The Ten Commandments (1956)
The Ten Commandments (original title: The Ten Commandments ) by Cecil B. DeMille is considered to be one of the greatest monumental films of all time, which tells the life of Moses and also his time as an Egyptian prince. With a production cost of just under $ 13 million, it has long been one of Paramount's most expensive feature films .
Around 14,000 extras and 15,000 animals of all kinds were involved in the film, which was filmed in the original locations in Egypt and the Middle East and in the Paramount studios in Hollywood. The film was shot in the VistaVision widescreen process, which was preferred by Paramount at the time . The production time was a few years.
action
The Hebrew people have been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. When the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses I was told by his astrologers that a savior was to be born to the slaves, the ruler ordered the killing of all newborn males.
The Hebrew woman Jochebet (Yochabel) saves her newborn child from this fate and places him in a raffia basket on the Nile. There he is found shortly afterwards by the Pharaoh's recently widowed and childless daughter, Baket (Bithiah in the original version). She takes it as a child of her own and gives it the name "Moses" since she pulled it out of the water. His sister Mirjam is watching the process.
Moses grew up as an Egyptian prince. The fact that he returned home victorious from the Ethiopian campaign and won the king of the country south of Egypt and his sister Tharbis as allies is greatly appreciated by the pharaoh Sethos I (Sethi in the OF), the successor to Ramses I. Moses is also admired by the beautiful Crown Princess Nefretiri ( Nefertari (19th Dynasty) ), who is supposed to marry the future Pharaoh. On the advice of the envious Prince Ramses, Seto's biological son, who wants to keep Moses away from his father, Moses is charged with building a city ( treasure city in the OF) in Goschen (Bible) . Ramses is also sent to Goshen to investigate the rumor of a savior promised to the Hebrews and to find him among the Hebrew slaves working there.
On the construction site, Moses saves the life of an old woman, Jochebet, without knowing that it is his mother. When Moses provided the hungry slaves with the grain of the temple granaries, Jannes, the high priest, and Ramses incited Pharaoh against him - Sethos has so far left it open whether he will appoint Ramses or Moses as his successor.
“Ramses (to Sethos): The slaves no longer need a savior. You have moses.
Nefretiri: Is that supposed to be a riddle?
Ramses: He distributes the priests' grain to them. And every seventh day is a rest day. They call it the day of Moses!
Jannes: This man makes himself a god!
Nefretiri: I would prefer him as a man.
Ramses: And preferably as Pharaoh. "
Moses proves to the Pharaoh, just as a huge obelisk is being erected, that he is doing exactly the job requested. The Pharaoh now grants him that in addition to his own name, that of Moses should be written in the pylons.
Meanwhile, the tradition-conscious slave Memnet reveals to Nefretiri, who already sees Moses as the heir to the throne and is therefore preparing her wedding with him, the previously guarded secret that he is a Hebrew slave that Baket drew from the Nile. She also mentions that a little girl brought her to Yoke Prayer at that time and that Moses was nursed by his own mother. Nefretiri then kills them. When Moses finds the Levithic cloth dropped by Memnet on the princess and in which he was wrapped as an infant, Nefretiri confesses the connections. Baket initially denies that it was an unobtrusive origin. When she tries to release his Hebrew family, however, Prince Moses realizes that he is actually a Hebrew. He now also begins to work as a slave and to get to know their bondage from personal experience.
The builder Baka takes Lilia, the water maid, as a domestic slave. Her lover Joshua frees her, but is captured himself. When Baka whips him, Moses comes in and kills the Egyptian.
“Joshua: Why are you wearing a slave's clothes? Why does an Egyptian prince kill a Pharaoh's builder and save a Hebrew?
Moses: I am a Hebrew.
Joshua: Oh God of Abraham, we've waited 400 years. [...] The Almighty heard our calls and heard us. (to Moses) You are the one he promised!
Moses: I don't know about your God.
Joshua: But he knows about you. [...] You will redeem us. The finger of God will show you the way. "
The two are watched by the opportunistic Israelite Dathan. Dathan reports his knowledge to Prince Ramses, who has Moses brought before the Pharaoh in chains. The Hebrew origin would pardon Seti, but when Moses declares that he would free the slaves if he had the opportunity, the Pharaoh is saddened, declares Ramses to be his successor and leaves the fate of Moses to him. Ramses banishes Moses in the desert. Moses' name is deleted from all documents and from all monuments and may no longer be mentioned in Egypt during Setho's lifetime. Dathan receives the Baka's house for his services. He compels Lilia to marry him, for which he spares Joshua death.
After the hike through the desert, during which Moses almost died of hunger and thirst, he was taken in by the tribe of the Bedouin sheikh Jethro , a descendant of Ishmael , and married his eldest daughter Sephora . Meanwhile, Pharaoh Sethos dies in Egypt.
