Location at Beni Youssef, Crossing of the Sea

Annotated photograph used in the production process for the `Parting of the Red Sea' sequence from the film THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, 1955: Location at Beni Youssef, Crossing of the Sea, piece #FF 98AX.

Test rehearsal of the moment when the Israelites (Egyptian extras from the military) file into the sea bed after the waters divide. The optical department of Paramount Pictures has penciled in the first approximation of the miniature water effects. Actural dates of the sea wall photography are shown at the bottom of the mount.

The parting of the Read Sea sequence is one of the most impressive in The Ten Commandments. It was created thorugh a combination of rear projection and optical photography. The sequence took 6 months to create, with scenes shot on the banks of the Red Sea and at the Paramount backlot.

The wall of water was created at Paramount on 1/5th scale using a tilted ramp approximately 32 feet high and 80 feet long. The water was supplied by an elevated tank through 15 manually controlled hydraulically operated valves allowing the 360,000 gallons of water to cascade down in a thin sheet. Along the ramp were long wooden batons which caused the water to break up into choppy tides and undertow. This shot was then used in reverse to give the impression of the water going up and the sea parting. All elements were combined in an optical printer and matte paintings of rocks concealed the matte lines between the 'real' location shots and the special effects.