Propagandizing the Exodus Story: How DeMille's The Ten Commandments was an Allegory for the Cold War

It should be no surprise that the best cinema is often more than just entertainment; it serves as a powerful medium for reflecting and commenting on the socio-political climate of contemporary issues. Filmmakers often draw inspiration from current events, using their craft to communicate underlying messages, ideologies, and societal concerns. By intertwining fiction with reality, cinema can ingeniously illuminate both the struggles and aspirations of a society, shaping our collective consciousness in the process.

The Ten Commandments (1956)

The Ten Commandments, directed by Cecil B. DeMille and released in 1956, stands as a quintessential example of how cinema mirrors the socio-political environment in which it is produced. During the late 1950s, the world was engulfed in the Cold War—a prolonged and tense geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. This global struggle for supremacy took place primarily through ideological confrontation rather than direct military conflict, preferring indirect cultural approaches to win the hearts and minds of nonaligned countries rather than overtly political methods. Hollywood played a significant role in this battle by promoting American values and ideals, becoming a key agent in spreading the "American way" worldwide.

The ideological divide between the United States and Soviet Russia gave rise to a climate of mutual suspicion . . . and mutually assured destruction. In the United States, a government-led campaign against communism, spearheaded by Senator Joseph McCarthy, intensified the Red Scare—a period marked by heightened anti-communist sentiment, censorship, and political repression.

Hollywood was not immune to this atmosphere since filmmakers were increasingly conscious of the need to align their work with prevailing political ideologies, lest they fall under suspicion themselves and are "canceled" by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Other Hollywood professionals embraced this new cash cow enthusiastically, resulting in numerous anticommunist films being produced during this period.

The Ten Commandments film, which is based on the biblical story of Moses and the Exodus, emerged during this backdrop of global tension and domestic paranoia. The film's production coincided with the Cold War, and its interpretation of the biblical story was undoubtedly influenced by contemporary events. Charlton Heston's portrayal of Moses as an American hero and the depiction of Pharaoh as an allegory for communism exemplifies how the film adapted a biblical tale to fit the socio-political narrative of its time.

A Distinctly American-Christian Version of Passover

The Ten Commandments, while prominently claiming its origins in "The Holy Scriptures" during its opening credits, presents a paradoxical combination of reverence for the Bible and acknowledgment of influences from authorities on biblical interpretation. DeMille suggested that his motives for remaking The Ten Commandments were rooted in religious convictions, expressing his desire to use the film as a missionary tool to make the Bible appealing and relevant to a materialistic age, emphasizing his unwavering belief in the divine authenticity of the Bible.

The film's portrayal of Moses as a heroic and devout leader aligns with the American exceptionalism ideology prevalent during the Cold War era. The film's conservatism is highlighted in the film's emphasis on supernatural miracles as objectively real events even while introducing extrabiblical narrative elements into the mix, notably a romantic subplot involving Moses, Rameses, and Nefretiri, which depart from the biblical account while still maintaining a veneer of scholarship through the selective use of ancient texts like Philo and Josephus.

Moreover, The Ten Commandments' positive portrayal of traditional religiosity reflects the broader religious revival in 1950s America where mass marketing and sentimentality played significant roles. For a film about the central identity myth of Judaism, it de-emphasizes the specific rituals and practices of Judaism itself, presenting a more ecumenical perspective, instead. DeMille's movie ultimately heads for a Christianized destination, downplaying Jewish particularities so as to conform to the broader American-Christian society.

The Americanized retelling of the Exodus is particularly evident during Moses' journey from discovering his Hebrew roots to his exile and arrival in Midian. Director DeMille extensively draws upon language and narrative from the New Testament. For example, upon learning of his true birth from Bithiah and Yochebel, Moses faces a series of Jesus-like "temptations": 1) live a comfortable life for himself and his relatives but neglect the wider community; or 2) ascend to the throne and later use his power to benefit everyone, including Hebrew slaves. Like Jesus, Moses must decide the boundaries of his new life and whether compromising with evil is necessary to achieve his goals. Ultimately, Moses' choice to resist temptation reveals that his true place is with Israel, not in a palace in Egypt.

