I was keen on picking up pieces I was short of observing as a teenager. Perhaps I should forgive the method the plagues were illustrated and chalk it up to what panavision was able to concoct 50 years ago.
There are changes of character I was able to appreciate more such as the old pharaoh coming to terms with Moses' treachery when he was treated as part of the Egyptian court. Yul Brenner was not always the hot-tempered Ramses that I took him for especially when he was challenged by the plagues.
Even the lesser roles such as that of Edward Robinson as an overseer stood out in all his arrogance as he informed Moses treason and became a favorite controller. Was all the grandeur of Moses forcefully leaving Goshen necessary? I still think the trek was exaggerated; mind you this is a bible film. So I care less about Moses squeezing what little water when he walks across the Sinai and care less about the flame on the mount that never consumed the holy "bush" according to legend.
The acting of the Israelites seems more flowing than it did years ago, compared to how the Egyptians performed. Perhaps it had to do with how they were meant to carry themselves. Besides the Hebrews were in Egypt as brick makers and not required to show any regal behavior. One thing that I thought was over done was the way the starlets would be hanging around Moses' neck. There was the romantic balance to the quest for truth and the exodus that must have been added to lighten the seriousness of Moses' return. I thought his change of character after having seen the object of his belief was needlessly exaggerated. Was Ramses' queen so hooked to him as to think that his view on freedom was secondary to her beauty? One can only speculate.
