The Ten Commandments (1923 film)
"The Ten Commandments" is a 1923 silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, renowned for its epic storytelling and innovative filmmaking techniques. This ambitious project is notable for being one of the most expensive silent films of its time, featuring a large cast, extravagant sets, and pioneering special effects. The film is structured as two distinct narratives: the first portrays the biblical story of Moses and the liberation of the enslaved Israelites, culminating in the receipt of the Ten Commandments. The second narrative unfolds in the 1920s, focusing on two brothers, John and Dan McTavish, whose contrasting beliefs and moral paths lead to a tragic outcome. The film premiered on December 4, 1923, at Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles and became a significant box office success, grossing over $4 million. It is acclaimed for its artistic innovations, including the early use of Technicolor and creative techniques that influenced future filmmakers. Following its success, DeMille directed additional biblical films, solidifying his legacy in the genre. The film's cultural significance endures, having been remade in 1956, further cementing its place in cinematic history.
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The Ten Commandments (1923 film)
Identification: A silent film paralleling the biblical Exodus and the lives of an American family in the 1920s
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Release Date: 1923
One of the most successful films of the silent era, The Ten Commandments established Cecil B. DeMille’s reputation as a groundbreaking director of epic films. The film’s large cast, lavish sets, and innovative special effects made it one of the most expensive silent films ever produced.
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille with a screenplay by Jeanie Macpherson, The Ten Commandments is essentially two films joined by an intermission. The first part of the film is the story of Moses (Theodore Roberts), an Israelite who forces Ramses (Charles de Rochefort), the Egyptian pharaoh, to free the enslaved Israelites. During their subsequent trek across the desert, Moses and his people are bestowed by God with rules by which to live their lives, known as the Ten Commandments. The second part of the film is set in the early 1920s and tells the story of two brothers, John and Dan McTavish. John (Richard Dix) is a decent man who believes God is loving and kind, while his mother, Martha (Edythe Chapman), believes God is to be feared. John’s brother Dan (Rod La Rocque) rejects their mother’s religious teachings and becomes an atheist. While John works as a humble carpenter, Dan makes a fortune as a contractor through dishonest business practices. When Dan uses inadequate concrete to build a new cathedral, a wall collapses and kills his mother. Dan attempts to right the wrongs he has done in his life but only manages to add to his list of sins. In the end, he breaks all ten of the commandments before dying in a boat accident.
The Ten Commandments premiered on December 4, 1923, at Grauman’s Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles, California. One of the most expensive films of the decade, it also became one of the silent era’s biggest hits, grossing more than $4 million at the box office. DeMille’s first biblical epic, The Ten Commandments became especially known for its large cast and thousands of extras, elaborate sets and costumes, and creative special effects such as the use of gelatin to simulate water in the scene depicting the parting of the Red Sea. The film was one of the earliest to use a two-color Technicolor process in selected scenes and include a hand-colored segment.
Impact
Following the success of The Ten Commandments, DeMille went on to direct two more biblical epics, The King of Kings (1927) and The Sign of the Cross (1932). Cited by many early filmmakers as an inspiration, The Ten Commandments continued to influence the film industry long after the 1920s, and in 1956, it was remade by DeMille with sound and full color.
Bibliography
Birchard, Robert S. Cecil B. DeMille’s Hollywood. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2004.
Higashi, Sumiko. Cecil B. DeMille and American Culture: The Silent Era. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994.