Customer Reviews

The Ten Commandments

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This CD is not taken from the Dot original soundtrack album. This is a re-recording that Elmer Bernstein did for United Artists Records in the late Sixties. The best track is Nefritiri, which does not appear in this version on the
original soundtrack. This is a bit thin sounding but still worth having especially at the price.

This does well as an appetizer/condensed(VERY condensed, 28 minutes!) version of "The Ten Commandments" soundtrack. I am dubious as to whether this IS the actual film soundtrack (as one of my fellow reviewers says it is); to me, it sounds much too thin, without the magnificent bass tones so impressive while watching the film(take for example, the very first note!). Also I thought I detected a few tempo deviations from what I remember of the film (which I've watched many, many times on dvd). This may have to do with various engineering problems that sound transfer is fraught with, but it sounds to me like a "pops" orchestra doing a (rather great)cover of the material. But such is the sound quality that I am not sure at all...it very well could be, and so I refer to the expertise of my fellow reviewer who has the original lp. It just doesn't SOUND like the same orchestra to me, and THE only musical credits on the package is "all tracks written and composed by Elmer Bernstein"; no mention of an orchestra/conductor. As stated before, this serves as a good appetizer, since the original is soooooo difficult to come by (and I think it will be worth the wait for some super-deluxe treatment to be released in future, as the older version must certainly have technical sound limitations that can be corrected with today's material). As this disc itself stands, it is "OK", but I was really looking forward to BLASTING it out of my speakers to the dismay of my downtown neighbors (they may find it a refreshing change of pace from such bands as Destruction, Funeral Mist, Limbonic Art, and Behexen), but this particular recording is so unbalanced that the sound is nigh-unbearable at loud volumes (and yes, I have a system and speakers which should handle it....the dvd sounds ultra-fantastic through this system). I am glad to finally have a copy of this majestic, magnificent and moving soundtrack, but I will keep waiting for an "ultimate" version. Plus, hey, it WAS cheap! (follows is a track listing, since at this time Amazon does not feature one):
1)Overture Act I
2)Nefretiri
3)Court Dance
4)Sephora
5)The Burning Bush
6)Oveture Act II
7)The Exodus
8)Dance of Jethro's Daughters
9)The Red Sea
10)Finale

Get the MCA issue of this glorious soundtrack.
This recording sounds like it a third generation copy from an LP. distortions and all.

Even at under 5 bucks, this is a complete waste of money.

I wish the studios would re-release this as part of their 50 year anniversary of the release of the movie.

Is this someone's idea of a joke? If it is, please try again. This isn't funny. It is little more than a barely (?) legal pirate recording.

It should be a major embarrassment to a studio with the history and stature of Paramount that they continue to ignore their legacy by bullheadedly and consistently refusing to listen to the public outcry for them to allow their vast soundtrack catalog to see the light of day.

20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and MGM long ago realized there was, if nothing else, renewed status and interest to be had from their soundtrack libraries.

That Elmer Bernstein's classic score for "The Ten Commandments", which is only the tip of the iceberg, by-the-way, to continue to languish in Paramount's vaults borders on professional neglect.

This, I must say, is a good example of what is wrong with Hollywood in the 21st Century. They have forgotten that, amongst other things, their product is meant to entertain, not just make fast bucks.

Shame on them.

True, this version is much shorter but yet it is close to the original in some case. I have the original LP bought in 1957 on Dot Label and there are 18 tracks but longer in time. This is the true original and it was taken from the original cut from the movie. I agree that Paramount should make a new complete CD but that is like asking United Artists to releease the "original" The Alamo. Turner Classics has it but won't release it. Why? Who knows. Well, Paramount is playing the same game. there is a real demand for both. Both TTC and Alamo could be released as 50th Aniversary Specials. Just my opinion.

This CD really deserves 4 or 4-and-a-half stars but it has received too many unfavorable reviews here. It is the only in-print recording of Elmer Bernstein's magnificent score to Demille's "The Ten Commandments" as of this writing; the MCA recording from 1989 is now out-of-print and fetches exorbitant prices even for a used copy. That MCA CD is a rerecording by Elmer Bernstein of his score; this CD being reviewed appears to be the original recording made in 1956 for the film. That is why the sound quality is not great; it is a mono recording that lacked the digital or even stereo technology that makes later recordings sound better. The timing of this CD is very short: just under 30 minutes. But you do get all the best excerpts from Bernstein's score and the feeling is quite authentic. This is not a third-tier orchestra doing rehearsals as some reviews might have you believe. If you can get it really cheap, this is a perfect sampler of the best moments in Bernstein's classic score. One day, they will release a multiple-disc deluxe edition but for now, this is the recording to get!

This is a great service!!!! You cannot get this stuff anywhere else at this great price! GET WHAT YOU WANT!!