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The Ten
Commandments
(1923)

Cecil B. DeMille’s heavy-handed, moral lecture features Theodore Roberts, Charles De Roche, Estelle Taylor and Julia Faye in its biblical story, and Richard Dix, Rod La Rocque, Leatrice Joy, Nita Naldi, Robert Edeson, Charles Ogle and Agnes Ayres in its modern morality play.

Paramount Home Video
2020 Blu-ray Disc edition

The Ten Commandments (1956), color, 231 minutes, MPAA Rated G,
with The Ten Commandments (1923), black & white and color-tinted black & white, 136 minutes, not rated.

Paramount Home Video, 33678, UPC 0-32429-33678-3.
Three single-sided, dual-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) progressive scan AVC (MPEG-4) format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, optional French, Portuguese and Spanish language subtitles; chapter stops; BD book with plastic trays; $22.98.
Release date: 10 March 2020.
Country of origin: USA

This remastered Blu-ray Disc edition gives us an affordable, high-quality upgrade to not only the well-known 1956 film but also the original 1923 silent version.

It is not known whether a new music score was commissioned for this release or if the 1923 film is accompanied by the Gaylord Carter theatre organ score previously associated with Paramount Home Video editions of this film.

The supplemental material for the 1923 version includes the optional audio commentary by Katherine Orrison previously available in Paramount’s 2006 edition, a remastered HD presentation of footage of the Exodus and Parting of the Red Sea sequence hand-tinted in the Handschiegl color process taken from DeMille’s personal print of the 1923 film (21 minutes), a remastered HD presentation of a two-color Technicolor segment (9 minutes), and an HD photo gallery with images from The Ten Commandments (1923).

This is our recommended home video edition of The Ten Commandments (1923).

USA: Click to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports the Silent Era website.

Canada: Click to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports the Silent Era website.

United Kingdom: Click to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Paramount
Home Video
2011 Blu-ray Disc /
DVD edition

The Ten Commandments (1956), color, 232 minutes, MPAA Rated G,
with The Ten Commandments (1923), black & white, 136 minutes, not rated.

Paramount Home Video, unknown catalog number,
unknown UPC number (ultimate edition), UPC 0-97361-43494-0 (limited edition), unknown ISBN number (ultimate edition), ISBN 1-4157-5807-7 (limited edition).
Three single-sided, dual-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Discs, 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) progressive scan AVC (MPEG-4) format (main feature), SDR (standard dynamic range), and 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) progressive scan AVC (MPEG-4) format (silent feature), SDR (standard dynamic range), 34.4 Mbps average video bit rate, 48 kHz 24-bit audio bit rate (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 — main feature only), Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound (silent feature), English language intertitles (silent feature), optional French, Portuguese and Spanish language subtitles (silent feature), with three single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD discs, [?] pillarboxed 16:9 or full-frame 4:3? (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced? scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, optional French, Portuguese and Spanish language subtitles (silent feature), chapter stops; plastic disc trays in cardboard wrapper (ultimate edition) or plastic replica commandments tablets disc storage case (limited edition) inside plastic box; $89.99.
Release date: 29 March 2011.
Country of origin: USA

This dual-format Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition, that is available in the ultimate collectors’ edition and the limited gift set (100,000 numbered copies) edition, includes the 1923 production on Blu-ray Disc. It appears that a high-definition remastering of the silent version has been made for this release. It is assumed that the BD content has also been provided on the DVDs in the boxset.

USA: Click to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc / Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Purchase supports Silent Era.

Canada: Click to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc / Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Purchase supports Silent Era.

United Kingdom: Click to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc / Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com.

Paramount Home Video
2017 DVD edition

The Ten Commandments (1923), black & white, 136 minutes, not rated, Canadian Rated G.

Paramount Home Video, 2080880, UPC 0-32429-28804-2.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, optional French language subtitles, chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $12.98.
Release date: 7 November 2017.
Country of origin: USA

Likely produced from the same master as the 2006 Paramount DVD edition noted below, which utilized a very-good to excellent 35mm print, this full-frame DVD edition includes the Gaylord Carter pipe-organ music score that accompanied Paramount’s 1990s VHS home video edition.

The disc includes film commentary by Katherine Orrison, and color footage of the exodus-Red Sea sequence (a combination of Technicolor, hand-tinted color and color-toning that is misidentified as all hand-tinted color).

This modestly priced DVD edition is of the same quality as the 2006 Paramount edition, and we recommend it as the best-available DVD edition.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Paramount Home Video
2006 DVD edition

The Ten Commandments (1956), color, 220 minutes, MPAA Rated G,
with The Ten Commandments (1923), black & white, 136 minutes, not rated.

Paramount Home Video, 04122,
UPC 0-97360-41224-6, ISBN 1-4157-1863-6.
Two single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 6.5 Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, French language subtitles, 15 chapter stops; plastic trays in cardboard box; $24.99.
Release date: 21 March 2006.
Country of origin: USA

Mastered from a very-good to excellent 35mm print, this full-frame DVD edition includes the Gaylord Carter pipe-organ music score that accompanied Paramount’s 1990s VHS home video edition. The presentation is entirely in black & white, with the original Technicolor footage having survived in higher quality in black & white prints (which were shot concurrently to the color footage). The exodus sequence is slightly jerky, which may be bothersome to some viewers.

We are happy to have this DVD edition release, with its Carter music score, to replace our worn VHS home video copy.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.