- Moses (Charlton Heston) to Pharaoh (Yul Brynner)
Major Awards:
Academy Awards 1956 -
Best Special Effects
Entertainment Reviews:
Entertainment Weekly - 09/17/1999
"...Laughs, thrills, and a cheap, secular sort of wonderment....Genuinely dramatic work..." -- Rating: B+
Los Angeles Times - 12/31/1998
"...The prologue has tremendous sweep and scale..."
Entertainment Weekly - 03/05/2004
"It's well-made, kitschy fun put across by special effects that retain a thrilling visual power..."
Uncut - 09/01/2004
"[It] remains the definitive Biblical epic."
Product Description:
This spectacular biblical epic from legendary showman Cecil B. DeMille tells the story of Moses from his infancy to the triumphant moment when he led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. The film begins as the pharaoh's daughter (Yvonne De Carlo) discovers the abandoned infant Moses and takes him to the shelter of her family. Charlton Heston stars as the young man raised by the pharaoh as an Egyptian prince. Moses is righteous and kind, the favored successor to the kingdom, which results in the deep-seated jealousy of Prince Rameses (Yul Brynner). Rameses and Moses compete for the throne and the love of the young princess, Nefretiri (Anne Baxter), until Moses learns the truth about his origins and joins the Jewish slaves in their fight for freedom. After receiving the Ten Commandments from God, Moses helps free the Jews from the pharaoh's tyrannical rule, surmounting all obstacles in his way--including the parting of the Red Sea, in one of the movie's most famous scenes. Cecil B. DeMille's extravagant final film--and remake of his silent 1923 version--is a legendary combination of the master showman's love of historical realism, spectacle, lavish scenic design, and dizzying crowd sequences. The exodus alone is a stunning feat of modern cinema, featuring thousands of actors trekking through the arid desert as Pharaoh's chariots chase after them.
Plot Keywords:
Ancient World |
Bible (The) |
Bible Epic |
Classic |
Epic |
Essential Cinema |
Jewish Heritage |
Passover |
Recommended |
Religion |
Religious Beliefs |
Religious Faith |
Remake |
Spiritual |
Spirituality |
Theatrical Release
Production Notes:
This 1956 extravaganza is Cecil B. DeMille's remake of his own 1923 film. It was his final film.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1999.
The infant Moses is portrayed by Fraser Heston, Charlton's real-life son.
In July 1995, the fiberglass tablets (containing the commandments) that Charlton Heston carried in the film were auctioned off for $81,700 at Christie's.
Cecil B. DeMille also appears in a brief prologue discussing the film.
In HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART ONE, Mel Brooks, portraying Moses, comes down from the mountain with three tablets containing 15 commandments but drops one of them.
Film Collectors & Archivists: Alpha Video is actively looking for rare and
unusual pre-1943 motion pictures, in good condition, from Monogram, PRC,
Tiffany, Chesterfield, and other independent studios for release on DVD. We
are also interested in TV shows from the early 1950s. Share your passion
for films with a large audience.
Let us know what you have.
Based on 
![The Ten Commandments [Limited Edition Boxed Set]](http://d3dvedx3sqrauf.cloudfront.net/i/boxart/mid/33/07/883929330751.jpg?v=3 "The Ten Commandments [Limited Edition Boxed Set] (Blu-ray + DVD)")
