The Prince of Egypt

I remember seeing this film for the first time and I liked it a lot. Upon its release on home video, I could not put it down. The secret to the success of “The Prince of Egypt” is the filmmakers’ desire to stay true to the values and messages of the Biblical account. The acting is wonderful and is full of big stars thanks to Jeffery Katzenberg. The scale & quality of the animation are amazing and were vital in telling such a story. The film is reminiscent of Cecil B. DeMille’s masterpiece “The Ten Commandments” in many ways but it isn't quite a remake of that film. DreamWorks Animation did some of its best work in the 90's and this particular show is one of my favorite animated films of all time. As a religious person, I will be able to analyze the story of “The Prince of Egypt” better by comparing it to the Book of Exodus and the 1956 film.

Unlike the central theme of freedom in "The Ten Commandments", "The Prince of Egypt" has a main theme of faith. Another part of the animated film's foundation is the brotherly relationship between Moses and Rameses and this differs from the DeMille movie. Just as DeMille's opening address illustrated the theme of his version, the opening text for "The Prince of Egypt" does the same thing. This theme of faith is important for children who may also see this film before the classic film as was my case. Another difference between the two films is that in DeMille's version, Moses is first in line to the throne. In “The Prince of Egypt”, Moses is second in line after Rameses. I like this latter choice because Moses later has to accept a great responsibility that he was never meant to have as a prince. In terms of the real story, I believe that Moses knew who he was growing up. The New Testament seems to indicate that. “The Ten Commandments” made reference to a prophecy of a deliverer and modern day revelation indicates that Joseph the dreamer prophesied of Moses by name. Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg obviously wanted to take the dramatic road and I don’t mind that. Another deviation made in “The Prince of Egypt” is that Moses accidentally kills the Egyptian taskmaster where as in the Bible and in “The Ten Commandments”, it is intentional. Again, I support this decision of the filmmakers because this animated film is meant for families. In the Bible, Moses flees Egypt for his life and in the DeMille film, Moses is banished. “The Prince of Egypt” gives us a third version where Moses leaves of his own accord in shame. He cannot handle being divided between two worlds. The portrayal of the burning bush is amazing in the animated film. “The Ten Commandments” and other versions of Moses’ story portray God’s power as mighty and overwhelming. While God’s power is that, “The Prince of Egypt” depicts other important qualities of God: gentleness, simplicity and peace. The burning bush is small in size and the power that it portrays is wondrously simple but to me, that makes it even more inspiring. Other versions of the story use fiery clouds to indicate God’s presence but this film tends to use ordinary clouds or mists of light, which appeal to me. There is a moment in that sequence where God rebukes Moses for his lack of faith and we see an impressive display of power but God concludes His message in the same way that He began it: as a still, small voice. Speaking of voice, this animated film has Val Kilmer as the voice of Moses and God just as Charlton Heston also played both roles in “The Ten Commandments”. I would imagine the voice of Jehovah to be a lot more like Kilmer’s performance by the way. However, I do like the fact that Moses’ clothes in “The Prince of Egypt” are quite reminiscent of Heston’s in the 1956 film. Another way that the animated film is different from other versions is that it is a musical. This is due to the fact that it is an animated film in the 90's.

