The Easter classic, "The Ten Commandments," will air as an "ABC Special Presentation" TONIGHT, APRIL 5 (7:00-11:44 p.m., ET/PT) on the ABC Television Network. The legendary Cecil B. DeMille film from 1956 was an annual tradition for many families who gathered to watch the story of Moses every Easter.
Starring
Charlton Heston in the iconic role of Moses, the film from
Paramount Pictures also stars legendary actors
Yul Brynner as Rameses,
Anne Baxter as Queen Nefretiri,
Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, Yvonne de Carlo as Sephora,
Vincent Price as Baka, Debra Paget as Lilia, John Derek as Joshua, and features Sir
Cedric Hardwicke as Sethi,
Nina Foch as Bithiah,
Martha Scott as Yochabel,
Judith Anderson as Memnet, among others.
Produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, the film tells the Biblical tale of Moses from his birth through leading the Jews from Egypt to the Promised Land, complete with the burning bush, the parting of the Red Sea and Moses receipt of the holy tablets from God.
Filmed on location in Egypt, Mount Sinai and the Sinai Peninsula, the film was DeMille's last and most successful work. It is a partial remake of his 1923 silent film of the same title, and features one of the largest sets ever created for a motion picture. At the time of its release on November 8, 1956, it was the most expensive film ever made.
In 1957, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, and
Charlton Heston was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) for his role as Moses. It is also one of the most financially successful films ever made, grossing approximately $122.7 million at the box office during its initial release -- it was the most successful film of 1956 and the second-highest grossing film of the decade.
The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
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