Cheyenne Autumn

Based on the novel The Last Frontier by Howard Fast, Cheyenne Autumn is the story of a cavalry captain who reluctantly takes part on a mission to track down a tribe of migrating Cheyenne. Directed by John Ford and screenplay by James R. Webb with contributions from Mari Sandoz, the film is Ford’s final western as it play into a man being forced to take down a Native American tribe as it play as an elegy for the West and for Native Americans who had been mistreated by the American government. Starring Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, Ricardo Montalban, Gilbert Roland, Sal Mineo, Dolores del Rio, Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden, Arthur Kennedy, and James Stewart as Wyatt Earp. Cheyenne Autumn is a majestic and sprawling film from John Ford.

Set in the late 19th Century, the film is based on the real-life Northern Cheyenne Exodus of 1878-1879 where a group of Cheyenne decide to leave their reservation in the Oklahoma Territory to return to their homeland in Wyoming due to a promise that wasn’t fulfilled by the U.S. government. It plays into this cavalry officer who is order to pursue a tribe of migrating Cheyenne and take them back to the reservation as he doesn’t want to harm them but knows the mission is futile. Adding to this in this pursuit is then Secretary of the Interior in Carl Schurz (Edward G. Robinson) who trying to prevent violence happening while some in the press are spreading lies into what the Cheyenne has done when the reality is that the death toll of soldiers were actually small. James R. Webb’s screenplay is largely told from the perspective of Captain Thomas Archer (Richard Widmark) who talks about his pursuit as well as wanting to keep the peace knowing that he’s tried to help the Cheyenne anyway he can and was angry that a meeting between a major government official and the Cheyenne didn’t take place because the former didn’t keep his promise.

Captain Archer tries to ensure two of its chiefs in Little Wolf (Ricardo Montalban) and Dull Knife (Gilbert Roland) to stay in the reservation despite its poor condition so he can reach out and give the Cheyenne what they want. With their head chief in poor health, Little Wolf and Dull Knife make the decision to return to Wyoming as they’re aided by the schoolteacher Deborah Wright (Carroll Baker) who is concerned for the children as the Cheyenne allow her to travel with them. Wright is Captain Archer’s lover as he would learn that she had fled with the Cheyenne making his reluctant pursuit personal as well as wanting to ensure that no harm comes to her. The film also showcase others encountering the Cheyenne including Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday (Arthur Kennedy) in a comedic moment in the film as it play into this exaggeration of the press. Much of the film’s second half is about this divergence between Little Wolf and Dull Knife over their journey with the latter seeking shelter where things don’t go according to plan which angers Captain Archer and Wright forcing the former to turn to Schurz for help.

John Ford’s direction is definitely grand for the way he captures the world of the American West as it is shot largely on Monument Valley at the Arizona-Utah Border to play into not just some of the desolation of the location but also into a world that is ever-changing. Ford’s usage of the locations has him use a lot of wide shots with some precise compositions such as the scene of the Cheyenne waiting for the government official as they remain still with Captain Archer and his superior waiting as they would learn that the man won’t show up prompting the Cheyenne to leave. Ford’s usage of the wide shots doesn’t just play into the beauty of these locations but also in how vast the number of the Cheyenne as well as Captain Archer’s troops who are trying to pursue the Cheyenne but don’t want to create any conflict that could get both parties killed. The attention to detail in the compositions says a lot of what Ford wanted to say about the West and its mistreatment towards Natives including the Cheyenne.

While there are some intimate moments in the close-ups and medium shots that include a brief detour in a scene at a small town where Earp and Holliday are first seen playing cards and then get involved in a scuffle with the Cheyenne that is a comical moment in the film. It’s a scene that does seem out of place but it does play into this air of exaggeration the press will make in order to stir trouble and sell newspapers though there is a scene of one newspaper that wants to tell the truth. It all play into Ford’s need to have the Natives tell their side of the story as well as their mistrust towards whites with the latter wanting to make amends for their past sins. Though the eventual meeting between Schurz and the Cheyenne chiefs is presented in an awkward backdrop, it is a key moment that would create a step forward into a peaceful settlement between the Cheyenne and the American government. Overall, Ford crafts an evocative and mesmerizing film about the real life Northern Cheyenne Exodus.

