Editorial Review:Amazon.com essential video:Legendary silent film director Cecil B. DeMille didn't much alter the way he made movies after sound came in, and this 1956 biblical drama is proof of that. While graced with such 1950s niceties as VistaVision and Technicolor,
The Ten Commandments (DeMille had already filmed an earlier version in 1923) has an anachronistic, impassioned style that finds lead actors Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner expressively posing while hundreds of extras writhe either in the presence of God's power or from orgiastic heat. DeMille, as always, plays both sides of the fence as far as sin goes, surrounding Heston's Moses with worshipful music and heavenly special effects while also making the sexy action around the cult of the Golden Calf look like fun. You have to see
The Ten Commandments to understand its peculiar resonance as an old-new movie, complete with several still-impressive effects such as the parting of the Red Sea.
--Tom Keogh
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Timeless Classic
One of the most well acted, well directed and greatest stories ever told. It transends generations. I've watched this movie every Easter since I can remember, and now my children carry on the tradition. This is one to add to the collection.
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Old testament mumbo jumbo
Except for Yul Brynner's performance, costumes and attire, the rest of the movie is Old Testament religious propaganda. The movie is a slap in the face of the ancient Egyptians (of the New kingdom in the 18th & 19th dynasties) face. Moses never led the Hebrews from Egypt. He drove them out with the rest of the Hyksos invaders in 1570 BC. I'm surprised that more people don't question the Old Testament Megalomania. Is there a way to vote zero stars?
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The Ten Commanments 1956 stands the test of time
This is exactly the kind of movie we need more of. But, I know that will never happen, not in America. Starring Yul Brenner, Charlton Heston -This is Cecil B. Demile's great, big, wonderful telling of Moses. He was put on the river in a basket before the Egytians could kill him along with all the other Hewbrew children. He was found in a drifting basket my Bithia the Pharoh's sister. She raised him in the palace as her own. One day, he and everybody else found out he was a Hebrew...Woo-hoo! Buy it for the rest of the story. "So let it be written, so let it be done" (You'll understand this line from the movie once you see it) Based on the Old Testament writings with excellent special effects for 1956. I bought this with "The Robe" another classic starring Richard Burton."Were you out there?" (you'll understand this line too when you buy The Robe)
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Great Movie great Price!
The movie arrived on time and in the condition as promised. This set is the ultimate disc set of the movie. Everything you could want and more.
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Still Great After 50 Years
Like most people, I watched "The Ten Commandments" on TV many times over the years while growing up. Many of its scenes are etched in my memory. But in the wake of Charlton Heston's recent death, I decided to have a marathon viewing of his films and watched "Commandments" for the first time since my adolescence. It was interesting to see it now with more mature eyes (and without being interrupted by a million commercials).
Made in 1956, this film launched Heston's career as the star of big historical epics. He is dynamic and powerful as Moses, who grows up believing he is Egyptian royalty, only to discover that he is actually born of a slave. Moses becomes the messenger of God and delivers the Hebrews out of their terrible bondage. The cast is very good, especially Yul Bryner as Rameses and Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Sethi. The script is lyrical and literate, both socially conscious and reverent at the same time. The special effects in the parting of the Red Sea sequence are impressive even today, although some of the other effects (like the "pillar of fire") are animated and look pretty cheesy. However, the scene where the Angel of Death slithers through the city as a slow-moving mist is still chilling.
To modern audiences, the film will seem melodramatic and exaggerated, but that was the intended style. The director, Cecil B. DeMille, got his start making silent movies where the actors needed to overact to convey the emotion of the scene. In fact, the 50th anniversary DVD of "Commandments" includes the 1923 version, also directed by DeMille. In the earlier film, the story of Moses and Rameses is featured only in the prologue, which is then followed by a "modern day" story of two brothers and what happens if a person does not live by God's laws. It's a wonderful time capsule of movie making and it's interesting to compare (and contrast) it to the later film. Despite it's age, the silent version has surprisingly good special effects.
The other extras in the 50th Anniversary set are also good. There is a 40-minute documentary on the making of the film which features interviews with surviving cast members, including Heston. There are also enthusiastic and informative commentaries by Katherine Orrison on both versions of the film. She shares many interesting anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories, and both are worth a listen.
So if you've never seen "The Ten Commandments," by all means you should. If it's been a while, revisit the grandeur and spectacle of this cinema classic.
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