How do you do,
I was going to let this one wait until later, but with Easter coming, best move it to March. The Prince of Egypt was the animated retelling of the story of Moses form the Book of Exodus. Though Moses is tied forever to Israel, seen as a revered figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the movie does remind us that he was first born in Egypt and spent time in the courts of the Pharaoh, until he killed an Egyptian and was forced to flee. He later came back, after living in exile as a shepherd and hearing the Voice of God in the burning bush, to lead the Hebrews to freedom. Egyptian sources on Moses are dubious, given the Egyptian habit of not recording defeats properly as well as the fact most of what we know of Egypt wasn't disseminated until the 19th Century. The only primary source we have left in the time frame of Moses' time period to show of the man is in four of the five books in the Bible and there are people who believe they were written centuries after Moses' death. Historians came a thousand years later, such as Philo of Alexandria and Josephus. Modern historians now debate on rather or not Moses actually existed, even want to see him as legendary[1], while other people still believe he did exist. This fascination with Moses has increased with Egyptology leading of course to the movies of the man, with The Ten Commandments being the top among them where Charleton Heston plays Moses. The last is a tough act to follow and even the recent Exodus: Gods and Kings hasn't really done it proper justice.
That didn't stop Dreamworks from playing their hand with their own animated retelling. Val Kilmer voices Moses, pre-Harry Potter Ralph Fiennes plays Ramases, Michelle Pfeiffer is Moses' wife, Sandra Bullock is Mariam, Jeff Goldblum is Aaron, Steve Martin and Martin Short play Egyptian priests, and Sir Patrick Stewart voices the Pharaoh. With such a cast, it's no wonder the Nostalgia Critic was willing to pit this against The Ten Commandments in his reviews.
The heart of The Prince of Egypt is the tale of two brothers who grow up best of friends until time comes for their destiny. Moses and Ramases are portrayed as two best of friends who are raised as brothers in the court of Pharaoh Seti. They are shown doing a chariot race that leaves the city a mess and we get a picture of how being prince wasn't all fun in the sun (literally as well as figuratively). Pharaoh chastises them both, but on Ramases' head does he put most of the scolding in an overbearing matter that makes him harsh. This has a traumatic result where Ramases later believes that he will not be "the weak link" by letting the Israelites go. There is a good shot in his first confrontation where when he talks, we see the heads of a Pharaoh icon and the Sphinx, which practically tells you his words are not his own but those from previous Pharaohs. Ramases has now become his own father.
Moses also has a transformation. At the start, he is something of a manchild who gets Ramases into trouble in a few times, but does try to fix things. Then, one day, he encounters his brother and sister who know him, and the path of his goes down from there. He finds out he wasn't Egyptian as previously thought and the man he knew as a father was responsible for the deaths of his kin. This sends Moses into a spiraling path that ends with him killing an Egyptian and fleeing into the desert. I am some what more in favor of The Ten Commandments' interpretation, though Exodus makes the killing of the Egyptian a case of Moses committing murder for his kin, then attempting to cover it up. Yet, by having Moses discovering the truth of his heritage and having an identity crises that ends in murder is a good enough plot line, even if it's in a movie geared to children.
Moses then meets the Daughters of Jethro, one of whom came to the Egyptian court and was made fun of by Moses. Zipporah basically is given this plot line as a way to appeal to modern audiences because the woman who became Moses' wife hardly does much in Exodus, but The Ten Commandments made her a strong woman who catches Moses' eye. Here, we see more development of the two not being in love at first but gradually becoming the couple we know of. Of course, this ends because the film is about the Exodus and not a love story (which explains the lack of someone like Nefertiri in this movie).
Moses meets God in form of the burning bush in a scene that features him touching the fire and not getting burned, practically a case of an animated movie having someone literally touching God. The Voice of God even sounds warm and friendly (getting loud only on one occasion) and something akin to an audio recording sounds to show He has heard the cries of the Hebrews. He appoints Moses to return to Egypt and speak with the Pharaoh. By this point, Seti has died and Ramases is in charge.