Cinematographer William H. Clothier does brilliant work with the film’s Technicolor cinematography as it captures the beauty of the locations as well as the great attention to detail for many of the colors including some of the interior lighting for scenes set at night. Editor Otho Lovering, with additional work by David Hawkins, does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward to play into the action and suspense. Art director Richard Day and set decorator Darrell Silvera do amazing work with the look of the town where Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were playing poker as well as the look of some of the cavalry forts. Costume designers Frank Beetson Jr. and Ann Peck do fantastic work with the costumes for the look of the cavalry uniforms and the lavish clothes for the people at the small town as well as clothes of the Cheyenne. The sound work of Francis E. Stahl is terrific for its natural approach to sound as well as the way it captures gunfire and war drums from afar. The film’s music by Alex North is wonderful for its sweeping orchestral score that play into the sense of adventure and suspense along with the usage of percussions for some of the bombast as well as low-key moments for the drama.

The film’s superb ensemble cast include some notable small roles and appearances from Judson Pratt as a mayor, George O’Brien as Captain Archer’s superior Major Braden, Sean McClory as the fort doctor O’Carberry who tends to a young Cheyenne girl, Mike Mazurki as 1st Sergeant Stanislus Wichowsky who helps out Captain Archer later in the film, John Carradine as Major Jeff Blair who plays poker with Earp and Holliday, Elizabeth Allen as a woman trying to flirt with Earp, and Patrick Wayne as 2nd Lieutenant Scott as a young cavalry officer eager to kill some Cheyenne yet has to endure some humility.

James Stewart and Arthur Kennedy are terrific in their brief appearances in their respective roles as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday with the two legends who provide some humor in their roles but also prove to be capable badasses that no one should mess with. Dolores del Rio is terrific in a small role as Spanish Woman as a Cheyenne who is a liaison for the Cheyenne and Wright as she sees good intentions in Wright but also know there is trouble going on. Sal Mineo is wonderful as Red Shirt as the son of a chief who has immense disdain towards the white people as he would often get the Cheyenne into danger while he pines for a chief’s wife. Karl Malden is fantastic as Captain Oscar Wessels as a cavalry fort captain who takes in a portion of the Cheyenne for shelter until he is given the order to take them back to their reservation as tries to instill his idea of order.

Ricardo Montalban and Gilbert Roland are excellent in their respective roles as Little Wolf and Dull Knife as two Cheyenne chiefs who both share the same views about White people only to diverge over ideas of survival as they would both struggle to maintain their friendship. Edward G. Robinson is brilliant as Carl Schurz as the then-Secretary of the Interior who is trying to maintain some order as well as securing a peaceful resolution with the Cheyenne as well as discredit any kind of news that puts them in a bad light. Carroll Baker is amazing as Deborah Wright as a Quaker schoolteacher who joins the exodus to watch over the children and help them as she deals with the troubles of the journey. Finally, there’s Richard Widmark in an incredible performance as Captain Thomas Archer as a cavalry officer who is trying to ensure a peaceful resolution with the Cheyenne as he reluctantly pursues them where he becomes aware of Wright with them as he tries to ensure that he and his troops don’t kill anyone.

Cheyenne Autumn is a remarkable film from John Ford. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, an exhilarating film score, amazing action, and a compelling story. The film is definitely one of Ford’s finest westerns as well as a touching elegy to Native Americans who were often depicted in an unkind light in the genre. In the end, Cheyenne Autumn is a marvelous film from John Ford.

© thevoid99 2018

Double Indemnity

Based on the novella by James M. Cain, Double Indemnity is the story about an insurance salesman who finds himself in a plot to kill a client for that client’s wife which then leads into all sorts of trouble. Directed by Billy Wilder with a screenplay by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, the film is often considered one of the defining films that would create the suspense genre known as film noir. Starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson. Double Indemnity is an engrossing yet stylish film from Billy Wilder.

