Five Things You Might Not Have Known About the Movie "The Ten Commandments"-- Part 1: Parting the Red Sea

From the March 8, 2020, Parade magazine.

I saw part of this movie this past Sunday on ABC.  This 1956 movie showed how Moses (Charlton Heston) turned his back on a life of privilege in the land of the Pharaoh (Yul Brynner) to set his Hebrew people free.

It was filmed in Egypt, Mt. Sinai and the Sinai Peninsula and was one of the most financially rewarding movies ever, grossing around $122.7 million in its run (equivalent to $1.15 billion in 2019).

Here are some facts about this Bible-based blockbuster which received an Oscar for its jaw-dropping special effects.

1.  The illusion of the Red Sea Parting was achieved by filming large tanks flooded with 350,000 gallons of water (with gelatin added to thicken it) and wind machines, then showing the footage in reverse.

--Cooter