The Ten Commandments

Baka - "Would you lose the throne because Moses builds a city ?" Rameses - "The city that he builds shall bear my name. The woman that he loves shall bear my child. So it shall be written. So it shall be done......"

Hats off to the persons who wrote his lines and designed his costumes. Yul Brynner played Rameses to the hilt . I really believe he was the only actor at that time fit to play that role , his deep voice ,his accent,his bow-legged walk, his well-defined body even his scorching insults were done with a Princely flare that only Brynner could have pulled off.

Rameses - "....you are going to be mine, all mine like my dog or my horse or my falcon, only, I would love you more and trust you less......" - speaking to Nefretiri.

and there's more . Great,just Great...

What a fantastic movie to climax DeMille's illustrious career.

Charlton Heston, king of the biblical epics, shines brightly as Moses, the one time Egyptian Prince, who now carries staff and perm in order to work Gods will and free his enslaved people from bondage.

Yul Brynner, in what I believe to be his finest turn before the camera plays Rameses the Pharoah who's hateful relationship with Moses spans the entire epic. He is charismatic and shows off the arrogance of a stubborn Pharoah to perfection. This is indeed a film stealing performance.

The beautiful Anne Baxter is at her sultry best as Nefretiri, the woman who would be queen to Rameses, but a slave in love to Moses. However the character is complex and I certainly had trouble in deciding who's side she was on in this epic battle of good verses evil. In the beginning she claims not to care for Moses' discovered background and is willing to be with him no matter what, however as the film progresses she does nothing but ridicule him and belittle him in true anti-semitic fashion.

Edward G. Robinson, Vincent Price, John Derek, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Yvonne De Carlo, Nina Foch, John Carradine, and Debra Paget all lend fine and memorable support, to an already colourful and breathtaking experience.

Incidentally it is worth mentioning that so convincing was Martha Scott in her role as Moses' mother Yochabel, that she was given the chance to play Charlton Heston's mother again in the later epic Ben-Hur.

Another interesting fact is, it was Charlton Heston's own voice who spoke the words of God. It was Heston's own idea that to hear God would be to feel God from within, which is why he thought it would be interesting to hear His voice as his own.

A remake of DeMille's earlier screen adaptation of the fine book of Exodus, many can see why this film ranks as his ultimate achievement. The sets were lavish and the story handled with suitable reverence and dignity.

People today often make the mistake of comparing older films like this to the modern epics of today with regards to their effects and they quite wrongly categorize them as inferior. Today anyone can create CGI images on their PC. Even my three year old daughter can make something look convincing with a mouse and a keyboard and although these effects are great, people have to remember that CGI was not available in 1956.

Okay there are a few obvious matte backdrops used here, but to achieve the effects they did nearly fifty years ago was an outstanding and impressive feat which took talent and knowledge. I tend to look upon these effects as superior because it took the use of mans own brain to bring them about. The human brain is the best computer available, yet one seldom used in todays world. So please take this on board before you slam The Ten Commandments for it's "cheap and nasty" look as one reviewer called it.

This movie is ALMOST faultless, even the length is forgivable as I was so engrossed, I hardly notice the time passing.

One fact that did rouse my curiosity was Moses' appearance throughout the film. I know he went to speak to God at the burning bush, but did he really have to stop off at the salon on the way back? Or did God appear to Moses complete with curling tongs and hair dryer? "Just a little off the top Oh Lord."

And why did Moses seem to age more than everyone else? It seemed like he went from a youthful dark to everyones favourite Santa in the space of a week.

This aside, this film is a fantastic piece of cinema and must rate as a personal favourite of all fans of Biblical epics.

We are facing one of the most consecrated biblical epics ever made and the magnum opus of Cecil B. DeMille. The story is well known, most people know the Bible even without having read it. Concerning the work of the cast, it's great even if we consider that they're overly theatrical and lack here some veracity and naturalness, essential to play in cinema. Charlton Heston is the great actor of the film, in the role of Moses. Yul Brynner was also excellent as Pharaoh Ramses, as Anne Baxter in the role of Nefretiri. Edward G. Robinson surprises in the role of the hypocrite Dathan. But what makes this film particularly intense is the beauty it has. The setting is one of the biggest that Hollywood has ever made, with thousands of extras with carefully detailed period costumes. Everything was thought to the detail and we love all this visual show. Of course, historical accuracy has been left in the background. DeMille had his school on Broadway and might not attach much importance to the historical details but knew how to make a great show. The visual and special effects are quite realistic, the state of the art of cinema of this time, and still can seem credible today, more than fifty years after it's premiere. The soundtrack of Elmer Bernstein is strident, betting heavily on metals and percussion, in a clearly symphonic style that was thought to make everything even more grandiose. In short: it's a consecrated epic that many people still watch, almost religiously, at Easter (in Portugal it's normal to be broadcast on TV in this period, year after year). The big problem of this film is the very theatrical dialogue and acting. It looks like theater. But we can forgive this fault because it's more or less overshadowed by the visual and sound show.

Probably the best Bible movie ever made. It's a very exhilarating experience. Everything is just so grand: the music, the sets, the whole scope of the story, and even the acting. Charlton Heston as Moses is truly one of the greatest heroes of all time. Such an epic and beautiful film, this is one everyone must see. Even if you're not religious there's so much in store with this film. A masterpiece.

So let it be written - so let it be done! This is an all-time classic, which probably deserves more attention that it has got. Yes, it's hammy sometimes, cheezy too, but always good value, the special effects are excellent for its age, and the whole thing has EPIC written all over it. Charlton Heston gives an excellent performance as Moses, Edward G Robinson is suitably nefarious as Dathan, and there's great performances all round from Anne Baxter and Yul Brynner. The expression "total cinema" always comes to mind, and it stands up perfectly to repeated viewings... especially around Passover.