The annual network presentation of Cecil B. De Mille's 1956 epic film The Ten Commandments has been an American television standard every Easter for decades. Highlighted by Oscar-winning special effects, such as the spectacular parting of the Red Sea, The Ten Commandments vividly tells the Biblical story of the life of Moses, with 1950s superstar Charlton Heston in the lead role. Featuring a cast of thousands, the three-plus hour saga remains a perennial audience favorite, proving that larger-than-life spectacle continues to be among Hollywood's principal contributions to popular culture.

One of the most important early motion picture directors, Cecil B. De Mille helped define Hollywood's early cinematic style in silent films such as the classic 1915 melodrama The Cheat. Primarily a comedy director in his early career, De Mille made his first epic film, The Ten Commandments, in 1923. In this earlier version, De Mille interwove the...