| "The Ten Commandments" is an incredible epic tale | | | | looking at him that he has spoken to God and that |
| based on the book of Exodus of the Old Testament. | | | | he is more than an ordinary man. |
| The acting is superb, as are the special effects for | | | | The Ten Plagues on Egypt |
| the time the movie was made (1956). | | | | Moses returns to Egypt and demands that Rameses |
| Though this is a very long movie, it's quite | | | | let the Hebrews go, but Rameses refuses. Moses |
| mesmerizing, keeping you glued to the screen to the | | | | then demonstrates some of his new power which |
| end. | | | | God has granted him by turning his staff into a |
| I'm not at all religious, but I still love this movie, both | | | | serpent. The Pharoah is not impressed, however, and |
| for its entertainment value and for its message of | | | | four of his guards do the same thing, turning their |
| the value of freedom as well as the price necessary | | | | staffs into four serpents, but Moses' serpent |
| to maintain it. | | | | consumes the other four. Rameses is still not |
| Moses Becomes Prince of Egypt | | | | impressed, however, so he challenges Moses to |
| The Ten Commandments is an expanded version of | | | | perform a bigger miracle by ordering that the slaves |
| Exodus which also includes the early part of Moses' | | | | must build their bricks without straw, but the tally |
| life, namely before he visits God on Mt. Sinai. After | | | | must be the same or else they will be killed. Realizing |
| Moses is born, he is delivered in a basket across the | | | | that Moses cannot help the slaves, he tells them the |
| Nile to Egypt, where he is found and adopted by | | | | situation. Once they learn of their predicament, they |
| Pharoah Seti I and his wife and sister Bithiah. He | | | | try to stone Moses to death, but Nefertiri saves him. |
| grows up to become a mighty figurehead alongside | | | | Despite this, Moses remains unyielding in his devotion |
| his stepbrother Rameses I (Yul Brynner), who | | | | to freeing the slaves. He then uses God's power to |
| competes with him for the glory of the kingdom. | | | | send forth nine nasty plagues on Egypt, including |
| Moses (Charlton Heston) proves his worth to the | | | | blood on the Nile, hail of fire, and darkness for three |
| Pharoah by building a great city in his honor, which | | | | days. After the ninth plague, the Egyptian court begs |
| Rameses fails to complete. Moses is lenient on his | | | | the Pharoah to let the Hebrews go, but he still |
| slaves, allowing them a day of rest and feeding them | | | | refuses. Now Moses becomes very angry and tells |
| the city's surplus grain. As a result, they become | | | | the Pharoah that there will be but one more plague |
| much stronger and more willing to work, which allows | | | | upon Egypt and Rameses will name it himself, and |
| them to succeed. The Pharoah becomes quite | | | | the result will be so terrible that he will surely let the |
| impressed with Moses and decides to promote him | | | | Hebrew's go. The Pharoah doesn't take Moses' threat |
| to prince, while Rameses is given the task of finding | | | | seriously, so he decides the last plague will be to kill |
| the alleged Deliverer of the Hebrews from slavery, | | | | the firstborn of all the Hebrews. Nefertiri hears this |
| either in a bottle if a myth or in chains if real. | | | | and sneaks back to Moses, telling him of this plague, |
| Moses Discovers His True Identity | | | | but Moses realizes that the result will be that the |
| Once Moses becomes prince, Nefertiri, the beautiful | | | | firstborn of every Egyptian will die, but in order for |
| daughter of the Pharoah, plans to marry him, but her | | | | the Hebrews to avoid this plague, they must cover |
| handmaiden Memnet reveals his true identity as a | | | | their house with lamb's blood. He tells all the Hebrews |
| Hebrew to her, known only to her and kept secret | | | | to do so and to remain in their house while the |
| by her, by showing Nefertiri the Levite cloth he was | | | | plague passes. In what becomes the first Passover, |
| wrapped in as a baby. Out of love for Moses, | | | | the Hebrews, with blood on their houses, all eat |
| Nefertiri kills Memnet, but she still tells Moses what | | | | unleavened bread inside while an eerie green fog |
| she had told her about him. Now Moses becomes | | | | engulfs Egypt, killing the firstborn of every Egyptian, |
| eager to learn his true identity, so he decides to go | | | | resulting in periodic screams of horror. Once the |
| back home to see for himself. He crosses the Nile | | | | plague kills the Pharoah's only son, he becomes |
| and meets his real family, who cannot deny telling him | | | | mortified, so he finally agrees to let the slaves go. |
| the truth. Upon returning to Egypt, he now decides | | | | Exodus |
| to live among his own people, the Hebrew slaves of | | | | The next day is one of great joy for the Hebrews, |
