Truly Dreadful Film

So much average

Excellent but underrated film

Blistering performances.

This film changed my perspective on religion it's great plot makes it impossible not to believe in an all powerful, all seeing God. I used to be an atheist but changed my ways and repented, begging God's forgiveness and I believe that if your an atheist then you should change your ways. Great performance from all.

In the theater when I was around 9 or 10, this was a grand visual and aural treat, complete with an intermission and about 10 minutes of credits at the start of the movie. Imagine that. Now, on a 65 inch flat-screen TV and with decent home sound system, it still holds up pretty well. (Just saw it again at Easter.) Sure, the acting is...well...it's very obvious acting. Over-the-top, a bit cartoonish in the poses and facial expressions. But that's how they made movies in the 1950's. They even got awards for these efforts. Oh, and some of the special effects are about as true as some of the computer-generated Junk today. Marvel and DC have gotten carried away, I think, and I can't help but see it all as a big cartoon (which these movies are.) But again, in the mid 50's, the sea parting, the river's waters turning to blood, the staffs becoming serpents: eye-opening stuff to a young family. Required viewing.

"The Ten Commandments" was Producer/Director Cecil B. DeMille"s 80th and final film in the Director's chair. In a career that began in 1914 with "The Squaw Man", this was arguably his best film. It tells the biblical story of Moses with all the spectacle and glamour one could expect. The special effects, including the parting of the Red Sea are legendary. The film runs almost four hours and is divided into two main parts.The first part deals with Moses' life as an Egyptian prince and ends with his first encounter with God on the Mount Sinai. An edict issued by Rameses I (Ian Keith) decreed that all first born Hebrew children were to be slain in order to kill the promised deliverer of the Hebrew people. Moses is saved by his mother Yochabel (Martha Scott) who places him in a basket and sets it afloat in the Nile. Egyptian princess Bithiah (Nina Foch), the daughter of the Pharaoh saves the Hebrew baby, names him Moses and takes him as her own swearing her sinister servant Memnet (Judith Anderson) to secrecy.Moses grows to be Charlton Heston having distinguished himself in battle and winning the favor of the new Pharaoh, Sethi (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) over his natural son Rameses (Yul Brynner). Both men seek the favor of Princess Nefretiri (Anne Baxter) who is to marry the next Pharaoh. When Moses builds Sethi's new city and gains further influence with Sethi, Memmnet decides to expose Moses as a Hebrew. Nefretiri intercedes and kills the old servant but leaves Moses' swaddling blanket in full view. Moses discovers his heritage and renounces his privileged position. Rameses is now the new Pharaoh as Rameses II and banishes Moses to the desert.Moses manages to cross the desert and comes upon the camp of the shepherd Jethro (Eduard Franz) and his seven daughters one of whom, Sephora (Yvonne DeCarlo) Moses marries and with whom he has a son. Life goes on until Moses is drawn to Mount Sinai where he encounters a burning bush through which God directs Moses to return to Egypt and free his people.Part 2 of the story follows Moses' efforts to free his people. To do so, He causes the Nile river to turn red, brings several plagues upon the Egyptians and finally causing the first born of every Egyptian family, including Rameses II' s own son to die. Moses and his people are released from bondage and begin the pilgrimage to the Promised Land. However, Rameses decides to send his chariots after the group to slay them. But following the celebrated parting of the Red Sea, they are swallowed up and drown. Rameses then decides to let the Hebrews go their way even though Nefretiri maintains her love for Moses.When Moses and the Hebrews reach Mount Sinai, Moses goes up the mountain for 40 days and nights to await God's further direction. Meanwhile the slimy Dathan (Edward G. Robinson) fires up the crowd convincing them that Moses has abandoned them. With the help of Moses' brother Aaron (John Carradine). they build a golden cow as a false god. Moses is meantime receiving the ten commandments of God from the master. Moses decends the mountain and is furious when he sees the Golden Calf and all the sinful activity around it. He loses it and....................................................................................................This film made star Charlton Heston a major star and cemented his career as a biblical/ middle ages type leader. Brynner is excellent as Rameses and conveys a certain regal quality in his role . Robinson is good as the evil Dathan who takes the young Lilia (Debra Paget) unto himself in order to free Joshua (John Derek) from death. Anne Baxter is suitably seductive as Nefratiri.Other notables in the large cast include DeMille regulars Henry Wilcoxen, Julia Faye, Francis McDonald and Olive Deering as well as, Vincent Price as the Master Builder Baka who also covets Lilia, Douglas Dumbrille, Frank DeCova, and John Miljan as the blind man.It is interesting to note that Marsha Scott played Charlton Heston's mother both here and in "Ben-Hur" (1959) while Olive Deering played a character named Miriam both here and in "Samson and Delilah" (1949).

Cecil B. DeMille made his last film in "The Ten Commandments" which was released in 1956. Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner star together with Anne Baxter,Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo,Debra Paget and John Derek.This epic of the film is based on the Bible particularly the Book of Exodus that tells the story of Moses,the Hebrew who was adopted as Egyptian prince who later becomes the leader and deliverer of the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt. This close-to-four hour film starts with the discovery of Moses in the bull rushes as an infant by an Egyptian princess and was later raised as an Egyptian princess.But when he later discovered his true heritage as a Hebrew,he decided to work for the cause of his people.After murdering a slave master,he decided to run away.But years later,he was called upon by God as an instrument to set the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.After he succeeded through the Seven Deadly Plagues,the trip to the Promise Land was told in great detail from crossing of the Red Sea,the journey that was marked by the people's sinfulness,the Ten Commandments, the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua, and the arrival to the Promise Land itself with Joshua leading the people.After all this years,it remains the best film ever made about Moses.Many filmmakers have tried to make a film on the same story but nothing could duplicate De Mille's version.It has great production set up,costumes,acting and cinematography.The story was also told in clear detail.That why people continue to see this movie after more than 60 years since it was released. Definitely,it was the best movie about Moses and the Ten Commandments.