The running time is 3 hrs. 40 mins..
This was the first time I had ever seen The Ten Commandments. Do I need to let that sink in? Or, is there a crowd of you out there saying the same thing?
In all likelihood a lot of you have already seen this classic, but if you haven't I am here to tell you that you should. Now I am not saying you should go out and buy this DVD, but it wouldn't hurt considering this is an excellent film. Even the three hour and 40 minute running time didn't bother me; I was itching to put in the second disc once the first ended. That said, it is hard to find time to watch films of such length after a while. Thinking about it now I can't even remember the last time I watched Godfather II or any of my Lord of the Rings Extended Editions... and I LOVE those DVDs!
Now, there are things to consider here. First off, if you already own The Ten Commandments on DVD don't worry too much about buying this edition unless silent films are your thing because there isn't anything all that special about this set outside of the fact that it contains, not only the 1956 classic, but Cecil B. DeMille's 1923 silent version of the film as well. I don't know about you but after a few silent films of late I am worn out on their nostalgic qualities. After all, the silent version of The Ten Commandments doesn't live up to the 1925 version of Ben-Hur, now that is classic nostalgia in my books.
There are, however, a few more goodies here than in Paramount's earlier 2004 release of the film. Yup, the triple-dip brings you three times the fun and most of it comes in the form of author Katherine Orrison's commentary spread out across not only the 1956 version of the film, but the 1923 version as well! Do you realize that this woman therefore yaps her way through 356 minutes of Ten Commandments goodness? I don't know about you, but after the first 15 minutes of listening to her I was reaching for the remote. In all honesty, when it comes to film historians yammering on I just lose interest. I am always more interested when it comes to those that were actually involved in the production of the film as opposed to those that studied it.
The features don't end there however, the best comes in the form of a six-part documentary on the making of the film, most of which is dedicated to Cecil B. DeMille who apparently could do no wrong, even when he was pissed off he was a pissed off genius. Truthfully though, this documentary is excellent, and the main reason for it is that it is short and concise. Most of the time these big ol' special edition releases turn out to have long-winded documentaries that wear out their welcome in an instant, that isn't the case here. Each part of the documentary is insightful and interesting and it isn't going to take up your entire night, which is a blessing considering the movie will.
Besides that there is also an old school newsreel chronicling the film's premiere in New York and a few trailers. The silent version even has some hand-tinted extras, which are good for major film fans, but I had no interest.
Overall, if you are a fan of the film and don't own it yet then this is going to be an excellent buy. For those of you that already own a copy don't waste anymore on this edition. While it does have some cool packaging and a few new extras it isn't enough to warrant a second purchase.