The Ten Commandments
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The Ten Commandments Directed by Cecil B. DeMille (1923) With Live Improvised Accompaniment by Peter Edwin Krasinski, Organist Monday, January 13th, 2020 7:30pm Immanuel Baptist Church Nashville, TN —Program— Prelude and Fugue in C minor (BWV 549) J.S. Bach —The Ten Commandments— THE PRODUCTION Directed by Cecil B. DeMille Produced by Cecil B. DeMille Story by Jeanie MacPherson Cinematography Bert Glennon Peverel Marley Archibald Stout J.F. Westerberg Edited by Anne Bauchens Production Company Famous Players- Lasky Corporation THE CAST Prologue Theodore Roberts Moses, The Lawgiver Charles De Roche Rameses, The Magnificent Estelle Taylor Miriam, The Sister of Moses Julia Faye Nefertari Terrence Moore Amun-her-khepeshef James Neill Aaron, Brother of Moses Lawson Butt Dathan, The Discontented Clarence Burton The Taskmaster Noble Johnson The Bronze Man Story Edythe Chapman Mrs. Martha McTavish Richard Dix John McTavish, her son Rod La Rocque Dan McTavish, her son Leatrice Joy Mary Leigh Nita Naldi Sally Lung, a Eurasian Robert Edeson Redding, an Inspector Charles Ogle The Doctor Agnes Ayres The Outcast —Program Notes— Approaching the subject of history in Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 The Ten Commandments is an issue not of answering questions, but of determining which question to ask. For instance, how concerned should viewers be about the veracity of, say, the Star of David being present on Moses’s staff when, in fact, the symbol is predated by the Seal of Solomon, a symbol named for a Hebrew king whose lifetime comes well after the events of Exodus?1 Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times says it best: “The movies just love, love, love history. But history does not love the movies back. Not even one little bit.”2 This one is easy to love, though, because this movie is extraordinary! It is an amalgamation of three scripts about morality from three separate genres into one astounding adventure. Though it is all too easy to consider the earliest films as experiments in the medium, The Ten Commandments is better seen as an exciting piece of cinema from a bygone era. This is where its historical value lies; it comes from a time and a place, with attitudes and social mores distinct to that setting. Even better, it is from a time that pre-dates bottlenecking genre definitions. 1 "Solomon." World Heritage Encyclopedia. World Public Library Association. <http://cdn- cache.worldlibrary.org/Articles/Solomon?&Words=seal+of+solomo n#Seal_of_Solomon>. 2 Turan, Kenneth. "'Selma' Just Latest History Film to Face Accuracy Questions." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2015. <http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et- mn-onfilm-turan-selma-historical-films-20150118-column.html>. The film begins with the ancient story of Moses: plagues, pursuit, parting of the sea, Ten Commandments, destruction of the golden calf – all in 45 minutes! Clearly, few expenses were spared for Moses’s story. From the costumes to the number of people on screen, the special effects to the choreographed action, this is in many ways a modern, big-budget event film. DeMille’s first act is a proto- Michael Bay experience; it is a familiar, predictable story that moves from explosive set piece to explosive set piece and spares no expense along the way. All along, though, this had been a story within the story. The words a mother had been reading from the Bible to her two sons were coming vividly to life in 1923. Really?! This is the opening misdirection of Psycho a full 37 years before Psycho! This is Hitchcock before Hitchcock! This is a big deal. Though the budget favored Moses, it becomes apparent that this was only in service of the dominant narrative, a story that is paradoxically smaller in scope. Having arrived in the film’s contemporary present, it is here that we are presented with a truly historic opportunity: experience this primary source of changing social mores from the early 20th Century in the closest approximation of its cinematic context, particularly with Peter Krasinski’s accompaniment on the sonically kaleidoscopic Immanuel Baptist Church organ as a supporting “narration” of the film. In other words, step out of our present and enter, for a moment, indeed, for many moments because this is truly an epic production – the world of 1923. Much as DeMille shaped the cinematic landscape of the era, F. Scott Fitzgerald documented it in word: “So gaily were the peace and prosperity impending hymned by the scribes and poets of the conquering people that more and more spenders had gathered from the provinces to drink the wine of excitement, and faster and faster did the merchants dispose of their trinkets.”3 Not just a period of relief, the War to end all Wars having conquered its foe, it was an era of promise. Prophecy destined that the newly secured peace would allow prosperity to follow suit. As described by Fitzgerald, Americans were high on a borderline- religious fervor of gratitude, wealth, and pride; they were drunk on the wine of excitement. Perhaps the character of Dan McTavish, the sly brother with the easy grin, celebrated like