The film is the story about an insurance salesman who meets the wife of a client about an insurance policy where she seduces him to get involved in a plot to kill her husband so she can lots of money from his insurance. Though he takes part in order to help this woman, he becomes consumed with guilt over his actions as one of his co-workers becomes suspicious of what happened to the man. It is a film that is told largely by its protagonist Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) as the film begins with him driving his car suffering from a bullet wound on his shoulder as he tells his story to his longtime friend and co-worker Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) though a Dictaphone. Neff’s narration drives the story which moves back and forth to Neff in Keyes office and the events that put Neff into total danger that involved the mysterious femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck).

The film’s screenplay by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler does have this unique narrative structure that plays into Neff’s guilt and all of the trouble he deals with in being part of a plot to kill Phyllis’ husband (Tom Powers) for some money where Neff tells Phyllis about a clause known as double indemnity which doubles the insurance money if the death is accidental. Neff and Phyllis plans on what to do as Neff is convinced that Phyllis is a victim in a loveless marriage yet things become complicated after the plot when Neff becomes guilty and Keyes looks carefully into the case. The film’s first half is about the plot while its second half is about Neff’s guilt and the idea that Phyllis may have been using him all along. Even as he learns more about Phyllis through her stepdaughter Lola (Jean Heather) who reveals something about Phyllis that makes Neff suspicious as he is also aware that Keyes is getting closer to uncovering the truth.

Part of the script’s brilliance in its storytelling is its language where it has this very stylish dialogue that not only drives the story but also play into the element of mystery. Even in Neff’s narration where this language is crucial to the storytelling as it has a certain rhythm as well. A lot of it is from the style of Raymond Chandler who infuses that sense of time but also emotion into the dialogue where it all plays into some form of melodrama but also the guilt that Neff would carry.

Wilder’s direction is definitely stylish in some respects while he also takes the time to create some simpler shots to play into the drama and the interactions between characters. A lot of which showcases an air of style in some of the scenes where the use of shadows and shades help convey a style in the look of the film. Even in the use of close-ups, two-shots, and medium shots, Wilder’s approach to framing is very succinct in the way he plays the drama and set up the suspense such as the scene in the train where Neff pretends to be Mr. Dietrichson in order to create the illusion that he fell off the train accidentally. All of which is part of the film’s first half where Neff and Phyllis set up the plot to kill her husband and drop his body on the train tracks.

That element of style in Wilder’s direction is one of the aspects of the film that is just mesmerizing to watch in not just the way Phyllis tries to charm Neff but also in the sense of romance that occurs. Yet, things get very strange in some of their meetings at a supermarket where they’re talking as if they don’t know each other. There’s also some pieces that play into the story such as Keyes’ investigation where he is essentially the film’s conscience as he knows that something isn’t right. He is someone who knows every scenario that could happen as he would become the one person in the film that would force Neff to face his crimes that would lead to a chilling climax about what he needed to do. Overall, Wilder creates a very compelling yet suspenseful film about a man who finds himself involved in a murder plot.

Cinematographer John F. Seitz does fantastic work with the film‘s stylish black-and-white photography to convey the sense of brooding atmosphere in some of the interiors including the use of shading to help maintain that tone that carries the film‘s suspense. Editor Doane Harrison does excellent work with the editing with its stylish use of dissolves as well as rhythmic cuts to help build up the air of suspense. Art directors Hans Dreier and Hal Pereira, along with set decorator Bertram C. Granger, do amazing work with the look of Neff‘s apartment as well as the home that Phyllis lives and the office that Neff works at.

Costume designer Edith Head does fabulous work with the costumes with the designs of the dresses the women characters wear. The sound work of Loren Ryder is superb for its low-key atmosphere and sound effects to play into the film‘s suspense. The film’s music by Miklos Rozsa is brilliant for its thrilling orchestral score that includes some eerie pieces to help create that air of suspense and drama as it’s one of the film’s major highlights.

The casting by Harvey Clermont is terrific for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Richard Gaines as Neff and Keyes’ boss who thinks something isn’t right, Porter Hall as a man Neff unknowingly meets at the observation car in the train during the scheme, Tom Powers as Mr. Dietrichson, and Byron Barr as Lola’s boyfriend Nino Zachetti whom Keyes suspects might be involved. Jean Heather is wonderful as Lola Dietrichson as a young woman who dislikes her stepmother as she’s convinced that Phyllis is involved in her father’s death as Neff tries to be there for her. Edward G. Robinson is phenomenal as Barton Keyes as he is a man who knows every scenario that might happen as he’s also someone who knows that something isn’t right as Robinson has a great monologue about the way things are as he also invests in a few humorous moments as he is a major standout in the film.

Barbara Stanwyck is amazing as the smoldering femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson as this very beautiful woman who has this unique presence where she seems like someone in need. Yet, there’s also something about her that is off as it adds to the complexity of her performance. Fred MacMurray is great as Walter Neff as an insurance salesman who is manipulated into helping this woman only to get into some trouble. MacMurray has this sense of humility and darkness to his character that is very unique as he plays someone that would the typical prototype for many characters of film noir as it’s definitely one of his finest roles.

Double Indemnity is an incredible film from Billy Wilder that features remarkable performances from Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson. The film is definitely a film that is filled with a lot of intrigue and suspense as well as sense of style that would create the ideas of what would become film noir. Especially in the way it plays with narrative and cinematic language that made the film something much more thanks in parts to the contribution of Raymond Chandler. In the end, Double Indemnity is a tremendous film from Billy Wilder.

Billy Wilder Films: (Mauvaise Graine) - (The Major and the Minor) - (Five Graves to Cairo) - The Lost Weekend - (The Emperor Waltz) - (A Foreign Affair) - Sunset Boulevard - Ace in the Hole - Stalag 17 - (Sabrina) - (The Seven Year Itch) - (The Spirit of St. Louis) - (Love in the Afternoon) - (Witness for the Prosecution) - Some Like It Hot - The Apartment - (One, Two, Three) - (Irma La Douce) - (Kiss Me, Stupid) - (The Fortune Cookie) - (The Private Lives of Sherlock Holmes) - (Avanti!) - (The Front Page) - (Fedora) - (Buddy Buddy)

© thevoid99 2013

The Stranger (1946 film)

Directed by Orson Welles and written by Anthony Veiller, Victor Trivas, and Decla Dunning, with additional re-writes by Welles and John Huston, The Stranger is the story of a Nazi criminal hiding in the U.S. under an alias as he’s being pursued by a government agent. The film is an exploration of post-World War II paranoia as it revolves a man trying to start over. Starring Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, and Loretta Young. The Stranger is an entrancing yet chilling film from Orson Welles.

What happens when a former Nazi war criminal who reinvents himself as a schoolteacher set to be married until his past finally catches up with him as he’s being pursued by a government official? That is essentially the premise of the film as it is about this man who gets an unexpected visit from a former colleague (Konstantin Shayne) where the man who calls himself Charles Rankin (Orson Welles) realizes that he might have been found not just by the U.S. government but those seeking Nazi war criminals. For Rankin, the time couldn’t have come at a worse time just as he’s set to marry Mary Longstreet (Loretta Young) whose father (Philip Merivale) is a Supreme Courts Justice judge. Yet, he becomes paranoid where he will do things that has the people in his life questioning him including this government official in Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson).

The screenplay does start off interestingly where it is about Mr. Wilson tailing this former war criminal in order to find the man who was once called Franz Kindler. Yet, the script allows the Mr. Wilson character to be a more humanistic individual who just wants to see justice done though he is an imperfect man. Though Rankin isn’t a totally bad man who is just trying to do good, he is troubled by his past as he descends into paranoia where he does bad things and begins to worry his newlywed wife Mary. Even as Mr. Wilson and her father would show Mary things that would raise questions about the man she married. The script does play into traditional schematics of what is expected in a suspense film like this yet it does go into different territory as far as the third act is concerned that does lead to a showdown between Mr. Wilson and Kindler/Rankin.

The direction of Orson Welles is quite interesting in the way he frames many of the film’s intimate moments as it does have some unique framing devices. Particularly in some of the close-ups and medium shots where Welles uses the frame to actually say something. Even if it meant something that is happening in the background. There is also that sense of style in the direction from the use of tracking and crane shots as well as a shot looking up where Rankin climbs up the church tower to fix a clock. It’s all part of the atmosphere that Welles wants to create with the film. Notably the climax where it is this showdown between Mr. Wilson and Rankin that also involves Mary. While it’s a film that does play to what is expected in a suspense film, Welles does manage to make it captivating while finding ways to make it more interesting.

Cinematographer Russell Metty does excellent work with the film’s stylish black-and-white photography that includes some gorgeous images for some of the interior scenes including the church tower as well as an exterior shot that involves Mary walking through a cemetery. Editor Ernest J. Nims does wonderful work with the editing by using some methodical rhythm cuts to play out the film‘s suspense. Production designer Perry Ferguson and art director Albert S. D’Agostino do amazing work with the set pieces from the look of soda shop that some of the characters frequent at to the look of the church tower and its clock.

Costume designer Michael Woulfe does terrific work with the clothes from the dresses that Mary wears to the more straight-laced clothes the men wear. The sound work of Arthur Johns and Corson Jowett is fantastic for the sense of atmosphere that occurs in the scenes in the woods as well as some of the quieter moments in the house that Charles and Mary live in. The film’s music by Bronislau Kaper is superb for the orchestral flourishes that play out the film’s suspenseful moments.

The film’s brilliant ensemble cast includes some notable small performances from Martha Wentworth as the Longstreet family maid, Billy House as the soda shop owner, Byron Keith as veterinarian, and Konstantin Shayne as an old Nazi war criminal trying to reach Rankin. Richard Long and Philip Merivale are excellent in their respective roles as Mary’s brother and father who become suspicious of Rankin as they help aid Mr. Wilson. Orson Welles is great as the troubled Franz Kindler/Charles Rankin who tries to start a new life only to be threatened by his past as he becomes paranoid. Loretta Young is superb as Rankin’s newlywed wife Mary who deals with his behavior as well as the outcome of who he might be. Finally, there’s Edward G. Robinson in a marvelous performance as Mr. Wilson as he is a man just determined to seek out the truth while being someone straight-laced as well as a bit flawed as it’s definitely one of his finest performances.

The Stranger is a remarkable film from Orson Welles that is highlighted by Welles’ direction as well as the performances from himself, Edward G. Robinson, and Loretta Young. The film is an intriguing suspenseful that also explores the world of postwar paranoia concerning former Nazis who are shamed by their actions. In the end, The Stranger is an extraordinary film from Orson Welles.

Orson Welles Films: Citizen Kane - The Magnificent Ambersons - The Lady from Shanghai - Macbeth (1948 film) - Othello (1952 film) - Mr. Arkadin - Touch of Evil - The Trial (1962 film) - Chimes at Midnight - The Immortal Story - F for Fake - Filming Othello – The Other Side of the Wind

Related: Orson Welles: The One-Man Band - The Eyes of Orson Welles - They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead - The Auteurs #69: Orson Welles: Part 1 - Part 2

© thevoid99 2013

The Ten Commandments (1956 film)

Based on the books Pillar of Fire by Joseph Holt Ingraham, On Eagle’s Wings by A.E. Southon, and Prince of Egypt by Dorothy Clarke Wilson, The Ten Commandments is the story of how the Hebrew-born Moses who is raised by Egyptian royals as he would become the leader of the Hebrews as he leads them to the Promised Land. Directed and narrated by Cecil B. DeMille and screenplay by Aeneas MacKenzie, Jesse J. Lasky Jr., Jack Garris, and Fredric M. Frank. The film is a dramatic take on the story of Moses as he would become the leader of the Hebrews and defy the Pharaoh. Playing Moses is Charlton Heston in one of his most iconic performances. With an all-star cast that includes Yul Brenner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne de Carlo, Debra Paget, and John Derek. The Ten Commandments is a sprawling yet engrossing epic from Cecil B. DeMille.

