Giant Sphinx from 'Ten Commandments' Film Unearthed 91 Years Later

SOURCE

Hidden for more than 90 years beneath the rolling sand dunes of Guadalupe, California, an enormous, plaster sphinx from the 1923 blockbuster movie "The Ten Commandments" has been rediscovered and is now above ground. The public will be able to see the sphinx on display as early as next year, once it has been reconstructed — a necessity since it became weather-beaten during its stint beneath the sand, said Doug Jenzen, the executive director of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, who oversaw the recent excavation.

I figured some of you would find this interesting and fun. The movie itself was just "OK" to me, I know its a classic though.

Still, a pretty neat discovery.

a reply to: Vrill

You don't run a society, do you? O.o! Did someone fall asleep in the desert and hear it calling out to them? I guess art really does emulate life. ;p

I have heard of this and actually researched a bit to try and find out where it was. I thought it would be cool to dig up. Glad somebody did it.

Rubbish.

It's a plaster movie prop.

Bin it.

Maybe they were making movies in ancient Egypt too, maybe that is why they built the pyramids. Maybe that thing that looks like a light bulb was actually a movie projector lamp and the pyramids were screens for the movies. Great tourist attraction, a drive in movie. So you needed to go in a horse and buggy. Explains the gods having something that looks like corn in their hand....it was used for making popcorn to go with their mead and beer served at the concession stand.

I know, my imagination has gone wild again.

originally posted by: Psynic
Rubbish.

It's a plaster movie prop.

Bin it.

It's a prop from a Cecil B. Demille epic that has been buried in the desert for over 90 years.
It has collectable value.

originally posted by: Psynic
Rubbish.

It's a plaster movie prop.

Bin it.

What is the problem with being either a movie prop or made of plaster?

Isn't film an art form? Would you say the same about an actual prop from a William Shakespeare play?

What about ancient wall paintings on wet plaster? Not much different than a plaster sculpture made as a prop.

Your trash is truly another man's treasures.

In those days, they didn't have any CGI or VFX to do large crowd scenes. They had to hire thousand of extras from all across LA to do all the crowd scenes. They simply couldn't afford to do that now ... To make the sets used back then would cost more than to hire a tean of artists to paint a matte background and composite it with the live action.

Now they'll just have the actress run up a greenscreen staircase, and everything else is CGI, characters, background, foreground.

It has exactly as much real value as Justin Beiber's chewed bubblegum.

It wasn't even real when it was new. To restore it would be pure artifice.

You would not believe what I've binned in 40 years of doing props.

On the other hand, just about everything I own has appeared on screen at one time or another.

If it is still works and/or is aesthetically pleasing, it has value.

Having said that, my eyes fall on the huge, double rolodex with the contact information for everyone who was ever interviewed on radio in Canada for it's first four decades. It even has the producer's notes of how good a guest the person was.

I can't bring myself to get rid of it.

That's pretty cool. Not really a fan of the silent version as I've only watched it once but I usually consider the 1956 version my favorite movie. It's certainly a tad campy at times but Heston,Brynner, Hardwicke, and Robinson put down some great work and Vincent Price couldn't have been more sinister if he were encasing hebrews in molten wax. The dialog, especially brynner's, is well almost over the top but kind of rings true for someone who believed they were descended from the gods to rule over man and beast. I particularly like "You will be mine, like my dog, or my horse, or my falcon, except that I shall love you more - and trust you less.'

Plus DeMille, anyone who at 75 has a heart attack on set after climbing a 107ft ladder and keeps production rolling (back on set within a week) deserves respect.

I can't believe some of the replies to the OP. The Guadalupe Dunes are an intrinsic part of Hollywood movies to this day. Everyone around knows those sets have been buried for decades. I'm really excited they are digging them up! Some recent movies that have been filmed there is Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Dirty Old Men (it's not mentioned in the link but I remember seeing it in the location credits), G.I. Jane, and Hidalgo.
Here is a link
www.youtube.com...