There is skillful writing and fine acting, with Yul Brynner brilliant in his role as Ramesses and Charlton Heston as a vibrant, energetic Moses. The grand assemblage of effects, music, and sets does not carry THE TEN COMMANDMENTS on their own. The music of Elmer Bernstein enhances the film with its dynamism and scope, ranging from the separate themes that serve as leitmotifs throughout, to the weaving of these separate themes during parallel editing of sequences. Paramount Pictures is to be commended for the fidelity and quality of the new print: the Technicolor almost leaps out at you, it is so vivid and intense. It has overwhelming sets, costuming, action sequences and pageantry that demand a 70mm Cinerama screen. Finally, they see the promised land, and though Moses does not join them, he lovingly watches as the masses cross the River Jordan into Israel.Ī visual guide to the Holy Scriptures, this classic film in re-release is a milestone in motion-picture history, as it once again graces the silver screen with its grandeur. As punishment for their disbelief in God’s might, the Hebrews are forced to wander 40 years in the desert. Sinai after receiving the Ten Commandments, Moses angrily smashes the stone tablets when he sees the people have built a golden calf. In a stunning sequence at the Red Sea, Moses lifts his hands as the Lord parts the waters for the mass exodus to safely make their way through, but the Egyptians are drowned when they try to follow.ĭescending from Mt. Ten plagues befall the Egyptians, including the death of all their first-born sons, before Ramases allows them to leave. Through the miraculous burning bush incident, Moses receives from God the command to lead the suffering Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and into the promised land. Thus, his true Hebrew identity is discovered, and he is cast out into the desert by Ramases I, who inherits the throne. Moses returns to the construction of the city and, enraged by the treatment of the Hebrew slaves, kills an Egyptian builder. His discovery forfeits his Egyptian inheritance: his adopted mother and the throne. However, Moses finds a piece of Semite cloth and his true identity becomes known to him as he travels to Goshen and meets his real mother. Nefretiri kills the woman to remove the threat of exposing Moses. Princess Nefretiri, who loves Moses, finds out from an embittered servant woman still loyal to Moses’ step-brother, Rameses, that Moses is Hebrew. Pharaoh tells Moses of his place as the next Pharaoh of Egypt. Moses shows compassion in dealing with the slaves constructing the city. The Pharaoh has his adopted son Moses build a city to be a lasting monument to the Pharaoh himself. Placed in a basket and floated down the Nile River, the infant Moses is found by Queen Bithiah, Pharoah’s wife, who raises Moses as her own.
Two brothers, rivals for the love of Mary, also come into conflict when John discovers Dan used shoddy materials to construct a cathedral.When Sethi, the Egyptian Pharaoh who has enslaved the Jewish people, is told by astrologers that the deliverer of the Hebrews will soon be born to free his people, he demands that all newborn Jewish males be slaughtered. The second part shows the efficacy of the commandments in modern life through a story set in San Francisco.
Plot: The first part tells the story of Moses leading the Jews from Egypt to the Promised Land, his receipt of the tablets and the worship of the golden calf. Stars: Theodore Roberts, Charles De Rochefort, Estelle Taylor, Julia Faye, Pat Moore