“The Prince of Egypt” is a great portrayal of a prophet in my opinion. I did not understand how in “The Ten Commandments” Moses comes down from the burning bush and he has been changed, inside and out. He has aged and his personality is different. He seems to separate himself emotionally from others because of his new calling. “The Prince of Egypt” on the other hand takes a more realistic approach. Yes, any man who sees a vision or talks with God will never be the same but that doesn’t mean they completely and suddenly change like DeMille portrayed. I believe that a prophet is not some superhuman being but rather an ordinary man. The key difference is the divine calling that a prophet receives. When a man is called to be a prophet, God has prepared them beforehand for when the calling comes. In “The Prince of Egypt” for example, Moses is different from everyone else in the palace and his adoptive mother is in some measure responsible for this. He is also obviously different because of his lineage. Moses’s pity for Tzipporah comes from his mother’s reaction but also from the goodness that is inherently in him. This is why he helps her escape. Moses’ life with Jethro and his family also prepare him for his destiny. Moses’ reaction to his call in the DreamWorks film is very much like it is recorded in Exodus. Moses feels unqualified and that tends to be the reaction from any man who receives a mission from God. Without the preparations he went through in life, Moses would not have been able to overcome his doubt. I love how this animated film realistically shows Moses coming down from the mount and then breaking into a run because of how excited he is to tell his wife. Moses’ love for his people, the inherent goodness in him and his faith in God’s promise to help him is why Moses returns to Egypt. When the official calling of a prophet finally comes from God, there is no immediate change from ordinary man to superman but rather that man is continually helped in his calling by God so that he can do His will. Moses is the same man that he was before talking with God except now he has a purpose and a very important job to do. By the very end of the movie, Moses’ appearance is still the same but his persona is now very powerful because of what God has done through him. Through God’s help, Moses is now a hero and a leader on the outside and in. The public also tends to view prophets as omniscient but that is just not the case. Again, I enjoy so much how “The Prince of Egypt” realistically portrays how a prophet doesn’t know everything but yet is still able foresee and warn for the good of God’s children. There is a scene that perfectly demonstrates this view that I have. Moses warns Rameses that the greatest plague is coming and that it could hurt Rameses in a devastating, personal way. He then says, “Think of your son.” Moses, at that point in the movie, did not know that the firstborn of everyone in Egypt would die but he was inspired to say exactly what Rameses needed to hear. We all can receive personal revelation from God but a prophet is called to receive revelation for the whole world. A prophet doesn’t know all that God does but because of his calling and authority, he can know enough if we will just listen. Rameses did not listen. The Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart but I believe that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. The movie also takes this approach and that is very pleasing to me. Moses weeping after Rameses’ son dies is another very powerful moment. It shows once again my view of how prophets are still human beings. I like the “When You Believe” sequence, particularly the portrayal of the Hebrew children. It makes us understand why the Lord waited for 40 years to allow this people to enter their promised land: they had to be humble and dependant. Many interpret the Bible to indicate that it was the marshy Reed Sea was “parted” and not the Red Sea. I believe that it was the Red Sea and that as it says in the Bible, “the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left”. “The Prince of Egypt” contains a message of the importance of faith and therefore, this great miracle is correctly portrayed in my view.

Now that I have talked about why this movie appeals to me as a religious person, I will now explain why I like it as a student of film. “The Prince of Egypt” has wonderful musical themes to open the film as well as an amazing opening song: “Deliver Us”. The lyrics of that song are perfect in establishing the story. The movie also uses the story motif of “The Hero’s Journey” as explained by Joseph Campbell. Moses, over the course of one night, comes to a realization that he is not an actual prince. He still remembers his mother’s lullaby and the fact that Miriam knows it causes him to take seriously what she has divulged to him. His dream, when coupled with the truth of his “father’s” act, has changed his life permanently. He cannot forget the fact that he is a Hebrew despite his mother’s best intentions and this causes him to save the elderly slave. I think Moses keeps the ring that Rameses gave him because inside, he did not want to leave his brother Rameses. In keeping only the ring, he is forsaking his life as a Prince but he still loves his brother. I love very much the montage we see as Moses arrives back in Egypt. The music and animation work perfectly together to illustrate how determined Moses is and how important his calling is. Because of Moses’ resolve, it never crosses his mind that Pharaoh would be someone he knows, let alone Rameses. The montage justifies however why he must reject his brother’s world. Rameses will always be his brother but his divine calling takes precedence over everything. When Moses returns the ring to Rameses, it demonstrates his resolve to free his people. It is more important than their relationship as brothers. I am glad that at the end of the movie, Moses takes a moment to let go of his brother emotionally. Resolution was needed concerning that part of the story. The relationship between Moses and Tzipporah is well developed. When they first meet, Moses does have an attraction towards her and that is another reason why he helps her escape. When they meet again, Tzipporah has a score to settle but she hasn’t forgotten that Moses saved her. Their time together does the rest in building their relationship. I like the use of the character of Aaron despite the departure from the Biblical story. His role seems to represent those Hebrew naysayers in the Bible and a movie like this needs a pessimist. I love the shots leading up to the parting of the Red Sea. The animated performance of Moses is powerful as is the actual parting of the sea. It is a fascinating and awe-inspiring approach that differs a lot from other versions.

