The Ten Commandments (1956) Coming to Blu-Ray March 29!!!

[Escapay]

<center>PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRATES THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF CECIL B. DEMILLE’S LEGENDARY EPIC WITH A SPECTACULAR BLU-RAY™ AND DVD GIFT SET

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Fully Restored and in High Definition for the First Time Ever, Timeless Classic Arrives March 29, 2011 in Six-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Featuring Over an Hour of New Bonus Material, a Commemorative Book, the 1923 Silent Version of the Film and More in a Limited Edition Box Set with Tablets

Enduring Saga Will Also be Available in Two-Disc DVD or Blu-ray Sets</center>

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. – For sheer pageantry and spectacle, few motion pictures can claim to equal the splendor of renowned director Cecil B. DeMille’s (<strike>Ben Hur</strike>*) 1956 epic THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. To commemorate the 55th anniversary of this beloved masterpiece, on March 29, 2011 Paramount Home Entertainment will release a fully restored version in high definition for the first time ever in an extravagant six-disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo gift set, as well as in a two-disc Blu-ray and two-disc DVD. DeMille’s last motion picture made Charlton Heston a superstar and remains a cinematic triumph and perennial fan-favorite. Filmed in Egypt and the Sinai with one of the biggest sets ever constructed for a motion picture, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS tells the story of the life of Moses (Heston). Once favored in the Pharaoh's (Yul Brynner) household, Moses turned his back on a privileged life to lead his people to freedom. With a rare on-screen introduction by Cecil B. DeMille, this unforgettable movie experience is sure to be enjoyed and treasured by the entire family for years to come.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Blu-ray/DVD Combo gift set comes packaged in a stunning limited edition box featuring an image of the Red Sea that parts when the box is opened to reveal two tablets, which encase all six discs in the set. The set also includes a commemorative photo and archive book, a new 75-minute, in-depth documentary about the film and its impact, original costume sketches, the 1923 silent film The Ten Commandments (also available for the first time on Blu-ray), international premiere photos, production notes from Cecil B. DeMille, correspondence from Charlton Heston, feature commentary and more.

The fully-restored version of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS will also be available in a two-disc Blu-ray and two-disc DVD, both of which include commentary, newsreel footage of the film’s New York premiere and trailers.



THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Blu-ray/DVD Gift Set
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 Surround Dolby Digital, French 2.0 Mono Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Mono Dolby Digital and Portuguese 2.0 Surround Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, English 2.0 Surround, French Mono, Spanish Mono and Portuguese 2.0 Surround with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Disc contents are as follows:

Blu-ray

Disc One:
• 1956 Feature Part One (2:15:38, 29 Chapters, HD)
• Commentary by Katherine Orrison, author of Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic The Ten Commandments (2:11:33, no commentary on overture, DeMille introduction, or intermission)

Disc Two:
• 1956 Feature Part Two (1:35:43, 19 Chapters, HD)
• Commentary by Katherine Orrison (1:28:11, no commentary on entr'acte or exit music)
• Newsreel: The Ten Commandments Premiere in New York (2:24, HD)
• Theatrical Trailers: 1956, "1966"**, 1989 (9:59, 1:00, 1:40, HD)

Disc Three:
• 1923 Feature (2:16:04, 15 Chapters, HD)
• Commentary by Katherine Orrison (2:16:04)
• Hand-tinted Footage of the Exodus and Parting of the Red Sea Sequence (14:58, from 1923 feature, HD)
• Photo Gallery—1923
• The Ten Commandments: Making Miracles (1:15:00, HD)
• Photo Gallery—1956

DVD

Disc One:
• 1956 Feature Part One (2:15:38, 29 Chapters)
• Commentary by Katherine Orrison, author of Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic The Ten Commandments (2:11:33, no commentary on overture, DeMille introduction, or intermission)

Disc Two:
• 1956 Feature Part Two (1:35:43, 19 Chapters)
• Commentary by Katherine Orrison (1:28:11, no commentary on entr'acte or exit music)
• Newsreel: The Ten Commandments Premiere in New York (2:24)
• Theatrical Trailers: 1956, "1966"**, 1989 (9:59, 1:00, 1:40)

