Netflix trots out a drama/documentary hybrid this week titled “Testament: The Story of Moses,” mixing a Turkish production with religion experts discussing the biblical story. The three parts total more than four hours.

If you’ve a mind to invest that kind of screen time in Moses, though, accept no substitutes, especially with the granddaddy of all biblical epics, Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 version of “The Ten Commandments,” just around the corner, keeping its annual date with viewers on ABC.

Indeed, watching Netflix’s modern knockoff only heightens a sense of appreciation for DeMille’s efforts at a different time in the evolution of the movie industry, when TV was still relatively new and special effects hadn’t reached their digital heights.

There are plenty of reasons to savor the original movie, most of them having to do with the casting, some of it campy and awful in a truly wonderful way, some just plain spectacular.

As Moses, Charlton Heston brought a sense of conviction to this epic role (see also “Ben-Hur”) that anchored the movie in a way few actors could, before or since. Yet at the top of the heap look no further than Yul Brynner as Moses’ rival and eventual foe Rameses, who tells his reluctant bride-to-be with princely swagger and sexuality, “You will come to me whenever I call you, and I will enjoy that very much. Whether you enjoy it or not is your own affair… but I think you will.”

On the other end of the spectrum there’s Anne Baxter as Nefretiri, Moses’ first love and Rameses’ reluctant bride when he ascends to pharaoh. Famous for her role in “All About Eve,” Baxter chews through much of Egypt, repeating “Moses” so often (as in “Oh Moses, Moses”) that one might be forgiven for concluding that’s both his first and last name.