(1956 220 mins)
The story comes form the books of Exodus and Numbers in the Old Testament. It is the story of Moses, the son of Hebrew slaves working in Egypt 1200 years BC. Moses was brought up in the Egyptian court but after learning that he was actually of Hebrew origins, he killed an Egyptian supervisor who was beating a Hebrew slave. Moses then trekked over the desert to Midian where he became a shepherd. On a mountain, he saw a burning bush and had a vision of God bidding him to free his people from the Egyptians. The pharaoh Ramses II who reigned from 1304 to 1237 rejected requests to free the Hebrew slaves until Egypt was besieged by plagues, floods and other disasters. The slaves then left Egypt in an exodus, whether with or without permission is not clear. Possibly the pharaoh's soldiers pursued the slaves until they managed to escape across a lake of reeds, perhaps giving rise the myth of Moses holding back the sea. Moses then led the Hebrews to Mount Sinai where Moses had his second revelation in which God prescribed ten commandments to guide the Hebrews in establishing their society.
Cast
Charlton Heston as Moses, Yul Brynner as Ramses II, Anne Baxter as Nefretiri, Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, Yvonne de Carlos as Sephora, John Derek as Joshua, Judith Anderson as Memnet.
Director
Cecil B. de Mille.
Questions
1. What does the title refer to?
2. Do you know any the ten commandments?
2. Where and when does the story take place?
3. What is the relationship between the two ethnic groups?
4. Describe the relationship between Ramses and Moses.
5. How is God represented?
6. Is God shown as a kindly figure?
7. What is the main theme of the film?
8. How successful are the special effects?
9. Why is this film called an "epic"?
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