Bardlerx Strictly average movie

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

mukava991 DeMille's silent version of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is really two films in one - specifically, a 90-minute feature introduced by a 45-minute prologue. The prologue is the familiar story of Moses (Theodore Roberts) and the Exodus from Egypt which plays like a rough sketch of the 1956 remake. As is typical of the silent DeMille oeuvre, a moral lesson is presented by juxtaposing two stories with parallel themes from widely different eras. The lessons here seem to be: ignore the Ten Commandments at your peril and love God. Just as the ancient Israelites suffered for their sins, the protagonist of the modern story (Rod LaRocque as a contractor who becomes wealthy by deceitful business practices) pays dearly for breaking one Commandment after another, and if ever there was an actor born to break them it was the sleek, devilishly handsome LaRocque. In this plot, he is pitted against his opposite: his own brother, the rough-hewn Richard Dix as an honest carpenter who plays by the rules and stays poor. The self-sacrificing Dix is so good-hearted that he gives up the woman he loves (Leatrice Joy) because he knows she loves LeRocque. Nita Naldi appears briefly and unforgettably as a leprous Eurasian vamp who plays a pivotal role in LaRocque's downfall.The prologue's special effects look crude by modern CGI standards but God's utterance of the Commandments in the form of shimmering titles against a whirl of sparks has a stylish beauty all its own, and the choreography of the Golden Calf worship looks as if it might have inspired Fritz Lang's crowd scenes in METROPOLIS a few years later. Charles DeRoche (whatever happened to HIM?) is impressive as Pharaoh Rameses.The feature benefits from excellent production values, generally fast pacing and stunning cinematography; the organ accompaniment is even above par, with imaginative use of the instrument. One problem: when characters come indoors after having been drenched to the bone in driving rainstorms their clothing appears to dry off way too quickly. And when Leatrice Joy steals a "hot dog" (which looks more like a hamburger) from a diner, and runs for blocks with it in the drenching rain, it seems to stay intact. It is also hard to believe that a woman could emerge, dressed in a full street suit, including hat and veil, from a trans- Pacific journey inside a sack of jute! But hey – this is the world of silent cinema.

Michael_Elliott Ten Commandments, The (1923) *** (out of 4) DeMille's first attempt at this story tells two different stories. The opening prologue, running just under and hour, sees Moses (Theodore Roberts) freeing the slaves, parting the Red Sea and eventually correcting those who wish to worship the Golden Calf. The second half of the story centers on two brothers; one good (Richard Dix), the other bad (Rod La Rocque) and both in love with the same woman (Leatrice Joy). The bad brother ends up marrying the girl and becoming quite rich by breaking the law in his building contractor position but all of his sins are eventually going to catch up with him. This is certainly a strange mixture of a film because I was a little surprised to see DeMille spend most of its 136-minute running time with the two brothers. The beginning stuff with Moses is pretty much just a prologue but it's a rather interesting one needless to say. While the special effects can't hold a candle to the eventual remake what we have here is still a treat for the eyes. The parting of the Red Sea certainly sticks out and while it's somewhat obvious how it was done the effect still holds up and manages to impress. The chariot crashes, which were apparently real, also stand out as does the large number of extras to carry out the Pharaoh scenes. Roberts, a DeMille regular, is pretty good in the role of Moses even though he comes off a tad bit too passionate. The second half of the film is rather hit and miss but for the most part I enjoyed it as well. The real standout here is the performance by Richard Dix who would of course go on to have an impressive career in film. He steals the film as the more timid brother who puts God before everything and his passion, a deep one, comes across very well with Dix hitting all the right notes. La Rocque is also devilishly good in his role and very believable as well. Joy makes for a good "woman in the middle" as well. Edythe Chapman, another DeMille regular, plays the boys mother but doesn't fair as good. Her character is so poorly written and over the top in her religious beliefs and demands that you can't help but start to hate her when she's suppose to be the one holding the family together. I wasn't impressed with the performance either but I'm going to guess much of this is more to do with the screenplay than anything else. The biggest problem with the film is that the second half is pretty common for the type of melodrama of the day. While it's told very well by DeMille it still comes off rather predictable and straight forward. With that said, this 1923 silent still holds up quite well on all levels and folks should certainly check it out to see what DeMille would later remake. The director would fair better several years later with The King of Kings.

pninson Cecil B. DeMille's original silent version of the Ten Commandments is mostly a heavy-handed morality play set in 1923. The prologue, which runs just over 40 minutes, shows an abbreviated version of the Biblical story of the Exodus. Most of the dialogue is taken from the Bible. Despite the technical limitations of the era, it succeeds as a fast-paced spectacular. The parting of the Red Sea is just as awe-inspiring in its own way as in the remake, and it's always interesting to see how silent actors compensated for the lack of sound with facial expressions and exaggerated gestures. The musical score is fantastic and everything clips along at a nice pace. As with the remake, it's never subtle, but it's never boring, either.I wish I could say the same about the main part of the feature. After Moses punishes the Hebrews for worshipping the golden calf, the film moves to the present day (1920s). A mother reads to her grown sons from the Bible. The two brothers are basically Goofus and Gallant. From here, everything is completely predictable.It's well done so that one can overlook the lack of subtlety. DeMille has a very explicit religious message, and he's not above bludgeoning the viewer over the head with it. That was the style of the day, and the limitations of the silent film force a certain amount of overstatement.However, unlike most films of this period, this one goes on far too long. It's about ninety minutes but seems far longer. The bad son goes out into the world, declaring that he's going to break all 10 Commandments! Naturally, he becomes a successful businessman... while his humble older brother (a carpenter, naturally) tries not to envy him or covet his wife. There's never any doubt about how it's all going to end: DeMille's message is that "the wages of sin is death", but he takes far too long to get there.The complete film is about 135 minutes, which must have been an epic length for that era. I would have enjoyed it more if the modern story had been trimmed by about 15 minutes.In his way, DeMille was the forerunner of Mel Gibson. Both are gifted filmmakers with devout religious beliefs --- short on subtlety, heavy on the bloodshed and headlong action. The 1956 remake of Ten Commandments is a spectacular example of epic film-making, and as this 1923 silent original is now included as an extra disc in the DVD, it's worth checking out. I can't imagine wanting to sit through the modern story again, though; I'll probably shut it off once Moses segues off screen.

blue-7 The exciting feature of the 50th Anniversary Editon of DeMille's THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is to be able to see the original 1923 version in a pristine print along with Katherine Orrison's illuminating commentary track. Previously only available on VHS tape with the poorly surviving colorized footage of the Exodus and Parting of the Red Sea (provided as a separate Extra on the DVD)used, it was difficult to realize just how beautifully done the silent epic was. Paramount has cleaned up the print and used only the better surviving black & white elements for this release. The beauty of the photography comes through with great clarity. Orrison's commentary is full of interesting insights as well as being enjoyable due to her enthusiasm about so many details. And Gaylord Carter's Wurlitzer Pipe Organ score is very impressive (as well as being a marvelous record of an organ score done by one who actually performed during the silent era)on this digital stereo recording. The 1956 remake looks and sounds great, as are the all of the special features for it, but this is exactly the same as the previous second edition of this title. I bought the new edition in order to see what they had done with the 1923 version -- and I certainly am impressed. Also, I love the packaging for this edition. Well worth updating as it is available at a very decent price.