The Ten Commandments (1990)

Let's be realistic.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

This is great inspiration,very expectant and allways a great teacher ....you.guys know it ..love the 10 commandments...young n l e !?,

This biblical epic provides a sensational cinematic experience in every sense of the word. With visual effects equalling other classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, it is an absolute delight to the eyes.A lot of the outdoor scenes have gorgeous backdrops ( A couple of them look somewhat dated, most notably scenes in which animated fire is added. ) but it is an extremely impressive film visually for in the time it was made. A lot of shots in the latter half of the movie feature hundreds of extras flowing across the screen like an epic orchestral piece. There are too many incredible images to name, but the one that stands out is ofcourse the incredible sequence in parting the Red Sea. The entire chariot sequence before that is also beautiful in its cinematography. It is an incredible feast of colour all around. The music by Elmer Bernstein is also an excellent epic orchestral piece and adds to the epic value of the movie.While lacking the emotional value of for example the similair Ben-Hur made three years later also starring Charlton Heston, this does not detract the film from being any less more spectaculair. This spectacle will constantly fill you with absolute beautiful images and the sheer epic nature of this masterpiece alone will make you lessen the need for an enormous emotional impact.The performances are all incredible too, with Heston in his usual biblical main role giving off an exceptional performance with a lot of character development in his role & Yul Brynner playing the cold and calculating villain as no other.As an atheïst i am not blinded by 'Simplistic christian propaganda' in this film as some say it is full off, but i disagree. It is irrelevant if you are a Christian or not. To see the beauty in this film, all you need is a pair of eyes and the brain to absord it in.All in all, this spectaculair motion picture will leave you in awe and make you feel sorry once more that movies like this aren't being made anymore due to todays social constructs.

"The Ten Commandments" was Producer/Director Cecil B. DeMille"s 80th and final film in the Director's chair. In a career that began in 1914 with "The Squaw Man", this was arguably his best film. It tells the biblical story of Moses with all the spectacle and glamour one could expect. The special effects, including the parting of the Red Sea are legendary. The film runs almost four hours and is divided into two main parts.The first part deals with Moses' life as an Egyptian prince and ends with his first encounter with God on the Mount Sinai. An edict issued by Rameses I (Ian Keith) decreed that all first born Hebrew children were to be slain in order to kill the promised deliverer of the Hebrew people. Moses is saved by his mother Yochabel (Martha Scott) who places him in a basket and sets it afloat in the Nile. Egyptian princess Bithiah (Nina Foch), the daughter of the Pharaoh saves the Hebrew baby, names him Moses and takes him as her own swearing her sinister servant Memnet (Judith Anderson) to secrecy.Moses grows to be Charlton Heston having distinguished himself in battle and winning the favor of the new Pharaoh, Sethi (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) over his natural son Rameses (Yul Brynner). Both men seek the favor of Princess Nefretiri (Anne Baxter) who is to marry the next Pharaoh. When Moses builds Sethi's new city and gains further influence with Sethi, Memmnet decides to expose Moses as a Hebrew. Nefretiri intercedes and kills the old servant but leaves Moses' swaddling blanket in full view. Moses discovers his heritage and renounces his privileged position. Rameses is now the new Pharaoh as Rameses II and banishes Moses to the desert.Moses manages to cross the desert and comes upon the camp of the shepherd Jethro (Eduard Franz) and his seven daughters one of whom, Sephora (Yvonne DeCarlo) Moses marries and with whom he has a son. Life goes on until Moses is drawn to Mount Sinai where he encounters a burning bush through which God directs Moses to return to Egypt and free his people.Part 2 of the story follows Moses' efforts to free his people. To do so, He causes the Nile river to turn red, brings several plagues upon the Egyptians and finally causing the first born of every Egyptian family, including Rameses II' s own son to die. Moses and his people are released from bondage and begin the pilgrimage to the Promised Land. However, Rameses decides to send his chariots after the group to slay them. But following the celebrated parting of the Red Sea, they are swallowed up and drown. Rameses then decides to let the Hebrews go their way even though Nefretiri maintains her love for Moses.When Moses and the Hebrews reach Mount Sinai, Moses goes up the mountain for 40 days and nights to await God's further direction. Meanwhile the slimy Dathan (Edward G. Robinson) fires up the crowd convincing them that Moses has abandoned them. With the help of Moses' brother Aaron (John Carradine). they build a golden cow as a false god. Moses is meantime receiving the ten commandments of God from the master. Moses decends the mountain and is furious when he sees the Golden Calf and all the sinful activity around it. He loses it and....................................................................................................This film made star Charlton Heston a major star and cemented his career as a biblical/ middle ages type leader. Brynner is excellent as Rameses and conveys a certain regal quality in his role . Robinson is good as the evil Dathan who takes the young Lilia (Debra Paget) unto himself in order to free Joshua (John Derek) from death. Anne Baxter is suitably seductive as Nefratiri.Other notables in the large cast include DeMille regulars Henry Wilcoxen, Julia Faye, Francis McDonald and Olive Deering as well as, Vincent Price as the Master Builder Baka who also covets Lilia, Douglas Dumbrille, Frank DeCova, and John Miljan as the blind man.It is interesting to note that Marsha Scott played Charlton Heston's mother both here and in "Ben-Hur" (1959) while Olive Deering played a character named Miriam both here and in "Samson and Delilah" (1949).

Cecil B. DeMille's last film (as a director) is an unparalleled spectacle. The sheer scale of the production and the amount of extras in the crowd scenes are mind-boggling. It also makes expressive, painterly use of color, and boasts groundbreaking special effects which deservedly won the Oscar (the parting of the Red Sea is an iconic sequence). Besides all the spectacle, it has some strong dramatic moments and much of the dialogue is literate, though at other times it can get pompous or campy ("What kingdom are you from?" - "The kingdom of the most High"!). The film can fill you with disgust not only at the inhuman treatment of the slaves (which probably was DeMille's intention), but also at God's unbelievable cruelty of mass-murdering Egypt's firstborns (which probably wasn't DeMille's intention). And the depiction of wickedness and evil as basically a wild party where everybody has fun and nobody is harmed (well, except for a potential sacrifice I guess!) is good for a laugh. Yul Brynner and Vincent Price stand out in the exceptionally large cast. *** out of 4.