When Moses turns his staff into a snake, we are treated to a musical number by the two priests that gives an introduction to Egyptian gods. They start with Ra, the Sun God and Chief of the Gods, and go through a couple of them. One thing I noted is the song doesn't include Osiris, Isis, Thoth, or Amun (patron god of the throne city of Thebes, where the throne scenes supposedly take place in, unless it's all in Pi-Rameses), while not including the gods that were added to through Syrian conquests and Greek rule. Will add that they list out the names of the gods as though they were reciting some kind of spell (making the priests as magicians). Basically, the movie attempts to take a view into Egyptian religion while showing that the magic the two priests make is all illusion. In the "Playing With the Big Boys" scene, they have servants dim the lights and do alot of special effects to hide their changing rods into snakes, while Moses' transformed without magic or effects, but in front of everyone (if someone who believes there is an explanation stood in that room, he could explain how it was that when Moses had Aaron place the staff down, without reciting any prayer or chant, and with no means of concealing in such a crowded room, that the staff began to move and become a snake?) When the Nile turns red, they imitate the miracle with red dust from a pocket. Of course, the magicians cannot compete with the Lord as they have no way to imitate the later plagues (by the way, if you are wondering if Allah is on the list, the answer is no because this was before Islam came to Egypt and most Muslims would tell you Allah was in form of the snake standing beside Moses, facing off the ancient gods).
According to this little document[2] and the webpage "Yahweh Versus the Gods of Egypt"[3] it is interpreted that the Ten Plagues in Exodus were basically an attack on the Egyptian gods and the last one against the Pharaoh himself. There is some disagreement to this, as Peter Horne argues[4]. The movie seems to be in the school of thought the two pages have. In the movie, the Pharaoh is referred to as "the morning and evening star", which goes near to Revelations' "I am the Alpha and the Omega"[5]. We do know that the morning and evening star are actually the same planet: Venus. However, in the time period of the movie, it wasn't known that way. What is used is that Venus is the brightest object in the sky, after the sun and the moon, whereas the Pharaoh is ruler of the Egyptians, yet is a mortal ruler compared to the gods.Yet, the plagues come and hurt Ramases greatly, as his people and his kingdom suffer for his stubbornness. When he sees his son, he attempts to appear strong by announcing another massacre of the Hebrew young, prompting the final plague to come and take away his own son.
The final plague shows the end of Moses and Ramases as friends. The ruler has lost his son to the plague, which is the most heart breaking thing for any parent. At least, he orders Moses and the Hebrews to leave Egypt. Their departure is accompanied by the show stopping "When You Believe" and we even get to see the Crossing of the Red Sea where Moses and Ramases must make their show down. Moses and the Hebrews make it to the other side while the Egyptians are defeated. If there is one disappointment in the story line it's that it cuts off right as Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of the commandments. It's epic, but it should tie in to the whole prince motif if the Ten Commandments were given a scene and Moses brings them to the crowds to show.
The animation is great, with the voice acting better. I find how respectful to religion the movie gets, never making a mockery of any belief, either the Jewish faith or the Egyptian (though the latter is always shown as fake). The human development is the heart and soul of The Prince of Egypt. I do find that it's presented as a tragedy. Here, we see two best friends, raised as brothers, who become enemies by the end of the story. It's like with The Fox and the Hound, without the latter's ending. Touching scene appears after Plague Nine where Rameses and Moses talk in a temple and remember the old days, with Pharaoh wishing things could go back to the way they were. This scene is one of many that makes Pharaoh Ramases a tragic figure and Moses a character seeking out who he really was. When the latter finds his destiny, it drives him against Ramases who is pressured by his upbringing and tradition to opposing Moses. In short, The Prince of Egypt is a tragedy in the very sense of the word.The two are never going to reconcile.
