For three hours 39 minutes, Cecil B. de Mille attacks eyes and ears in a recreation of everything but creation, in his swan aria—'The Ten Commandments."

As a spectacle Cecil really lays it on as only he can. As a faithful reproduction of the biblical story it doesn't even moisten the bread.

This in itself wouldn't have mattered. Someone, however, went to a great deal of trouble at the outset to show how much research had gone into the film to establish its authenticity.

Wasted Money

The bending and twisting is annoying. The research seems to be money badly spent. Moses went up Mt. Horeb and faced God when he was with the Midianites not, as the picture states for convenience, Mt. Sinai. It is doubtful the Midianites were the same as the bedouin, as the picture hints. Even if they were it is unlikely they subscribed to a Mohammedan-type religion a couple of thousand years before Mohammed.

This attempt at universalism was very nice but not in keeping with the biblical narrative.

Box Office

Only box office could have justified the introduction of Joshua. He arrives at the very least, a mature youth in the early part of the picture to stay for 50 to 60 years.

Then takes over the Children of Israel and leads them into the Promised Land in late middle age (Moses in the meantime has aged terribly as one would expect). And this in spite of the tradition that Moses was the only one to survive the full 40 years in the wilderness.

Big—not Great

"The Ten Commandments" proves that so far only "Gone With The Wind" has justified the excessive length. De Millie's film is a big one not a great one.

Theer were numerous other faults too; but one must admit that there are good points; some entertainment and generally good to look at, even when it takes itself too seriously.

Certainly they were pretty humourless times, but just the sort that produce some kind of folk humour surely.

The use of technicolour showed that as a colouring method it still has its strong points. The gimmicks of dividing the waters, scribing the scrolls and opening the earth, often intrude, only sometimes effectively.

Adequate Acting

On the whole the acting was adequate. Yul Brynner's bald head has never appealed to me, yet his Rameses has its moments. Charlton Heston's Moses improved with age, but was never as great as his character.

In all fairness to de Mille we should mention his share of the profits is going to religious and charitable institutions, yet that hardly justifies hearing about the "American Way of Life" in a biblical setting.

If you have seen the film, for heaven's sake read the book.

(C.B.)