“Sethos: When the sun rises, you are Pharaoh, Prince Ramses. Then you will be satisfied at last.
Ramses: I am happy to be your son. You restored order in Egypt. I will make this land feared by everyone.
Sethos: Undoubtedly, undoubtedly you will become master of all things - only not over your presumption. "
A few years have passed. Moses and Sephora have a son. Joshua fled to them, he brought Moses closer to the intolerable situation for the slaves in Egypt under Ramses. Moses went to Mount Horeb and there was instructed by God's voice in the “ Burning Bush ” to return to Egypt and lead his people to freedom. Sephora and Joshua accompany him.
Moses and his brother Aaron appear before Pharaoh Ramses and demand the freedom of the people of Israel. As proof of the power of the God of the Israelites, he turns his staff into a serpent. The high priest of Pharaoh also casts such a spell. When the snake devours the others from the staff of Moses and turns into the staff again, Ramses does not want to recognize this sign and mocks Moses, further he intensifies the slave services of the Israelites. Thereupon Moses conjures plagues (see Ten Plagues ) over Egypt. When the Pharaoh was ready to let the people go, he was incited by Nefretiri. Ramses now wants to kill every firstborn of the Hebrews, Nefretiri ensures that Sephora can flee with her son, a firstborn. When Moses finds the Pharaoh's wife in his home, he remains unresponsive to her charms. After she tells him about the decree of Pharaoh, he realizes that all firstborn Egyptians will now die through divine action. On the night of calamity Baket flees to Moses, she will go with him and his people. Mered takes care of the Pharaoh's daughter.
Baket: A great glow radiates from your face, Moses. Maybe I will come to understand it. "
With lamb's blood on the door frames, the Hebrews protect themselves from death. When Ramses realizes the danger, especially towards his son, he lets it go.
“Ramses: You were drawn out of the Nile to be a curse on me. Your shadow stood between me and my father, between me and my fame, between me and my queen. Wherever your shadow falls now, it brings us death. Move away from us, you and a people. I set you free.
Moses: It is not the power of your will nor the work of my hands that our people are free, Pharaoh. The power of God has set us free. "
Under the leadership of Moses and Joshua, as well as Mered and Caleb, the Hebrews exodus. After his own son dies, Pharaoh Ramses then moves with an army after the migrants. By divine providence, the way of his armed forces is blocked for a time with fire. Moses divides the Red Sea so that God's people have an escape route. The army of Ramses takes up the chase, but is destroyed in the collapsing floods. Ramses is broken and eventually acknowledges the greatness of the Hebrew God.
Having reached the foot of Mount Sinai, the entourage sets up camp and Moses goes up to the mountain to receive God's commandments. With flaming lightning, God writes the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets. Since Moses' stay on the mountain lasts for several weeks, the Israelites lose their faith and consider Moses dead. They build an idol in the form of a " golden calf " and begin to celebrate an orgy , following the whispering of the scheming Dathan . When Moses saw this on his return, in anger he smashed the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments that he had brought with him, causing an earthquake in which everyone died who had not sided with him. Dathan is among the dead. Lilia, who has orientated herself more and more to Joshua since the beginning of the Exodus, now finally comes together with him. God has let the Israelites wander through the desert for 40 years. When they arrive at the Jordan, Moses himself is not allowed to enter the "Promised Land". He declares Joshua to be his successor. He gives his nephew Eleazar the five books, which are to be kept together with the ark and the stone tablets with the ten commandments created again by God. Moses, called by the Lord, sets out on his last journey. He stands on a rock and sees his relatives one last time under a bright sky.
Cast and torsion bar
For the role of Moses, DeMille first introduced himself to William Boyd , with whom he had already worked in the silent film era and who also had a brief appearance in his latest film, The Biggest Show in the World . Boyd was building a career as Hopalong Cassidy on TV and found that the role of Moses deviated too much from the image of the western hero. Wilcoxon appealed to director Heston, who had also worked in DeMille's last film, because the statue of Moses in Rome bore a vague resemblance to the actor. For the role of Ramses was u. a. William Holden in conversation. Brynner, who shaved the hair of his head at the time, got the role because he looked good, especially when he was bald, and so could authentically portray the Pharaoh. For Nefretiri one thought of Audrey Hepburn , from costume drawings DeMille realized that the actress did not come off well enough in them. The role went to Anne Baxter, who initially auditioned for Zephora. Jack Palance was planned for Dathan first , his agent got part of the script without permission and Palance did not want to play such a villain (DeMille: Just when you've found a fella who can play a great Big Bad Wolf, he wants to play Little Bo Peep). DeMille gave the role to Robinson, whose career had stalled at the time. In his book All My Yesterdays , he documented that DeMille saved his career. Clint Walker was initially scheduled for Joshua. After Wilcoxon hired Debra Paget for the role of Lilia, they wanted to win a better-known actor for the stonemason, so that role went to John Derek. Nina Foch also owed her line-up to Wilcoxon, both of whom previously played in Scaramouche (1952).