With that, we end by saying the legacy of The Prince of Egypt is long reaching with the sort of prequel, Joseph: King of Dreams, in 2000. May not be as good as The Ten Commandments in my book, but it is a good movie when introducing people to the Story of Moses and the Book of Exodus. You could even watch this movie while you celebrate the Passover and Easter.
As they say in each Seder Meal, "Next year in Jerusalem!"
Reference:
[1] Brown, Andrew. "Man versus myth: does it matter if the Moses story is based on fact." The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/30/moses-man-versus-myth-ridley-scott. (Nov. 29, 2014.)
[2] Dobelman, "Ten Plagues for Ten Egyptian Gods and Goddesses." http://www.stat.rice.edu/~dobelman/Dinotech/10_Eqyptian_gods_10_Plagues.pdf (retrieved 2018)
[3] Baugher, Charles. "Yahweh Versus the Gods of Egypt." Knowing the Bible. https://www.knowingthebible.net/yahweh-versus-the-gods-of-egypt (2007) updated 2018.
[4] Horne, Peter. "Did the Plagues God Sent on Egypt Target Egyptian Gods?" https://fakegesis.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/did-the-plagues-god-sent-on-egypt-target-egyptian-gods/. (2015)
[5] Revelations of St. John. 22:13.
Moses also has a transformation. At the start, he is something of a manchild who gets Ramases into trouble in a few times, but does try to fix things. Then, one day, he encounters his brother and sister who know him, and the path of his goes down from there. He finds out he wasn't Egyptian as previously thought and the man he knew as a father was responsible for the deaths of his kin. This sends Moses into a spiraling path that ends with him killing an Egyptian and fleeing into the desert. I am some what more in favor of The Ten Commandments' interpretation, though Exodus makes the killing of the Egyptian a case of Moses committing murder for his kin, then attempting to cover it up. Yet, by having Moses discovering the truth of his heritage and having an identity crises that ends in murder is a good enough plot line, even if it's in a movie geared to children.
Moses then meets the Daughters of Jethro, one of whom came to the Egyptian court and was made fun of by Moses. Zipporah basically is given this plot line as a way to appeal to modern audiences because the woman who became Moses' wife hardly does much in Exodus, but The Ten Commandments made her a strong woman who catches Moses' eye. Here, we see more development of the two not being in love at first but gradually becoming the couple we know of. Of course, this ends because the film is about the Exodus and not a love story (which explains the lack of someone like Nefertiri in this movie).
Moses meets God in form of the burning bush in a scene that features him touching the fire and not getting burned, practically a case of an animated movie having someone literally touching God. The Voice of God even sounds warm and friendly (getting loud only on one occasion) and something akin to an audio recording sounds to show He has heard the cries of the Hebrews. He appoints Moses to return to Egypt and speak with the Pharaoh. By this point, Seti has died and Ramases is in charge.
When Moses turns his staff into a snake, we are treated to a musical number by the two priests that gives an introduction to Egyptian gods. They start with Ra, the Sun God and Chief of the Gods, and go through a couple of them. One thing I noted is the song doesn't include Osiris, Isis, Thoth, or Amun (patron god of the throne city of Thebes, where the throne scenes supposedly take place in, unless it's all in Pi-Rameses), while not including the gods that were added to through Syrian conquests and Greek rule. Will add that they list out the names of the gods as though they were reciting some kind of spell (making the priests as magicians). Basically, the movie attempts to take a view into Egyptian religion while showing that the magic the two priests make is all illusion. In the "Playing With the Big Boys" scene, they have servants dim the lights and do alot of special effects to hide their changing rods into snakes, while Moses' transformed without magic or effects, but in front of everyone (if someone who believes there is an explanation stood in that room, he could explain how it was that when Moses had Aaron place the staff down, without reciting any prayer or chant, and with no means of concealing in such a crowded room, that the staff began to move and become a snake?) When the Nile turns red, they imitate the miracle with red dust from a pocket. Of course, the magicians cannot compete with the Lord as they have no way to imitate the later plagues (by the way, if you are wondering if Allah is on the list, the answer is no because this was before Islam came to Egypt and most Muslims would tell you Allah was in form of the snake standing beside Moses, facing off the ancient gods).
