Every year before and during our seder, I find myself thinking about the definitive movie version of the Passover story, the great Cecil B. De Mille epic, “The Ten Commandments.” De Mille’s masterpiece was a huge success when it premiered in 1956 and stood for many decades as one of highest grossing films of all time—second only to “Gone With the Wind.” I usually piece together my own Hagaddah for my seder and this year I decided to go right to the source. True, the non-Jewish and some say anti-Semitic De Mille took many liberties with the story of Moses leading the Jews out of Egyptian bondage, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a single Jew among the A-list stars of the film (except for Edward G. Robinson playing the evil, conniving Dathan who “spoiled” poor Hebrew slave girl Debra Paget) but I had a lot of fun using De Mille’s opus to tell the story.
Did you know that in the actual Hagaddah, Moses’s name is never mentioned? This is deliberate, to make sure the focal point of the story is God and not a heroic but mortal man. But in my Hagaddah, Chuck Heston receives the star billing he deserves. My commentary throughout the seder last night veered from a discussion of the Passover rituals to all sorts of tidbits about the making of the Technicolor extravaganza. De Mille’s first choice for Moses was actor William Boyd. When that fell through (Boyd worried that his success as Hopalong Cassidy would hurt the film), De Mille agreed on Heston only after someone pointed out the incredible resemblance between Charlton and Michelangelo’s famous sculpture of Moses.
The casting of the Hebrew slaves in “The Ten Commandments” was bizarre. I guess in 1956 all of the actual Jewish actors in Hollywood were too busy playing American Indians and Asians to appear in De Mille's film. Moses’s right-hand man Joshua was played by über-Goy John Derek who is best known for his series of successively younger wives (Ursula Andress, Linda Evans, and Bo Derek) who looked so much alike they could have passed for grandmother, mother, and daughter. Moses’ sister Miriam was played by shiksa Olive Deering, the first wife of Leo Penn (father of Sean). Moses’s mother Jochelbel was played by the very Gentile Martha Scott (the original Emily in “Our Town”) who played Heston’s Jewish mama in two films and his wife in two stage plays. The great John Carradine played the role of Moses’ older brother, Aaron, and sultry Yvonne DeCarlo took on the role of Moses’ loyal wife Sephora. DeCarlo would play Mary Magdelene a few years later before hitting the big time as Lily Munster.
If the casting of the Jews in De Mille’s epic raised the hackles of the Anti-Defamation League, the actors playing the Egyptian characters in the film suffered no less of a genetic mismatch. Sir Cedric Hardwicke’s Sethi was clearly the whitest Pharaoh ever to grace the screen. With tall, blonde Nina Foch as Egyptian Princess Bithiah and Anne “Eve Harrington” Baxter as Queen Nefretiri, DeMille presented an Egyptian royal family that could have passed for the court of King Gustaf of Sweden. Where was Omar Sharif that year? At least Yul Brynner’s Rameses II had a more authentic look, despite the fact that Brynner was born in Vladivostok, Russia, quite a trek from the North African Kingdom of the Pharaohs.
But who cares about authenticity when you’re watching one of the most gloriously absurd epics ever filmed? The hot-and-heavy scenes between Heston and Anne Baxter were as historically sound as some of Baxter’s ridiculous lines, my favorite being when Nefretiri slinks up to Heston and purrs, “Oh, Moses, you stubborn, splendid, adorable fool!”
A few more exquisite pearls from the film:
Nefretiri: You will be king of Egypt and I will be your footstool.
Moses: The man stupid enough to use you as a footstool isn't wise enough to rule Egypt.
Rameses (to Nefretiri): You will be mine, like my dog, or my horse, or my falcon, except that I shall love you more—and trust you less.
Nefretiri: Oh, Moses, Moses! Why of all men did I fall in love with the Prince of Fools? Why must you deny me and yourself?
Moses: Because I am bound to a God, and to a people, and to a shepherd girl.
Nefretiri: A shepherd girl? What can she be to you unless the desert sun has dulled your senses? Does she grate garlic on her skin or is it soft as mine? Are her lips chafed and dry as the desert sand or are they moist and red like a pomegranate? Is it the fragrance of myrrh that scents her hair or is it the odor of sheep?
Moses: There is a beauty beyond the senses, Nefretiri.
Baka: Will you lose a throne because Moses builds a city?
Rameses: The city that he builds shall bear my name, the woman that he loves shall bear my child. So let it be written, so let it be done.
That last line rivals Brynner’s own “et cetera, et cetera, et cetera” that he made famous four months earlier when the movie version of “The King and I” opened. I wouldn’t be surprised if many people confused Brynner’s two most famous roles and believed that 19th century King Mongkut of Siam was wandering around Ancient Egypt 3000 years in the past. Though both rulers were despotic egomaniacs I felt sorry for them by the end of the films. Charlton Heston and Deborah Kerr both succeeded in emasculating poor Yul. I’m no scholar of Ancient Egypt but I strongly doubt that any Pharaoh ever stated, as Brynner’s Rameses did in utter defeat, “His God…IS…God!” Oy.