After the Pharaoh Seti I (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) orders the death of first-born Hebrew boys based on a prophecy, a woman named Yoshebel (Martha Scott) takes a baby to the Nile as her young daughter Miriam watches to see as the baby named Moses is given to the arms of Pharaoh’s sister Bithiah (Nina Foch) who will raise the child. Many years later, Moses becomes the Pharaoh’s pride and joy after leading a victory against Ethiopia and later build a city with the princess Nefretiri (Anne Baxter) in awe of Moses though Pharoah’s son Rameses (Yul Brenner) is filled with jealousy towards Moses as he seeks to find the Hebrew who would lead the slaves to rebel. Still, Moses is content with his life until Nefretiri learns from the maid Memnet (Judith Anderson) the truth about who Moses is as he asks Bithiah if it’s true. Notably as he would follow her to the home of Yoshebel as he recognized as the woman whose life he had just saved.

After learning about his true roots, Moses decides to become a slave to see how they live where he learns about their struggle. After master builder Baka (Vincent Price) takes the beautiful slave girl Liliah (Debra Paget) for his own where her lover Joshua (John Derek) tries to reclaim her. Moses come to their aid where the corrupt Hebrew overseer Dathan (Edward G. Robinson) learns the truth about Moses. After telling the news to Rameses who would reward Dathan, Moses is captured as he’s brought forth by Seti who is heartbroken over what Moses is as he denies him. Rameses has Moses be banished to the desert as Moses eventually finds shelter in a Bedouin sheik named Jethro (Eduard Franz) whose daughter Sephora (Yvonne de Carlo) becomes Moses’ new love. After a life of herding sheep and gaining a son in Gershom (Tommy Duran), Moses still seeks answers about his life when Joshua appears prompting Moses to climb Mount Sinai where he returns with a new role.

Deciding to return to Egypt with his family and Joshua, he learns that Rameses is the new Pharaoh as he asks Rameses to release the Hebrews. Rameses refuses as a series of plagues occur while Nefretiri tries to renew their relationship but Moses spurns her. Even as she would later plead to his wife to flee Egypt to save her child only to learn that next plague will kill all Egyptian first-born men and boys. Rameses gives in as all of the Hebrews leave including Dathan while Bithiah also joins Moses on their way to the promised land. Yet, the grief-stricken Nefretiri would tell Rameses to attack the Hebrews as they reach towards the Red Sea where Moses would make a miracle that will lead to him gaining God’s laws about the way to live.

The film is essentially the tale of Moses of how he was this prince of Egypt who was adored by many including the Hebrew slaves. Then once his true background is revealed, he is shunned only to return to live up to the prophecy that his adopted uncle feared only to deal with the man he once called brother. All of it told in a grand storyline that lives up to the epic films of the 20th Century as Cecil B. DeMille and his screenwriters explore the life of Moses. Particularly in the key moments of his life such as the Exodus to the Promise Land, telling Rameses to let his people go, and the presentation of the Ten Commandments. Still, it also explores Moses as a man unsure of the role he played as well as the fact that he is a Hebrew raised as a prince with two different mothers.

Cecil B. DeMille’s direction is truly a marvel to watch from the way he creates a film that is ambitious in its set pieces while utilizing wide depth-of-field shots to capture the large crowd shots for the film. Shooting on location in parts of Egypt along with studio shots set in Los Angeles for some of the film’s interior set pieces. DeMille is able to create scenes where he utilizes the wide shots that often accompanied by sweeping crane shots that move back to see how big the crowds are. There’s also shots that is quite intimate to display the drama that occurs between a few characters to express the situation that occurs in the film. Particularly as DeMille wants to maintain the situation that occurs which includes the haunting Angel of Death scene as Moses and his family watches a mist appear.

