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The single costliest and
highest grossing film of 1956 was Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments; an elephantine Bible-fiction spectacle
designed to dwarf all others that had gone before it, including DeMille’s own
1923 silent version. That the resulting film is eye-popping and star studded is
little wonder. On a purely visual scale, few epics before or since can lay
claim to as much staggering wealth of production values. After a lengthy
career, this proved to be DeMille’s final cinematic gift to the world, and what
a whopper it is.
Mind-boggling are the
statistics trumpeted by Paramount’s publicity department; as lengthy and
involved as the film’s main title sequence. Consider just one fact: 60,000
extras dressed in as many costumes to perform the exodus scene against the
largest free standing set (Seti’s city) ever built for a motion picture. The
strain of micromanaging such a colossus took its toll on DeMille who suffered a
major heart attack while on location, necessitating some quick subbing in by no
less than the film’s star, Charlton Heston – briefly seated in the director’s
chair. DeMille recovered from his coronary in a record three days and was back
on the set, in charge and in command.
As film art, The Ten Commandments is not without its
flaws – some of them glaring. As far as historians and Biblical scholars are
concerned the research conducted has yielded an inconclusive screenplay by
Joseph Holt Ingraham, Arthur Eustace Southon, Dorothy Clarke Wilson, Aeneas
MacKenzie, Jesse L. Lasky Jr, Jack Gariss and Frederic M. Frank in which many
artistic liberties have been taken. Still, given the task of distilling one of
the most pivotal passages in the Bible into a manageable movie, the screenplay
is a veritable wonderment in both is comprehensiveness and its concision. If
artistic liberties have been taken, and – no doubt, they have – then these have
nevertheless produced a superlative text book example of the meticulously
crafted classic Hollywood narrative. While the scope and size of the project is
undeniably impressive, DeMille becomes a tad too preachy, too reverent as it
were, and too ensconced in the factoid information that he crams into the film’s
running voice over commentary. And then, of course there is the acting to
consider – and reconsider.
Stylistically, The Ten Commandments is straight out of
the silent era with extras and stars alike prone to grand gesticulating. This
lack of subtlety arguably serves our modern perceptions of antiquity. We never
think of people from the ancient world as just people going about their daily
business the same as ourselves, but see them as stoic, artfully placed caricatures
of human beings, more articulate than we and infinitely more thought
provokingly inspired. DeMille’s epic
falls into that misconception and as such, tends to lack in genuine heart and
soul. His story is a moving tableau, populated by waxworks with the most
fabulous oratory skills this side of Dale Carnegie. As such The Ten Commandments becomes the
ultimate example of style trumping substance.
Very loosely based on the
Holy Scriptures, our story begins in the time of Ramses I (Ian Keith) who
declares that ever Hebrew man child shall be put to death to stave off rumours
that a Messiah has been born among them. One child slated for the slaughter is
Moses (a role played as an infant by Heston’s newly born son, Fraser). To spare his life, the child’s mother,
Yochabel (Martha Scott) casts Moses upon the Nile in a floating basket quickly
discovered by Egyptian princess, Bithiah (Nina Foch), who also happens to be
Seti’s sister. Bithiah’s lady in waiting, Memnet (Judith Anderson) spied the
Hebrew cloth the child is wrapped in and tells Bithiah she will not see this
son of slaves reared in the royal house as one of their own. But Bithiah is a
compassionate widow who orders Memnet to sink the basket and swear an allegiance
to their secret or die for divulging the truth.
Fast forward: an adult
Moses (Charlton Heston) returns triumphant to Egypt to honour Seti II’s (Sir
Cedric Hardwicke) jubilee. Although the aging ruler of the two lands has a son,
Ramses (Yul Brynner) he favours Moses for his humility and compassion. Whoever
rules Egypt will also marry Nefritieri (Anne Baxter), a sultry temptress who
also prefers Moses to Ramses and who kills Memnet to keep Moses birthright from
him. Through a merciless twist of fate Moses comes to realize he was not born
to the royal house and vows to seek out his people and his real family.
Meanwhile, the wily
overseer Dathan (Edward G. Robinson) is seconded by Ramses to snuff out the
true identity of the Hebrew’s ‘deliverer’. After Seti’s master builder Bacca (Vincent
Price) is found murdered the Egyptian guard launch into a manhunt to find the
stone cutter Joshua (John Derek), the last man to have supposedly seen Bacca
alive, having come to the rescue his beloved water girl, Lilia (Debra Paget).
But Dathan was hiding behind a pillar when Bacca was murdered by Moses. He
relays this message to Ramses who exposes Moses as a fraud at Seti. The
benevolent patriarch is crushed by this discovery, ordering that Moses’ name be
stricken from every book, tablet and obelisk.
Nefritieri is betrothed to Ramses and Moses exiled into the desert where
presumably he will die.
Instead, he receives his
true calling from God and is discovered by Sephora (Yvonne DeCarlo); a lowly
peasant girl tending flock with her sisters. Moses and Sephora are married and
Moses returns to Egypt after Seti’s death to challenge Ramses supremacy as
supreme ruler. Moses is commanded by Ramses to prove that his God is God. In response, Moses transforms
his staff into a serpent. A court mystic challenges the transformation as a
cheap magician’s trick by transforming his own staff into another serpent. However,
when Moses’ snake devours the mystic’s the court is horrified. Ramses, however,
is unmoved and unimpressed.