For the smaller roles, DeMille managed to win many former companions, some of whom he had already worked with during the silent film era. Julia Faye played Nefretiri in his 1923 film and Elisheba in 1956. He wanted to play the role of a blind grandfather with HB Warner, who played Jesus in his 1927 film. The actor, who is in very poor health, was only able to give a very short and less strenuous appearance, as part of his role he is carried by Mered and gives Baket a seedling. The blind man was played by John Miljan, also a veteran of several DeMille films. Ian Keith, who appeared in major roles in some of the director's early sound films, played Ramses I. Francis McDonald (Slave in the Clay Pits) has appeared in almost all of DeMille's films since 1936. Olive Deering, who already had the role name Miriam as a Danite girl in Samson and Delilah (1949) , now played the sister of Moses.
Jesse L. Lasky Jr., with whose father Demille practically founded Paramount, was one of the scriptwriters. In addition to the Bible, the script goes back to Jewish antiquities (second to fourth books) by Flavius Josephus and writings by Philo Iudaeus ( Philon of Alexandria ). Henry S. Noerdlinger had been a historical advisor for his costume films, especially for Samson and Delilah (1949), since the mid-forties
Victor Young was engaged in the music ; he had written the scores for every DeMille film since 1940, and for health reasons he gave this work to Elmer Bernstein. Its score was the first to be released on double LP. Anne Bauchens, who had been editing DeMilles films since 1915, also worked behind the camera. DeMille's longtime friend Henry Wilcoxon (he played for DeMille, among others, Mark Anton in Cleopatra (1934) and had learned to drive a chariot on that occasion) acted in front of the camera as a commander and also as a producer. Terrence Moore, who played the son of Ramses II in 1923, worked in the recording studio in the 1956 film.
Some actors in small roles were able to make careers in the years after the film. Woody Strode appeared next to the King of Ethiopia as a servant at Baket. Clint Walker probably only played one role (palace servant with sword and conspicuously horned helmet), but at the time of all three pharaohs. Kathy Garver (Hebrew child who asks for his doll) became known from 1966 with the series Family Affair ( Dear Uncle Bill ).
Shooting the film
With the completion of his 1952 film, DeMille began planning the remake of the biblical portion of his silent film The Ten Commandments (1923) . This time the film should cover the entire life of Moses. At Paramount, he received unexpected support from Adolph Zukor , so that the financing for the complex project was secured.
After the announcement of the filming of the epic from the Bible, Darryl F. Zanuck wanted to produce a film about the Egyptian doctor Sinuhe, which was also set in the time of the pharaohs. The Egyptian , Sinuhe the Egyptians (film) , was feared by DeMille and Wilcoxon as a competing product, especially since the partly similar story threads would appeal to the same audience and the Centfox flick would be released before DeMilles film was completed. When Marlon Brando did not play the lead role in that film, Zanuck DeMille pledged not to produce the film. In fact, the film was made and not a box office hit. Zanuck sold some costumes and props to DeMille. The sword that Clint Walker wears in his role, the red and white double crown of the pharaohs and the dark red marble floor in the palace of Ramses II are from the previous film. John Carradine and Mimi Gibson (Pharaoh's child in The Egyptian , grandson of the blind man in DeMille's flick) starred in both films.
Much of the outdoor footage for DeMilles film was filmed on location in Egypt. Extensive support during the shooting was directly due to Gamal Abdel Nasser . In her book, K. Orrsion cites Henry Wilcoxon regarding the producers' encounter with the Nasser administration. "Hen-ry Wil-cox-on!" he exclaimed, "I would know you anywhere! So exciting of you to visit my country!" He hastened over to shake my hand. God help me! DeMille was being ignored. PM Nasser only had eyes for me. [...] "Are you appearing in this Moses film, Mr. Wilcoxon?" DeMille was getting angry. I was fast losing a good friend as well as a good job. "No, I'm not. I'm only assisting Mr. DeMille here, in producing his masterpiece on the life of ..." Amer was laughing. So what Nasser [...] "You tell them what you are laughing about!" Nasser ordered Amer. DeMille's granddaughter Cecilia DeMille Presley quotes Abd al-Hakim Amer : Mr DeMille, we saw The Crusades ( Kreuzritter - Richard Löwenherz ), we grew up on it and we saw how you treated us. You can do anything in this country you want. (The interview section can be heard in the 2004 documentary, Cecil B DeMille Amperican Epic , among others ).
