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Monday, June 16, 2014
"The Ten Commandments" plays at a drive-in in Utah in 1958.  
(Copyright J.R. Eyerman / Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
The predominant theme of this movie review column is to review movies that are playing at the drive-in. But the problem inherent in that system is that the drive-in is not open year round. To solve that problem, and satisfy my egotistical need to see my words published by someone else, I have convinced the editors to allow me a “Classic Movie Review” alternative to the usual first-run movies I will review. This week, I introduce that format because, to be honest, illness prevented us from getting to the drive-in this week. I will try to stick with classic films that played at drive-ins, but I cannot always promise that this important criteria will be met. But I will do my best. Here is the first installment in an ongoing series of classic movie reviews.

The Ten Commandments, starring Yul Brynner and Charlton Heston, opened on October 5, 1956. But the movie was so popular that it played in theaters for years. That included drive-ins all around the country. There is a very famous picture of The Ten Commandments playing at a drive-in theater in Utah in 1958, which is a testament to the sustainable popularity of this film when it was released.

Everything about The Ten Commandments is over the top. The scenery, the special effects, the acting, and the story. The grandiose nature used by Cecil B. DeMille to tell this important story caused the making of the movie to create a mythology all its own. The set that was built in the desert to represent the treasure city of Ramses was recently the site of an archeological dig involving experts from all over the world. What were they excavating? The old movie set that was left behind.

When you do a classic movie review, you have to put the movie in its proper context. The effects in The Ten Commandments were groundbreaking and captivated audiences from the very moment the film was released. The parting of the Red Sea was an effect that had movie goers talking for years. You have to remember that this was back in the days before CGI of any kind. Everything was done with real people making real magic. This is the movie that encapsulated everything that was great about making movies in the 1950’s.

The movie was filmed at the same locations where the action was said to have happened. DeMille (or de Mille, take your pick) and his people did a tremendous amount of research that culminated in the script written by Aeneas Mackenzie, Jesse Lasky Jr., Jack Gariss, and Fredric M. Frank. As expected, the film won the Oscar for best special effects, but it was snubbed for best picture.

Even by 1950’s standards, some of the acting is a little over the top and unnecessarily melodramatic. But that is the charm of this film as it is the movie that created clichés and standards for over-acting that would be referred to and revered for decades. In some spots, the film is difficult to watch because the actors are obviously playing to the camera instead of telling the story. If everyone in this film acted with the restraint and professionalism of Cedric Hardwicke (playing the role of Sethi), then this movie would stand as one of the all-around greatest films ever made.

As it stands now, The Ten Commandments is remembered as an epic tale with incredible special effects and a colorful array of costumes and Egyptian art. The story itself is incredibly well-structured, but the George Lucas-like dialogue in spots makes the movie drag when it really shouldn’t.

I will confess that the wife and I watch The Ten Commandments just prior to every Easter. It is just a habit I got into when I was young that my wife and I continue to this day. Why? Because there is something in that story that you just have to see and hear. There is something about the way the movie is structured that makes it impossible to stop watching. It is a movie that succeeds despite the over-abundance of melodramatic acting that is completely unnecessary.

Still, this is a movie that every movie fan should see at least once. It will show you how movie makers push the envelope to try and tell a story that they feel is important. It is a film that gives us everything that Cecile B. DeMille was known for – great special effects, great epic stories, over-the-top scenery, and mediocre acting. But it all comes together into something that will last for as long as people feel the need to curl up and watch a great epic.

Rating: 2 ½ out of 5

George N Root III is a movie fan for the ages. He spends a lot of time watching and studying movies, and you should too. He can be reached at georgeroot@verizon.net.



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