The film was directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and it was his final film. It is a remake of DeMille’s own 1923 silent film, also titled The Ten Commandments.

The 1956 film was, at the time, the most expensive film ever made, with a budget of about $13 million.

Upon release, it became one of Paramount’s highest-grossing movies, second only to Gone With the Wind when adjusted for its era.

To build its world, the production constructed 67 master sets, in addition to a massive “Gate of Per-Rameses,” requiring 950,000 board-feet of lumber, 1,540 tons of plaster, 4,725 gallons of paint, and 2,400 tons of soil trucked in for realistic ground surfaces.

The production ultimately used four VistaVision cameras, which were advanced for the time, to capture the location footage, including scenes in Egypt.

Pre-production included over 1,200 storyboard sketches before actual filming began.

The film was shot partly on location in Egypt, around Mount Sinai on the Sinai Peninsula, and partly on soundstages at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.

The lead role of Moses was played by Charlton Heston, chosen because DeMille thought he resembled the famous Michelangelo statue of Moses.

To create the world of ancient Egypt and Israel, the costume department produced approximately 25,000 costumes, built by 125 tailors over more than a year. These costumes demanded exotic materials. The wardrobe involved 300 animal skins, such as leopard, lion, and zebra, 2,500 pairs of sandals, and 40,000 yards of specially woven or dyed fabric. The film also commissioned 1,100 pieces of jewelry and bejeweled props, made by ten separate jewelers.

The film used over 14,000 extras, an entire small city of people. In addition to thousands of human extras, around 15,000 animals, including horses, camels, and other beasts, were used in the film.

Many of the lead and supporting actors were no longer under contract with Paramount. By the mid 1950s, the old studio contract system had mostly ended.

The famous “parting of the Red Sea” scene was shot partly using real water. A huge U shaped tank at Paramount was built to hold 360,000 gallons.

The voice of God, heard during the burning bush scene, is uncredited. For many years it was a mystery whose voice it was. In a later DVD release, Heston admitted that he himself provided the voice.

The actor who played the infant Moses was actually Heston’s real-life newborn son.

For decades, the film’s televised showings became a staple in many households. The movie was regularly aired on television, especially around religious holidays. Because of television commercials and breaks, many televised showings stretch to four to four and a half hours, prompting jokes that perhaps they should have renamed it The Seven Commandments.