Recordings were made in the Valley of the Kings , on Sinai (mountain) and on the Nile. Some of these recordings from Egypt can also be seen in rear projections, as well as edited with material shot in the Paramount studio or with trick recordings. For the actors in Egypt, there were some body doubles (e.g. water girl Lilia when she walks through the construction site in the Valley of the Kings). With Heston and Brynner material was also shot in Egypt. The first shots filmed there were the one in which Moses goes into the desert after Prince Ramses banished him. DeMille suffered a heart attack while recording the Exodus. One of the few exterior shots made in the USA is the sequence in which Moses has the Hebrews steal the grain from the temple granaries. It was created on the grounds of the Paramount studio, some palm trees can be seen in the background.
The original script also dealt with Moses' marriage to the Ethiopian princess Tharbis. DeMille found this plot inappropriate for the time and did not shoot these scenes. However, a relationship is vaguely indicated in the film and a jealous Nefretiri can be seen. One sequence that has been rotated but discarded is the one showing the biblical plague of frogs. The settings looked weird rather than terrifying. The scene between Brynner and Heston, in which the Pharaoh releases the Hebrews, was saved for the end of the shooting.
The script and the cut scenes
The script from 1954/1955 (final shooting script) reproduces a few more scenes, which most likely were also shot, but then either not used or cut from an initially longer version. According to imdb.com, DeMille cut just six minutes after a preview. Specifically, Katherine Orrison mentions in the commentary on the DVD of the film that the first scene with Nefretiri and Moses was cut and that shots with Nefretiri during the frog plague were not used, as these scenes seem more funny than scary. The script from 1954/1955 is divided into sections A to G, the pages of which are numbered at the top right. In the case of events and dialogues that can be traced back to the Holy Scriptures, the relevant Bible passage is noted in the margin.
- In the first sequence with Sethi and Ramses, the last shot with them is a little longer. Cut: Sethi demands Ramses' arm and puts his hand on it (A-19 in the script)
- The scene with Nefretiri and Memnet while Moses returns home in triumph is longer. The scene shown in the film is preceded by the following dialogue (A-20, A-21):
“Nefretiri: Oh make me beautiful Memnet! Give me the eyes of Isis to blind him to all other woman ...
(Memnet shakes her head with grumpy disapproval)
Memnet: You're the same moonstruck girl he left two years ago. Only less girl and more moonstruck [...] (darkly) The game you play is not for children. You're trying to set the Pharaoh against Rameses
Nefretiri: You croaking old frog - Why do you want to set Rameses over Moses?
Memnet (stolidly): The Gods forbid I ever need to tell you. "
- The first scene with Nefretiri and Moses precedes her: her jealousy is more clearly expressed, she licks the gem that Tharbis received from Moses (A-29 to A-31, in the scene with Moses in the film he can be seen on her dress She also plays with it while Moses greets Bithiah).
- The scene with Bhitiah and Moses is longer; it shows their concern about his activity in Goschen in more detail. After the departure of Moses, Memnet told Bhitiah that the truth could now arise (A-33, A-34).
- The scene with Joshua and Moses after the murder of Baka is also longer. Moses makes it clear that he will not oppose Sethi, Joshua gets to the point that the murder could have dire consequences for the Hebrews, Moses announces that he will bury the Egyptian Ex 2.12 EU (C-23, C- 24).
- Cut: At the beginning of Sethi's anniversary celebration, two women are talking (C-29).
"First Lady: Imagine poor Nefretiri - not knowing in which bed she will sleep tonight.
Second Lady: I could be happy in either! "
- The dialogues in the prison cell between Moses, Ramses and Nefretiri are longer. The film does not include Moses asking the Queen to take care of Bhitiah; Ramses mentions that Bhitiah's place of exile is the temple complex in Karnak (C-38).
- Cut: After the dance of the six daughters of Jethro, Moses trades with the merchant Zebul, who still knows him from his time as a prince in Egypt. The dealer offers copper goods from Geber. Later, in the well-known version of the film, Joshua mentions that as a slave in the copper mines in Geber, he learned the whereabouts of Moses from a dealer (D-18, D-19).
- Cut: After Sethi's death, Jannes and Ramses have a few more sentences, and Ramses addresses Nefretiri (D-24).
"Ramses: Rameses (for the first time addresses Nefretiri) Do not grieve for Pharaoh ... for Pharaoh lives. (a faint smile to Nefretiri) And you are his queen. "
- The film contains the words of the fan-bearer, just as Moses is admitted to Pharaoh Ramses for the first time (These must be ambassadors from Midian, Divine one). Brynner's answer (Oh - Bedouins) is easier to understand (E-2). In the German dubbed version, only Brynner's voice actor can be heard at this point, in terms of content he thanks the ambassador of Jericho.
- Cut: As the Hebrews prepare to stone Moses, he and Miriam speak briefly (E-8):
"Miriam: No - no! Have faith in Moses!
