is conservative in its language; although most of thedialogue is not taken directly from the Bible it has a formal, Biblicalring to it. It is also conservative in its formal, stylised,non-naturalistic acting. In some ways it is the film the Victoriansmight have made about Moses had they possessed twentieth-century cinematechnology.In other respects, however, this is a film of its time. The epic cameback into favour in the late forties, as Hollywood saw spectacle as itsmain weapon in its battle with television, and "The Ten Commandments"is the most spectacular film of its period, with a massive cast andthrilling set pieces like the parting of the Red Sea. Today, this wouldprobably be a simple task for the effects department, but in pre-CGIdays it was something special. (The film deservedly won an Oscar forBest Visual Effects). The film may be conservative in its religiousvalues but is surprisingly liberal in its political ones, foreshadowing"Spartacus" in its emphasis on racial equality and human dignity. Thisis shown by the development of the character of Moses. Early in thefilm he is an "enlightened despot" who can see nothing wrong with theidea that the Hebrews should be slaves of the Egyptians, although hetreats them more humanely than does Rameses. Only later is he convertedto the ideal of the equality of all men under God.The film has its faults, some of them connected with its casting. NinaFoch was too young to be credible the presumed mother of CharltonHeston, who was actually a year older than her. It would have beenbetter to have cast another actress as the older Bithiah. Yvonne DeCarlo, perhaps the loveliest of several lovely actresses in this filmwas always too elegant as the nomadic shepherdess Sephora, especiallyas the script suggests that Sephora is rather plain. Another weaknessis that neither DeMille nor his scriptwriters grasped the differencesbetween the fierce religious tribalism of the Exodus story and theethical monotheism of the New Testament, so morally repellent episodessuch as the Slaying of the Firstborn are presented as the just acts ofa righteous God.The film's faults, however, are vastly outweighed by its merits.DeMille's previous Biblical epic "Samson and Delilah" is something of afailure, largely because of weak performances from its stars HedyLamarr and Victor Mature. Here, however, he can call upon excellentacting, especially from Heston who brings the required dignity andgravitas to the role of Moses. Heston receives good support from YulBrynner as Rameses, a man who is not completely evil, but corrupted bythe temptations of power and by his obsession with proving himself abetter man than Moses, both as a leader and as a lover. Othernoteworthy contributions come from Cedric Hardwicke as the wise oldSeti, Anne Baxter as the vindictive Nefretiri and from Edward G.Robinson as the Hebrew Quisling Dathan who throws his lot in with theEgyptians.This was DeMille's last film as director. He acted as producer of "TheBuccaneer" two years later, but was unable to direct it throughillness. "The Ten Commandments" was, however, a fitting climax to hiscareer, far more so than "The Buccaneer" would have been. (That film,as directed by his son-in-law Anthony Quinn, is a poor one, but I doubtif DeMille could have made it significantly better). It is a fineachievement, a film which is spectacular but which showed that the epicform could offer more than empty spectacle. At the date it was made itwas probably the greatest epic ever. Later directors such as WilliamWyler ("Ben-Hur"), Stanley Kubrick ("Spartacus") and Anthony Mann ("ElCid") were to equal DeMille's achievement, perhaps even surpass it, butit was he who had laid the foundations on which they built. 9/10
Magnificent
This is one magnificent film. Brilliantly directed by Cecil B DeMille,it boasts some splendid cinematography and gorgeous scenery andattention to detail. Not only that, but also a script that positivelysparkles, characters that are refreshingly complex, a rousing scorecourtesy of the great Elmer Bernstein and a compelling story. Alsoimpressive, perhaps even more so, are the astonishing set pieces andthe acting. In the lead Charlton Heston is very powerful while YulBrynner too gives one of his best performances. The supporting cast areequally impressive, Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson,John Carradine, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne DeCarlo and Debra Paget areall memorable. All in all, The Ten Commandments is nothing short of theepitome of magnificence not just in its scope but also its complexity.10/10 Bethany Cox
Oh Moses, Moses, you dam' fool!
