In the century since its release in 1923, Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” has had much influence over modern cinematography and the local community, as it was shot in the Guadalupe Dunes.
Upon production of the film 100 years ago, director Cecil B. DeMille chose to build and shoot his enormous 720-foot set in the Guadalupe Dunes for its resemblance to the Egyptian deserts.
“DeMille employed practically everybody in town. He used the kids and the townsfolk as extras in the movie. He had people cooking for his crew, There were over 3,500 people out here at any given time,” explained Erika Weber, Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center Executive Director.
Following production of the “The Ten Commandments,” instead of removing his massive set pieces from the dunes, DeMille had them buried in the sand, which documentarian Peter Brosnan coined “The Lost City of DeMille.”
Beginning on Friday, a weekend-long celebration will commemorate the film hitting the century mark.
“We are starting off the weekend with a VIP dinner at the Edwards Barn where we have special guests Peter Brosnan and Colleen Hamilton. Peter was the one who discovered the Lost City of DeMille,” Weber told KSBY.
“At the big finale is going to be a screening of the silent movie with live musicians playing here on stage, playing the score live,” added Daniel Lahr, Central Coast Film Society Executive Director and founder.
Lahr says Saturday’s lineup of events at the Arroyo Grande Clark Center will include a film festival and expo where aspiring filmmakers can showcase their work while also learning about the connection the Central Coast has to “The Ten Commandments.”
“My whole life, I have been told stories about “The Ten Commandments” in Guadalupe. It is something that I have always known. I have pictures of my family climbing on sphinxes back in the 30s and 40s when they were set out,” Lahr recalled. “A lot of locals have those same stories being a part of it. Someway, somehow they were touched.”
For Sunday’s portion of the celebration, Weber says festivities will return to Guadalupe, where there will be a film panel, family activities, and opportunities for visitors to shuttle out to dig sites from the film.
“Being here in Guadalupe or the Central Coast, we oftentimes take things for granted,” she said. “Well, what we really want to do is get people out here to see this important piece of their culture, their history, their community and really enjoy and embrace what is right here in their own backyard.”
The production set for “The Ten Commandments” was the largest and most expensive of its time, including 21 sphinx statues, 5,000 animals and 300 chariots.
Weber says additional digs around the dunes are in the works for the near future, as she believes more artifacts from the film are still buried in the sand to this day.
She says Peter Brosnan found his first artifact from the film in 2014 and uncovered a fully intact sphinx head just three years later.
You can find more information about the upcoming Lost City Celebration here: https://lostcitycelebration.com/?mc_cid=80d83f5b04&mc_eid=77788b150d
