ABSTRACT
The premiere of The Ten Commandments at the Criterion Theatre, New York City, November 8, 1956 When Cecil B. DeMille’s epic movie The Ten Commandments opened in the 1,700seat Criterion Theatre in New York City, a luxurious art deco movie palace built twenty years earlier at the height of the studios era, movie fans had been anticipating the film for almost four years. At $13 million, it was the most expensive Hollywood movie yet, and it featured a huge cast of stars, including Charlton Heston as Moses, Yul Brynner as the Pharaoh Rameses, and Anne Baxter as Nefertiti, as well as thousand of extras. Shot partly on location in Egypt, huge sets were built for the film and intensive research went into the art and costume design. The special effects created for the movie became legendary, particularly the parting of the Red Sea. The Ten Commandments became a massive hit, playing at the Criterion alone for a year and a half and becoming one of the most profitable Hollywood movies ever made.