If Charlton Heston wasn't sure he could over-act before he made thisfilm, he certainly proved it to himself - and everybody else - here.It's hard to believe in a 'prophet' who can't seem to lower his voicebelow a shout.What's really sad about films like this is that it plays well forpeople who deeply believe themselves to be devout Christians, eventhough the Sermon on the Mount makes so little sense to them, they telltheir children to ignore it, "nobody could live that way".Of course, this is the "Old Testament" story, so references to mercyand justice and charity are somewhat out of place, anyway. DeMille,quite accidentally, has played up and reminded us that ancient Judaismwas an essentially tribal religion. How it became an all-embracingworld religion and how it spawned Christianity in that process, is along and complex story - and why bother if you can load the screen withbeefcake heroes, rivers flowing backwards, chariots, and dancing girls?And it's just as well Heston over-acts like he's just taken Angel Dust,because everyone else underacts embarrassingly. Most notable are EdwardG. Robinson - looking like a toga-wearing '30s B-movie gangster - andYul Brynner. Brynner especially sleepwalks the film, looking dazed andconfused; clearly awaiting instructions from the director that neverarrive.Why is DeMille considered a great director? Because Americans love atruly clever con-artist. We know that DeMille, selling beefcake andcheesecake and special effects, is garnishing all this with the wordsmany call 'sacred' in our culture, even though we don't really believein them. He is not only playing to our baser instincts, but also to ourhypocrisy.Anyway, his film has no right to condemn any 'Golden Calf', because itis itself a golden calf, an idol of the herd.
Still brilliant storytelling after all these years.
I was raised Christian, It was force-fed to my young ignorant mind &besides all the thee's and thou's I saw another rulebook. Looking atthe book for "historical" purposes this is still the best story of thebest-selling book of all time. Charlton Heston OWNS this role like noother had ever really done before. How this isn't in the Top 250 isbeyond unbelievable. Nope not Jewish, hating or anything. A boringwhite dude who knows a good story when it's told. To all the kids thatcan't stand that things aren't being blown up or going to see "HannahMontana" Man that kid is going to be sick of being known for that bythe time she is 20. For making the snore-worthy (sure they can havetheir place) "Quite possibly worst sequel name ever "The Fast and theFurious" to "Fast and Furious." Is anybody trying anymore or kids don'tcare at all about story structure & ridiculous NOT even Soap Operaworthy plot-lines? We will have to endure 80 minute films w/out credits& actors trying to look happy that they are in another car movie.Seriously even if you can't appreciate this Flick yet, give it a trywhen you're older for all the right reasons. This is a film & it isthat good. $70 something million opening weekend here in the U.S. so wecan expect, "Faster 2 the most Furious...err...9 & they'll be seriousin non-"Naked Gun" Joke Title Contest. Yeah that is comedy. The 1sttwo. Ask all the funny guys now who they watched. Mel Brooks "BlazingSaddles." Anyway you can always catch this every Easter but commercialscan ruin the flow. Oops, that sounded snobby. A true 10.
A Holiday Classic
It has become a tradition to watch the Ten Commandments on Easter Sunday.And being that this is Easter I have decided to review this timelessclassic.****Excellent***Good**Fair*PoorDirected by Cecil B. DeMille and starring the god like figure of CharltonHeston as Moses. This is a biblical epic that despite your beliefs is anessential in epics. The movie admires the fact about how one man can makeadifference and how human nature can be our destruction. It is an epicmasterpiece!RATING: 4 STARS (****)Happy Easter everyone!