When he filmed “The Ten Commandments,” Charlton Heston was a liberal Democrat and was even considering a Democratic run for the Senate. Like his Democrat pal Ronald Reagan, Heston would make a whiplash-inducing turn to the right, eventually becoming the President of the National Rifle Association and working for pro-life groups. These later leanings of Heston’s were probably more in line with Moses’ political affiliations. Though socially liberal (Moses’ fight against slavery mirrored Heston’s support for civil rights), both had a religious zeal that could rival any fire-and-brimstone fundamentalist preacher.
The irony of organizing my Passover Hagaddah around the work of an anti-Semitic film director was not lost on me. But what about that slanderous charge? Is it fair? De Mille was unable to shake it following the release of his controversial 1927 film “King of Kings.” That silent blockbuster was the first film to leave viewers with the impression that the Jews, not the Romans, were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus and it was thought to have ignited a new spate of pre-war anti-Semitism in this country. Under pressure from Jewish groups, De Mille added a title card that exonerated the biblical Jews but the prickly director didn’t help his case when he angrily responded to charges by Jewish critics by stating, “If Jesus were alive today, these Jews might crucify him again!” Oy, Cecil. A recent biography of the director makes the claim that De Mille’s mother was Jewish but that he kept that fact a secret throughout his life.
My only departure from my “Ten Commandments” reverie during the seder was a brief nod to the Harry Potter gang (in honor of my Potter-obsessed daughter) who stood in for the Four Sons we read about: the wise son (Harry Potter), the wicked (Draco Malfoy), the simple (Ron Weasley), and the one who is too young to ask (our own Charlie!).
Okay, so it wasn’t my great-grandfather’s seder, but we all had a wonderful time and enjoyed a yummy repast including homemade chopped liver, gefilte fish, matzoh ball soup (with tri-colored matzoh balls), brisket, mashed potatoes, and so on. It’s a good thing the Hebrew slaves didn’t eat a traditional seder before they hightailed it out of Egypt or they would have been too bloated to make it across the Red Sea.
Happy Passover, everyone! Next Year in Jerusalem (by way, of course, of MGM’s “Ben-Hur!”).
A very clever Seder, indeed, Mr. Miller! Bravo! We utilized portions of Craig Buck's more modern take on the story, "Ina Gada Hagaddah"...available on amazon.com!
Happy Passover to you and yours!
Posted by: Ellen B. | April 19, 2011 at 02:13 PM
De Mille mother was jewish.
Posted by: helena | April 19, 2011 at 07:36 PM
Danny, you've outdone yourself! I'm amazed by your creativity and your broad knowledge--cinema, history, religion, and more. Thanks for a peek into your seder.
Posted by: Julie Reich | April 19, 2011 at 11:48 PM
Danny, Charlie looks like the reincarnation of Itsheh Mayer! What is "the actual hagadah"? Is it the one given out by Maxwell House Coffee?
Don't know which is the actual one? From what country, what century? Just asking...;-)
Posted by: Judy | April 21, 2011 at 01:05 PM
Danny:
Chag Pesach Sameach/Good YomTov to you and your family! I've posted elsewhere on your wonderful blog. Thank you for these great and informative posts!
Posted by: Lisa Merle Hawkins | April 21, 2011 at 06:58 PM
Wonderful Pesach post, Danny!
Please explain the tri-colored matzah ball; I know of tri-colored gefilte fish loaves, but nothing in the way of Technicolor (TM) matzah balls!
Posted by: TorontoPearl | April 23, 2011 at 10:08 PM
Danny...this sounds like a most unusual Ceremony....Personally, I have never been a fan of this film, and have always been aware of DeMille's Anti-Semetic leanings, which I'm sure colored my view of this film, but also, the fact that almost no Jewish actors were used always seemed ridiculous to me....!
Ad by the way, Olive Deering was NOT Sean Penn's mother...Eileen Ryan is his mother. (BTW: Olive Deering was Alfred Ryder's sister---a bit of Trivia about her....)
A Belated Happy Passover to you all and your dinner sounded scrumptious----It made my mouth water just reading the Menu! What are Tri-Color Matzo Balls??
Off topic, sort of....."DRIVING MISS DAISY"...as far as I know, NO Jewish actress has ever played 'Miss Daisy'....it is always cast with a very obvious white-bread-"Chiksa"....This has always bothered me terribly. I just don't get it!
Posted by: OldOldLady Of The Hills | April 24, 2011 at 01:40 AM
Late to the seder again. I'm so sorry. This sounds like the most fun-filled seder ever. Can we come to your house next year instead of Jerusalem? I've already done Pesach in Israel and it was too darn serious. Charlie looks so adorable all dressed up.
Posted by: animzmirot | April 25, 2011 at 04:01 PM
Edward G. Robinson would have kvelled. Yeah, Moses, yeah. I'm your brother, Aaron...
Posted by: Sheila Linderman | April 25, 2011 at 08:24 PM