|
Of all the epics that have I have ever seen, including Lawrence of Arabia, Dr Zhivago and recently Gladiator, this biblical tale is still my favourite. For the time period that this film was made in, with the limits in technology for special effects, it would be easily understandable if the movie now looked somewhat of a joke, but having only seen it a couple of weeks ago, I can tell you … it doesn't. If you want to understand the meaning of epic, watch this film.
For me , after witnessing his performance, it is hard to think of anyone else other than Charlton Heston as Moses. He embodies all the qualities of Moses as I only imagined . He speaks with dignity and honour. In fact, a lot like Russel Crowe's character, Maximus , in Gladiator. After he speaks to God through the burning bush, his face IS changed. He has a glazed, meaningful look in his eyes and you know that when he says that he will free the Hebrew slaves, you know he will. Some actors could have made this role seem cheesy, the dialogue is at times, but Heston carries the part with such dignification that this never occurs.
Yul Bremner also gives an excellent, if less noticable, performance as the weak ruler Rameses. He has neither the grace or passion that Moses would have brought as ruler, which he knows and resents.
At no point does the film ever bore, with fine performances from the cast all round. Although very limited, the special effects used are more than adequate, especially in the " Parting of the red sea " sequence when Moses , through the power of God, creates a path for the Hebrews through the sea. Watching that scene, it passed through my mind, how did they create that scene without the use of digital effects?
There are several other magnificent scenes in the film, including when the mysterious fog clouds the city and kills the Rameses son and many of his servants. The music and mood are chilling when the fluourescent green fog starts to streek eerily though the Egyptian sky, and Moses knows that God is angry. When Moses climbs up the firey mountain and encounters the glowing bush, it is hard not to be overcome with a certain sense of awe and wonder.
At times the film becomes bogged down in the style of the era. When Moses wanders through the desert and stumbles upon a village of women who are skittishly talking about men, some of the dialogue would now be looked upon as laughable. But this is also part of the charm of the film, which as a whole is simply a terrific epic.
When I saw the film, I couldn't help thinking about the old saying , " They don't make em like they used to . " Since then I've seen " Gladiator " and realised that , maybe, just maybe we'll see plenty more like " The Ten Commandments " in years to come.
Here's hoping. |
|