Disc Three:
• The Ten Commandments: Making Miracles (1:15:00)
• Photo Gallery—1956



THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Blu-ray & DVD
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS two-disc Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 Surround Dolby Digital, French 2.0 Mono Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Mono Dolby Digital and Portuguese 2.0 Surround Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The two-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, English 2.0 Surround, French Mono, Spanish Mono and Portuguese 2.0 Surround with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Both two-disc sets include the following (in HD on the Blu-ray):

Disc One:
• 1956 Feature Part One (2:15:38, 29 Chapters)
• Commentary by Katherine Orrison, author of Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic The Ten Commandments (2:11:33, no commentary on overture, DeMille introduction, or intermission)

Disc Two:
• 1956 Feature Part Two (1:35:43, 19 Chapters)
• Commentary by Katherine Orrison (1:28:11, no commentary on entr'acte or exit music)
• Newsreel: The Ten Commandments Premiere in New York (2:24)
• Theatrical Trailers: 1956, "1966"**, 1989 (9:59, 1:00, 1:40)


About Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. PHE is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Paramount Famous Productions, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS and PBS and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.


THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Street date: March 29, 2011
Pricing***: $89.99 U.S. (Six-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Gift Set), $39.99 (Two-Disc Blu-ray), $24.99 (Two-Disc DVD)
Runtime: 220 minutes
U.S. Rating: G
Canadian Rating: G

Press Release courtesy of Home Theater Forum

Packaging Images courtesy of ClassicFlix

Pre-Order the Blu-Ray & DVD Gift Set from Amazon.com and support UD! ($89.99, currently $62.99)

Pre-Order the Blu-Ray from Amazon.com and support UD! ($39.99, currently $27.99)

Pre-Order the DVD from Amazon.com and support UD! ($24.99) - page is not up on amazon, do not click link

Order the still-available "50th Anniversary Collecton" DVD from Amazon.com and support UD! ($24.99, currently $19.99)


*NOTE: DeMille did not direct Ben-Hur, William Wyler did. So I struck it from the press release.

**The DVD erroneously bills the 1972 trailer as the 1966 trailer, hence why I put it in quotations. The real 1966 trailer is on youtube, you can watch it here.

***Changed the pricing, as online e-tailers have a different one than the press release, and I have a feeling that the prices listed in the press release were the wholesale ones ($59.99, $24.99, and $14.99).

Below is the original post, saved for posterity:

• I heard this from a very very very reliable source, and it just about made my whole day and Christmas season. Since there's no official announcement yet from Paramount, I'll refrain from saying too much beyond "WOOOOO!!!!" and "YAAAAAAAY!" Once there are official announcements and press releases, I'll update this thread. In the meantime, I'll be doing cartwheels around the house.

albert

[TheValentineBros]

It's finally happening. I hope it contains the 1923 movie like the 2006 DVD, but digitally remastered.

[Escapay]

Now that an official announcement has been made, time to bump this up!

Will update later once a full press release is available.

albert

[Disneykid]

Hopefully we'll get more details soon. Blu-ray.com's put up a specs list, but all they've got listed are the commentary, newsreel, and trailers. I find it hard to believe they'd drop the documentary and silent film version. A film of this stature deserves a jam-packed release.

Of course, even if it's lightweight, I'm still getting it. 2011's looking to be a great year for Biblical films on Blu with this, King of Kings, The Miracle Maker, and Ben-Hur. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Jesus Christ Superstar and Jesus of Nazareth sooner rather than later.

[Escapay]

Updated with press release (courtesy of HomeTheaterForum). I've also added running times for the features, based on their running times on DVD.

I'm mildly upset that they're not putting the whole movie on one disc, especially as Warner Bros. had no problem fitting the just-as-long Gone with the Wind onto one Blu-Ray Disc. Then again, I should be used to changing tapes/discs/whatnot for this movie by now.

