[.ca] The Ten Commandments (Widescreen) (ISBN 0792154649)

From Amazon.com:
Legendary silent film director Cecil B. DeMille didn't much alter the way he made movies after sound came in, and this 1956 biblical drama is proof of that. While graced with such 1950s niceties as VistaVision and Technicolor, The Ten Commandments (DeMille had already filmed an earlier version in 1923) has an anachronistic, impassioned style that finds lead actors Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner expressively posing while hundreds of extras writhe either in the presence of God's power or from orgiastic heat. DeMille, as always, plays both sides of the fence as far as sin goes, surrounding Heston's Moses with worshipful music and heavenly special effects while also making the sexy action around the cult of the Golden Calf look like fun. You have to see The Ten Commandments to understand its peculiar resonance as an old-new movie, complete with several still-impressive effects such as the parting of the Red Sea. --Tom Keogh

Amazon.com Essential Video:
Legendary silent film director Cecil B. DeMille didn't much alter the way he made movies after sound came in, and this 1956 biblical drama is proof of that. While graced with such 1950s niceties as VistaVision and Technicolor, The Ten Commandments (DeMille had already filmed an earlier version in 1923) has an anachronistic, impassioned style that finds lead actors Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner expressively posing while hundreds of extras writhe either in the presence of God's power or from orgiastic heat. DeMille, as always, plays both sides of the fence as far as sin goes, surrounding Heston's Moses with worshipful music and heavenly special effects while also making the sexy action around the cult of the Golden Calf look like fun. You have to see The Ten Commandments to understand its peculiar resonance as an old-new movie, complete with several still-impressive effects such as the parting of the Red Sea. --Tom Keogh

Good but not great edition of a classic:
I already had "The Ten Commandments" on DVD, but with almost no extras and no commentary, it wasn't all that satisfying. This new Collector's Edition is easily worth its low price, to me, even as a replacement. The colors are breathtaking, Elmer Bernstein's store is still luscious, and it's probably as close to what DeMille intended as you'll get on a screen smaller than twenty feet. I enjoyed Katherine Orrison's commentary track quite a bit (and have put her book on the movie on my wish list), although much more about the movie than some of her amateur theological comments. After spending so much time with Henry Wilcoxon, DeMille's right-hand man on this and many other movies, she has anecdotes and understanding that help you understand how the film was made. I had no idea it took five full years to make, or how some of the seemingly-odd decisions were made or even how some of the effects were created. The other extras are a bit disappointing. The six-part documentary (complete with titles in Paramount's "Star Trek" font because they can't recreate the hand-lettering of the movie's titles, over leather that shows up in richer color than I've ever seen it) doesn't offer nearly as much as AMC's "Cecil B. DeMIlle" biography from earlier in 2004. That special included pre-matte shots of the parting of the Red Sea - the actual water in the tank, including the sides of the parted Red Sea, and how it was created. Paramount may not own that documentary, but some of that footage should have been on this disc. Without it, there are still some good interviews, but not enough behind-the-scenes footage that we now know exists. If you like "The Ten Commandments" and don't have it on DVD, this is for you. If you have the older version but like it a lot, this one's also for you - but get the Cecil B. DeMille biography when it comes out on DVD, too.

Great Film STILL Short Changed:
I wonder why this edition wasn't held for the C.B. DeMille bio that Turner just produced. Instead we get a lot of anecdotes from Orrison, whom made an inaccurate statement that Brenner and Heston were about the same age. This is wrong, Brenner was in fact 9 years older than Heston. Also, her commentary really spotlighted an actor named Clint Walker who was just an extra. This was a definite who cares moment, like many within her commentary. C.B. DeMille was the star along with Heston, Brenner and Baxter. There should have been more attention given to the 'stars'. Why was I surprised that the packaging was 'downgraded'. You actually have to remove 'the first' disc to get to the second disc and no chapter card insert. It takes too much time to sum up this mess. Lets just hope that Warners will get the next edition right. This one needs work - except for the transfer that is which was fine the first time around without the ho hum 'extras'.

good, but no masterpiece:
while i will say this movie is good,i wouldn't say it is great.for one thing it is way too long.i mean that generally,but also many of the scenes went on way too long.there were some pretty impressive,even spectacular scenes.but for me,this movie is all about the spectacle.i found that a lot of the dialogue existed to simply to give several overwrought speeches.as for the acting,it wasn't bad,or anything.however the only standout,in my mind was Yul Brynner as Pharaoh Rameses.he was brilliant.also,i got the feeling while watching this movie that it may have been a vanity project,for director Cecil B.Demille and to a lesser extent Charlton Heston.and Heston was not that great in this movie.in fact,i felt he tended to overact at times.anyway,i did find the movie worth watching,but not the masterpiece that others have claimed.for me, The Ten Commandments is a 3/5

An enduring film classic:
Cecil B. DeMille's wonderful epic is a film for the ages. The entire cast is excellent, beginning with Charlton Heston's devoted and obedient Moses who lives only to serve the Lord and deliver his people from Pharoah's bondage; Yul Brynner's excellent reading as the fierce, stubborn Rameses who witnesses God's miracle from a hill overlooking the Red Sea; Anne Baxter whose love and desire for Moses was so intense and consuming that she killed for him; Sir Cedric Hardwicke's poignant Sethi who tries to forget Moses but never loses his love for his adopted son; the massive exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt to freedom; the exciting pursuit by Rameses' charioteers and soldiers of Moses and the Hebrews that culminates in the memorable Red Sea escape and the destruction of the Egyptians, with Rameses left alone to realize that Moses' God is God.

A Great Epic Cinematization:
Okay. So the movie The Ten Commandments is not Biblically accurate. But being the cinema purist that I am, it is my opinion that this movie is a gem from the golden age of the epic film. Clearly, Cecil B. DeMille was out to make a great movie about this Old Testament favorite, the story of Moses and the liberation of the Hebrew nation from the Egyptians. He furnished the great stars, the extras, settings and vestments that adorn this classic epic. Not to mention the special effects that still leave viewers in awe when you consider that these effects were produced almost 60 years ago. If the film seems a bit long it's because it is. But that is the beauty of recorded movies for viewing at home. You can stop at any point and continue watching any time you wish. So, if you want to know the story of the real Moses, then go to the book of Exodus in your Bible. But if all you want to do is watch a great movie, then you might want to give this one a try.