![]() ![]() ![]() positioned itself as the bastion of freedom in the world, especially post-World War II. This emphasis on freedom likely arises from the Cold War fears of the time where the U.S. ![]() The scene is the centerpiece of the entire film, what everything has been working towards, and DeMille lets his story linger there where others may simply reduce it to a brief montage to get to the action of the climactic crossing of the Red Sea. It’s the exodus scene where countless costumed extras all make their way out of Egypt. The scene that gets the most attention in the film and was arguably the hardest one to pull off are not the plagues or even the famous crossing of the Red Sea. For DeMille, he sees this story as one of liberation and freedom more than the sanctity of a religious covenant between God and his people. The film is also very much a reflection of its time and what it chooses to uphold. It’s a story where God obviously plays a major role, and yet it’s also all the drama that gives the Exodus story its weight like Moses discovering his true parentage, the temptations to stay a Prince of Egypt, and his certainty when he accepts his mission to free the Hebrew slaves and lead them out of captivity. It is firmly, unquestioningly drawing out the story of Moses ( Charlton Heston) in such a way as to embrace the story and yet not being particularly preachy in its telling. This kind of distance makes The Ten Commandments a unique experience that’s separate from other studio epics like Lawrence of Arabia and Gone with the Wind. It is completely itself with all the flaws and details that only a biblical epic made in the 1950s could bring. There’s not a hint of irony or meta-commentary to be found. It’s a film I hadn’t seen until prompted by wife (who grew up with the movie), and I’m glad I did because watching The Ten Commandments is a way to lose yourself in a film completely divorced from any modern consideration we now have for moviegoing. I had previously watched it on Blu-ray and then a couple years later when it received an anniversary screening in theaters. Watching the new 4K of The Ten Commandments was my third viewing of the movie. So why bother with an Old Hollywood telling of an Old Testament story that will take up your afternoon? For a film that runs three hours and forty minutes (including an Overture and Intermission), that may seem like a major investment for an audience member who already knows that the Jews makes it out of Egypt. Nothing about it is particularly modern, and its story is one of the oldest we know. DeMille’s 1956 biblical epic The Ten Commandments. The modern moviegoer may recoil at the thought of Cecil B. ![]()
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