According to this little document[2] and the webpage "Yahweh Versus the Gods of Egypt"[3] it is interpreted that the Ten Plagues in Exodus were basically an attack on the Egyptian gods and the last one against the Pharaoh himself. There is some disagreement to this, as Peter Horne argues[4]. The movie seems to be in the school of thought the two pages have. In the movie, the Pharaoh is referred to as "the morning and evening star", which goes near to Revelations' "I am the Alpha and the Omega"[5]. We do know that the morning and evening star are actually the same planet: Venus. However, in the time period of the movie, it wasn't known that way. What is used is that Venus is the brightest object in the sky, after the sun and the moon, whereas the Pharaoh is ruler of the Egyptians, yet is a mortal ruler compared to the gods.Yet, the plagues come and hurt Ramases greatly, as his people and his kingdom suffer for his stubbornness. When he sees his son, he attempts to appear strong by announcing another massacre of the Hebrew young, prompting the final plague to come and take away his own son.
The final plague shows the end of Moses and Ramases as friends. The ruler has lost his son to the plague, which is the most heart breaking thing for any parent. At least, he orders Moses and the Hebrews to leave Egypt. Their departure is accompanied by the show stopping "When You Believe" and we even get to see the Crossing of the Red Sea where Moses and Ramases must make their show down. Moses and the Hebrews make it to the other side while the Egyptians are defeated. If there is one disappointment in the story line it's that it cuts off right as Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of the commandments. It's epic, but it should tie in to the whole prince motif if the Ten Commandments were given a scene and Moses brings them to the crowds to show.
The animation is great, with the voice acting better. I find how respectful to religion the movie gets, never making a mockery of any belief, either the Jewish faith or the Egyptian (though the latter is always shown as fake). The human development is the heart and soul of The Prince of Egypt. I do find that it's presented as a tragedy. Here, we see two best friends, raised as brothers, who become enemies by the end of the story. It's like with The Fox and the Hound, without the latter's ending. Touching scene appears after Plague Nine where Rameses and Moses talk in a temple and remember the old days, with Pharaoh wishing things could go back to the way they were. This scene is one of many that makes Pharaoh Ramases a tragic figure and Moses a character seeking out who he really was. When the latter finds his destiny, it drives him against Ramases who is pressured by his upbringing and tradition to opposing Moses. In short, The Prince of Egypt is a tragedy in the very sense of the word.The two are never going to reconcile.
With that, we end by saying the legacy of The Prince of Egypt is long reaching with the sort of prequel, Joseph: King of Dreams, in 2000. May not be as good as The Ten Commandments in my book, but it is a good movie when introducing people to the Story of Moses and the Book of Exodus. You could even watch this movie while you celebrate the Passover and Easter.
As they say in each Seder Meal, "Next year in Jerusalem!"
Reference:
[1] Brown, Andrew. "Man versus myth: does it matter if the Moses story is based on fact." The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/30/moses-man-versus-myth-ridley-scott. (Nov. 29, 2014.)
[2] Dobelman, "Ten Plagues for Ten Egyptian Gods and Goddesses." http://www.stat.rice.edu/~dobelman/Dinotech/10_Eqyptian_gods_10_Plagues.pdf (retrieved 2018)
[3] Baugher, Charles. "Yahweh Versus the Gods of Egypt." Knowing the Bible. https://www.knowingthebible.net/yahweh-versus-the-gods-of-egypt (2007) updated 2018.
[4] Horne, Peter. "Did the Plagues God Sent on Egypt Target Egyptian Gods?" https://fakegesis.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/did-the-plagues-god-sent-on-egypt-target-egyptian-gods/. (2015)
[5] Revelations of St. John. 22:13.
