So let it be written. So let it be done. - Rameses
There have been a lot of attempts over the years to make good films about the Bible. Depending on your point of view, films such as Mel Gibson's controversial "The Passion of the Christ" and Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" were either brilliantly bold, or insanely dangerous. Gibson's film (which raked in a staggering $612 million) which some felt was an over-the-top snuff movie, aroused people's interest in the story of Christ. It may not have been totally accurate, but it made its mark. Scosese's film (where I was actually verbally assaulted by a protester as I made my way inside) was a box-office flop. Aside from the great soundtrack by Peter Gabriel, it was one of the most boring films of all-time. The same cannot be said about The Ten Commandments.
There are only a few films in motion picture history that have become part of the "American" (and I suppose Canadian) family tradition. Even with all of the annoying commercial breaks, the annual viewing of The Ten Commandments has become a tradition in millions of homes. Some people can't wait for the annual showing of The Wizard of Oz or It's a Wonderful Life; I can't wait for the pre-Passover airing of the story of Moses and the exodus from Egypt. The seder doesn't feel complete without it. Countless Hebrew school teachers have tried over the years to dispel the Hollywood version of events, but even a good Yeshiva-educated lad like me knows that the 1956 blockbuster directed by the legendary Cecil B. DeMille is the only version that counts. Yes, Moses married a black woman. Tziporah was not a nice Jewish girl from the 'burbs (which would have been Goshen for those from the five towns), but the daughter of a bedouin.
The fifth highest grossing film of all-time (if you adjust ticket prices for inflation) is 3 hours and 40 minutes of drama, romance, and some terrible Technicolor. Not to mention the fleeing Hebrew during the exodus scene who can clearly be seen wearing a Rolex.
The cast?
Somebody take away my matzoh with horseradish because I'm overheating.
Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, John Derek, Yvonne De Carlo, Edward G. Robinson, and John Carradine.
Guess what's coming to Blu-ray on March 29 in two spectacular sets and is available now for pre-order?
The first edition is a six-disc Blu-ray/DVD gift set with a fully-restored version of the feature film with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 channel soundtrack. For maximum quality, the film is split over two Blu-ray discs which also includes restored HD trailers and footage from the premiere of the film. The gift set also includes a third Blu-ray disc that contains the original silent film from 1923 also directed by DeMille with additional special features and a new 75-minute Making Miracles documentary. The coolest part is the mock two stone tablet packaging which is meant to bring back memories of the giving of the Ten Commandments by G-d on Mt. Sinai before Chuck Heston decided to get all clumsy and inadvertently throw them at the rioting Hebrews. The MSRP on the six disc set is $89.99 but Amazon is already selling it for appreciably less.
Ladies and gentlemen: presenting the greatest almost-true version of events from before the giving of the Torah (which really makes it a pre-Biblical tale) in HD/5.1 surround sound and no commercials.
George Lucas eat your heart out.
Pre-Order The Ten Commandments:
