Exodus and Cecil B. DeMille

What does the book of Exodus have to do with the late Hollywood film director Cecil B. DeMille?

More than you may think.

For many American Christians, and possibly others around the world, their knowledge about the original ten commandments is influenced by his films, The Ten Commandments.

(Films is correct. He made the movie twice: in both 1923 and 1956).

The Bible’s book of Exodus

Exodus 1-15 describes Moses’ involvement with Egypt.

I’ve been reading through this portion of Scripture in summer 2020. It’s not only part of my morning quiet time, but I also reviewed it when I wrote our VBS 2020 script.

How many times have I read about Moses’ life? Why didn’t I remember these points?

• Aaron was only three years older than Moses.
• Moses was a shepherd for 40 years (like David and Joseph, to name a few strategic men in the Bible).
• The plagues God sent against Egypt demonstrated His power over Egypt’s gods. (See the list at Enduring Word Commentary here).
• Moses and Aaron confronted Pharaoh most of the time at the Nile River.
• Many of the plagues did not touch the Hebrews in Goshen.
• The ninth plague of darkness enveloped everything and could be felt.
• The Egyptians paid the Hebrews to leave. (400 years of reparations paid).
• The pascal “lamb” could also be a goat.
• A shrine near the Sphinx in Egypt implies the assumed Pharaoh at the time may not have been succeeded by his firstborn son.
• Many Egyptians went with the Hebrews when they followed Moses into the desert.
• The phrase “out of Egypt” appears 56 times in the Bible after this account.

Guzik’s Enduring Word commentary on Exodus 12 also noted:

Apparently the Exodus from Egypt began on the same calendar day as the 430^th anniversary of Israel’s time in Egypt. It’s remarkable evidence that God often fulfills promises on anniversaries of prior or prophesied events.

Enduring Word, Exodus 12

What did DeMille know?

Cecil B. DeMille actually knew the Bible.

His Jewish mother converted to Episcopalian upon her marriage to Henry DeMille. DeMille’s father read first a Bible passage and then a work of literature to his children every night.

First a playwright, then encouraged to make movies, DeMille soon grasped the power of film.

By 1921, DeMille was the most successful producer-director in America. He had surpassed the legendary D. W. Griffith by tackling the issues of the decade: Prohibition, materialism, women’s rights, sexuality, and divorce.

When scandals rocked Paramount, DeMille answered critics with a mammoth morality tale, The Ten Commandments. 

Cecil B. DeMille biography

If interested in comparing the silent film with both the book of Exodus and the 1956 version of the movie. Here it is:

The Charlton Heston Effect

Charlton Heston, however, comes to mind for most of us when we think of Moses.

We mentally remember Heston/Moses combating Pharaoh Ramses in the movie. He moves through the film with grace and thundering demands.

It’s a marvelous performance. (And his infant son, Fraser Heston, played Moses in the bullrushes).

DeMille specifically chose Heston, believing he resembled Michelangelo’s version of the Great Lawgiver.

But, former playwright DeMille oversaw many dramatic alterations to the true story God told in the book of Exodus.

Among the most egregious:

• The love story between Moses and Nefretiri
• A power struggle between Moses and the young Ramses
• Lilia, a love interest of Joshua.
• Actually, almost everything about Joshua isn’t correct.

The Red Sea Parting?

I believe it happened–and lots of people have tried to find where.

I like to leave those questions in God’s more-than-capable hands.

In the meantime, know that in the 1923 movie, DeMille used jello.

By 1956, he had learned more advanced photography, trade secrets, and had access to large water tanks.

The last time I visited Universal Studios, I took a tram through the Red Sea.

That’s not in the book of Exodus, either!

Tweetables

The Bible’s Exodus and Cecile B. DeMille. Click to Tweet

Didn’t Moses look like Charlton Heston? Click to Tweet

Everything I know about the Exodus–didn’t come from Charlton Heston. Click to Tweet