Special Effects
DeMille had adapted The Ten Commandments before 1956. In fact, he tried in 1923 to adapt that biblical story into the first epic film. He couldn’t use computer-generated effects as he did for the later movie or the ones we’re used to watching today.
Large Props
He used the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes within Santa Barbara for the initial movie, and they built the stage by hand. It included 21 sphinxes, an Egyptian temple, eight lions, 110-foot gates, and four Pharaoh statues at 35 feet tall. More than 1,600 people helped.