Cecil B. DeMille didn't just make movies; he built monuments. If you've ever sat through all nearly four hours of his final masterpiece, you know that the ten commandments cast 1956 wasn't just a group of actors. They were icons. It’s wild to think about the sheer scale of it all. We are talking about 14,000 extras and 15,000 animals, but none of that would have mattered if the faces on screen didn't carry that weird, almost divine weight.
Most people see Charlton Heston and just see Moses. Period. It's hard to separate the man from the staff and the stone tablets. But the casting process was actually a chaotic mix of studio politics, lucky breaks, and DeMille’s obsessive eye for historical "accuracy"—or at least his version of it.
The Charlton Heston Gamble
Charlton Heston wasn't the first choice. Not even close.
DeMille originally had his eye on William Boyd, the guy who played Hopalong Cassidy. Can you imagine? A cowboy Moses? Thankfully, Boyd turned it down because he was worried the role would mess with his image. Then DeMille looked at Heston. The story goes that DeMille saw a striking resemblance between Heston and Michelangelo's statue of Moses in Rome. That was it. The deal was sealed because of a piece of marble.
Heston was young, relatively speaking. He was only in his early 30s playing a man who lived to be 120. The makeup department had their work cut out for them. But Heston had this physicality. He spent weeks in the Egyptian heat, actually climbing Mount Sinai. He didn't just act like he was exhausted; he was wiped out. You can see it in his eyes during the burning bush scene.
Yul Brynner as the Ultimate Foil
If Heston was the immovable object, Yul Brynner was the unstoppable force. Brynner’s Rameses II is arguably the best performance in the whole film. He had this incredible, predatory energy. Honestly, he almost steals the movie from the prophet himself.
Brynner was actually preparing for The King and I around the same time. He was worried about his physique. He didn't want to look scrawny next to the massive Heston. So, what did he do? He started an intense weightlifting program while filming on location. He wanted to make sure that when Rameses stood toe-to-toe with Moses, the audience would believe he could actually crush him.
He played Rameses with a mix of arrogance and genuine hurt. When he says, "His god... is God," it’s not just a line. It’s a total collapse of a man who thought he was a deity. That kind of nuance is rare in 1950s "sword and sandal" epics.
The Women of the Nile
Anne Baxter’s Queen Nefretiri is... a lot. Let’s be real. Her performance is campy, over-the-top, and incredibly fun. She’s the one who drives the plot forward by pitting the two men against each other. Some critics back then thought she was too "Hollywood," but she provides a necessary human friction in a story that could have easily become too stiffly religious.
Then you have Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora. She was known as a "glamour girl" before this. People were skeptical. But she brought a grounded, earthy warmth to the desert scenes. She’s the emotional anchor. While Moses is talking to God, Sephora is making sure the family survives. It’s a thankless role in some ways, but she nails the quiet dignity of it.
Behind the Scenes of the Supporting Cast
The ten commandments cast 1956 was packed with legendary character actors who filled out the corners of the frame.
Edward G. Robinson as Dathan: This was a weird one. Robinson was basically blacklisted in Hollywood at the time because of the "Red Scare." DeMille, who was a staunch conservative, actually took a risk by hiring him. Robinson played Dathan like a Brooklyn gangster who wandered onto a desert set. "Where's your messiah now?" remains one of the most quotable, sneering lines in cinema history.
Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Sethi: He brought the Shakespearean weight. As the old Pharaoh, his disappointment in Rameses feels palpable. When he banishes Moses, you don't see a villain; you see a heartbroken father following the law.
Vincent Price as Baka: Before he was the master of horror, Price was the master of being a creepy Egyptian taskmaster. He’s oily. He’s cruel. He’s perfect.
John Carradine as Aaron: He had that booming, haunting voice. He looked like he had been wandering the desert for forty years before the cameras even started rolling.