Moses: Do what you will to me - but keep your faith in God! "
- Cut: FROG PLAGUE. The narrator announces the plague of frogs after the seven days of the first plague. In a shot in Nefretiri's bedroom, she and her servant react anxiously to the frogs (E-19), a photograph of this shot still exists.
- Deleted: A scene with Dathan and Lilia on the morning of the Exodus; he wants her to pack up her jewelry (F-7, S 230).
"Dathan: Get your jewels, you ungrateful mud-hen!
Lilia: I'll wear your slave chains Dathan - even on this day of freedom. "
- Cut: During the morning of the Exodus, some Egyptian soldiers discuss the fact that the Hebrew firstborns survived with the help of the lamb's blood (F-9, S 232).
- Changed: In this version of the script, Moses does not give a reason for not being allowed to cross the Jordan (in the film it is true), according to the explanations, a passage from the Bible from Moses 5, Dtn 3,27 EU , is noted (G-20). The explanations in the script and in the film are as follows:
"Moses: (indicating people below) The Lord was angry with me for your sake and sait unto me: Behold it with thine eyes, for thou shalt not cross over this Jordan."
"Moses: The Lord was angry with me because I disobeyed him by the waters of Strife. And he said unto me, "Behold the new land with thine eyes, for thou shalt not cross over this River Jordan." "
Film compared to the Jewish source material and scriptures
DeMille followed the popular belief that Ramses II (13th century BC, 19th dynasty) was the pharaoh of the Exodus. He then traced the Pharaoh's murder order back to Ramses I, which is shown in the first scene of the film after an introduction by DeMille (Paul Klinger) about the enslaved Israelites. The murder order, suspension of Moses and discovery by the Pharaoh's daughter correspond roughly to Ex 1-2 EU . Memnet's later remarks can also be inferred that Moses, according to the Bible text, was breastfed by his own mother Jochebed.
In the names of the biblical characters used in the original version, DeMille was largely based on the King James Bible . With the mother of Moses, Yochabel , he followed Joseophus (Jewish antiquities, Jochabel in the English, Joachebed in the German translation of the work)
The Pharaoh's daughter, Bithiah (Bithja in the Luther Bible of 1545, Baket in the German dubbed version), is mentioned by name in 1 Chr 4,18 EU , just there also the relationship to Mered, which is indicated in the Exodus part of the film.
The Ethiopia campaign mentioned in the film and the relationship between Moses and Tharbis can be read in Jewish Antiquities (Josephus, second book, 10th chapter). In the Bible, a wife of Moses is mentioned in Num 12.1 EU ( Ethiopian woman in the King James Version, Cushite woman in more recent English Bible translations such as the English Standard Version, Mohrin in historical German Bible translations such as the Luther Bible from 1545, Cushite woman in today common German Bible translations such as the Luther Bible from 2017 or the standard translation from 2016). Noerdlinger stated: From the biblical point of view Cush and Ethiopia are identical. (Moses and Egypt). In the German dubbed version, Ethiopia is dubbed with Nubia (Kusch), nubians with Nubier . It is unclear whether the mention in Moses 4 refers to a second wife Moses, as assumed by Josephus, or Zippora.
The 11th chapter of Josephus provides information that the Egyptians are now, after the successful war, plotting against Moses. In addition to Ramses, Jannes, Baka and Memnet act against Moses in the film. After Josephus, Moses fled to evade the murderous intentions of the Egyptians. He fled to Ex 2.14 EU because he was watched by a Hebrew during a murder. The film explains the reason for the murder and Ramses sends Moses into the desert. The words of one Hebrew from the Bible addressed to Moses ("Who made you overseer and judge over us?") Are in the film, slightly modified, from Datan to Ramses ("One who made himself a prince and judge over us. ") to listen.
Joshua is mentioned in the Bible only after leaving Egypt, for the first time in the fight against the Amalekites. This argument is not shown in the film and Joshua, who will succeed Moses, can already be seen building the pharaoh city. After Jochebed, who already suspects that God has plans for Moses, Joshua is the first to see Moses as the chosen one. Later he flees to him in Midian in order to win him over as a liberator for the common people. In the film and in the Bible, after the Exodus, Moses goes with Joshua to the Mount of God ( Ex 24.13 EU ) and later appoints him as his successor ( Num 27.18-23 EU ).
Datan and his brother Abiram (Elihab's son), who biblically only appear after the Exodus, can already be seen in the first part of the film.
