The Ten Commandments (1923)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writer:

Jeanie Macpherson (story)

Release Date:

23 November 1923 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The first part tells the story of Moses leading the Jews from Egypt to the Promised Land, his receipt...

Plot Keywords:

Cathedral | Moses | Pharaoh | Two Strip Technicolor | Sin

Cast

Theodore Roberts	...	Moses, the Lawgiver (prologue)
Charles de Rochefort	...	Rameses, the Magnificent (prologue) (as Charles De Roche)
Estelle Taylor	...	Miriam, the Sister of Moses (prologue)
Julia Faye	...	The Wife of Pharaoh (prologue)
Pat Moore	...	The Son of Pharaoh - prologue (as Terrence Moore)
James Neill	...	Aaron, Brother of Moses (prologue)
Lawson Butt	...	Dathan, The Discontented (prologue)
Clarence Burton	...	The Taskmaster (prologue)
Noble Johnson	...	The Bronze Man (prologue)
Edythe Chapman	...	Mrs. Martha McTavish
Richard Dix	...	John McTavish, her son
Rod La Rocque	...	Dan McTavish, her son
Leatrice Joy	...	Mary Leigh
Nita Naldi	...	Sally Lung, a Eurasian
Robert Edeson	...	Redding, an Inspector

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (2-strip Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

UK:U | Canada:G | Finland:K-16 (1925) (second part) | Finland:K-3 (2006) (DVD) | Finland:S (1925) (first part) | South Korea:All

Filming Locations:

Fresno, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Most of the chariot crashes in the prologue were real and unplanned.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As the Pharaoh and his henchmen pursue the Hebrews at the Red Sea, several of the chariots obviously crash. (These were accidents which occurred while filming because the chariots were difficult to drive.)

Movie Connections:

Featured in Cleopatra (1934)

Commentary & Pristine Print Highlight 1923 Version!

The exciting feature of the 50th Anniversary Editon of DeMille's THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is to be able to see the original 1923 version in a pristine print along with Katherine Orrison's illuminating commentary track. Previously only available on VHS tape with the poorly surviving colorized footage of the Exodus and Parting of the Red Sea (provided as a separate Extra on the DVD)used, it was difficult to realize just how beautifully done the silent epic was. Paramount has cleaned up the print and used only the better surviving black & white elements for this release. The beauty of the photography comes through with great clarity. Orrison's commentary is full of interesting insights as well as being enjoyable due to her enthusiasm about so many details. And Gaylord Carter's Wurlitzer Pipe Organ score is very impressive (as well as being a marvelous record of an organ score done by one who actually performed during the silent era)on this digital stereo recording. The 1956 remake looks and sounds great, as are the all of the special features for it, but this is exactly the same as the previous second edition of this title. I bought the new edition in order to see what they had done with the 1923 version -- and I certainly am impressed. Also, I love the packaging for this edition. Well worth updating as it is available at a very decent price.