The Ten Commandments

"The greatest event in motion picture history!"

1956 3h 40m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 1,936

DramaHistory

Synopsis

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Escaping death, a Hebrew infant is raised in a royal household to become a prince. Upon discovery of his true heritage, Moses embarks on a personal quest to reclaim his destiny as the leader and liberator of the Hebrew people.

“The greatest event in motion picture history!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Charlton Heston
Moses
Yul Brynner
Rameses
Anne Baxter
Nefretiri
Edward G. Robinson
Dathan
Yvonne De Carlo
Sephora
Debra Paget
Lilia
John Derek
Joshua
Cedric Hardwicke
Sethi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Writers: Aeneas MacKenzie, Jesse Lasky Jr., Jack Gariss
Languages: English
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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 220 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 9.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Elmer Bernstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

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#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner and Anne Baxter carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The greatest event in motion picture history!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Cecil B. DeMille directs. Loyal Griggs behind the camera. Elmer Bernstein scores. Anne Bauchens cuts. A long sit — settle in. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 220 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
2Made its money back 9.4× over at the box office.
370 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot by Loyal Griggs. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Elmer Bernstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Anne Bauchens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner and Anne Baxter carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The greatest event in motion picture history!".
9IMDB entry: tt0049833 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 19 themes, including "egypt", "israel", "moses", "ten commandments".

The technical file

Cinematography: Loyal Griggs
Original score: Elmer Bernstein
Editing: Anne Bauchens
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Sound: Loren L. Ryder
Runtime: 220 min · 3h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $13,000,000
Box office: $122,700,000
Return: 944% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: The Ten Commandments (1956)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Special Effects

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Cecil B. DeMille

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Cat Ellington2017-02-22
(The King of Egypt - with his sword drawn - and his Queen, together, converse about killing Moses, servant of the Most High God) ... Queen Nefretiri: 'Bring it back to me, stained with his blood!' Pharoah Rameses: 'I will... to mingle with your own!' Inspired by the Book of Exodus, this Cecil B. DeMille-directed, Academy Award-winning biblical epic, the seventh most successful film of all-time, needs no further analysis. Among the undisputed, where exceptionally classic one-liners are concerned, The Ten Commandments is a timeless generational masterpiece, and a National Film Registry-honored landmark of the Hollywood cinema industry ... Period. Five out of five glittering stars.
John Chard2020-04-12
★ 9/10
His God "is" God! The Ten Commandments is at the top end of Hollywood historical epics. It was to be Cecil B. DeMille's last ever directing assignment and he bows out with a gargantuan epic that to this day stands as a testament to his brilliant talent as one of the masters of epic film making. The story cribs from a number of biblical sources, some of which are hokum and not to be taken as a religio lesson, but basically it tells the tale of Moses (Charlton Heston) and how he came to lead the Israelites to their exodus from Egypt - culminating in his delivering of God's own Ten Commandments to the people. No expense is spared, with a top line ensemble cast being joined by over 25,000 extras. The wide-screen special effects work dazzles the eyes, the direction of ginormous crowd sequences impressive, and an ebullient spectacle is never far away in what is a picture running at three hours thirty minutes (add ten for the glory of an intermission). It would have been easy for the cast to get lost amongst such a large scale production, but the principals shine bright and make telling characteristic marks. Heston was born for the Moses role, Yul Brynner absolutely excels as Moses' silky and sulky nemesis - Rameses, Anne Baxter gives Nefretiri a beauteous and villainous twin arc, which in turn is counterpointed by Yvonne De Carlo's sultry yet homely Sephora (wife of Moses). Elsewhere we get Debra Paget filling out a trio of gorgeous lady stars, where as Lilia she does determined and heartfelt oomph as a woman yearning to be freed from male dominance. Edward G. Robinson (Dathan) and Vincent Price (Baka) camp it up and have a good time, while Cedric Hardwicke (Sethi) turns in a heartfelt old Pharaoh and John Derek as Joshua, Moses' underling, does surprisingly well given the enormity of the character trajectory. As the music (Elmer Bernstein) swirls and thunders we are treated to Loyal Griggs' colour photography that pings out the screen and brings to life expert costuming. John Fulton's special effects work won him the Academy Award, and even though a couple look creaky these days, they all still today hold great entertaining spectacle worth. While the sheer gusto of the performances overcomes some less than stellar dialogue. Lavish yet vulgar, hokey yet magnificent, this maty not be the greatest historical epic ever made, but it booms loud and proud and is an utter joy for like minded fans of the genre's output. 9/10
moard2023-11-20
As good today as in 1956 This film consists of an all star cast and is an amazing movie. The special effects are incredible especially for 1956. The acting is clearly amazing in this account of Moses and the Ten Commandments. 9-10