Ten Commandments: Collector’s Edition

By: Erik Swift

DVD Features Video: 1.85:1 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital 2.0, French Dolby Digital 2.0 Commentary by Katherine Orrison, Author of Written In Stone: The Making Of The Ten Commandments 6-Part Documentary Photo Gallery Trailers: 1956 “Making Of” Trailer, 1966 Trailer, 1989 Trailer Theatrical release: 10/05/1956 DVD released on 3/09/2004 by Paramount Pictures Running time of 220 minutes Starring: Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Vincent Price, YYvonne De Carlo Director: Cecil B. DeMille Plot: Moses leads the slaves from the tyranny of the Egyptian pharaoh and into the desert where he is later given the law of God. Once the pharaoh’s chief architect, Moses receives the attentions of the Queen until he rebels and is cast into exile.

In a Lenten season dominated by Mel Gibson’s “The Passion Of The Christ” at the multiplex and the video release of “Ultrachrist,” it’s perfect timing for Paramount Pictures’ double-disc DVD re-release of Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments.” The 40th anniversary VHS package was a must-get, but the classic’s first DVD release was notoriously stingy on extras. This special collector’s edition is way overdue, and Paramount has stuffed it this time – a six-part documentary, a photo gallery, three trailers and commentary by author/historian Katherine Orrison are now included here.

De Mille was never satisfied with some of his best work. He had already filmed three versions of “The Squaw Man” between 1914 and 1931, and his 1923 production of “The Ten Commandments” remained a benchmark for any film that called itself “epic” to measure itself against. With the advancements in filmmaking by the mid-1950s, the director decided to revisit the story of history’s most famous exodus. He never took the task lightly, and his extravagant film took years to plan. Originally over 300 pages, the script contained dozens of speaking roles. 1200 storyboards were made as the massive sets were conceived, and the 20,000 extras aren’t digital. A sprawling shoot that stretched from the Paramount lot to Egypt and Mount Sinai, everything about this movie is BIG.

The story is, too. The infant Moses is abandoned on the Nile River after an edict from the pharaoh condemning all first-born Hebrew males. Rescued and adopted by the pharaoh’s daughter Bithia, Moses is raised in the court of her brother, Pharoah Seti. Gaining the pharaoh’s favor as well as the love of Princess Nefertiri (Anne Baxter), Moses is also a rival with Rameses II (Yul Brynner). After Moses’ heritage is revealed, Ramses II casts him into the desert where he soon encounters God. Knowing he must return to a place where he faces certain death, Moses’ faith guides him back to the land where he must free his enslaved people.

Charlton Heston has played everyone from John The Baptist and Marc Antony to Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. His turn as Moses is among his best-known roles (along with Judah Ben-Hur and George Taylor in “Planet Of The Apes.”) The actor had previously worked with DeMille on 1952’s “The Greatest Show On Earth,” and he creates a textured performance as the Hebrew born a slave. In a film that is equally well cast as it is miscast (hello, Edward G. Robinson?!?), John Derek’s portrayal of the maverick Joshua is a standout, but Brynner is the man as the treacherous Ramses II. In a year that brought him an Oscar (as the King Of Siam in “The King And I”), Brynner added another great portrayal to his resume here.

The extras are worth the wait. The six-part documentary is pretty cool, although it would be better served as one piece. The archival set photos are revealing, and you’ve got to laugh at seeing Heston in full Moses makeup attending set meetings. The film transfer looks and sounds incredible (Elmer Bernstein’s booming score is spectacular and the film’s vibrant colors sweep across the screen), but while “The Ten Commandments” is a grand statement in filmmaking, it sure rates a zero in packaging. When opening this two-disc collector’s set for the first time, the discs fell out of the case. This happened because the design – in the usual DVD case size – allows only the second disc to cleanly lay flat in the bottom half of the plastic case, while the first disc lies on top of it – placed at the top edge of the case. The first disc is held in place by the centerpiece for the second. Bad move, Paramount – recent special editions for “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” and “Once Upon A Time In The West” didn’t run the risk of scratching discs like this does. This will hopefully cease in the future.

“The Ten Commandments” is one of those Hollywood epics that are able to move beyond its occasional wooden acting and deliver the goods. The Academy didn’t deliver, however – “Around The World In 80 Days” won Best Picture, and the only statuette for DeMille’s final film went to its special effects. The legend suffered a fatal heart attack three years later, but his towering body of work – like “The Ten Commandments” – will live forever.

Reviewer’s Opinion: BUY IT!!