Like it or not, "The Ten Commandments" is truly epic filmmaking in the sense that any aspiring filmmaker needs to view it as a prime example of exactly how to make an epic motion picture. Although Cecil B. DeMille's movies certainly never were everyone's cup of tea, there is no denying that he knew how to make BIG movies. In fact, it became a standing joke that Moses only parted the Red Sea once, but Cecil B. DeMille accomplished it TWICE. Granted that DeMille's movies tend towards heavy-handed melodrama, and the combination of religious piety and sex may move modern audiences to laughter. Nevertheless, there is it cannot be denied that no one could direct a cast of thousands better than DeMille could back in the days before the introduction of CGI special effects, when that sort of cinematic generalship was a necessary skill.
Review of The Ten Commandments