Next, Moses uses his staff
to turn the Nile as red as blood. The inhabitants are petrified and plead with
Ramses to release the Hebrew slaves from bondage. But when Ramses learns of a
mountain in the Cataracts that spewed red clay into the river, he blames the
Nile’s redness on a natural occurrence. Moses returns to Ramses court,
declaring that forty days of darkness shall fall upon the land. Indeed, after a
brief interlude the skies become dark. Hail falls to the ground, turning to
fire upon the earth. Ramses threatens Moses, declaring that if another plague
comes to Egypt he will turn the Nile red with the blood of first born Hebrews.
Realizing that Ramses has brought about the ultimate death, Moses instructs his
followers to smear lamb’s blood across their doorways to prevent the pestilence
from entering their homes. Instead, the plague murders Ramses and Nefritieri’s
only son.
Emotionally destroyed, Ramses
releases the slaves from bondage. But as Moses leads the Israelites into the
desert, Nefritieri goads her husband with the promise he once made to her – to destroy
Moses. Inflamed by her words, Ramses calls the Egyptian guard to amass for the
slaughter of the Hebrews who have been led to the edge of the Red Sea. Dathan attempts to woo the terrified masses
to his side with promises of clemency. But Moses draws his staff against the
waters and parts the sea so that they may escape to the other side. Ramses
forces are consumed when these walls of water tumble back onto the ocean floor.
He returns alone to Nefritieri, humbly declaring that Moses’ “God is God!”
Yet, all is not well within
the camps made at the foot of Mount Sinai. While Moses is up in the mountains
receiving the divine word, his followers are seduced by Dathan to build a
golden calf for worship. They indulge in all forms of debauchery. Repelled by
what he sees, Moses raises the stone tablets given to him by the All Mighty in
anger. He casts the word of God to the ground, the tablets shattering and
creating an earthquake that swallows up all the nonbelievers. Unfortunately,
Moses actions have also angered God. He is instructed to show the Israelites
the path to the Promised Land but not to follow it himself. At the crossroads
Moses bids farewell to Joshua and Sephora, telling them to go forward with God’s
blessing.
The
Ten Commandments
is a monumental achievement by any standard, and yet Biblical scholars have
been particularly tough in their criticisms. DeMille’s interpretation of God’s
voice in particular (actually Charlton Heston’s in slo-mo) has incurred their
wrath. In truth, it is rather freakishly ominous, while scholars argue that God’s
first contact with Moses was less humbling and, in fact, very much more like a
conversation between friends: God employing Moses as his trusted emissary on
earth.
John L. Jensen and Arnold
Friberg’s costume design also gets picked apart as more a nod to fifties chic
re-envisioning of ancient Egyptian clothes than remaining faithful to the look
of the period. And then, of course there is the narrative structure to
consider. Many historians feel that the first half of the film plays like a Peyton
Place retrofitted for the chariot and toga set; with palace intrigues,
family incest, infidelities abounding in glorious Technicolor, while the latter
half is dedicated almost exclusively to pure spectacle. Most impressive of these latter spectacles,
and the one most frequently revived when retrospectives are given, is the
parting of the Red Sea. This full scale miniature was achieved in long shot
using two clear glass boxes filled with blue tinted water. By gradually
removing the side panels from each box and photographing the spillage at very
high speeds (later played back at a regular 24 frames per second) the effect is
complete and utterly jaw dropping.
Despite these academic
criticisms, film critics were mostly kind to The Ten Commandments as movie art. Audiences were overwhelmed and
flocked to see the film. Adjusted into today’s inflation, The Ten Commandments has earned $446 million worldwide, making it
the fifth highest grossing film of all time. It remains among the most beloved
movies ever made and a perennial favourite on Palm Sunday TV broadcasts.
Paramount’s deluxe Blu-ray
easily eclipses all previous incarnations available on DVD. At long last we get
to see the film in its glorious VistaVision motion picture high fidelity
projection. Spread across two Blu-ray discs – broken at the intermission – The Ten Commandments has never looked
more spectacular on home video. This is a reference quality presentation.
Colors are bold and fully saturated. Fine detail abounds. Contrast levels yield
extraordinarily velvety blacks, and pristine whites. The older DVD’s edge
enhancement and pixelization are gone from the Blu-ray. This is a complete
restoration effort from the ground up and the results are breath-taking. The
audio has also received an impressive upgrade. It’s 5.1 DTS with a refined
sonic quality, particularly in the music and effects that are spatially satisfying.
As for dialogue, it’s crisp and clean.
Extras are another reason
to celebrate: a brand new 75 minute ‘making of’ takes an intimate look at the
larger than life figures of DeMille and Heston with fascinating back stories to
tell. We also get the six part ‘documentary’ that accompanied the DVD, an audio
commentary and theatrical trailer – plus DeMille’s 1923 silent version. The
elements on this earlier film are badly worn. It’s still watchable, but just
barely. Finally, Paramount has fleshed out the extras in flashy collectible
packaging. The case parts down the middle – just like the Red Sea – revealing two
faux stone tablets housing five discs – three Blu-ray and two DVD. We get a
handsome booklet brimming with factoid info and original art and stills, and
reproductions of telegrams from Paramount and DeMille, plus costume design
inserts. Wow! What a class act! Bottom line: Paramount Home Video has outdone
themselves on this presentation. A must have for any film lover!
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
4
VIDEO/AUDIO
5+
EXTRAS
5+
VIDEO/AUDIO
5+
EXTRAS
5+
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