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Author Topic: "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS" on DVD Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 03-10-2004 02:55 PM                        Paramount released "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS" many years ago on DVD just about the time they entered the market with the new video format. . The movie on the two discs was in the original VistaVision aspect ratio and 16X9 enhanced and in my opinion, the picture quality was superb. If there ever was a film that retained it's original Technicolor image quality, this was it. I have a 35mm dye transfer strip of film from the movie and compared the scene on it with the DVD and the image quality was very close. Paramount once again released the movie on DVD this week and still retains the original video transfe. Some of the new features on the new release that made me want to buy the movie on DVD again was the bonus material consisting of a 6 part documentary on the production and cast, newsreel coverage of the world premiere in New York and best of all, a running commentary on the film by Kathrine Orrison, an author and historian of "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS". Beside "THE ROBE", THE TEN COMMANDMENTS" has been my favorite biblical film and I have seen it many times in theatres and at home. If the movie is also one of your favorites, the Orrison commentary alone is worth the 'price of admission'. Some of the facts covered in the commentary included the original intention by Cecil B. DeMille of using William Boyd of Hopalong Cassidy fame to play Moses instead of Charlton Heston. He also wanted Audrey Hephburn to play the Anne Baxter roll of Neffertiri and Clint Walker to play Joshua instead of John Derek. Beside the film's casting, Ms Orrison. also discussed the photography and pointed out what part of the film was shot in Egypt and what part was shot at Paramount's studio and back lot in Hollywood. A lot of interesting facts were also covered on the film's many special effects. After listening to numerous film commentaries on other DVDs, I consider Kathrine Orrison's running comments as one of the best I ever heard. Beside the film commentary, 6 part documentary and the newsreel premiere coverage, the two disc set also includes the three theatrical trailers that was on the original DVD. The original DVD MSRP for "THE TEN COMMENDMENTS" was $34.94, but the price this time is $19.95 but you can buy it for less at most video retailers. By the way, the two discs are housed in a rather weird packaging. The case looks like a standard double disc but there are two hubs inside that holds the two DVDs on top each other. I was fortunate to have a standard empty double case and promptly transferred the discs into it because in my opinion, the original packaging was very bad. -Claude  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-10-2004 10:00 PM                     Claude, I have the preview from the Ten Commandments in I.B. Tech complete with Cecil B. narrating it. The color is an absolute knockout and its running time seems like its as long as the film... but is actually about 12 minuites. Still all in all a very long preview. The Bucaneer had a similar treatment for its preview as well. Mark @ CLACO  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 03-10-2004 10:35 PM                        Mark, My home town theatre, the Waipahu operated by Consolidated use to show that long trailer during all of it's shows to promote the road show engagement at the Kuhio and after a short period of time, it became very tedious to watch because of it's excessive length. The snack bar was very busy when the trailer was on and the bathroom was always crowded. By the way, the trailer is included on the DVD and the color looks great. For those who are interesting in buying a copy, I saw the DVD on sale at Costco this afternoon for $11.95. Bummers! I paid an extra $3.00 for my copy at Towers. -Claude  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-10-2004 10:45 PM                        For DVD watching, it might be nice to have Cecil at the beginning, then the overture. However, for theatrical exhibition it has to be the other way around. The overture is to let people know the film is about to start, and to pay attention and shut up. To put Cecil at the beginning would require ANOTHER overture...if he just popped onto the screen, people would be shuffling and finishing their conversations and the first half of his (very interesting) bit would be lost. On the subject of that trailer/documentary...it's hard to believe anyone actually wanted to see the film after watching that thing!  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-10-2004 11:19 PM                        Ten Commandments is one of my guilty pleasures.  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 03-10-2004 11:22 PM                     Just what is it ABOUT this overture? The music is not heard anywhere in the actual film. And apparently they still aren't using the correct AR on this film, which was composed for 1.85 (although more of the image is showing here).  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-11-2004 01:30 AM                        An overture does not neccessarily have any of the other music from the work, for example, check "The Overture King" Gioacchino Rossini. I think most people have been programmed by the pastiche overture style of American musicals.  