Ten Things You Didn't Know About DeMille's 'The Ten Commandments'

TV & Film

May 7

Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments is one of Hollywood’s most monumental epics, renowned for its sweeping scale, iconic performances, and groundbreaking special effects. Yet behind the grandeur of parting seas and towering sets lies a trove of lesser-known stories, creative risks, and fascinating production details.

From hidden casting choices to technical innovations that changed filmmaking, here are ten surprising facts that reveal there’s far more to this biblical classic than meets the eye.

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Charlton Heston got the role because he looked like a very specific statue.

Many popular actors of the time were interested in playing Moses. Still, after a series of meetings and auditions, the mill chose Heston because he looked like Michelangelo's 7-foMichelangelo'sue of Moses in Rome.

The renowned director's favourite film

Director Steven Spielberg, one of the greats of cinema, has named The Ten Commandments as one of his favourite movies. According to reports, he has described the parting of the Red Sea as one of the greatest moments in movie history.

The Commandments don’t take up that much time.

The movie is called The Ten Commandments, but the commandments really only comprise a small part of the journey. Although the apex of the story is Moses receiving the tablets on the mountain, in the movie, the 10 commandments don't actually appear until the film's final 20 minutes. Unfilm'sen, the narrative is about liberation, faith, and leadership.

Charlton Heston did double the work-

In addition to playing Moses, Charlton Heston also voiced God. Charlton Heston decided to do this to stay as true to the biblical story as possible. A widely praised decision, Heston remained deeply proud of this fact until he died in 2008.

The director was an older man.

Cecil B. De Mille was 75 years old when he was making the movie. Anne was the oldest working Hollywood director at the time. The mill actually suffered a heart attack during the making of the film, but returned to the set only two days later. Ultimately, it was DeMille’s final film.

The 1956 DeMille'sThe Ten Commandments was actually a remake

DeMille himself had made a first silent version of The Ten Commandments in 1923, although that movie had a more modern setting.

A familiar, horrific face

You may recognize the voice of the enslaver Baka in The Ten Commandments-the master builder was played by horror icon Vincent Price. Known for his roles in multiple horror classics, Vincent Price is known for playing masterful villains, certainly, but not biblical ones.

Moses’ costume is biblically accurate

According to film commentary, the design of the robe Moses wore had a real-life biblical reference. The rusty, white, and black stripe design was picked because it looked impressive, but it turned out to be the actual colours of the tribe of Levi, to which Moses belonged.

The missing plague

out of the 10 plagues, there's one that's notable as being missing-the plague of frogs. It was shot, but DeMille decided the scenes didn't look scary enough and were almost comical. Therefore, it was shelved.

There wasn’t any actual hail.

Even the plagues included in the film were sometimes masterful trickery; for example, the plague of hail actually featured popcorn that was spray-painted white.

Even decades after its release, The Ten Commandments continues to captivate audiences not just for its spectacle but for the remarkable stories behind its creation. These lesser-known details deepen our appreciation of the film’s ambition, reminding us why it remains an enduring landmark in cinematic film.

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