DeMille's original version of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is less a retelling of the Moses story than it is a Roaring Twenties morality play with a lengthy biblical prologue attached. The prologue is entertaining and boasts impressive visual effects for the period. The modern story, which is the real meat and potatoes of the thing, is less so.
The plot is pure Sunday school preaching, with a character gleefully out to break the Ten Commandments (his wife, well aware of this bizarre goal, is somehow surprised when he commits adultery). Visually, the standout scene is a brief sequence in which a character ascends a scaffolding at a construction site: DeMille uses interesting angles and a moving camera. But the story is laughable and overlong, only occasionally livening things up with camp (Nita Naldi as a vampy leper colony escapee is perhaps the best example of this). It's just dull and obvious.
About the most interesting part of the story from a theological perspective is the mother character. At first, she's a classic Christian fundamentalist, begrudging even a little bit of innocent dancing on a Sunday. In her dying moments, she tells her wayward son that his rampant sinfulness is her fault because she emphasized fearing God over loving Him, thus creating a rebellious counter-reaction from him. It's an interesting thread, but the movie does little more than pay lip service to it.
As someone who does not like 1950s biblical epics, I cannot believe I'm saying this-- just stick with the Heston movie. At least there you get Yul Brynner shirtless-- and you know, the actual Moses story.
The plot is pure Sunday school preaching, with a character gleefully out to break the Ten Commandments (his wife, well aware of this bizarre goal, is somehow surprised when he commits adultery). Visually, the standout scene is a brief sequence in which a character ascends a scaffolding at a construction site: DeMille uses interesting angles and a moving camera. But the story is laughable and overlong, only occasionally livening things up with camp (Nita Naldi as a vampy leper colony escapee is perhaps the best example of this). It's just dull and obvious.
About the most interesting part of the story from a theological perspective is the mother character. At first, she's a classic Christian fundamentalist, begrudging even a little bit of innocent dancing on a Sunday. In her dying moments, she tells her wayward son that his rampant sinfulness is her fault because she emphasized fearing God over loving Him, thus creating a rebellious counter-reaction from him. It's an interesting thread, but the movie does little more than pay lip service to it.
As someone who does not like 1950s biblical epics, I cannot believe I'm saying this-- just stick with the Heston movie. At least there you get Yul Brynner shirtless-- and you know, the actual Moses story.