Where to watch
Each link opens a search on that service. Checked 13 October 2026.
Streaming data from JustWatch
The Ten Commandments
1956
· Movie
· 220 min
B
MEANRANK
78/100
Where it ranks
- Mean Score #974
- IMDb #463
- Google retired #398
- Rotten Tomatoes #1149
- Letterboxd #894
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics #1869
+5 more
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience #897
- Criticker #1887
- Kinopoisk #1464
- AlloCiné #631
- Trakt #508
Every rating
48–94
out of 100
An Egyptian prince learns of his true Hebrew heritage. After being exiled for killing an abusive taskmaster, he finds his destiny in the desert. He is commanded by God to return to Egypt and demand the freedom of the Hebrew slaves from the stubborn Pharaoh, his adoptive brother.
Details
- Director
- Cecil B. DeMille
- Released
- 8 November 1956
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 220 min
- Rated
- G
- Budget
- $13.0M
- Box office
- $122.7M
- Awards
- 15 wins, 8 nominations
This title elsewhere
Cast
Full cast (115) →
Awards & nominations
See all 23 →1 major award won · 15 wins from 23 nominations across 10 ceremonies
| Academy Awards 1956 | Best Special Effects | John P. Fulton | Winner |
| Academy Awards 1956 | Best Art Direction (Color) | Art directors: Hal Pereira, Walter H. Tyler, and Albert Nozaki Set decorators: Samuel M. Comer and Ray Moyer | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 1956 | Best Cinematography (Color) | Loyal Griggs | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 1956 | Best Costume Design (Color) | Edith Head, Ralph Jester, John Jensen, Dorothy Jeakins, and Arnold Friberg | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 1956 | Best Film Editing | Anne Bauchens | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 1956 | Best Motion Picture | Cecil B. DeMille, producer | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 1956 | Best Sound Recording | Paramount Studio Sound Department and sound director Loren L. Ryder | Nominee |
| Golden Globe Awards 1956 | Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Charlton Heston | Nominee |
Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
More like this
Featured in
All lists →
On this list
30 September 2026
Christian films worth watching: conscience, Scripture, prayer and their costs
Sixteen films, with different starting points for biblical storytelling, difficult questions of faith and direct devotional encouragement.
30 October 2026
Why Meryl Streep is the greatest actress of all time
The case rests on comedy, emotional precision, versatility and sustained achievement, tested against the strongest rival claims.
30 October 2026
Denzel Washington is more than an actor: a global Black cultural icon
How global visibility, artistic freedom and a commanding public presence gave his career a meaning that reaches beyond the films.
29 October 2026
Five great biopics, ranked: when a life becomes a film
Raging Bull, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler's List, The Social Network and Oppenheimer—judged for the choices they make, and the lives they leave outside the frame.
8 October 2026
Leonardo DiCaprio's films, ranked—and the performances inside them
Twenty-one selected films, with a closer look at the acting: comic timing, self-invention, wounded authority and the effort that sometimes shows.
30 September 2026
The most popular film genres? What the ratings actually show
Drama leads the total, but volume, a typical film’s attention and average score tell different stories.
30 September 2026
Christian films worth watching: conscience, Scripture, prayer and their costs
Sixteen films, with different starting points for biblical storytelling, difficult questions of faith and direct devotional encouragement.
30 October 2026
Why Meryl Streep is the greatest actress of all time
The case rests on comedy, emotional precision, versatility and sustained achievement, tested against the strongest rival claims.
30 October 2026
Denzel Washington is more than an actor: a global Black cultural icon
How global visibility, artistic freedom and a commanding public presence gave his career a meaning that reaches beyond the films.
29 October 2026
Five great biopics, ranked: when a life becomes a film
Raging Bull, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler's List, The Social Network and Oppenheimer—judged for the choices they make, and the lives they leave outside the frame.
8 October 2026
Leonardo DiCaprio's films, ranked—and the performances inside them
Twenty-one selected films, with a closer look at the acting: comic timing, self-invention, wounded authority and the effort that sometimes shows.
30 September 2026
The most popular film genres? What the ratings actually show
Drama leads the total, but volume, a typical film’s attention and average score tell different stories.
Just released
See all →
Coming soon
Trailer — The Ten Commandments
×Full cast — The Ten Commandments
×
Guardian of the Prince / Court Woman / Hebrew at Dathan's Tent / Hebrew at Crag and Corridor / Mother
Hebrew at Golden Calf / Courtier / Slave / Hebrew at Dathan's Tent / Hebrew at Crag and Corridor / Overseer
23 awards — The Ten Commandments
×
Academy Awards
7 nominations, 1 won
| Best Special Effects | John P. Fulton | Winner |
| Best Art Direction (Color) | Art directors: Hal Pereira, Walter H. Tyler, and Albert Nozaki Set decorators: Samuel M. Comer and Ray Moyer | Nominee |
| Best Cinematography (Color) | Loyal Griggs | Nominee |
| Best Costume Design (Color) | Edith Head, Ralph Jester, John Jensen, Dorothy Jeakins, and Arnold Friberg | Nominee |
| Best Film Editing | Anne Bauchens | Nominee |
| Best Motion Picture | Cecil B. DeMille, producer | Nominee |
| Best Sound Recording | Paramount Studio Sound Department and sound director Loren L. Ryder | Nominee |
Golden Globe Awards
1 nomination
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Charlton Heston | Nominee |
Film Daily Filmdom's Famous Five Award
4 nominations, 4 won
| 4th Best Actor | Charlton Heston | Winner |
| 5th Best Director | Cecil B. DeMille | Winner |
| 5th Best Photographed Picture | Loyal Griggs | Winner |
| 5th Best Screenplay | Aeneas MacKenzie, Jesse L. Lasky Jr., Jack Gariss, and Fredric M. Frank | Winner |
Laurel Awards
3 nominations, 3 won
| 3rd Best Female Supporting Performance | Yvonne De Carlo | Winner |
| 5th Best Female Dramatic Performance | Anne Baxter | Winner |
| Best Male Dramatic Performance | Charlton Heston | Winner |
California Federation of Women's Clubs Motion Picture Industry Awards
3 nominations, 2 won
| Best Actor | Charlton Heston | Winner |
| Best Picture | Paramount and Cecil B. DeMille | Winner |
| Best Director | Cecil B. DeMille | Nominee |
Boxoffice Blue Ribbon Award
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Picture of the Month (January 1957) | Cecil B. DeMille | Winner |
Christian Herald Reader's Award
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Picture of the Year (1957) | Cecil B. DeMille | Winner |
Foreign Language Press Film Critics Circle Award
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Director | Cecil B. DeMille | Winner |
Fotograma de Plata Award
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Foreign Actor | Charlton Heston | Winner |
National Board of Review Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Actor | Yul Brynner (also for Anastasia and The King and I ) | Winner |