The Literal Cast of Thousands
We have to talk about the extras. Nowadays, you just click a button and CGI a crowd. In 1956? You had to feed 14,000 people. You had to dress them.
During the Exodus sequence, the "cast" included local Egyptian villagers and members of the Egyptian cavalry. There was a point where the production almost caused a local food shortage because they were buying up every loaf of bread in the region to feed the crew. DeMille treated the shoot like a military campaign. He had towers built so he could shout orders through a megaphone to people miles away.
The logistics were a nightmare. The heat was brutal. People were fainting. Sand got into everything—the cameras, the food, the costumes. When you see the Israelites leaving Egypt, that joy on their faces? Part of that was probably just the extras being happy the scene was finally over.
Why the Casting Still Works
The reason the ten commandments cast 1956 hasn't been eclipsed by modern remakes or high-budget TV versions is simple: conviction.
There is no "winking" at the camera. Nobody is playing it with irony. Heston believed he was Moses. Brynner believed he was a living god. Even the smaller roles, like Judith Anderson as Memnet, were played with a terrifying intensity.
It’s easy to poke fun at the dialogue now. It’s "theatrical." It’s "stilted." But in the context of a Biblical epic, that heightened language works. It feels like scripture. If they spoke like modern people, the whole illusion would shatter.
Technical Limitations vs. Acting Power
The special effects—like the parting of the Red Sea—were groundbreaking. It took years to composite those shots. But even the best 1956 effects look dated today. What doesn't look dated is the look on Rameses' face when he realizes his firstborn son is dead. That’s pure acting.
DeMille was a micro-manager. He dictated how the beards should look. He insisted that the costumes used authentic dyes from the period. He even had the actors carry heavy props to make their physical struggle look real. This obsession filtered down into the performances.
The Lasting Legacy of the 1956 Ensemble
Many of these actors became synonymous with their roles. For the rest of his life, Heston was the go-to guy for "Great Men of History."
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But the film also captured a turning point in Hollywood. It was the end of the "Old Guard" studio system. This was the last time a director could command that much money and that many people for a single vision.
The movie has become a staple of television, specifically around Easter and Passover. This has kept the ten commandments cast 1956 alive for generations who weren't even born when the movie premiered at the Criterion Theatre in New York.
What We Can Learn From the Production
Watching the film today, you realize that "scale" isn't just about the number of people on screen. It’s about the scale of the performance.
- Commitment to the bit: Every actor, from the leads to the person holding a basket in the background, acted like the world was ending.
- Contrast is key: The rivalry between Moses and Rameses works because they are such different types of actors. Heston is a statue; Brynner is a coiled spring.
- Humanity in the huge: Amidst the plagues and the miracles, the movie succeeds because it focuses on family drama—betrayal, jealousy, and father-son tension.
If you want to truly appreciate what went into this, don't just watch the big miracle scenes. Watch the scene where Moses first realizes he’s a Hebrew. Look at Heston's hands. He’s shaking. That’s not a special effect. That’s a guy who’s been told his whole life is a lie, and he's playing it for all it's worth.
How to Experience the Film Properly
If you're going to revisit the ten commandments cast 1956, do it right. Find the 4K restoration. The colors—the deep "DeMille Red" and the vibrant Egyptian blues—are stunning.
Pay attention to the background. You’ll see faces that pop up in dozens of other 50s movies. It was a community effort.
To dig deeper into the history of the production, you should:
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- Read Nile Style: The Preparation and Production of The Ten Commandments for a look at the insane logistics.
- Watch the behind-the-scenes footage included in the "50th Anniversary" DVD/Blu-ray sets; it shows DeMille in his element on the Egyptian sets.
- Compare the 1956 version with DeMille’s own 1923 silent version to see how his vision of the cast evolved from melodrama to grand opera.
The film is a piece of history about a piece of history. It’s big, it’s loud, and it’s unapologetically dramatic. And honestly? They just don't make 'em like that anymore.