| Egypt, and learn of their hardships. Nefertiri rescues | | | | who gather all their belongings and prepare for their |
| him howevever. Joshua, another Hebrew slave, is | | | | long journey from Egypt. They leave in a huge flock, |
| about to be killed by the Egyptian Master Builder | | | | singing and carrying their belongings. Meanwhile, |
| Baka, but Moses rescues Joshua by killing Baka. | | | | Rameses and Nefertiri are devastated back in Egypt. |
| Dathan, the deceitful Hebrew overseer, witnesses | | | | Rameses tries praying to the Egyptian falcon god for |
| this and informs Rameses that Moses is the Deliverer | | | | several days to restore life to his son, to no avail. |
| and in fact a Hebrew himself, whence Rameses | | | | Finally, out of anger, Nefertiri tells Rameses to find |
| rewards Dathan with Baka's house and imprisons | | | | Moses and kill him, to which Rameses agrees, but |
| Moses in chains, taking him back to the royal court to | | | | also promises to kill her when he returns. Rameses |
| present before the Pharoah. | | | | then orders his army to kill the escaping Hebrews, |
| Moses' Exile | | | | whence they charge forth with their horses and |
| Back in court, Pharoah Seti I is heartbroken to learn | | | | chariots. Meanwhile, Moses ends up at the bank of |
| that his stepson is in fact the Deliverer. He tries to | | | | the Red Sea with no retreat. In order to stop the |
| get Moses to confess of his wrongdoings, but Moses | | | | Pharoah's army, with God's help he blocks their |
| holds strong to his conviction that the Hebrews must | | | | progress with a huge pillar of fire, then he parts the |
| be freed from slavery. Not wishing to make Moses a | | | | Red Sea, allowing the Hebrews to proceed across. |
| martyr by killing him, the Pharoah orders him exiled | | | | Once they make it nearly all the way across, the pillar |
| through the desert with just one day's supplies and | | | | of fire goes away, allowing the army to charge |
| to have his name removed from all documents and | | | | across the parted sea. Moses then closes up the sea |
| monuments and never spoken. Moses is then sent | | | | and the soldiers and their horses drown, which the |
| forth into the vast desert with a long robe and | | | | Hebrews complete their journey to the other side. |
| wooden staff and his one day's supplies. Wandering | | | | The Pharoah had refused to join his army, so he |
| aimlessly across the desert and nearly dying of | | | | returns home. He must admit to his wife that he |
| hunger and thirst, Moses finally arrives in Midian, a | | | | failed to kill Moses and spares her life as well, |
| small village, where he is rescued by a family with | | | | confessing to her "His god, is God". |
| seven sisters. Six of the sisters compete over him | | | | The Ten Commandments |
| by performing a belly dance, wishing for Moses to | | | | Finally safe from the Egyptians, the Hebrews camp |
| choose one of them as his wife, but Moses rejects | | | | at Midian and Moses climbs Mt. Sinai once again in |
| each of them and marries Sephora, the oldest one, | | | | order to get a new law from God to govern them. |
| who did not compete. | | | | After Moses fails to return for several days, Dathan |
| Moses Talks to God on Mt. Sinai | | | | decides to lead the Hebrews himself. He tells them to |
| Back in Egypt, Pharoah Seti I dies and Rameses | | | | build a golden calf to worship, which they do. Shortly |
| becomes the new Pharoah (Rameses II) in his place. | | | | thereafter, they commit all sorts of sins in the eyes |
| Meanwhile, Joshua manages to escape from slavery | | | | of God. Meanwhile, God carves out His Ten |
| and wander into Midian, where he meets Moses and | | | | Commandments with his finger, creating two tablets |
| tells him that he must go back to Egypt to rescue | | | | from the rock, and gives them to Moses to give to |
| the slaves. Moses tells Joshua that he saw a burning | | | | his people. Once Moses returns, he is horrified to see |
| bush atop Mt. Sinai, which he takes to be a sign from | | | | how the Hebrews are violating the commandments, |
| God. He climbs the mountain and finds the burning | | | | so he loses his temper, throwing the commandments |
| bush. God then speaks to Moses, telling him to | | | | down from the mountain onto the golden calf, |
| remove his shoes. Moses asks God what he must do | | | | resulting in a conflagration which kills several of the |
| to try to free the slaves. God then tells Moses that | | | | Hebrews. Moses then makes the Hebrews wander |
| he must return to Egypt and tell the Pharoah to let | | | | around for 40 years until they are purged of their sin. |
| the Hebrews go, using the name "I am that I am" for | | | | Finally, as an old man, Moses gives his five books to |
| God. Once Moses returns from the mountain, he has | | | | Joshua to pass down to the Hebrews and become |
| a long beard and Joshua and Sephora know from | | | | their new leader. |