Moses and his Technicolour Commandments

Epic see, epic do. Epic gets thrown around a lot in regards to film. The Dark Knight Rises was considered an epic,  Lord of the Rings, Gladiator and Saving Private Ryan. Sometimes any film that dares breach a 2 hour length gets considered epic. Perhaps epic is attributed to the endurance your bladder takes during a long film or an 'epic' amount of violence, love or drama. Personally I feel the title epic shouldn't be an enhancement or glorifier but an indication that the film will encompass drama, emotion, occasion and significance on their highest possible levels. Having real life extras helps further credibility. To describe Gladiator as an epic is misleading and irrelevant, the same applies to Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan and Kingdom of Heaven. In the last thirty years, I would say that only Dances With Wolves can receive my own definition. If I was asked to define an 'epic' as briefly as I could, I would say that if there is an interlude and no CGI armies then it is an epic.

On to The Ten Commandments. Interlude-check, real life extras-check, hammy acting-check, kidney infection inducing bladder busting-pending. I don't mean to suggest that the subtitle of epic ever elevates the film to a different level, but when considering this film I think that it is important. Cecil B DeMille's remake of his own 1923 amplifies the scale to 14,000 extras, 15,000 animals and over 70 speaking parts. If the story of Moses was to be retold, DeMille intended everyone to hear. 

Its clear that accuracy over content wasn't valued highly but I question as to how important a role accuracy needs to play in a fictional tale that was written thousands of years ago. The love triangle served to differentiate Moses' pre prophet days and add tension between Heston's Moses and the excellent Yul Brynner. But I don't think audiences were encouraged to believe this was in the Bible. With this in mind, any other inaccuracies found after delving deep into the film are irrelevant unless one really feels that they could have made a both a more engaging and accurate film. 

Indeed this is a very long film and the pace is very slow. However it is helpfully signposted with characters chipping in and reminding the audience where we are and what is driving the film. The plot isn't at all complicated but I feel with a film of this length, the helpful chapters per se drove it onwards. What was never lacking was the real sense of occasion and the size of the project. The ambitions of DeMille really translated in full technicolour glory. What struck me was the extent of old school film-making that has left me disillusioned me in recent 'epics'. The CGI'd battles in Kingdom of Heaven flattered to deceive and the effects over acting in Troy really let the legacy of The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur down. With the post millennial budget, the higher quality resources and benefit of 80 years of film making; results have tended to be exceptionally disappointing. With that in mind, I have admired Christopher Nolan's attempts to perform stunts as accurately and authentically as possible and his retention of highly credible actors driving his stories through.

Speaking of special effects, The Ten Commandments picked up the special effects Oscar and you can see why. Its easy to deride the effects on first glances but actually I found the authenticity was rarely lacking and easily better than Bohemian Rhapsody and I Am Legend for just two quick examples.  In fact, most of the incredible effects were achieved with a lot of ingenuity and innovation. The parting of the Rea Sea was achieved by 300,000 gallons of water into a tank and then played in reverse. No ability to rewind on a digital player in 1956. The rivers of blood were achieved with red dye and clever placements. Very little was actually used by animation, in the grand scheme of things. The ambition has to be applauded rather than nitpicked.

The Ten Commandments isn't half the film Ben Hur is if seeking a relevant comparison. It may have more grandiose scenes but the story of Ben Hur is more engaging, compelling and character driven. However, the scale and ambition of the project drives the film forward as a splendid spectacle. Hammy acting aside, The Ten Commandment's status as one of cinemas greatest ever epics is forever assured. We should also all be thankful that any lessons from The Ten Commandments were learnt in time for Ben Hur.