The Very Best of Hollywood's Golden Age: The Wizard of Oz and The Ten Commandments

As a kid growing up, I had the luxury of being raised by my grandparents who grew up during the 1930's, the Hollywood's Golden Age. Every Saturday, we watched old movies that would eventually lead to my love for the classics.

Of all the movies I grew up watching, there are two high up on my list of favorites that continue to fascinate me to this day and are truly the very best of Hollywood's Golden Age - The Wizard of Oz and The Ten Commandments. Any time these movies come on, I watch them.

The Wizard of Oz:

The first time I watched The Wizard of Oz, I was all of four years old. I remember screaming at the top of my lungs when the Wicked Witch of the West appeared. Throwing my head down to my lap to cover my eyes with my hands, tears of fear streaming down my face, I kept asking, "Is she gone yet?"

The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939 and stars Judy Garland (Dorothy Gale), Margaret Hamilton (Almira Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West), Billie Burke (Glinda - the Good Witch of the North), Jack Haley (the Tinman), Bert Lahr (the Cowardly Lion), Ray Bolger (the Scarecrow), Frank Morgan (Professor Marvel and the Wizard of Oz), Charley Grapewin (Uncle Henry), Clara Blandick (Auntie Em), and The Singer Midgets (the Munchkins).

Plot:

Dorothy Gale lives with her Aunt and Uncle on a Kansas farm. She thinks her life is boring and dreams of traveling over the rainbow. When a twister hits the farm, Dorothy is transported to Munchkinland. The house she is in comes to rest on top of the Witch of the East. When Dorothy opens the door, the movie goes from black and white to a brilliant array of colors, courtesy of Technicolor. What transpires is a series of events that eventually leads Dorothy back home, and hopefully to newfound appreciation for her life and the people who love her.

At the time, I didn't get the true meaning of the movie, but as I grew up, the meaning became crystal clear: "There's no place like home."

The Ten Commandments:

The Ten Commandments was released in 1956 and stars Charleton Heston (Moses), Yul Brynner (Rameses), Yvonne DeCarlo (Sephora), Anne Baxter (Nefretiri), John Derek (Joshua), Vincent Price (Baka), and John Carradine (Aaron).

This movie started my fascination with Bible characters at an early age. It made those characters real. Every year when Easter draws close, I wait patiently for The Ten Commandments to come on. I feel like a kid all over again as I watch the movie in awe.

Plot:

Moses is set adrift in a basket by his Hebrew mother to save him after the Pharaoh, Rameses I, orders the deaths of all first-born Hebrew males. He is found by the Pharaohs daughter, Bithia, who takes Moses and raises him as her own. Moses is favored by Bithia's brother, Pharaoh Seti, loved by Nefritiri, and hated by Rameses, the Pharaoh's son.

When Moses learns he's the son of Hebrew slaves, he leaves court and joins the slaves. He is eventually cast out of Egypt and after crossing the desert, comes upon a group of shepherding women. He falls in love with the eldest, Sephora. They marry and have a son.

When Joshua arrives and fills Moses in on what is happening in Egypt, Moses journey's to the top of Mount Sanai where God commands him to return to Egypt and free the slaves. Once in Egypt, Moses and Rameses face off. After Egypt's first-born are struck down by God, Rameses finally relents and allows Moses to take the slaves out of Egypt.

It's not a bed of roses. Even after everything God has done through Moses, the people lose their faith.

While Moses is on Mount Sanai receiving the commandments from God, Dathan (an Egyptian slave master) encourages the people to fashion an idol, a golden calf. Not everyone is happy about what is going on, but they are powerless to stop it. An orgy of sorts is taking place in Moses' absence.

When Moses returns, he is angered by what he sees. In a rage like no other, Moses hurls the tablets containing the Ten Commandments at the golden calf, setting it ablaze and killing Dathan and some of the others. A burning crevasse opens up in the ground causing those who are not with Moses to fall in and perish.

The remainder of the group is caused to wander the desert for 40-years to prove their loyalty to God. Just before they are to arrive in Israel, Moses appoints Joshua as leader, says his final farewell to his wife, Sephora, before going on to his final destiny.

Charleton Heston gave his finest performance in The Ten Commandments. No one else could have pulled the character of Moses off quite as well as Heston did. He is Moses.

Up until a few years ago, The Wizard of Oz only came on once a year but comes on regularly these days. To date, I've seen it more than 60 times; catching it any time it's broadcast. I've seen The Ten Commandments more than 35 times and watch it every Easter weekend. These are two movies I know by heart and have passed on my love for them to my own kids - who may or may not appreciate them as much as I do.

If you haven't introduced your children to these two great movies, what are you waiting for? In this day and age, it's as easy as visiting your neighborhood video store and popping them in the DVD or Blu-ray. How great is that?

Sources:
Personal Experience - Viewed The Wizard of Oz in excess of 60 times; The Ten Commandments more than 35 times