Mered and Kaleb can be seen for the first time in the film with the robbery of the temple grain and from then on frequently, but the two men only have a few lines of dialogue. From the point of view of Noerdlinger and the scriptwriters, Hur Ben Kaleb can be traced back to the biblical figure Hur. In the film he is called Kaleb and is obviously Mirjam's husband in the Exodus part. For Noerdlinger the decisive source materials were ( 1 Chr 2,19 EU ) (Hur is the son of Caleb) and Josephus (Jewish antiquities, 3rd book, 2nd chapter; Hur is Mirjam's husband). Sh. Hur (Bible) .
Immediately before the temple grain was stolen, Elisheba can also be seen for the first time.
In the film, Sethi and Nefretiri play dogs and jackals . It is well known that the rules of the ancient Egyptian board game have not been handed down. In the film, they roll the dice with hexagonal prisms. It remains to be interpreted to recognize the rules of the game.
The arrival of Moses in Midian, the marriage to Sephora, their son Gershom correspond to Ex 2.16-22 EU . The name of Jethro's daughter used in the original version is from the Douay Bible (Douay – Rheims).
The death of the Pharaoh shown in the film is probably due to Ex 2.23 EU .
In the film, the motive for Moses to go to the forbidden mountain is the question he has already asked several times why the Hebrew God does not care for his people. In the Bible, God remembers his covenant and calls Moses ( Ex 2.24 EU and Ex 3.2-10 EU ). In the film, DeMille had texts and dialogues taken precisely from the King James Bible ( "Put off your shoes from off your feet, for the place where on thou standest is holy ground." ).
The first miracle and the sorcery with the snakes at the court of pharaohs are described in the Bible and by Josephus. The latter explains in detail - the same obeyed the command, grabbed the staff of the Egyptians, which appeared to the eye in the form of snakes, ... (Jewish Antiquities, second book, 13th chapter)
The film shows poisoned water ( Ex 7.20 EU ), hail ( Ex 9.22-26 EU ) and the death of the firstborn ( Ex 11.5 EU , Ex 12.29-30 EU ) of the plagues, other plagues are mentioned. The measure initially intended by the Pharaoh (death of the firstborn) is formulated as such in the Koran (Sura 7, 127).
On the stubbornness of the Pharaoh, Noerdlinger wrote How can a man, a creature of God, make choice between good and evil of his own free will, if God hardens his heart? Our solution is given when Nefretiri says to Moses, "Who else can soften Pharaoh's heart-or harden it"? To which Moses replies that it may well be she through whom "God will work this wonder". While Ramses, due to Nefretiri, is shown stubborn, he seems quite prudent elsewhere when he finds a natural cause for the plagues seeks.
“Jannes: It turns away from the gods.
Ramses: (to Jannes) Of what gods? (to Moses) You prophets (to Jannes) and priests make the gods to benefit from the fear of men. When the Nile turned red, I was afraid too, until I learned that a mountain beyond the cataracts threw blood-red clay (shows Moses a scroll), which poisoned the water. Do you think the staff I gave you could do that? (hits with the scroll against the staff of Moses) Or that a miracle of his God caused the fish to die and the frogs to come out of the water? Was it a miracle that flies and mosquitoes rushed bloodthirsty on the carrion and brought disease to people and cattle? "
The dance around the golden calf occurs in the Bible as in the film - in the film at the instigation of Datan and Korach . In the Bible, this fall of man around the idol and the uprising led by the two brothers Datan and Abiram as well as Korach, a cousin of Moses, are isolated events that are described in Moses 2 ( Ex 32 EU ) and Moses 4 (( Num 16 EU )) are written down. Sephora can be seen in this sequence on Mount Sinai and in the final scene.
Moses may see the Promised Land, but not enter it. In the original version of the film he explains in detail "The Lord was angry with me, because I disobeyed him at the waters of strife. ..." - ( Ps 106.32 EU ). The dubbed version sticks to the script in the December 1954 version and does not name this cause ( "The Lord was angry with me for your sake." - "The Lord is angry with me because I often disobeyed the people for the sake of the people." against him. " ).
The last words of Moses, "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the incomes thereof", from Lev 25.10 EU can also be read in the inscription of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.
Film versus historical source material
The era of the three pharaohs Ramses I, Sethos II and Ramses II forms the historical background to DeMille's film. Ramses I ruled for less than a year and a half, his son Seti was already co-regent. Seti was pharaoh from 1290 to 1279 BC. BC, a co-reign of Ramses during this time is controversial. Ramses II was sole ruler from 1279 to 1213 BC. BC, Nefertari was one of his main wives, their son Amunherchepeschef was his firstborn and died in adulthood while his father was still alive. The three pharaohs and Nefretiri are portrayed accordingly in the film. The firstborn dies in the film as a child, his role in the script is "Young Prince". Important discoveries about the firstborn of Ramses II were not made until 1995 in KV5 .
