The Ten Commandments (1956 film)

For the 1923 film, also directed by Cecil B. DeMille, see The Ten Commandments (1923 film).

The Ten Commandments
Theatrical release poster by Macario Gómez Quibus[1]
Directed byCecil B. DeMille
Screenplay byAeneas MacKenzie
Jesse L. Lasky, Jr.
Jack Gariss
Fredric M. Frank
Based onPrince of Egypt
by Dorothy Clarke Wilson
Pillar of Fire
by J. H. Ingraham
On Eagle's Wings
by A. E. Southon
Book of Exodus
Produced byCecil B. DeMille
Starring
Narrated byCecil B. DeMille
CinematographyLoyal Griggs
Edited byAnne Bauchens
Music byElmer Bernstein
Production
company
Motion Picture Associates
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • November 8, 1956 (1956-11-08)
(United States)
Running time
220 minutes[2]
(with intermission)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$13 million[3]
Box office$122.7 million[4]
(initial release)

The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American epic religious drama film produced, directed, and narrated by Cecil B. DeMille,[5] shot in VistaVision (color by Technicolor), and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is based on the 1949 novel Prince of Egypt by Dorothy Clarke Wilson,[6] the 1859 novel Pillar of Fire by J. H. Ingraham,[7] the 1937 novel On Eagle's Wings by A. E. Southon,[8] and the Book of Exodus, found in the Bible. The Ten Commandments dramatizes the biblical story of the life of Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince who becomes the deliverer of his real brethren, the enslaved Hebrews, and thereafter leads the Exodus to Mount Sinai, where he receives, from God, the Ten Commandments. The film stars Charlton Heston in the lead role, Yul Brynner as Rameses, Anne Baxter as Nefretiri, Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, Yvonne De Carlo as Zipporah, Debra Paget as Lilia, and John Derek as Joshua; and features Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Seti I, Nina Foch as Bithiah, Martha Scott as Yochabel, Judith Anderson as Memnet, and Vincent Price as Baka, among others.[5]

Filmed on location in Egypt, Mount Sinai, and the Sinai Peninsula, The Ten Commandments was DeMille's most successful work, his first widescreen film, his fourth biblical production, and his final directorial effort before his death in 1959.[9] It is a remake of the prologue of his 1923 silent film of the same title, and features one of the largest exterior sets ever created for a motion picture.[9] Four screenwriters, three art directors, and five costume designers worked on the film. The interior sets were constructed on Paramount's Hollywood soundstages. The original roadshow version included an onscreen introduction by DeMille and was released to cinemas in the United States on November 8, 1956, and, at the time of its release, was the most expensive film ever made.[9]

In 1957, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (John P. Fulton, A.S.C.).[10] DeMille won the Foreign Language Press Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director.[11] Charlton Heston was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama).[10] Yul Brynner won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for this film, as well as for Anastasia and The King and I.[10] Heston, Anne Baxter, and Yvonne De Carlo won Laurel Awards for Best Dramatic Actor, 5th Best Dramatic Actress, and 3rd Best Supporting Actress, respectively.[12] It is also one of the most financially successful films ever made, grossing approximately $122.7 million at the box office during its initial release; it was the most successful film of 1956 and the second-highest-grossing film of the decade. According to Guinness World Records, in terms of theatrical exhibition, it is the eighth most successful film of all-time when the box office gross is adjusted for inflation.

In 1999, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten Top Ten"—the best ten films in ten American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. The film was listed as the tenth best film in the epic genre.[13][14] The film has aired annually on U.S. network television in prime time during the Passover/Easter season since 1973.

  1. ^ "Muere Mac, el mítico cartelista de "Doctor Zhivago" y "Psicosis"". El Periódico de Catalunya. July 21, 2018. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  2. ^ Louvish 2008, p. 481.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference budgets was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Block & Wilson 2010, p. 327.
  5. ^ a b "The Ten Commandments". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  6. ^ Wilson, Dorothy Clarke (1949). Prince of Egypt (1st ed.). London: Westminster Press. ISBN 978-1938659034.
  7. ^ Ingraham, J.H. (2013). The Pillar of Fire (Release ed.). India: Palala Press. ISBN 978-1340906429.
  8. ^ Southon, A.E. (1939). On Eagles' Wings. Oxford: Lowe and Brydone. OCLC 1436234.
  9. ^ a b c "A Close Call for Mr. De Mille". Life. November 12, 1956. p. 115. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  10. ^ a b c "IMDb – Awards for The Ten Commandments (1956)". IMDb. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  11. ^ "Lingual Press Votes 1956 'Content' Award to DeMille; Norman Corwin Top Writer". Variety. Vol. 205, no. 13. New York. February 27, 1957. p. 15. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  12. ^ "1956-1957 Laurel Award Winners". Motion Picture Exhibitor. 58 (18): SS-42, SS-43, SS-48. August 28, 1957. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  13. ^ American Film Institute (June 17, 2008). "AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  14. ^ "Top 10 Epic". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 18, 2008.