THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

By Bosley Crowther
Published: November 9, 1956

Against the raw news of modern conflict between Egypt and Israel—a conflict that has its
preamble in the Book of Exodus—Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments was given its
world premiere last night at the Criterion Theatre, and the coincidence was profound. For Mr.
DeMille's latest rendering of Biblical literature in the spectacular framing and colloquial idiom of
the screen tells an arresting story of Moses, the ancient Israelite who was a slave with his people
in Egypt and who struggled to set them free.

As Mr. DeMille presents it in this three-hour-and-thirty-nine-minute film, which is by far the

largest and most expensive that he has ever made, it is a moving story of the spirit of freedom
rising in a man, under the divine inspiration of his Maker. And, as such, it strikes a ringing note
today.

But aside from the timely arrival and contemporary context of this film, it is also a rather
handsome romance in Mr. DeMille's best massive style. To the fundamental story of Moses, as
told in the Old Testament and reflected in other ancient writings consulted by Mr. DeMille, he
and his corps of screen playwrights have added some frank apocrypha which, while they may not
be traceable in history (or even in legend), make for a robust tale.

In this imaginative recount, Moses is raised as a prince in the palace of Egypt's Pharaoh, after
being found, as the Bible tells, by the Pharaoh's daughter in the bullrushes, where he was hidden
by his mother, a Hebrew slave. And as a presumed Egyptian, he is a candidate for the Pharaoh's
throne and a rival for the love of a luscious princess with the Pharaoh's own son, Rameses.

As one might well imagine, the plot-minded Mr. DeMille does not pass lightly or briefly over
this phase of his tale. Moses, as played by Charlton Heston, is a handsome and haughty young
prince who warrants considerable attention as a heroic man of the ancient world. And Anne
Baxter as the sensual princess and Yul Brynner as the rival, Rameses, are unquestionably apt and
complementary to a lusty and melodramatic romance.

But the story is brought back to contact with the Bible and with its inspirational trend when
Moses discovers, acknowledges, and is exiled from Egypt because of his Hebraic birth. Then Mr.
DeMille, who, incidentally, acts as narrator for his film in many of its more exalted stretches,
takes him into the wilderness and establishes his contact with his Maker, which leads to the
Exodus and the Covenant on Mount Sinai.

In the latter phases of the drama, wherein the impulse to set his people free from the bondage of
Egypt flames in Moses, the spiritual and supernatural surge comes somewhat bluntly in the
picture, and the performance of such awesome miracles as the crossing of the Red Sea and the
burning of the Ten Commandments into the tablets of stone may strike the less devout viewer as
a bit mechanical and abrupt.

Also, and with all due regard for the technical difficulties besetting Mr. DeMille, we must say his
special effects department was not up to sets or costumes. The parting of the Red Sea is an
obvious piece of camera trickery in which two churning walls of water frame a course as smooth
and dry as a racetrack. And the striking off of the Ten Commandments by successive
thunderbolts, while a deep voice intones their contents, is disconcertingly mechanical.

However, in its other technical aspects—in its remarkable settings and decor, including an
overwhelming facade of the Egyptian city from which the Exodus begins, and in the glowing
Technicolor in which the picture is filmed—Mr. DeMille has worked photographic wonders.
And his large cast of characters is very good, from Sir Cedric Hardwicke as a droll and urbane
Pharaoh to Edward G. Robinson as a treacherous overlord. Yvonne DeCarlo as the Midianite
shepherdess to whom Moses is wed is notably good in a severe role, as is John Derek as a
reckless Joshua.
This is unquestionably a picture to which one must bring something more than a mere wish for
entertainment in order to get a full effect from it. But for those to whom its fundamentalism will
be entirely credible, it should be altogether thrilling and perhaps even spiritually profound.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (MOVIE)

Produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille; written by Aeneas MacKenzie, Jesse Lasky, Jr., Jack
Gariss, and Fredric M. Frank, based on the novels The Prince of Egypt by Dorothy Clarke
Wilson, Pillar of Fire by the Reverend J. H. Ingram, and On Eagle's Wings by the Reverend G.
E. Southon, and on the text of the Bible and the ancient writings of Josephus, Eusebius, Philo,
and The Midrash; cinematographers, Loyal Griggs, John F. Warren, W. Wallace Kelley, and
Peverell Marley; edited by Anne Bauchens; music by Elmer Bernstein; art designers, Hal
Pereira, Walter Tyler, and Albert Nozaki; released by Paramount Pictures. Running time: 219
minutes.
 PERINTAH SEPULUH