Some things that may have been overlooked
It may be just individual tastes, even even the change in time, but Ihave never been able to see how or why anyone could naturally assumeAnne Baxter, attractive as she was, was "obviously" so much morebeautiful than Yvonne deCarlo. I found Miss deCarlo lovelier, and notjust because the script pointed out that "Sepphora (Tzipporah)" had asuperior character. My guess is that deMille chose Miss deCarlo in thatparticular role because of the relative fame/box office of the twoladies - or because Miss deCarlo had a distinctly more "earthy" qualitythan Miss Baxter.Another even smaller but very important, note is Woody Strode. He saysnothing in the film, and yet, in both scenes where he figures, he isthe focus of attention. As the silent King of Ethiopia, you get thefeeling that, even beaten in battle, he is unconquered, and knowshimself to be Pharoah's equal. That his silence is not through fear,but pride. You cannot take your eyes from him. And when he is doingdouble-duty as one of Bithia's bearers, he uses a facial expressionregrettably inflicted on black actors through the ages - that ofwide-rolling eyed fear - but when *he* does it, you get none of thecringing, whining feel you get when other actors were out through thissame pace. You get the natural fear of simple people - of any color -of a power greater than they understand.A lot of people damn this movie as camp, and there are loads offoul-ups - both technical and scriptural (shoe-horning Jesus into astory where he *cannot* belong is the worst and most insulting) - butthe visuals are superb, the acting is fine and the movie itself a treatto watch; it stands the test of time.
An epic for the ages
To consider the epics of our current age (Troy, Alexander) incomparison with earlier epics like 'The Ten Commandments' it is nowonder that many yearn for the films of yesterday. I suppose thatdirectors like Cecil B. DeMille had a much more keen interest instaying true to the classic storyline and exposing it, instead ofcontemporary filmmakers who are insistent on interjecting political andsocial relevency into ancient stories. And yet, despite criticalpanning and box-office disaster, the highly touted directors who havedelivered a non-ending supply of filmed revisionist history seemdetermined to keep it going.
Epic, bombastic...
Epic, bombastic and totally over the top... these are the words that come tomind when I think about "The Ten Commandments." With a cast of thousandsand lavish, rich set and costume design, this is the epitome of "hollywood"pictures.These same qualities turn out to be the film's major strength. It's purespectacle on a grand scale, rarely equalled in film history. Also, I findthe score very moving and able to stand alone without the picture. I likethe film "Titanic" for some of the same reasons I like this one... as cheesyas it gets at times, there's just something about the scale and scope of anepic that really spins my gears. I own this one on DVD and watch it maybe acouple times a year -- it's never worn out its welcome over the years. 8/10
A great film about the greatest story ever told
The epic film The Ten Commandments is directed by the legendary CecilB. DeMille and stars Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, and Anne Baxter. Thefilm takes place 3,000 years ago in Egypt.The film starts with the pharaoh discovering that an evil star isshining brightly which means that the Hebrew who will save the slaveshas been born, so the Pharaoh decrees that every newborn must bekilled. A woman named Yochabel sends her newborn son down a river in abasket so that her son will not be killed. The son is then found by thePharaoh's sister who raises the boy, Moses, as her own son. Many yearslater Moses is a very successful Prince of Egypt and may even possiblybecome the next Pharaoh unless his cousin Rameses proves to be thebetter candidate. A short while later Moses discovers that he isactually a Hebrew and decides to join his people and leave the life ofroyalty. When the Pharaoh discovers this he outcasts his nephew andthat is when the epic tale continues with Moses' meeting with God.The direction of this film was brilliant, DeMille did a great job ofmaking this epic film feel epic. There were many beautiful shots of allthe slaves doing construction and especially at the end with theparting of the Red Sea, extremely well done. Whenever God was on thescreen the shots for Him were truly Godly and all the special effectsfor this film were truly magnificent.The acting in this film was only so-so, Charlton Heston gave a verygood performance as Moses but Yul Brynner and Anne Baxter were not thatgreat in their parts of Rameses and Nefretiri. For Brynner the wholefilm he acted the same, angry and cocky. There truly was no emotionalchange for him until slightly at the very end, but throughout the filmhis anger should of grown instead of staying consistent. Baxter thewhole film was just in love with Moses and didn't ever portray aquality that showed why he was also attracted to her and then at theend I will not give a spoiler away but something bad happens to her andshe never shows any sadness, she is just cold.A great part of the film was the score, it really worked well with thefilm and if one was just hearing it they would know it was for an epicfilm. It was perfect in all the right places and without it the filmwould be nowhere near the quality that it currently is.The art direction and costume design for this film was also trulyperfect. It is exactly how I imagine Egypt to look in that time periodand it was brilliantly done and should be a model for all other filmsof what great art direction and costume design should be.Overall this film is a solid 8/10, the only thing bringing it down issome of the performances. I would recommend this film to just abouteveryone, especially fans of the epic genre, and religious andhistorical films.
