This One Scene in “The Ten Commandments” Took 6 Months to Film
This One Scene in “The Ten Commandments” Took 6 Months to Film
Meredith WilshereSat, April 4, 2026 at 9:30 AM UTC
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Charlton Heston in 'The Ten Commandments'Credit: CBS via Getty -
The Ten Commandments came out in 1956, and at the time, it was the most expensive film ever made
Filming the Red Sea parting scene took six months and required 360,000 gallons of water and a 32-foot-high ramp on Paramount’s lot
In the end, it paid off, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1956, and it remains a classic 70 years later
The Ten Commandments was a cultural phenomenon when it came out in 1956 and remains a classic to this day.
When making the film, director Cecil B. DeMille knew it was going to be an undertaking of biblical proportions — and that it was. The legendary filmmaker and studio dedicated a tremendous amount of time and resources to the project, which ultimately paid off in the end.
In fact, they spent months filming just one scene due to the technical and cinematic challenge it posed. According to the Science Museum Group, the parting of the Red Sea sequence "took 6 months to create, with scenes shot on the banks of the Red Sea and at the Paramount backlot."
The scene was a product of rear projection and optical photography, as there were no computer effects at the time.
Charlton Heston as Moses while the Red Sea engulfs the Pharaoh's army in 'The Ten Commandments'Credit: CBS via Getty
The production team created the walls of water "using a tilted ramp approximately 32 feet high and 80 feet long," which resided on the Paramount Pictures lot. When it came to filming, they released large amounts of water down the walls from large tanks.
“The water was supplied by an elevated tank through 15 manually controlled hydraulically operated valves, allowing the 360,000 gallons of water to cascade down in a thin sheet," per the museum.
They built long wooden batons along the ramp, breaking the water into “choppy tides and undertow.” They then reversed the film to give the impression of the water going up and “the sea parting.”
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Filming the scene was saved for last because the chariots that were seen throughout the movie were destroyed during the flooding.
Charlton Heston, who played Moses, filmed his scenes in front of a blue screen so his takes could be combined with the other elements later. They also shot the desert landscape and added matte paintings to build an even larger environment while simultaneously covering up any seams between the different elements.
Each of these elements was then combined using optical printing, which meant they all had to be perfectly aligned or it would be visible to the audience. The result was the sequence viewed by so many, 70 years later.
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Actor Charlton Heston as Moses faces Yul Brynner as Pharaoh Rameses II in a scene from the biblical epic 'The Ten Commandments', 1956.Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty
The biblical adventure drama film — produced, directed and narrated by DeMille — featured Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo and Debra Paget.
The Ten Commandments was the most expensive film produced at that time. However, after the movie was released, it became the highest-grossing film of 1956 and the second most successful of the decade, bringing in $122.7 million, or what would be equivalent to nearly $1.5 billion today.
The Ten Commandments will air on ABC on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
