The movie was already around the middle part when I turned on the boob tube. Moses played by Charlton Heston turned Egypt's water supply red as blood. Not by his own power but God's. There were many other plagues all of which were to convince Egypt's leader to release Israel from bondage. The last one was when from the mouth of Pharaoh (role played by Yul Brynner) himself came the kind of plague that made all the "first born" of Egypt perished from the earth. Moses and his people were saved having painted their doorposts with the blood of the lamb. Thus the "angel of death" would pass over their houses and did not affect them. While those of the Pharaoh's... This last one apparently made Pharaoh agree to Moses's demand that they be released. Yet on reaching the Red Sea, Israel, led by Moses and Aaron, found themselves being chased by Pharaoh and his army. And here the momentous event begins to unfold. Israel had no other way to escape. Moses, staff held high, commanded the sea to part. Mysteriously it did. On the dry path it formed, they finally made their escape. When all were safely on the other side of the sea, Pharaoh's chariots followed them unmindful of the two walls of raging seawater on both sides of the escape route. Unfortunately, the waters came tumbling down on them midway and they all drowned.
Finding themselves at last free from Pharaoh and his legions, they went about searching for the "Promised Land". But in the middle of the desert, Israel's people, as usual, complained. The last one was when Moses left far on a mountain by himself to get the Tablets of Stone, the Ten Commandments. They argued that they make for themselves an image of God. An image that they can at least touch and see. An idol made of precious gold. A golden calf. And they did fashioned one. Moses was very angry on seeing this. He admonished all to repent and to get back on his side. To those that remained stubborn, fell into gaping cracks on the land where they stood and died.
Moses, at the end of the film, was not able to set foot on the land of promise. Aaron took over the helm and, together with the people of Israel, began their journey onwards. End of story.
I have seen Ten Commandments first time it hit the big screen. Quite a few times after on television and on videotapes. Still I seem to find it entertaining to say the least whenever I get the chance to watch it. Compared to the latest films made with the latest technology, De Mille's is a jurassic although already in technicolor. Yet it is still one of the best films ever made by Hollywood.
This is also one of my favorite religious movies... thus I was shocked to see an article in the internet recently disputing the way the Red Sea was parted... saying that it was, after all, just the WIND which parted the Red Sea...they're presenting another scientific explanation for this...wonder what they will think of next! hmph
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