A sphinx has emerged from the shifting sands of the Guadalupe Dunes in southern California.
About 175 miles north of Los Angeles, the Guadalupe Dunes were the stage of Cecile B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, his silent epic filmed in 1923. His elaborate set—the largest ever constructed for a film (800 ft wide and 12 stories tall)—included 21 sphinxes. After filming, the set was intentionally dismantled and buried in the sand to prevent rivals from using it.
Now archaeologists have begun to partially dig up this masterpiece—for the sake of education and entertainment—starting with a sphinx. Their work was slow going. Made of plaster, the sphinx had to be carefully uncovered and then given time to harden before being moved. Its head alone weighs 300 pounds.
Portions of the set, which have survived nearly a century, are on display at the Dunes Center in Guadalupe, California—for anyone interested in viewing these monuments of 20th-century cinematography.
A sphinx has emerged from the shifting sands of the Guadalupe Dunes in southern California.
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