Spectacle as bore.

Rating: Null/10 (16 December 1999)

Overwrought, overblown, overrated, and marked by the usual Charlton Heston (I AM MOSES) performance. The chariot sequence gets A for effort, and must have been quite dangerous for the stunt men, but ultimately it's just a lot of noise sans dramatic tension. The slave galley sequence was 10 minutes of yawn.
The script is painfully lame, but there wasn't much to work with - the original book being second-rate. Some gorgeous sets, but sets alone do not a great movie make.
Seeing the movie again after 40 years has only confirmed my original opinion. OK for a Saturday afternoon if one is snowbound, but that's about it.
By far, the most fascinating aspect of this movie is the insight provided into the process of award selection by the film industry. This movie, like Titanic, is BIG, and sometimes sheer BIGNESS overwhelms critical taste,and sweeps everybody along with it.