The Parting of the Red Sea

Photograph from the `Parting of the Red Sea' sequence from the film THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, 1956, Punctuation of the Red Sea sequence.

Actors Anne Baxter and Yul Bryner were composited into the throne room via blue screen matte photography, so that their images could fade from the room. Simultaneously, a spectacular tableau of blazing-red Mount Sinai fades in, obliterating the two actors from view.

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.