1966 Freetown, Sierra Leone

Lloyd Beckley

1952

Freetown, Sierra Leone 

Interviewed on February 7, 2023

by Naomi Beckley

The first movie I remember seeing in theaters was The Ten Commandments. It was the mid 1960s, I was a teenager, and the Roxy Movie Theater had recently opened. Though I’m not sure if this was my very first trip to the theater, I distinctly remember taking your grandma on this trip. She had never been before and needed someone to help her with the moviegoing process, like buying tickets and finding seats. We took a taxi to Freetown and once we got to Roxy we bought balcony tickets. Though the theater had open seating in each section, you could either buy tickets for the more expensive balcony seating with (worn down) cloth upholstery or get the cheap orchestra wood block seats. 

Before we actually entered the theater,  we visited the concession stand. There wasn’t popcorn, but we enjoyed the soft drinks and cookies available. I remember I got a Coke, which was my favorite drink at the time. Mommy didn’t get anything; she made sure to eat a full meal before we left the house. 

There weren’t any ushers inside of the actual theater, but they were stationed at each entrance checking tickets to make sure people were going to the correct seating area. Once inside, I was hit by the strong AC breeze. Though it was very warm outside,  people still wore sweaters because of the cool air.  At the time, it was one of the public attractions that had air conditioning. Roxy was also one of the few places with constant light; most places still suffered from frequent power outages, but the light never went out during the showing. 

As far as the actual movie, I’ll never forget Charlton Heston as Moses. He managed to make Moses look so cool. His commanding attitude didn’t come off as disrespectful, but he didn’t show fear when talking to God. He seemed to be authoritarian but not overbearing. His willingness to easily pass off leadership to Joshua showed his poise and commitment to fulfilling God’s will. Even still he was never a pushover and always moved with confidence.  

The Ten Commandments was instrumental in strengthening my faith. I appreciated how it allowed me to relate more to the Bible. Seeing words transformed into visuals made the Bible just seem more real, as if I was actually watching its events transpire. Suddenly God didn’t seem so far away or unreachable. A lot of this was because of the special effects used in the movie. The Ten Commandments is a long movie, but somehow I didn’t really feel it because of my fascination with special effects I had never seen before. I initially thought it was what God really did and not movie effects. The parting and closing of the Red Sea was an especially memorable scene. I was shocked to see Moses do such a thing and I couldn’t figure out how it could be done outside of the actual power of God alone. My favorite scene had to be when, after he came from the mountains where he got the ten commandments, Moses threw the tablets at the golden calf idol. There was so much chaos going on in that moment, but the uncontrollable flames, lightning, and falling rubble were incredible to my young eyes. I was so amazed I didn’t know how to react.

Since watching The Ten Commandments, I’ve seen plenty of movies in both Sierra Leonean and American theaters. With time, special effects have become even more impressive and realistic. But I will always remember the special way watching The Ten Commandments made me feel. I have yet to see a movie since that has had me in such awe.