Cecil B. DeMille Ten Commandments
Film released October 5, 1956
Cecil B. DeMille announced a plan to remake his silent era Ten Commandments (1923) in 1952, intending to refashion the story to only focus on the life of Moses (the earlier film had contained a modern-era parable that was included along with a loosely-adapted biblical depiction).
Determined to make this version the biggest film of his career (which is saying something considering the number of epics he had already made), DeMille claimed to have spent 5 years perfecting his script (which warps the biblical narrative in predictably Hollywoodian ways), and he spent several years on research and preparation before the cameras ever rolled.
Bombastic and wooden in parts, the film strangely enough takes off as an effective character piece when the scenes are smaller and the actors closed in so that instead of seeing the gigantic sets and effects, we have the familiar actor architecture of Charlton Heston, Anne Baxter and Yul Brynner trying to sort out a love triangle that gets imploded once Moses (Heston) decides he's way more Jewish than Egyptian, and that God (which ironically enough, is voiced by Heston!) wants him to get the slaves out of Egypt.
Seriously screwed in the sense of Biblical story fidelity, the film is nonetheless undeniably an "epic Hollywood Adventure with a cast of tens-of-thousands."
DeMille apparently wanted to make an allegory about the threat of communist expansion in the world of 1950's geopolitical crisis, and he has. Slavery looks terrible and worshipping a king/god (substitute Lenin, I guess) and you have tyrannical situation that crushes the many for the luxury of the few.
Original Page August 29, 2014
You will see Amazon links on this web site because I am an Amazon affiliate. I earn from qualifying purchases.

Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon - 512 Pages
"A dazzling portrait of an incredible woman. Elizabeth's life was more captivating than any film could ever be."— Demi Moore
"Brower’s book takes the reader into the private world of the most famous celebrity of the 20th century. Elizabeth’s heart, mind, and passion come vividly alive on each page. We see her as a woman who struggled and ultimately survived to rewrite the playbook on celebrity and power. I never wanted it to end!" — Brooke Shields
"Brower is quickly becoming a brand-name Washington writer because of her ability to deliver juicy tidbits and insider information while steering her books toward a mainstream audience without sacrificing historical credibility." — Christian Science Monitor on TEAM OF FIVE
Amazon Link to order Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon Hardcover
Audio Book version - Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon
[This is an affiliate Amazon link which may provide a commission earned for this site. If that happens, we'll probably buy an old movie on Blu Ray with the proceeds.]
What's Recent
- Strangers on a Train - 1951
- Santo vs The Vampire Women 1962
- Salome, Where She Danced – 1945
- Picnic – 1955
- I Was A Male War Bride – 1949
- Here Come the Girls – 1953
- The Brass Bottle – 1964
- The Girl Can't Help It – 1957
- Uncharted – 2022
- Cyclotrode X – 1966
- L'emmerdeur (aka A Pain in the Ass) – 1973
- Robot Monster – 1953
Enter Santo - The Blue Ray Box Set
Here Come The Girls 1953 - Updated