Television

‘Ten Commandments’ airs on Ch. 9 this weekend: 10 things to know

One of the biggest epics of all time is coming to Ch. 9.

Just in time for Palm Sunday, Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” airs at 7 p.m. Sunday. The 1956 film stars Charleston Heston as Moses, an Egyptian prince banished by a jealous pharaoh who discovers that God’s purpose is to free the Hebrew slaves.

The nearly four-hour epic is a way to spend time as Florida’s stay-at-home mandate goes into effect.

In honor of the film, here are 10 things you may not have known about “The Ten Commandments.”

1. Get comfortable when settling down to watch this: “The Ten Commandments” clocks in at three hours and 39 minutes, not including commercial breaks.

2. Cecil B. DeMille directed this film as a near-identical remake of his 1923 silent film. It was also his last film. Coincidentally, stars Charles Heston and Anne Baxter, who plays Nefretiri, were born in 1923.

3. The film was shot in Egypt. However, most of the movie was shot on a sound stage in Hollywood, and still has one of the largest sets ever created for a film.

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4. When it was first released in theaters on Nov. 8, 1956, it was the most expensive film ever made at the time.

5. The film used 14,000 extras and 15,000 animals.

6. When adjusted for inflation, the movie earned more than $2 billion at the box office, putting it in the company of films such as “Star Wars,” “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame.” It is also the most successful biblical movie of all time when adjusted for inflation.

7. The iconic Red Sea scene was achieved by large dump tanks that were flooded, then played in reverse. The two walls of water were created by water being dumped constantly into catch-basin areas. The foaming, churning water was visually manipulated and used sideways for the wall of water. Gelatin was also added to make the water look more like sea water.

8. “The Ten Commandments” won the Oscar for best visual effects in 1957. It was also nominated for best picture, but lost to “Around the World in 80 Days.”

9. During the scene of the Burning Bush, the voice of God is actually Charleston Heston. He personally asked DeMille that he wanted to be the voice of God.

10. “The Ten Commandments” entered public domain in 2019.

First Baptist Orlando will stream its Palm Sunday service on Ch. 9.



Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.