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 03-11-2004 02:48 AM                        William, You are correct about musical overtures. This is fact and not too many people are aware of it but the overtures of Gioacchino Rossini has no relation to almost all of his work. Just to give everyone an idea how care free he was about overtures , the introduction to "IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA" (Barber of Sevillle) is also the overture to another lesser known opera of his titled ELIZABETHA" and is about Queen Elizabeth the first of England. -Claude  |  IP: Logged Gilbert Travin Expert Film Handler Posts: 101 From: Villeurbanne / France Registered: Jan 2004 posted 03-11-2004 04:31 AM                        Claude ; It is a good news ! I hope that a zone 2 version will be soon available. The actual version has a good picture but the sound (english and french) is horrible ....as the 35 mm flat-version that i had watched ... 30 years ago !  |  IP: Logged Robert Harris Film Handler Posts: 95 From: Bedford Hills, NY, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 03-11-2004 08:07 AM                     Paul, The aspect ratio of 10C was actually composed ( as you're aware as a Vista title) as an amorphos affair. However, the intent was toward Vista projection at 1.96, and 35 projection anywhere from 1.66 to 1.85, with the 1.66 looking more proper for the 35 reduction elements, which also lost a bit of their sides in the process. Generally, for this film going with a 1.85 plate for 35mm projection crops too much of the image vertically, especially for the raising of the obelisk. Projection of the Vista image at 1.96 most closely replicated an area of 1.66 - .75 in 35 four perf projection. There is that much lost in the reduction process to 35. Possibly its a matter of semantics. rah  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 03-11-2004 09:44 AM                     Robert, I was going by the presentation booklet that was reproduced in the Widescreen Museum. According to that, the proper projection for TEN COMMANDMENTS was 1.85. http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/demille2.htm  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 03-11-2004 02:24 PM                        Gilbert, Yes, I agree about the sound on "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS" home video version. So far, I bought the movie on various formats many times on tape, laserdiscs and the two DVD pressings and have found the stereo sound very lacking in all of them. Based on what I had read regarding how the film should be projected, I got the impression, all standard 35mm prints were released to theatres in mono with optical sound. However, I did did get an opportunity to see a short horizontal VistaVision film strip from "STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND" starring James Stewart released one year before "TEN COMMANDMENTS" and I recall it did not have a soundtrack on it. This means the horizontal VistaVision version used a double system and I suspect the soundtrack was stereo and recorded on mag film. I heard only a limited amount of stereo prints were available for "TTC" and they all might have been the horizontal VistaVision prints which played in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. The original Dot LP soundtrack album I still have is mono because stereo sound on records did not exist until two years later in 1958. The music however was recorded in full stereo and that was the recording used on the home video version and theatrical prints if the horizontal VistaVision prints was released with a separate stereo soundtrack. From what I can determine, the soundtrack on the DVD sounds like all of the dialogue and sound effects were recorded in mono. Paul & Robert, The vistaVision negative film frame is 8 perf. and from what I can tell, the framining on the DVD looks very close to the dimension of what was recorded on film. I understand the Super VistaVision version in 70mm of "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS" was projected in 2.20.1 and I can only assume the result was terrible. I remember waliking out when I saw "GONE WITH THE WIND" in 70mm presented this way with the top of everyone's head cropped off. -Claude  |  IP: Logged Gilbert Travin Expert Film Handler Posts: 101 From: Villeurbanne / France Registered: Jan 2004 posted 03-12-2004 02:06 AM                        Hi Claude and all ! Thanks for your answers which confirm what I thought : original VistaVision had a separate magnetic sound track and mono print are very poor... I remember the performance of "Ten Commandments" with a P55 Prevost, the sound was horrible : the "S" sounded as paper which one tears. Have you watched 35 mm anamorphic-releases with a 1.33 (or 1.5, I don't remember exactly ! ) squizz ratio ? Are they better ?  |  IP: Logged Robert Harris Film Handler Posts: 95 From: Bedford Hills, NY, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 04-09-2004 08:51 PM                     8 Perf VVLA releases (all two or three) had variable area optical tracks at the top of the frame. The Ten Commandments, and most other Vista productions, were never meant to be seen in their native aspect ratio, which was 1.5:1. When not properly cropped, one would be looking over, under and to the sides of the image meant to be seen. The only use of the entire 8 perf image was via Technirama. RAH  |  IP: Logged Tao Yue Expert Film Handler Posts: 209 From: Princeton, NJ Registered: Apr 2001 posted 04-14-2004 08:43 PM                        The main titles on the DVD (and on previous video versions) seem to have been blown up and cropped on the left and right, though. The heraldic borders don't go all around the frame. According to Michael Schlesinger's (of Sony Repertory) postings on rec.arts.movies.tech, the borders on the titles were composed for CinemaScope extraction and so would've been perfect for 2.21. Anyone seen the 70mm blowup and can confirm?  |  IP: Logged

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