I like the scale of the film. The filmmakers wanted to reflect the vast images that DeMille used but with today’s technology and in the field of animation, they can do things he couldn’t have. For example, the use of computer animation allows the filmmakers to more easily portray the large numbers that Moses led out of Egypt. The music and songs also reflect this scale. Both Hans Zimmer and Stephen Schwartz have each won an Oscar previous to working on “The Prince of Egypt” and Zimmer deserved his Oscar nomination for his score on this movie. It is one of my favorites. I am glad that Schwartz won in his Oscar category with “When You Believe” but I actually love the film version of the song over the pop version. Another big thing about this movie is the superstar cast. Katzenberg always seems to desire a cast full of well-known Hollywood actors. I knew who Val Kilmer was from “Batman Forever” and he was amazing in the lead role of this film. I love his delivery of the line “Behold, the power of God” and the animation also helped in making that moment commanding on an emotional level. This film introduced me to Ralph Fiennes who would later go on to play Lord Voldemort on the Harry Potter franchise. In the years following the release of “The Prince of Egypt”, I also saw “Schindler’s List” for which Fiennes received his first Oscar-nomination (his character in that film earned #15 on the American Film Institute’s list of the top 50 movie villains). His role as Rameses was so well done in my opinion. This was also my first Helen Mirren film (ironically, her character in this movie is listed as “The Queen”). I, of course, did not become fully aware of her until her Oscar winning performance on that 2006 movie. “The Prince of Egypt” also contains great performances from future Oscar winner Sandra Bullock and Patrick Stewart. I also admire Jeff Goldblum’s performance because I am used to him a comedic actor. Speaking of comedy, you have two of the "Three Amigos" as Hotep and Huy. Steve Martin and Martin Short actually have a total of three films together before providing their voices for this film so it is little wonder they recorded together. Because of the success of this animated movie and other films with an all-star cast, one might mistakenly think that Hollywood superstars are the key to making an animated blockbuster. Remember that movies such as “Shark Tale” and “Alpha and Omega” did not do very well and the list of all-star animated movie failures is longer than that. It is appealing characters and stories that sell movie tickets and an all-star voice talent is wonderful if it supports those elements. Tom Hanks makes Woody an appealing character and Mike Myers’ dramatic scenes as the voice of Shrek are very good. Also, consider movies like “Up” and “Frozen” in that their cast members are not superstars but yet the film does very well. When the cast is the central selling feature of the movie, the film has a good chance of failing. “The Prince of Egypt” has a story that alone has changed the world and the actors on this movie support the story and the characters in it.

I believe I am descendant of the people who were led out of Egypt and so this film is powerful for me. I like Spielberg’s input on “The Prince of Egypt” such as editorial transitions. This movie is one of the most successful non-Disney animated films and one of the most underrated animated films ever made. The theme & message are reason for its success. The story and characters also add to the power of this movie. Almost all the choices of the filmmakers were the right ones. I have liked the work of co-director Brenda Chapman on films both before and after this one. Simon Wells, another director on “The Prince of Egypt”, has also made films previous to this one that were popular for me as a kid. I hope that this movie will not be forgotten. It is better than “The Ten Commandments” in my opinion because of the religious portrayal of the events in the story of Moses.

4.5 Stars