- James H. Breasted (A history of Egypt, from the earliest times to the Persian conquest; 1905) stated that Seti probably had an older son. After Breasted, he added a depiction of himself in retrospect in an already finished relief in Karnak, and subsequently Ramses seized the throne after Seti's death and had the name of his older brother removed from the relief. These interpretations are now considered repeated (Traces of the Early Career of Ramesses II, Anthony Spalinger, 1979 - RAMSES AND REBELLION: SHOWDOWN OF FALSE AND TRUE HORUS, Peter Feinman, 1998), but at the time the film was shot they formed a basis for Noerdlinger the plot of the strip. In the film, Moses and Ramses act like rival brothers. Seti assumes the freedom of choice to appoint one of the two as heir to the throne. He treats Moses, the supposed nephew, like a son. It was only when this party took sides for the liberation of the Hebrews that he ordered that the name of Moses should be removed from all pylons and obelisks.
- The reigns of Ramses I (as Pharaoh) and Seti together only lasted about 12 years. In the film, Moses is an infant at the time of Ramses I, Seti reigns in the film for 30 years afterwards, the strip implies that there will probably be a few more years before Seti's death.
- It is said of Seti that he had the workers in the quarry in Jabal al-Silsila well cared for (see Breasted). In the film, it is Moses who sends the temple grain to the workers in Goshen, Seti doesn't seem to care. Because of the many other human aspects with which Seti is portrayed in the film, according to Noerdlinger it was necessary to trace the order to murder the Hebrew children back to Ramses I for the script.
- In the film, Moses mentions pylons reminiscent of Seti's battle of Kadesh against the Amorites. According to historiography, Seti Kadesh and his son Ramses lived in 1306 BC. Conquered (later, after the reconquest by the Hittites in 1274 BC under Ramses II, the battle of Kadesch took place ).
- Noerdlinger has found a source according to which Nefretiri was an hereditary princess (Two Theban queens; Colin Campbell, 1909). Her ancestry, whether she was the sister, half-sister or cousin of Ramses, is still not known. According to the same source, she was married to Ramses when he ascended the throne. In DeMille's strip, she is initially the future wife of the Pharaoh. The film implies that she will marry Ramses before the accession to the throne. As queen she then has a throne that is just as imposing as that of Ramses II. On the other hand, the throne of Seti is superior compared to her seat or that of the sister of the Pharaoh in the first part of the film.
- It is known that the historical Ramses II revered Nefretiri very much. In many of the illustrations it is just as large as it is shown. The smaller of the two temples at Abu Simbel in particular is a testament to this veneration and its influence on him . Her ability to influence the Pharaoh is also a theme in the film.
- The advice which Seti gives his son Ramses after the announcement of the succession to the throne, beginning with "Harden yourself against subordinates.", Gave the older research after Amenemhet I his son Sesostris ( 12th dynasty ), as a document from that time shows. A similar formulation in the book Micha ( Mi 7.5-6 EU ) is more recent . The scriptwriters took some sentences from Breasted's translation of the document.
- In DeMille's strip, the Exodus ( exodus from Egypt ) obviously takes place and Ramses II is the Exoduspharaoh.
background
The film became Cecil B. DeMille's last directorial work and also the greatest commercial success of his career.
Scenes show, among other things, the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea , for the implementation of which a special tank with almost 1,300,000 liters of water had to be built. Other highlights of the film are God's law of the Ten Commandments and the Israelites' dance around the golden calf .
Charlton Heston became better known through the leading role of Moses, but this film did not yet place him in the ranks of the leading Hollywood stars, which is why he was reluctant to accept the role of Ben Hur three years later. But the monumental film Ben Hur (1959) became his best-known and most successful portrayal.
The supporting actors not mentioned in the opening credits also included the musician Herb Alpert as a Hebrew drummer, Carl Switzer (who played the role of alfalfa in the series Die kleine Rolche ) and Robert Vaughn , the star of solo for ONCEL , in his film debut. In the English original, Cecil B. DeMille acted as the narrator of the plot. Who exactly spoke the voice of God is the subject of speculation to this day, ranging from Cecil B. DeMille to Charlton Heston.
synchronization
The German dubbed version was created for the cinema premiere at Berliner Synchron under the direction of CW Burg .
