The Ten Commandments (1956)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
The 1950’s was a decade home to many epics. Perhaps one of the
best ones produced was 1956’s The Ten Commandments. This film fits the
definition of an epic very well. It will fill you up with awe, with amazement,
and with wonder due to the use of gigantic set pieces, colorful costume designs,
a bombastic score, and storytelling that many of us know about (especially if
you’re from Christianity or Jewish heritage). The film runs at a lengthy three
hours and forty minutes, which is common for epics during the golden age of
epics. Despite the lengthy film, I felt the movie had a good pace to it. It did
not seem like a long movie, and I was almost disappointed when the credits
appeared. When that happens in a 3+ hour film, you know you have a good film on
your hands.
This film is based off historical events or to be more specific,
the tale of Moses from his birth to his death. In Ancient Egypt, Pharoah Ramses
I decreed all newborn Hebrew males shall die. However, a newborn male named
Moses (Charlton Heston) was cast away in the Nile in a reed basket. He was
saved by pharaoh’s daughter, Bithiah (Nina Foch), and he grew up in court of
the pharaoh’s brother, Seti (Cedric Hardwicke). Moses made a name to himself
and became a favorite to take the throne after Seti. But once Moses’s heritage
is revealed, everything changes. Moses is cast from Egypt, where he marries and
raises a family. He is commanded by God to return to Egypt so he can free the
Hebrew people from slavery. However, Seti’s son, Rameses (Yul Brynner) does all
he can to stop Moses.
There are just many scenes in the movies to goggle at. I am very
impressed on how the story was told, and I can understand why the movie became
a classic. Some of my favorite scenes are the parting of the Red Sea, where
Moses splits the Red Sea so his people can cross the sea and be saved from
Rameses, who was chasing them down. Another powerful scene I loved was when
Yahweh was speaking to Moses on the top of Mount Sinai, issuing Moses the Ten
Commandments while all his people were sinning at the base of the mountain.
Just seeing God as a ball of fire, speaking with a commanding holy voice gave
me the chills. Despite this being a film released in 1956, I believe the
special effects hold up fairly well. The parting of the Red Sea is incredible,
and it is amazing how that scene was done without the use of any CGI.
I have previously reviewed a movie from Cecil B. DeMille, which
was released nine years previously in 1947 called Unconquered. That
movie showed DeMille had a good hand in making entertaining epics. He really
succeeds on the grand scale, as proved by the success of this film. The acting
was also consistent and everyone seemed to have a fun time. Sometimes the
acting would be downright silly, but there is no denying the fun the cast had.
Charlton Heston is no stranger to epics, and I loved his performance here as
Moses. Maybe towards the end when he becomes a whole new person he got a little
silly, but overall he did a good job. Yul Brynner is good as Moses’s fiercest
rival, Rameses, He created a memorable villain, who feels betrayed by his
father that he would give power to Moses and not him. Anne Baxter does a good
job as Nefretiri who was Mose’s love interest. Baxter did good, but sometimes
her seductiveness would feel out of place in the film. Finally, I must mention
Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, the man who was in charge of the slaves. I felt
he gave a light, comedic touch to a man in what otherwise would be a sinister
character.
Overall, The Ten Commandments is a great epic that
holds up very well, nearly sixty years after its original release. The film
does justice to the story, as told in the Bible. It’s obvious the film takes a
stance against slavery, and its fun to see Moses outdo Rameses, The special
effects are pretty cool, but get ready to be blown away by the Red Sea scene.
This sweeping epic is a grand, fun movie. Not only does it enlighten people on
the story of Moses and what he did for his people, but it also is fun, silly,
and entertaining. The movie does a little into stretching the imagination, but
its fun to watch and one of the best epics of all time.
My Grade: A
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