none other at Fitzgerald’s fictionalized parade. DeMille seems to be saying that this era was in need of guidance, something to help maintain priorities while making the best of opportunity – in other words, a quick dose of Sunday school. In the portrayal of brothers Dan and John McTavish, DeMille gives us a populist dissertation on the place of religion in post-WWI America. He presents two perspectives and futures: the financial growth and modern improprieties of Dan (a literal boom and bust), and the steadiness and conservatism of John, who, though a rival to the same desires as his brother, is balanced by a credo stronger than short-term gains. He may have been at Fitzgerald’s fictionalized parade with his brother, but John did not party quite so hard. 3 Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "May Day." 1922. Tales of the Jazz Age. N.p.: Amazon Kindle, 2014. 40. A Public Domain Book. And then the movie upends itself once more – this time into an all-out, madcap descent into criminal madness. Watching The Ten Commandments is a lot like watching scenes from the Bible, Seventh Heaven, and The Godfather molded into one, unbelievably cohesive narrative. Historically, Dan’s fall reminds us of the harsh reality that coexisted his rise: “One-tenth of 1 percent of families at the top took in as much income as 42 percent of families at the bottom,”4 reminding us that the Roaring Twenties only roared for a few. Through his portrayal of Twentieth Century interpretations of the Ten Commandments (if at times caricaturized in performance for dramatic effect), DeMille has given us a window into another time and place. Knowing of the 1929 stock market crash as we do, we may want to wonder just why DeMille was cautioning such temperance. Though the spectacle of the Exodus story may have drawn the crowd, this is (and always has been) a tale of a time and place in history that needed a reminder of lessons learned millennia ago. Patrick Moran teaches prehistory through the American Civil War at Saint Paul's Choir School in Harvard Square, Cambridge. He holds a master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire in history education. He can be reached at [email protected]. 4 Musser, Rick. "Social Climate." History of American Journalism. University of Kansas, School of Journalism & Mass Communications, 31 Dec. 2007. http://history.journalism.ku.edu/1920/1920.shtml —Biography— PETER EDWIN KRASINSKI is broadly recognized as a motivating consultant for the pipe organ community, and as a conductor, organist and music educator, whose imaginative and energetic performances elevate and inform audiences. Well respected in both secular and sacred genres of his field, he has taught the enchantment of music to both public and private institutions in the greater Boston area for many years. The press has said of Mr. Krasinski’s silent films accompaniments: “the best I have ever heard”; “a great marriage of movie and music”; “it was as if Krasinski became one with the elements”; and “his original score makes for nonstop entertainment worth repeating.” Specializing in the art of live silent film accompaniment, worldwide, some of his many appearances have included such venues as Irvine Auditorium at University of Pennsylvania, Trinity Wall Street (NYC), Wanamaker’s-Macy’s Greek Hall (Philadelphia), St Joseph’s Cathedral (Hartford), Old South Church (Boston), National City Christian Church (Washington, DC), St Joseph’s Oratory (Montreal), The Kotzschmar Organ at City Hall (Portland), The Great Organ at Methuen Music Hall, and major concert halls in the cities of Yokohama, Fukui, Miyazaki, and Kanazawa, Japan. A multiple prizewinner, he is the recipient of the First Prize in Improvisation from the American Guild of Organists National Competition. A seasoned performer, he has played recitals at Wanamaker’s (Philadelphia), the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Los Angeles), Notre-Dame Cathedral (Paris), Trinity Church (Boston), Holy Name Cathedral (Chicago), and Saint Agricola Church (Helsinki). Mr. Krasinski was past Dean of the Boston Chapter AGO. He is currently Organist of First Church of Christ, Scientist in Providence RI, accompanist at Beth El Temple Center Belmont MA, and last summer was a faculty member at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. He holds both a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education and Organ Performance, and the Master of Sacred Music Degree from Boston University. WWW.KRASINSKI.ORG —Special Thanks— Robert Klingbeil, Allen Organs of Tennessee and Steinway Piano Gallery, Nashville Hank Elliott and Hannah McDonald, Channel 5 news Caroline Kimrey, Steven Meriwether, and Richard Shadinger, Immanuel Baptist Church Dennis Milnar, Milnar Organ Company Marsha Scheusner, Nashville AGO Sophia Agtarap, Joan Brasher, Stephanie Budwey, Julia Jordan, Dave Perkins, mike Todd, and Emilie Townes, Vanderbilt University and especially to our sponsors: Allen Organs of Tennessee and Steinway Piano Gallery, Nashville Nashville Chapter of the American Guild of Organists Religion and the Arts in Contemporary Culture Program, Vanderbilt Divinity School Religion and the Arts in Contemporary Culture Program .