The great biblical story as it should always be portrayed
Cecil B. Demille's grand epic is always a great film to watch, even if you know virtually every line and every action that is going to happen. To take on a grand epic like this took guts, and DeMille achieved grace and beauty in one of the grandest spectacle's to ever hit a silver screen. From the grandness of the sets to the amount of extras, sets, colors and special effects shots used in this film, a film like this would probably never be made by today's standards and costs. Hopefully, someone will retell the story, updating the special effects and all, but until that day happens, this film will suffice.
Not such a bad guy...
It seems to me that Ramesses gets an unfairly bad rap from this movie.Sure, he's arrogant and bossy, but after all, he was of the royal lineof Egypt! In his competition with Moses, he was straightforward,honest, and did not stoop to unfair subterfuge. Why shouldn't heconsider Dathan's revelation a valid reason to disqualify Moses frombecoming Pharaoh? Even after achieving this victory, and having Mosestotally at his mercy, he does not execute his rival, but exiles him,even predicting that he'll forget his troubles with another woman.After several years, Moses shows up again, in total violation of thePharoah's edict. Ramesses reacts to this with unusual forbearance. Hemerely smirks, and permits Moses to hang around his court. Mosesdisrupts the river purification ceremony, but Ramesses prevents anyonefrom killing him. Moses turns up on a private terrace while Ramesses istrying to read, and instead of having Moses killed, Ramesses merelytries to ignore him and wishes he'd quit bugging him. In fact Moses isattacking his kingdom with multiple supernatural assaults, yet Ramessestries to shrug it all off as natural events and fails to molest hisfoster brother, or the Hebrews, until he has endured many provocations.Finally he reaches the reasonable decision to free the slaves, only tobe turned from this by the manipulations of Nefretiri, a foolish act ofpride and weakness on his part, not of evil. By the way, in the Bibleit is God who mysteriously hardens Pharaoh's heart all these times, notNefretiri.After his plan to kill the Hebrew firstborn backfires, he again decidesto free the slaves. The damage to Egypt would have been contained ifnot for the further scheming of Nefretiri. Of course we know fromhistory that Ramesses II was one of the most successful of all Egyptianpharaohs, and went on to an extraordinarily long and prosperous reign.I am left with the impression that Ramesses regarded Moses with acertain respect. Moses was certainly a more interesting characterbefore his encounter with the Burning Bush. I think if these two guyshad ever sat down together without their respective sticks beinginserted, they could have worked things out and avoided all kinds oftrouble. Of course that might have taken a toll on the movie's dramaticcontent.
One of my Favorite Movies
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is a film that will inspire all. There is good and evil present in all forms of society. This film is good old fashioned film making with an important message about the human spirit: it flaws, weaknesses and triumphs. Yul Brynner is very good.
Scriptural inaccuracy
I just want to comment on the scriptural inaccuracy in this movie. Notwhether it's a good movie or not, you can still appreciate the movie.But don't think you learn anything about Shemot (Exodus) when watchingit.Look at this for example, this is what Shemot says:Shemot 2:10-15 "10. The child grew up, and she brought him to Pharaoh'sdaughter, and he became like her son. She named him Moses, and shesaid, "For I drew him from the water." 11. Now it came to pass in thosedays that Moses grew up and went out to his brothers and looked attheir burdens, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man of hisbrothers. 12. He turned this way and that way, and he saw that therewas no man; so he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13. Hewent out on the second day, and behold, two Hebrew men were quarreling,and he said to the wicked one, "Why are you going to strike yourfriend?" 14. And he retorted, "Who made you a man, a prince, and ajudge over us? Do you plan to slay me as you have slain the Egyptian?"Moses became frightened and said, "Indeed, the matter has becomeknown!" 15. Pharaoh heard of this incident, and he sought to slayMoses; so Moses fled from before Pharaoh. He stayed in the land ofMidian, and he sat down by a well."This is what Cecil B. DeMille has stretched to almost 2 hours (firsthalf of the movie). So I would say that this movie is more of a remakeof Shemot, than based on Shemot.