Melawan berita mentah tentang konflik modern antara Mesir dan Israel - sebuah konflik yang
memiliki pendahuluan dalam Kitab Keluaran-Keluaran Codes B. Cull B. DeMille diberi
pertunjukan perdana di dunia di Teater Kriteria, dan kebetulan itu sangat dalam. Untuk
terjemahan bibliografi Mr. DeMille yang terbaru dalam framing dan frafal yang spektakuler dari
layar menceritakan sebuah kisah menarik tentang Musa, orang Israel kuno yang adalah seorang
budak dengan bangsanya di Mesir dan yang berjuang membebaskan mereka.
Seperti yang dikatakan Mr. DeMille dalam film tiga jam dan tiga puluh sembilan menit ini, yang
sejauh ini merupakan yang terbesar dan termahal yang pernah dia buat, ini adalah kisah
perpindahan semangat kebebasan yang meningkat pada seorang pria. , di bawah ilham ilahi dari
Pembuatnya. Dan, seperti itu, itu membuat nada dering hari ini.
Tapi selain dari kedatangan tepat waktu dan konteks kontemporer dari film ini, ini juga
merupakan romansa yang agak ganteng dalam gaya maling Mr. DeMille yang terbaik. Kisah
mendasar Musa, seperti yang diceritakan dalam Perjanjian Lama dan tercermin dalam tulisan-
tulisan kuno lainnya yang dikonsultasikan oleh Mr. DeMille, dia dan korps naskah drama layar
lebar telah menambahkan beberapa apokripa terang-teriak yang, walaupun mungkin tidak dapat
dilacak dalam sejarah (atau bahkan dalam legenda), buatlah sebuah kisah yang kuat.
Dalam penghitungan imajinatif ini, Musa diangkat sebagai pangeran di istana Firaun Mesir,
setelah ditemukan, seperti yang Alkitab katakan, oleh putri Firaun di padang banteng, dimana dia
disembunyikan oleh ibunya, seorang budak Ibrani. Dan sebagai orang Mesir yang dianggap, dia
adalah kandidat tahta Firaun dan saingan untuk cinta seorang putri yang lezat dengan putra
Firaun sendiri, Rameses.
Selain itu, dan dengan segala pertimbangan atas kesulitan teknis yang dihadapi Mr. DeMille, kita
harus mengatakan bahwa departemen efek spesialnya tidak sesuai dengan set atau kostum.
Perpisahan Laut Merah adalah tipuan kamera yang jelas, di mana dua dinding berombak
kerangka air memiliki kelancaran dan kering seperti arena pacuan kuda. Dan yang mengejutkan
dari Sepuluh Perintah Allah dengan petir yang berurutan, sementara suara yang dalam
menyelubungi isinya, sangat membingungkan.
Namun, dalam aspek teknis lainnya - dalam setting dan dekorasi yang luar biasa, termasuk fasad
yang luar biasa dari kota Mesir tempat Keluaran dimulai, dan di Technicolor yang bersinar
dimana gambar difilmkan - Mr. DeMille telah bekerja keajaiban fotografi. Dan pemeran besar
karakternya sangat bagus, dari Sir Cedric Hardwicke sebagai seorang droll dan sopan Pharaoh
kepada Edward G. Robinson sebagai tuan yang pengkhianat. Yvonne DeCarlo sebagai gembala
orang Midian yang menikah dengan Musa sangat baik dalam peran yang parah, seperti juga John
Derek sebagai Joshua yang sembrono.
Ini tidak diragukan lagi merupakan gambaran dimana seseorang harus membawa sesuatu yang
lebih dari sekedar keinginan untuk hiburan agar mendapatkan efek penuh darinya. Tetapi bagi
mereka yang fundamentalismenya sepenuhnya dapat dipercaya, pastilah sama-sama
mendebarkan dan bahkan mungkin secara spiritual mendalam.
PERINTAH SEPULUH (FILM)
Diproduksi dan disutradarai oleh Cecil B. DeMille; ditulis oleh Aeneas MacKenzie, Jesse Lasky,
Jr., Jack Gariss, dan Fredric M. Frank, berdasarkan novel Pangeran Mesir oleh Dorothy Clarke
Wilson, Pilar Api oleh Pendeta JH Ingram, dan Wings On Eagle oleh Pendeta GE Southon, dan
teks Alkitab dan tulisan kuno Yosefus, Eusebius, Philo, dan The Midrash; cinematographers,
Loyal Griggs, John F. Warren, W. Wallace Kelley, dan Peverell Marley; diedit oleh Anne
Bauchens; musik oleh Elmer Bernstein; perancang seni, Hal Pereira, Walter Tyler, dan Albert
Nozaki; dirilis oleh Paramount Pictures. Waktu berjalan: 219 menit.