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The Easter tradition of watching 'The Ten Commandments' starts soon...!


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For anyone who can tune in to the ABC network, get ready to hunker down for several hours of "Chuck" Heston—accompanied by Elmer Bernstein's glorious score!

 

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Watched the abridged version yesterday in The Prince of Egypt... might be my favourite Zimmer score and it's such a great movie.

 

As for The Ten Commandments, it's really an EPIC in every sense of the word, a really good adaptation and even the added parts that were not in the book works really well. Still, the Aaron fandom can't catch a break, neither movie adapts him right, and both choose to ignore the part where Moses spends his childhood with his mother, still, it works, I understand the adaptation.

 

(How did Moses managed to see the burning bush miles away, his eyesight was a godsend. It always makes me laugh.)

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I'm not religious but this and The Rugrats Passover special were staples for me growing up!

 

I remember they used to split The Ten Commandments into two nights! (Sun/Mon)

 

I don't know what drew me to it as a kid, I guess even at such a young age i realized how much of an epic it truly was!

 

Also.... hot take....Exodus: Gods and Kings was dope.

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12 hours ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

How did Moses managed to see the burning bush miles away, his eyesight was a godsend.

 

Isn't that what the film is about? ;)

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Bellosh said:

Also.... hot take....Exodus: Gods and Kings was dope.

 

Yes, it is. I really like it, and PRINCE OF EGYPT.

 

 

 

 

 

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is a truly great film, to be sure, but what has it got to do with the Easter story?

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1 hour ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

 

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is a truly great film, to be sure, but what has it got to do with the Easter story?

Well, the film is almost a yearly tradition here too on Greek TV. Generally biblical films are played around Easter.

Even Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor.

Of course I don't watch these on TV, I can't stand the ads and the quality, I watch them on my purchased blu-rays! :yes:

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2 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is a truly great film, to be sure, but what has it got to do with the Easter story?


I asked the same thing of my parents the other day.  Maybe because an Old Testament story satisfies both Easter and Passover holidays?

 

I’ve never seen it!

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17 hours ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

As for The Ten Commandments, it's really an EPIC in every sense of the word, a really good adaptation and even the added parts that were not in the book works really well.

 

In this case, I prefer the film over the book. 

 

5 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is a truly great film, to be sure, but what has it got to do with the Easter story?

 

Paging @Chen G..

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19 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Oh, it's the DeMille version, which means you'll be watching this until mid-April :lol:


With the many commercial breaks, it was almost 5 hours!

 

19 hours ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

(How did Moses managed to see the burning bush miles away, his eyesight was a godsend. It always makes me laugh.)


Well in this movie, the red glow from the burning bush can be seen by anyone from miles around, reflecting off the clouds gathered above it.

 

5 hours ago, filmmusic said:

Well, the film is almost a yearly tradition here too on Greek TV. Generally biblical films are played around Easter.

Even Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor.

Of course I don't watch these on TV, I can't stand the ads and the quality, I watch them on my purchased blu-rays! :yes:


Agreed, it would be preferable to watch it ad-free and without the station's watermark over it, but I like the sense of tradition of watching the broadcast, along with millions of others.

 

4 hours ago, Andy said:

I’ve never seen it!


There's always next year! 😄

 

1 hour ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Like BEN-HUR, it's a religious film that non-religious folks can enjoy.


Caught Ben-Hur at an anniversary screening recently. A joy to hear Miklós Rózsa's music in theatre quality. The movie actually began with a black screen and musical prelude, which was repeated for the intermission.

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I have no such easter tradition, but I did watch it for the first time during easter -- mid 80s, in Denmark, on the telly, while visiting some extended family (in that boring period between dinner and coffee & cakes). I vividly remember many scenes, especially Moses on the mountain, but I don't believe I watched the full thing. Saw it up again just a few years ago, and it's still an impressive epic.

 

The score is obviously an early cornerstone in Bernstein's career. Love it. But what's always fascinated me the most is that the exodus music sounds so "British" -- like something out of a Britten or Elgar composition (it's all rather pomp and circumstance). Kinda at odds with the geographic setting, but also interesting. I always wanted to know the reasoning behind that particular style choice.

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I watched The Ten Commandments the first and only time as a child at a little cinema close to where my parents lived and where I spend many afternoon after school (and left a lot of my pocket money). As a big science fiction fan I was probably mainly interested in the special effects. The music didn't leave a big impression. Other than King of Kings, which I first saw on television and immediately fell in love with the main theme.

46 minutes ago, Thor said:

The score is obviously an early cornerstone in Bernstein's career. Love it. But what's always fascinated me the most is that the exodus music sounds so "British" -- like something out of a Britten or Elgar composition (it's all rather pomp and circumstance). Kinda at odds with the geographic setting, but also interesting. I always wanted to know the reasoning behind that particular style choice.

That is probably why I cannot really connect to that score. Here I really prefer the style of Rózsa or Newman for these religious epics.

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