Lumbering but at least visually beautiful.
The narrative of this solemn, visually majestic biblical epic is so ramblingthat the REAL story (I mean, the "interesting stuff", after Moses discovershis mission and returns to Egypt) begins after about 2 hours and 10 minutes;most movies would be over by then, but De Mille has only managed to spin outthe prologue. Considering that, along with the often hokey dialogue (nearthe end, during the "orgiastic" scene, the narrator tells us:"And there wassin, and anomie, and uncleanness, and violence, and rioting, and....etc"),the movie is often hard to sit through, but it does have its rewards:astonishing cinematography, solid acting by most of the cast and specialeffects that hold up very well after almost 45 years. (**)
Good news and bad news
Good news: it is one of DeMille's greatest epics and has some FX that arestill amazing. Bad news: it is full of DeMille's pompous silent-film-daysstyle which induced in the cast almost cartoonish over-acting.Good news: it is the film that made Heston a big star. Bad news: it set himin stone as a stuffed shirt, a pompous actor who would repeat the patternin films such as BEN HUR, EL CID, and KHARTOUM. He has done little tochange this image, especially in light of the fact that he is a highprofile right-winger in his politics.
Biblical Melodrama at its Most Memorable
I think I have not seen this film since "The Ten Commandments" was theonly movie being shown in theaters during Holy Week. Despite the lengthof four hours, the only thing I really remember about it was the RedSea scene, and maybe that is more because of the poster than the film.This Maundy Thursday, I decided to revisit this grand classic film, thelast film of renowned director Cecil B DeMille.While I was watching, I recognized several scenes by bits and piecesonly, especially in the first half before the intermission. The scenesin the second half were more memorable. This whole matter about theEgyptian princess Nefretiri (whom I am not really clear what the natureof her close relationship is to the Pharaoh Sethi was) played by a verycampy Anne Baxter, I do not remember AT ALL. Maybe I was still tooyoung back then to understand the flowery-worded melodrama involvingher double-dealing character, and how she affected the relationship ofMoses (an outstanding Charlton Heston) and Rameses (a believable YulBrynner). I was touched by the sympathetic treatment the production hadfor Pharaoh Sethi (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) and his sister Bithiah (NinaFoch). The scene of Moses meeting his mother Yochabel (Martha Scott)was very moving. The overseers Dathan (Edward G. Robinson) and Baka(Vincent Price), were contemptible with their hammy villainy.But you can really see why this biblical epic was an instant classicback then, and up to now. The "cast of thousands" it boasts of in theposter is literally true (no computer-generated crowds back then. Thesets and costumes were incredibly grand and colorful. The Oscar Award-winning visual effects (parting of the Red Sea, turning water intoblood, etc...) were impressive considering that this was made back in1956! While I am sure these effects would have been done differentlywith the advanced technology now, the last plague which simply depictedthe Angel of Death like a green mist creeping on the floor can stillelicit fear in the audience. OK, the burning bush scene could be donemuch better now, but the memory of seeing Moses' physicaltransformation when he came down from Mt. Sinai with that incrediblebrush-up hairstyle change could not be replicated.
The Ten Commandments STILL one of the GREATEST FILMS EVER!
Cecil B. DeMille was one of the greatest film producers of all time. Healways bridged the current trends and produced films people reallyenjoyed and wanted to see! His last epic, "The Ten Commandments" (1956)still is thrilling and this timeless classic still attracts audiencesworld-wide. To be able to see this great film in the original andimproved format (Arclight Theatres in Hollywood, CA) will be excitingand I am purchasing a number of seats for my family and friends. Andthe message of this film is as relevant today as today's morningnewspaper! I WOULD HOPE IN 2006 WHEN THIS WONDERFUL FILM CELEBRATES ITS50TH ANNIVERSARY, A VERY SPECIAL CELEBRATION WILL BE HELD and if so, Ihope to attend! I attended the opening of this film at the CriterionTheatre in New York in 1956. So, my recommendation, my very strongrecommendation, get over to Hollywood at the Arclight and enjoy thisclassic on the big screen and be thrilled again or for the first time!