THE TEN COMMANDMENTS to be Screened at the UPV Cinematheque

Just as timely with the Lenten Season, Cinema Exmundo and the UPV Cinematheque presents a screening of the classic Cecil B. DeMille legendary epic motion picture THE TEN COMMANDMENTS this coming April 16, 2014 Wednesday at 2:00 PM (doors open 1:30 PM) at the UPV Cinematheque, U.P Visayas, Iloilo City Campus, Infante Ave., Iloilo City. The event will be RSVP to confirm your seats, so visit their facebook page first [CLICK HERE to go to the page] if you intend to go and watch it. [hit the jump to continue]

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is one of the greatest motion pictures in cinema history. It dramatizes the biblical story of the life of Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince who becomes the deliverer of his real brethren, the enslaved Hebrews, and therefore leads the Exodus to Mount Sinai, where he receives, from God, the Ten Commandments. It stars Charlton Heston in the lead role, Yul Brynner as Rameses, Anne Baxter as Nefretiri, Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora, Debra Paget as Lilia, and John Derek as Joshua; and features Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Sethi, Nina Foch as Bithiah, Martha Scott as Yochabel, Judith Anderson as Memnet, and Vincent Price as Baka, among others.

Filmed on location in Egypt, Mount Sinai, and the Sinai Peninsula, the film is 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 film. At the time of its release on November 8, 1956, it was the most expensive film made up to that point. An unprecedented 13 million dollar budget. (Almost 100 million in today’s dollars); a mammoth 308 page script; a cast of “thousands” with a host of stars in 70 speaking parts and a staggering 5 years in the making. For authentic background shots, DeMille spent 10 weeks in Egypt. To accommodate the huge sets; the wall between Paramount and RKO studios was torn down so that two adjacent sound stages could be combined. Every detail in the film was thoroughly researched; often by calling on experts from the University of Chicago and the Metropolitan and Cairo Museums.

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. According to Guinness World Records, in terms of theatrical exhibition it is the seventh most successful film of all-time when the box office gross is adjusted for inflation.

Halfway through shooting, DeMille suffered a heart attack. And, so he retired after making “The most important film I ever made.” He died four years later at the age of 79.