TEN COMMANDMENTS, THE (1956)

(November 1956, U.S.)

I was born Jewish. Beyond that, I have absolutely no Jewish practices, beliefs or traditions of my own, not even a single day spent in Hebrew school. I'm also an atheist. In fact, throughout my adult life, I've had an ongoing joke that everything I learned about Judaism, I learned from actor Charlton Heston and director Cecil B. DeMille. Believe it or not, most people who aren't familiar enough with the history of Cecil B.'s epic motion picture THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (a remake of his own 1923 silent film of the same name) don't get the joke. But I suppose when considering the film, it's impossible to say that I grew up without any Jewish traditions. The annual airing of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS on ABC-TV every spring was not only a motion picture tradition, but it also coincided with the annual Jewish holiday tradition of Passover, which was celebrated every year at my grandparent's home when I was a kid and then subsequently at my aunt and uncle's home when I got older. It was a time of family gathering while surrounded by some of the most delectable food I've ever known...times I've never forgotten to this day. In fact, I still remember that it was the year 1978 or 1979 when THE TEN COMMANDMENTS aired on a Sunday night that was the first night of Passover. I can still picture myself and all my cousins gathered around my grandparent's huge color TV set in their basement, refusing to budge from our seats, even when dinner was ready and food would be served. It seems we were all that committed to holding onto the moment when we could all share this film tradition together.

As for the film itself, the annual viewing tradition didn't exactly come natural to me. Let's face it, without any formal Jewish training beyond the annual stories at the family Passover Seder table, I practically knew nothing of the film or what it was really about. Yet somehow, I knew it was important for me to watch it every year (or at least as much of it as I could watch on a school night. I mean this movie was damn near five hours long with commercials!). I also knew that while I was watching it, every one of my first cousins were gathered around their own television sets to watch the annual biblical story of the life of Moses (played by Heston), the adopted Egyptian prince who, according to prophecy, becomes the deliverer who would lead the enslaved Hebrews out of slavery in their Exodus to Mount Sinai, where Moses receives God's Ten Commandments. For the purpose of this blog post, that's probably enough of a plot description. Anyone who is Jewish, or at least is familiar with the Old Testament, likely knows the rest of the story.

But how does someone like me come to fully appreciate THE TEN COMMANDMENTS without any of his own beliefs in the biblical traditions that surround it? The only answer is to approach the story as a purely Hollywood motion picture epic and nothing else. But even that's not without its challenges. For nearly four hours (that's the running time on DVD without commercials), the dialogue is almost completely and purely biblical, leaving very little room for traditional and conventional Hollywood dialogue, not too unlike watching Shakespeare. And just how accurate is the film's content? How much does it diverge from the original biblical text? Did the very first Passover Seder (or last supper, really) on the eve of the great Exodus really serve unleavened bread before the Hebrews were even leaving Egypt? Questions from Moses's nephew in that sequence would suggest yes, but watch the scene closely and you'll see Moses and his family tearing and eating what appears to be Pita bread, and that bread is leavened. I suppose those with faith can use their own personal judgement and beliefs between what is true and what is pure Hollywood. Those like myself can only accept what the director claims to be content directly taken from the Old Testament, the Holy Scriptures and consultation from a rabbi or two involved with the making of the film. I can't also forget my childhood and just how epic I considered this motion picture to be, in particular the special effects for its time. I'm sure my cousins and I were enthralled every year when we watched Heston spread his arms out, declare "Behold His mighty hand!" and watch the Red Sea part with impressive effects that would someday lead to modern computer-generated imagery (CGI)...

As an adult and a personal critic of cinema, I look at THE TEN COMMANDMENTS for all of its visual spectacle and glory. The settings, facades and décor of the great Egyptian cities are overwhelming, particularly in their vivid, glowing Technicolor. This is clearly a new and improved project from his original black and white silent film that is close to DeMille's heart. The photographic scenes of the deserts, the mountains and the sea are a breathtaking wonder. The thousands of Hebrew slaves conjugated in bitter bondage and joyous exodus is visually striking. Charlton Heston commands the role of Moses with a persona that practically convinces his audience that he's not only one with whichever God he chooses to believe in, but also with the sworn enemy of Yul Brenner's Pharoh, who holds Moses's people in chains. We also can't ignore the outstanding performances (though terribly biblical that they are) of supporting cast members as Anne Baxter, John Derek (future husband of Bo), Yvonne De Carlo (future Mrs. Herman Munster) and the great Edward G. Robinson (he was Jewish) as a treacherous and diabolical Jewish overlord.

Despite my lack of Jewish upbringing and beliefs, I still enjoy watching THE TEN COMMANDMENTS every year or two around the time of Passover. Gone, however, is the commitment to sitting in front of the TV so ABC can take up five hours of my time with its pointless commercials. That ritual has long been replaced by two high-definition discs that look amazing. Those like my first cousin Alan still cling to the annual television tradition because it's a reminder of all that was good about his childhood, and for that, I can only commend his nostalgia and sentimentalism. I've forever declared that movies define our lives; who we were and who we are today. Alan's attitude only drives that point home.

Finally, for years, I've occasionally dedicated these blog posts to specific people for specific reasons having to do with the films I write about. For this post, I dedicate it to my Uncle Henry. For years, I and my family enjoyed the wonderful company and the wonderful food of his Passover Seder table. However, for the past six years, there has been an interruption in that tradition. The reasons are not important to my readers now, but on this brand new day of the brand new year, I declare that this interruption must end now...and it will end this coming spring because it's time for it to end.

Now it is written...so let it be done...because I say so!

Favorite line or dialogue:

Moses: "A city is made of brick, Pharaoh. The strong make many. The weak make few. The dead make none. So much for accusations."