The Ten Commandments Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Ten Commandments Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 29, 2020

Paramount has re-released Director Cecil B. DeMille's epic 1956 Bible film 'The Ten Commandments' to Blu-ray in new DigiBook packaging. The three Blu-ray set is identical to the three Blu-ray discs found in the original 2011 Gift Set. Please see the 'Special Features and Extras' portion of the review below for a little more on the DigiBook packaging.

For a full film review, please click here.

The Ten Commandments Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a full Blu-ray video review, please click here.

The Ten Commandments Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a full Blu-ray audio review, please click here.

The Ten Commandments Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There's nothing new here unfortunately. The primary supplement is the inclusion of the 1923 film and the fantastic audio commentaries provided by Katherine Orrison. Physically, the main draw is the DigiBook packaging. The front cover depicts, predominantly, Charlton Heston as Moses. The film's title appears top center (along with DeMille's name). A gold banner advertising the two films in the set runs across the very top. The spine continues the front image, wrapping around a structure seen bottom left and, predominately, sky. The films title runs down the center. A Paramount logo and the same Heston portrait appear at the top. A Blu-ray logo appears at the bottom. The rear cover carries over the sky and terrain; there's nothing else of interest to be seen.

The interior ends are made of transparent plastic; there are two staggered-stacked hubs on the left, the kind where one disc slides into its space and the other sits partially atop of it. The third disc is held on its own center hub on the right. under these transparent housings is a depiction of the parted Red Sea, with the middle section the earthy stretch in between the waters. The book is affixed to the center binding. It's a 16-pager front to back, which includes glossy pages holding color images and text. The photos are of much value, but the text is a bit perfunctory, consisting of a few quotes and some superficial text about the making of the film, casting, and the like. It's adequate but could have been so much more, particularly for a movie of such rich history and renowned scale.

Below is a list of what on-disc supplemental materials are included. For full coverage, please click here.

Disc One:

• Audio Commentary: Katherine Orrison, author of Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille's Epic, The Ten Commandments .

Disc Two:

• Audio Commentary: Orrison continues to offer her insights through the remainder of the film.
• Newsreel: The Ten Commandments -- Premiere in New York
• Trailers

Disc Three

• 1923 film The Ten Commandments (1080p; Music 2.0 Stereo Dolby Digital; French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles): Also features optional Katherine Orrison commentary.
• Hand-Tinted Footage of the Exodus and Parting of the Red Sea Sequence
• Two-Color Technicolor Segment
• Photo Gallery
• The Ten Commandments: Making Miracles
• Photo Gallery

The Ten Commandments Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Paramount has put together a quality and affordable DigiBook for The Ten Commandments, but one cannot help but believe more could have been done, beginning with a UHD included with the set; the movie would assuredly look stunning on that format, more so than even this resplendent 1080p presentation. The book portion of the content could have been more robust, too. For the price the studio is charging this is an attractive option for first-time buyers, but those who already own the previously issued gift set have no reason to purchase this release.