| role | actor | German Dubbing voice |
|---|---|---|
| Moses | Charlton Heston | Ernst Wilhelm Borchert |
| Pharaoh Ramses II | Yul Brynner | Klaus Miedel |
| Nefretiri | Anne Baxter | Gisela Trowe |
| Dathan | Edward G. Robinson | Alfred Balthoff |
| Zippora | Yvonne De Carlo | Elisabeth Ried |
| Lilia | Debra Paget | Margot Leonard |
| Joshua | John Derek | Gerd Vespermann |
| Pharaoh Seti I. | Cedric Hardwicke | Paul Wagner |
| Baket, Moses' foster mother | Nina Foch | Tilly Lauenstein |
| Memnet, Bakets servant | Judith Anderson | Ursula War |
| Builder Baka | Vincent Price | Friedrich Joloff |
| High Priest Jannes | Douglass Dumbrille | Heinz Engelmann |
| Narrator (voice only) | Cecil B. DeMille | Paul Klinger |
Reviews
| source | rating |
|---|---|
| Rotten tomatoes | |
| critic |
 
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| audience |
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| IMDb |
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“Cecil B. DeMille shot this Oscar-winning remake of his own monumental film from 1923. He created one of the best and most elaborate works of the genre, which still impresses with its wealth of effects. The division of the Red Sea is still one of the highlights of film history. "
“Allegedly at the request of his fans, DeMille staged a remake of his silent film from 1923, giving free rein to his preference for colossal buildings, crowd scenes and pathos. A faithful adaptation of the Old Testament does not take place, but it was not intended either. A classic of the Hollywood monumental film, which contains a few scenes that still impress with their effects in retrospect. "
"The highlight of the color-dramaturgically ingenious Bible epic is the Oscar-winning division of the Red Sea."
Awards
The film received seven Academy Award nominations for 1956 in the spring of 1957 , but most of them were technical, and only one of them was eventually won. In contrast, none of the actors was honored with a nomination.
National Board of Review , 1956
- NBR Award in the "Best Actor" category for Yul Brynner
Academy Awards 1956
- Oscar for Best Special Effects for John P. Fulton
- Nomination for Best Picture for Cecil B. DeMille
- Nomination for Best Cinematography for Loyal Griggs
- Nomination in the category Best Pattern for Anne Bauchens
- Nomination in the Best Sound category for Loren L. Ryder (Paramount SSD)
- Nomination in the Best Equipment category for Hal Pereira , Walter H. Tyler , Albert Nozaki, Sam Comer, Ray Moyer
- Nomination in the category Best Costume Design for Edith Head , Ralph Jester, John Jensen, Dorothy Jeakins, Arnold Friberg
Golden Globes 1957
- Nominated for Best Actor (Drama) for Charlton Heston
Fotogramas de Plata 1960
- Fotogramas de Plata for Best Foreign Actor for Charlton Heston
National Film Preservation Board 1999
- Inclusion in the National Film Registry (USA)
Television broadcasts and media publications
The film has been available on DVD with a German dubbed version since 2003. The 2006 anniversary edition also contains the silent film from 1923, both films are commented on throughout by Katherine Orrison (author of "Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille's Epic The Ten Commandments") - her knowledge is based on interviews she gave with Henry Wilcoxon has made. In 2010 the film shot in VistaVison was restored again and a 6K scan was made; this version is the basis for publications on Blu-ray Disc.
The releases on DVD and BR are unabridged and also contain the additional pieces of music (Overture, Entr'acte and Exit Music. Intermission is very short and directly related to the film). In the case of television broadcasts, the pieces of music are usually missing; in the case of broadcasts by private channels, the introductory explanations by DeMille and a large part of the opening credits are sometimes omitted.
Other films about the life of Moses
Burt Lancaster starred in the 1975 television adaptation of Moses , which was also shown in cinemas as a compilation . In The Bible - Moses (1996), another film for television, is Ben Kingsley to see the Prophet. The animated film The Prince of Egypt (1998) shows the life of the Hebrew from infancy to the handing over of the commandments to his people. In The Ten Commandments (2006) , Dougray played Scott Moses. In Ridley Scott's Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), Christian Bale played the role of Moses.
literature
- Henry S. Noerdlinger: Moses and Egypt. The Documentation to the Motion Picture The Ten Commandments , 1956, University of Southern California press, Los Angeles.
- Thomas Cake Book: Bible and History. On the religious film: "The Ten Commandments" (1957) (sic!) Fischer film history. 3, 1945 - 1960. Ed. Werner Faulstich , Helmut Korte. Fischer TB, Frankfurt 1990, pp. 299-230
Web links
- The Ten Commandments in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Sound carrier with the film music
- https://www.scribd.com/doc/235991481/The-Ten-Commandments-1956-final-shooting-script-pdf (script, the individual pages contain entries, going from December 21, 1954 to March 5, 1955)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c DVD (2006 anniversary edition), soundtrack with commentary by Katherine Orrison
- ↑ a b Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille's Epic The Ten Commandments, Katherine Orrison, 1999
- ↑ a b Rotten Tomatoes , accessed May 27, 2015
- ↑ The Ten Commandments in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- ↑ The Ten Commandments at Prisma Online
- ↑ The Ten Commandments. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed July 7, 2017 .
- ↑ The Ten Commandments in Cinema
- ↑ with detailed content, sequences of scenes. In the text itself, "November 1956" is correctly indicated as the date of first publication.