THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

"THE TEN COMMANDMENTS are not the laws. They are THE Law" stated Cecil B. DeMille, November 8, 1956, at the New York opening of his epic film, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, which went on to become the 8th highest grossing film of all time.

While filming on-location in Egypt, Cecil B. DeMille, then 75 years old, climbed a 107-foot ladder to shoot the famous Exodus scene from atop of the massive Per Rameses set. In the intense heat, DeMille suffered a near-fatal heart attack. 

Though doctors ordered him to rest, DeMille finished directing the movie. He never fully recovered and died of a heart condition on JANUARY 21, 1959. 

DeMille had anticipated doing a film on the Book of RevelationFor almost five decades, Cecil B. DeMille produced monumental films in Hollywood, including:

Joan the Woman (of Arc), 1916;
Male and Female, 1919;
Adam's Rib, 1923;
The Road to Yesterday, 1925;
The King of Kings, 1927;
The Sign of the Cross, 1932;
Cleopatra, 1934;
The Crusades, 1935;
Samson and Delilah, 1949;
The Greatest Show on Earth, 1952, for which he won an Academy Award.

Cecil B. DeMille was educated at Pennsylvania Military Academy and at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
His niece, Agnes de Mille choreographed films and musicals, such as:

Oklahoma!, 1943;
Paint Your Wagons, 1951;
Carousel, 1945; and
Rodeo, 1942.

The Ten Commandments and Their Influence on American Law

Continuing his comments at the 1956 New York opening of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, Cecil B. DeMille stated:

"Man has made 32 million laws since THE COMMANDMENTS were handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai more than three thousand years ago, but he has never improved on God's law ...
... THE TEN COMMANDMENTS are the principles by which man may live with God and man may live with man. They are the expressions of the mind of God for His creatures. 

They are the charter and guide of human liberty, for there can be no liberty without the law ... What I hope for our production of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is that those who see it shall come from the theater not only entertained and filled with the sight of a big spectacle, but filled with the spirit of truth ... That it will bring to its audience a better understanding of the real meaning of this pattern of life that God has set down for us to follow."

That pattern of life is still the foundation for all truth.