I recall trying to watch this as a teenager, and instantly bored because of the lack of camp value. Certainly, the majestic cinerama of the 1956 Paramount version is enthralling with every detail perfect, even if there are unintentional laughs along the way. But this is a variation of the story that goes far out of its way to be different, and in some ways, you will see things here that are in the biblical story that are not included in the epic movie. Many of the falsehoods of the 1956 movie have been eliminated, and that includes the romantic triangle between Moses, Princess Neferetiri and the Pharaoh. Pharaoh does have a wife, but she is only a minor, nearly non-speaking character, only concerned with the love of her husband and the health of their child, interestingly cast with a beautiful black actress who could never be compared with the Caucasian Anne Baxter.
Gone along with this is the remainder of most of the court based dramas. Two elderly pharaohs have been combined into one, and the younger Pharaoh is seen as much younger than Moses, determined to bring him back into the court irregardless of his Hebrew birth after Moses returns from exile. The pharaoh is stubborn and proud because of his own ego rather than the manipulations of a woman, and this makes him more dangerous. There is little seen of the Princess Bithia and Moses' real mother, Yoshabel, and the characters of natural siblings Miriam and Aaron have limited importance other than Miriam's involvement in becoming a near sacrifice for the Golden Ram and Aaron's occasional priestly declarations once the Hebrews have left Egypt.
For the first episode, Bill Lancaster is seen as the young growing Moses, turning suddenly into Burt Lancaster when he is already married to Zepphorah and living at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Lancaster is soft spoken, certainly not booming in presence like Charlton Heston, so when Moses punishes those who have not kept the Sabbath holy, it comes as a bit of a shock. The violence here is overwhelming, whether it be the flinging of the babies into the river or the punishments which result as a breaking of God's newly presented law. One lawbreaker is flung off a mountain, pretty gruesome to see for such a Godly and still timely story.
Technically, this is quite good, not cinematic like the biblical epics of the 50's or 60's, but there are a few continuity flaws that are disturbing. The pharaoh chase leads nowhere, and some time elements have been cut out that eliminate necessary details. I don't think I could sit through all five hours of this again, well maybe in another 20 years, and by that time, I'll have watched the Cecil B. DeMille version another 3 or 4 times. The Ennio Morricone score is a mix of musical styles, often a sort of soft rock with a bit of a chanting sound that is appropriate for a bit of Gothic styling. I rate the individual episodes higher because when seen separately, they have a bigger impact than the series as a whole.
Gone along with this is the remainder of most of the court based dramas. Two elderly pharaohs have been combined into one, and the younger Pharaoh is seen as much younger than Moses, determined to bring him back into the court irregardless of his Hebrew birth after Moses returns from exile. The pharaoh is stubborn and proud because of his own ego rather than the manipulations of a woman, and this makes him more dangerous. There is little seen of the Princess Bithia and Moses' real mother, Yoshabel, and the characters of natural siblings Miriam and Aaron have limited importance other than Miriam's involvement in becoming a near sacrifice for the Golden Ram and Aaron's occasional priestly declarations once the Hebrews have left Egypt.
For the first episode, Bill Lancaster is seen as the young growing Moses, turning suddenly into Burt Lancaster when he is already married to Zepphorah and living at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Lancaster is soft spoken, certainly not booming in presence like Charlton Heston, so when Moses punishes those who have not kept the Sabbath holy, it comes as a bit of a shock. The violence here is overwhelming, whether it be the flinging of the babies into the river or the punishments which result as a breaking of God's newly presented law. One lawbreaker is flung off a mountain, pretty gruesome to see for such a Godly and still timely story.
Technically, this is quite good, not cinematic like the biblical epics of the 50's or 60's, but there are a few continuity flaws that are disturbing. The pharaoh chase leads nowhere, and some time elements have been cut out that eliminate necessary details. I don't think I could sit through all five hours of this again, well maybe in another 20 years, and by that time, I'll have watched the Cecil B. DeMille version another 3 or 4 times. The Ennio Morricone score is a mix of musical styles, often a sort of soft rock with a bit of a chanting sound that is appropriate for a bit of Gothic styling. I rate the individual episodes higher because when seen separately, they have a bigger impact than the series as a whole.