Since there is a new documentary on this disc, the 2004 documentary (37:36, 6 chapters) is rightfully excluded. I'm not sorry it's gone, and from what I know of the new documentary, nobody will miss the old one anyway. And I'm REALLY EXCITED for the gubbins, especially the tablet packaging and the correspondence. I'm really hoping that Paramount found the real 1966 trailer and will included it with the other three. I'm also surprised that Paramount is making the gift set a Blu/DVD combo pack (especially as their African Queen Commemorative Box Set last year was in separate Blu-Ray or DVD configurations). This combo decision will likely piss off some Blu-exclusive or DVD-exclusive buyers who'll have no use for the other three discs. I'll likely have bought both versions anyway were they offered separately, so Paramount is saving me money by having the two home media formats in one gift set.

Finally, while I am thoroughly glad that this film is coming to Blu-Ray, I'm a bit upset that the only new on-disc supplements are the 75-minute documentary and the photo gallery (which I hope will be extensive and include even just a fraction of the over-1200 storyboards drawn). I was hoping that Paramount would have licenced out TCM's 2004 documentary Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic for inclusion in this set, even if it would have to be presented in SD. Partly because I haven't seen it and want to see it very badly, and partly because The Ten Commandments is one of the few DeMille films to ever get such lavish treatment. Aside from this film, 1927's The King of Kings (released by Criterion), and 1934's Cleopatra (released by Universal), no other DeMille movie on DVD ever received any good supplements. I imagine that licencing the documentary from TCM (and likely Warner Bros.) would have been cost-prohibitive. Too bad Paramount couldn't make their own C.B. DeMille documentary. But then they'd have to licence out movie clips from Universal, who owns their pre-1949 catalogue (which includes a majority of DeMille's films), and I imagine that too would be cost-prohibitive.

Still, what we are getting in this release is quite excellent (HD presentation, new documentary, photo gallery, loads of gubbins), and since it's my favorite movie of all time, I'm not going to complain as much as I would for a not-as-favorite film. Just give me Charlton Heston walking in the desert in glorious VistaVision and I'm a happy camper.

albert

[Disney Duster]

Yea, I was wondering, how did people watch the movie before? Is it a four hour movie split into two two-hour halves, so people watched the first two hours, had an intermission, and then came back into the theater for the other two hours?

That's how Gone With the Wind was, right?

[Escapay]

Found the real 1966 trailer:

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hKEp7WYrMmY?fs ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hKEp7WYrMmY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

For comparison, here's the 1972 trailer, which is on the DVD:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pXyEcMG5bDs?fs ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pXyEcMG5bDs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

And here's the 1989 trailer, also on the DVD:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7EZ1fPfJzPY?fs ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7EZ1fPfJzPY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

And finally, the behemoth "making of" trailer from 1956, also on the DVD:

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sRGhOcnmChI?fs ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sRGhOcnmChI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

Whilst looking for the trailers, I also stumbled across this old chestnut, which would be awesome as an easter egg on the Blu-Ray:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u1kqqMXWEFs?fs ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u1kqqMXWEFs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

And Disney Duster, in a word, yes.

albert

[Disneykid]

Now that's more like it!

My only caveat is that they put additional extras in the giftset. I was only planning on buying the stand-alone release since there are only two films (and a franchise) that I care enough about to want extra swag: Alice in Wonderland (which isn't important enough to Disney to get one), Harry Potter (which is halfway there), and The Wizard of Oz (which has already gotten one). Ah, well. The extra goodies with Ten Commandments do sound cool, and maybe I'll buy the Ben-Hur set later this year to get a matching pair.

Ten Commandments looked amazing on ABC HD last year, so if that (and the recent White Christmas Blu-Ray) are any indication, this transfer should be gorgeous. (though I'm still looking forward to the King of Kings remake more )

[Escapay]

My only caveat is that they put additional extras in the giftset.

Mine too. Especially since, as I mentioned in my earlier post, Paramount had different releases for The African Queen that could have easily been done here as well (separate BD & DVD releases, and separate BD & DVD Gift Set releases). I'm going to get the gift set anyway no matter what, but I feel bad for Blu-Ray buyers who want the silent film and documentary but have no need for extra swag.

Though I'm still looking forward to the King of Kings remake more.

I'll probably get that eventually, it took me awhile to finally get it on DVD, and I've never even watched it entirely in one sitting yet.

albert

[avonleastories95]

Well, it is about time!