Since 1996 |
  
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
|
Since 1996 |
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
| Subscribe
About Us Features News Album
Reviews
|
Cecil B. DeMille's Ten Commandments 50th Anniversary Collection DVD 3 Disc Set/ 1923 & 1956 Films Length/Details: 1956 Version/Color/220 Minutes, 1923 Version/B&W/136 For me to review the 1956 version of the classic DeMille film through the eyes of a 56 year old critic would be difficult. I'll explain why in a minute. Sure, the overacting of Charlton Heston & Edward G. Robinson has become the fodder of a now classic Lost Dogs skit and compared to what we see today the special effects are ancient, but this film has a special place in my heart. The year is 1957 and I am a seven year old boy wandering the streets of Brooklyn, NY. Within two miles of my home there are seven movie theaters. What used to be referred to as movie palaces. A Saturday matinee in those days was a whopping 25 cents and a large bag of popcorn was a whole dime. The main theater of choice of course was the "Granada" and for your Saturday afternoon quarter you got two serials, four cartoons, a news reel and three feature films. Actually, the opening film was shown again after the main feature for those who got there late. The Ten Commandments because of its length, which was 220 minutes, was the only film shown at "The Rialto", the furthest of the theaters from my house, I had to walk past four other theaters on Flatbush Ave before reaching my destination, oh the choices to be made, oh the temptation to give in and go to a Vincent Price horror film or a John Wayne western. Most of the time though I stayed true to my course. In mid 1957 my mom passed away and I retreated into the world on movies, TV, and books as a means of escaping the change in my world, actually I'm not sure I have ever come out of that world. When I sat down in my seat in that theater for those 220 minutes I was brought into a world of adventure, a world where the good guys eventually overcame evil and won the day. It was a film mostly though where God made himself known to ordinary people going through hard days and nights. I wasn't concerned with the campiness of the acting or the reality of the parting of the Red Sea or the burning bush sequence. I was being saved from a world of turmoil and pain and the best thing about it was the movie had an intermission so I could snag a second bag of popcorn if I needed one and I usually did. After the film I sometimes would sit in the darkened sanctuary of the local Catholic church and talk to God about my feelings and thoughts. Those are the eyes that saw the 1956 version of this film and to this day I still have those eyes while watching this film, sure it is at times campy and overacted but who cares, it is a classic film that at certain times can still thrill my cynical old heart like no other film can. The 1923 version of the film is actually two films in one, the biblical narrative runs from Moses confronting Pharaoh to his return from the mountain carrying the Ten Commandments. The film then slides into a modern,1923, setting and tells a tale of a family being torn apart by one brothers refusal to obey God's commandments. It is typical of what in those days was called a morality play and unfortunately the Christian character, in this case the mother is not portrayed in the best light. It still though is a film worth watching. Get this set and watch the work of an acclaimed film master. Relax sit back in your favorite chair and eat a ton of buttery popcorn. Chris MacIntosh aka Grandfather Rock
“The theme of this picture is whether man ought to be ruled by God’s law or whether they are to be ruled by the whims of a dictator like Rameses. Are men the property of the state or are they free souls under God? This same battle continues throughout the world today. Our intention was not to create a story, but to be worthy of the divinely inspired story created 3,000 years ago-the five books of Moses.”Paramount has celebrated the release of the 1956 movie classic in grand ol’ Holly wood fashion with the release of _The Ten Commandments-50th Anniversary Collection_. This amazing version of the cinematic masterpiece is chock full of worthwhile extras that will keep the viewer busy for hours. The centerpiece of the collection is the original 1956 family classic that is so familiar. Many families sat in wonder watching this timeless Biblical classic on television during the Easter holiday. Now the viewing experienced is enhanced dramatically with this sparkling pristine version of the The Ten Commandments in all its glory. Charlton Heston’s Moses stands as a larger than life figure that learns painful lessons and experiences great triumph on his path to leading God’s people out of Egypt. On the way, Heston’s Moses meets some of Hollywood’s finest actors (including Yul Brenner, Anne Baxter, and James Cagney!) playing the roles of the friends, family and villains he meets. The fully restored DVD version of _The Ten Commandments_ features something I head never seen before…a dramatic overture that sets the mood before the move, and an introduction (and Scripture reading!) by famous director Cecille B. DeMille. In addition to the classic movie there is Newsreel footage, documentaries, an enlightening (and exquisitely detailed) commentary by author Katherine Orrison (Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic, The Ten Commandments). I spent hours making my way through these splendid extras-they provide an illuminating peek into Hollywood’s golden era. Also included is DeMille’s original 1923 silent version of The Ten Commandments version featuring a “cast of thousands” …a grand epic 1920s that moves back and forth in time from the present to Biblical times to show the relevance of OT morality (and featuring a spiffy Wurlitzer organ soundtrack). This beautiful DVD collection is worth every penny and will provide hours of viewing pleasure. Barry Nothstine hosts Soul Frequency Radio @ http://www.soulfrequency.com - a weekly freeform FM radio show showcasing progressive rock, instrumental rock, power-pop, psychedelic rock, rock classics, blues, and more—great rock for the ages!
|
|
|
|
