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The Ten Commandments: How close to the Bible story is Charlton Heston film?
Moses and the Ten Commandments is a story chronicled in the Old Testament of the Bible. It is a story which remains important in Christian and Jewish traditions. But the 1956 movie starring Charlton Heston certainly made some changes to the story as known to many.
The 1956 movie was directed by Cecil B DeMille, a famous director and producer who first found fame in the silent movie era.
The Ten Commandments was arguably his most successful movie and was his last before his death in 1959.
The film tells the biblical story of the life of Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince who becomes the deliverer of the enslaved Hebrews, his true family.
Following this, he leads the Exodus to Mount Sinai, where he receives the Ten Commandments from God.
There were some pretty major changes in the movie, including seeing the meeting of young Joshua and Moses, with the latter saving him from slavery by killing his handler, Baka.
Similarly, Moses is seen having an extensive army career in Ethiopia, which is mot chronicled in Exodus or in the Bible.
However, there have been reasons applied to the film as to why such considerable liberties have been taken.
Some have suggested DeMille used some extra-biblical narratives to help inform or add more information to stories, include elements of the midrash.
There were some pretty major changes in the movie, including seeing the meeting of young Joshua and Moses, with the latter saving him from slavery by killing his handler, Baka.
Similarly, Moses is seen having an extensive army career in Ethiopia, which is mot chronicled in Exodus or in the Bible.
However, there have been reasons applied to the film as to why such considerable liberties have been taken.
Some have suggested DeMille used some extra-biblical narratives to help inform or add more information to stories, include elements of the midrash.
The midrash is an ancient Judaic study of the Bible, of which there are many.
DeMille is said to have used the Josephus, the Sepher ha-Yashar, and the Chronicle of Moses to inform his story further.
However, the movie is more likely based on books rather than the Bible narrative, which has also been an idea raised by those studying the film.
Dorothy Clarke Wilson’s novel Prince of Egypt is considered the be the primary work on which the film is based, while other novels which provide a basis for the movie include Pillar of Fire by JH Ingraham and On Eagle’s Wings by AE Southon.
It is likely that, with so many sources providing plot and narrative for the film, it is no wonder it does not completely adhere to the biblical narrative.
Despite this, the film was acclaimed and given an incredibly high status among fans.
It is regularly considered one of the greatest films of all time and, despite its running time of nearly three and a half hours, is still popular to this day.
The Ten Commandments is on Channel 5 at 2.45pm on Easter Sunday
Published at Sun, 12 Apr 2020 11:05:00 +0000
