The Ten Commandments

1923 2h 16m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 94

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The first part tells the story of Moses leading the Jews from Egypt to the Promised Land, his receipt of the tablets and the worship of the golden calf. The second part shows the efficacy of the commandments in modern life through a story set in San Francisco. Two brothers, rivals for the love of Mary, also come into conflict when John discovers Dan used shoddy materials to construct a cathedral.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Theodore Roberts
Moses - The Lawgiver
Charles De Rochefort
Rameses - the Magnificent: Prologue
Estelle Taylor
Miriam - the Sister of Moses: Prologue
Julia Faye
The Wife of Pharaoh
Pat Moore
The Son of Pharaoh - Prologue
James Neill
Aaron - Brother of Moses: Prologue
Lawson Butt
Dathan - The Discontented
Clarence Burton
The Taskmaster - Prologue

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Writers: Jeanie Macpherson
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

103 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot by Bert Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anne Bauchens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Theodore Roberts and Charles De Rochefort and Estelle Taylor carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0014532 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 94 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Cecil B. DeMille directs. Bert Glennon behind the camera. Anne Bauchens cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2103 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot by Bert Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Anne Bauchens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Theodore Roberts and Charles De Rochefort and Estelle Taylor carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0014532 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 94 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
8Classified under 18 themes, including "dancing", "army", "moses", "hunger".

The technical file

Cinematography: Bert Glennon
Editing: Anne Bauchens
Runtime: 136 min · 2h 16m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,800,000
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Ten Commandments (1923)

Also by

Cecil B. DeMille

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-06
★ 7/10
Essentially two separate stories, this shows well the aspirational brilliance of Cecil B. De Mille as well as his complete inability to condense anything! The first part depicts the Exodus and Leviticus books from the Old Testament - the story of Moses leading the slaves from their somewhat brutal existence in Egypt and the passing down of the Ten Commandments to the people as they build the great Tabernacle. The second part modernises the application of the Commandments and applies them to a family in 1920's America with two brothers who vie for the affections of the same girl whilst one seeks fame and fortune, the other a more contented existence. Both stories exhort the import of the Commandments as the basic tenets of human decency and values - and shy not from visiting severe punishments on those who transgress. The former story includes a wonderful score and, for the time, some pretty impressive special effects - especially the parting of the Red Sea. The second story is less impressive - more a slightly over-moralistic tale of greed and avarice that was hardly unusual then (or is now). The budget - some $1.8m was enormous for the time and the scale of the cinematography, extras etc. in phase one is impressive and convincing; the acting comes into it's own a bit more in the second act - with Richard Dix and Rod La Rocque playing the brothers well, and Nita Naldi shining as the Eurasian temptress "Sally Lung". As with so many silent films, it's all in their faces - and this one doesn't disappoint - even if there is a little too much theatrical gesturing and posturing now and again. On balance I probably prefer the 1956 iteration, again by De Mille, but there is little in it and if you do get a spare 2¼ hours then this is certainly a superb example of grand cinema from a visionary director.

Production companies