Similar to Jesus' rejection of temptation, Yochebel reacts with a Lukan-like declaration, combining elements of the Magnificat and Anna's speech in the Temple (Luke 1:46-55; 2:36-38). She prophetically announces that Moses is her deliverer; and through him, she is blessed among all mothers. The film introduces a Simeon-like character in the form of an elderly mud treader, who works alongside Moses in the brick pits of Goshen. This character, unlike his Lukan counterpart, dies without witnessing his deliverer, unaware that his prayer has been answered. This adaptation of Luke in the film enhances narrative tension and emphasizes that prayers are indeed answered, even if not immediately apparent.

The Ten Commandments not only draws from the New Testament to reveal Moses' true identity and purpose, but it also interprets his capture and exile by Rameses in Christian terms. While the Hebrew Bible presents Moses fleeing after killing an Egyptian taskmaster impulsively, the film depicts his banishment in Jesus-like terms as punishment for being the long-awaited deliverer. Similar to Judas, Dathan betrays Moses to Rameses for financial gain. When Moses is accused of being the liberator of the slaves, his response echoes the enigmatic nature of Jesus' replies in places like Luke 22:66-23:9. And similar to Pilate, Seti acknowledges that he must order Moses' death but hesitates to pronounce the sentence, handing him over to Rameses for punishment, instead.

A pivotal scene occurs when Rameses casts Moses into the wilderness. Moses' experiences in the desert, where he survives without sustenance, parallel the synoptic temptation narrative of Jesus (Matthew 4:2; Luke 4:2). Much like how Jesus was mocked as "King of the Jews" and dressed mockingly in regal attire, Rameses taunts Moses as "the slave who would be King" and "Prince of Israel," dressing him in Levite cloth and handing him a symbolic scepter. Ironically, Rameses' comments foreshadow the truth, as Moses indeed becomes the true leader of the Hebrews, akin to Jesus being the true King of the Jews.

An American Moses

Charlton Heston's portrayal of Moses in The Ten Commandments is a masterful example of how cinema can be used to project American ideals onto a biblical character, aligning him with the values and virtues perceived to be emblematic of the United States during the Cold War era. Through various elements of his characterization, Heston's Moses represents the American nation, a guardian of divinely willed freedom, while Rameses symbolizes the powerful yet eventually defeated Soviet enemy. Hence, the character "Moses" visibly portrays more of an obviously white American identity than what one would expect with seeing an ancient Israelite.

In The Ten Commandments, Moses embodies America's emphasis on individualism and self-reliance. When he is exiled from Egypt and left to fend for himself in the desert, he displays resourcefulness and resilience, traits admired as essential components of the American man. Moses personifies the Statue of Liberty and advocates for a specifically American model of freedom where the promised land is depicted as a place of private property and free enterprise. Once Moses accepts his life's purpose, the film turns him into a freedom fighter who leads his people in a struggle against an oppressive army that wants to suppress his pure "Judeo-Christian" belief system, aligning with the American narrative of fighting against the atheistic totalitarianism attributed to communism.

Conclusion

At the time, some reviewers criticized DeMille's film for its fictional and apocryphal elements that trivialized the biblical account. The film's depiction of miracles and the divine voice also faced criticism, with some reviewers finding them superficial and even blasphemous. Yet others praised the film's emphasis on religious values and the presentation of Moses as a heroic figure, mirroring the perception of the United States as a defender of democracy and liberty in the face of communist aggression.

As a Cold War-era epic, The Ten Commandments reflects the ideological tensions prevalent in 1950s America. DeMille strategically used the film's presentation to appeal to the American audience's desire for epic narratives involving the United States as a defender of freedom and morality. In the context of an ideological struggle against "atheistic communism," reaffirming religious values through cinema became a way to emphasize the moral superiority of the West. DeMille's film catered to a deeply religious American audience, reinforcing the perception of the United States as a nation under God, fighting against godless communism.