The Ten Commandments

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The Ten Commandments

G

1956

3h 40m

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

44 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Enjoying a life of ease in the court of Egypt's pharaoh, Moses (Charlton Heston) discovers his Hebrew heritage and, later, God's expectations of him. He dedicates himself to liberating his people from captivity and -- with the aid of plagues and divine intervention -- manages to lead them out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. A greater challenge comes in the form of the golden calf idol, however, and it takes an unforgettable visitation by God on Mount Sinai for Moses' mission to prevail.

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Critics Consensus

Bombastic and occasionally silly but extravagantly entertaining, Cecil B. DeMille's all-star spectacular is a muscular retelling of the great Bible story.

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SMH Staff

Sydney Morning Herald

11/17/2021

It is all a grandly unrestrained act of regression to the infantile days of the cinema, which DeMille seems never to have outgrown.

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James Powers

The Hollywood Reporter

04/07/2015

There is no other picture like it. There will be none. If it could be summed up in a word, the word would be sublime. And the man responsible for that, when all is said and done is Cecil B. DeMille.

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Kate Cameron

New York Daily News

12/10/2014

5/5

DeMille's direction of the action is superb and the various roles are played with feeling by a large and competent cast, headed by Charlton Heston.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

11/08/2024

5/10

The epic qualities of De Mille’s last directorial endeavor are impossible to ignore; consistently entertaining or not, the grandeur and scope are monumental.

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

11/29/2022

A-

Great fun. This lovably corny Biblical epic is always entertaining no matter when you tune in on Easter night.

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Dilys Powell

Sunday Times (UK)

08/09/2022

The whole experience (with an interval) lasts roughly four hours. I am afraid that long before the time was up I was silently imploring Mr. DeMille to let his people go.

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Beth

22h

It’s one of my favorite old movies . I have the dvd & the digital. But it was awesome to watch on the big screen. I loved the music , costumes & sets . I wish that the movie had been more accurate to scripture with some things . But it’s a wonderful movie to watch and then read the Bible to see what they did & didn’t get right.

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Patty

03/30/2023

Very good presentation for a movie made over 60 years ago.

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Brad D

03/29/2023

Should be shown in every school ,, The Best Movie Ever Made

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Gloria Leon

04/18/2022

A great movie, cinematography, casting, story! It was moving and the time flew by. Also a great venue at The Alamo Drafthouse!

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Jacob B

@JB3.0 2d

A grand Biblical epic that continues to stand the test of time, The Ten Commandments does everything right: it looks amazing, has great performances from everyone involved, has some ingeniously-done special effects from the pre-CGI era, boasts terrific dialogue, perfectly-done characterisations (good to show Moses treating slaves well, not just for pragmatic reasons but also because we have to keep him likeable for audiences since having him do an abrupt about-face when he learns of his heritage would make him look like a hypocrite) and a superb job with pacing making the long runtime palatable. Not only is there never a dull moment, but it never once feels like the film ever overstays its welcome. Maybe this is why films targeted towards religious audiences haven't fared as well as they once have. Movies like this and Ben-Hur set the bar too high. Just some lighthearted speculation. Perfect to watch as an Easter double-feature alongside The Prince of Egypt. Bravo, Cecil B. DeMille!

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Garrett B

@gmoney637 Mar 31

An exhilarating and wonderfully epic biblical feature.

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Cecil B. DeMille

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Charlton Heston

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Synopsis

Enjoying a life of ease in the court of Egypt's pharaoh, Moses (Charlton Heston) discovers his Hebrew heritage and, later, God's expectations of him. He dedicates himself to liberating his people from captivity and -- with the aid of plagues and divine intervention -- manages to lead them out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. A greater challenge comes in the form of the golden calf idol, however, and it takes an unforgettable visitation by God on Mount Sinai for Moses' mission to prevail.

Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Screenwriter: Æneas MacKenzie, Jesse Lasky Jr., Fredric M. Frank, Jack Gariss
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: G
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 5, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 24, 2016
Runtime: 3h 40m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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