For some scenes that requires visual effects including background scenes due to inability of what DeMille wasn’t able to do. Using superimposed shots for the background as well as a few visual effects moments. The look of it is quite primitive since it was made of the 1950s. Notably the visual effects moments that involve the parting of the Red Sea or some of the visual tricks that Moses try to display to deal with Rameses. Still, there is something quite engaging to the way it looks as it’s meant to look otherworldly. Overall, DeMille creates a film that is all about spectacle to tell this amazing story about Moses and the Hebrews in their search for the Promised Land.

Cinematographer Loyal Griggs does brilliant work with the film‘s lush, Technicolor look of the film to capture the vibrant colors of some of the film‘s interior settings including Nile River along with some wonderful exterior shots for some of the film‘s landscape scenes. Editor Anne Bauchens does excellent work with the film‘s editing by creating wonderful transitional dissolves as well as utilizing straight rhythmic cuts to play up the film‘s action and dramatic moments to maintain its tight, methodical pacing. Art directors Albert Noziak, Hal Pereira, and Walter H. Tyler, with set decorators Sam Comer and Ray Moyer, do amazing work with the set pieces such as interior palace designs that the Egyptian royals live in to the lavish tents where Moses meets Jethro. Sound recorders Gene Garvin and Harry Lindgren do wonderful work in the sound to capture the crowds as well as the intimate moments in some of the film‘s set pieces.

The film’s score by Elmer Bernstein is magnificent for the soaring yet sweeping score that he provides filled with bombastic string and brass orchestral arrangements. Notably in creating themes that play up to the grandeur of the film while slowing things down to serene pieces to play up some of the drama and romance in the film. It is truly one of Bernstein’s most essential film scores of his glorious career.

The casting by Bert McKay is superb for the ensemble that is created as it would feature appearances from Woody Strode as the Ethiopian king, Fraser Heston as the baby Moses, John Miljan as the blind man in the Exodus to the Promised Land sequence, Julia Faye as Aaron’s wife Elisheba, Eduard Franz as Sephora’s father Jethro, Tommy Duran as Moses’ son Gershom, Eugene Mazzola as Rameses’ son, Oliver Deering as Moses’ sister Miriam, Babette Bain as the young Miriam, Judith Anderson as Bithiah’s maid Memnet, John Carradine as Moses’ brother Aaron, Vincent Price as the brutish master builder Baka, and Martha Scott as Moses’ real mother Yoshebel. Other notable supporting roles include Nina Foch as Moses’ foster mother Bithiah and Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Pharaoh Seti I who adores Moses only to be heartbroken over Moses’ true persona.

Debra Paget is pretty good as the beautiful slave girl Liliah who deals with her role as being a slave for Dathan while maintaining her love for Joshua. John Derek is excellent as the courageous slave Joshua who impresses Moses for his determination as he would become Moses’ right-hand man in aiding the Exodus to the Promised Land. Yvonne De Carlo is wonderful as Moses’ wife Sephora who teaches him how to herd sheep while aiding him in his new role as God’s messenger. Anne Baxter is great in the role of Nefretiri who loves Moses only to feel spurned where Baxter gets to chew up the scenery when she goads Rameses to seek vengeance. Edward G. Robinson is brilliant as the corrupt Dathan who tries to weasel his way into anything situation and defy Moses in any way he can.

Yul Brenner is terrific as Rameses for the way he maintains an intimidating presence while displaying a sense of jealousy towards Moses for taking away what should’ve been total love from his father. Finally, there’s Charlton Heston in what is definitely the performance that will be the performance of his career as Moses. It’s a role where Heston really gets to play a man that is lost about his destiny and true persona while later become this commanding presence as he asks Rameses to let his people go.

The Ten Commandments is an extraordinary epic from Cecil B. DeMille that features a towering performance from Charlton Heston. Along with an amazing ensemble that includes Yul Brenner, Anne Baxter, Yvonne De Carlo, and Edward G. Robinson and fantastic technical work. The film is truly a textbook of how epics are supposed to be made for its ambition and storytelling. Particularly for a story as universal that provides many discussions about faith and power. In the end, Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 version of The Ten Commandments is a marvel of a film that is accessible and engaging.

© thevoid99 2012