The Prince of Egypt (1998)

 

Poster Description: The poster itself is black with The Prince of Egypt written in dramatic letters. A golden silhouette of Moses’ side-profile acts as a strangely shaped window, revealing the sand-streaked sky of the Egyptian desert. The tagline reads, “The power is real. The story is forever. The time is now.” Three pyramids sit on the horizon and a town of squat houses bordered by the Nile River. Moses has driven his chariot with two rearing horses to the very edge of a high cliff.

It was the early Nineties, and Disney’s Head of Film and Television Production, Jeffrey Katzenberg, wanted to make an animated The Ten Commandments movie. Though he persistently pitched his idea to Disney’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Eisner, the idea was not progressed. Fast Forward to 1994, DreamWorks SKG was born, so named after founders Steven Spielberg, Katzenberg, and David Geffen. The Prince of Egypt was their second film, following Antz that same year. As proof of his passion for the project, Katzenberg consulted with over six hundred religious experts to ensure his dream was as faithful to the Bible’s Book of Exodus as possible. 

So, how has The Prince of Egypt stood the test of its twenty-three years?

The Directors: Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells

The Cast:

Val Kilmer - Moses

Ralph Fiennes - Rameses

Sir Patrick Stewart - Pharoah Seti

Dame Helen Mirren - Queen Tuya

Michelle Pfeiffer - Tzipporah

Sandra Bullock - Miriam

Jeff Goldblum - Aaron

Ofra Haza - Yocheved

Steve Martin - Hotep

Martin Short - Huy

Danny Glover - Jethro

Certificate: U

Released in UK cinemas: 16th December 1998

The Plot:

Egyptian prince Moses (Kilmer, Batman Forever) grew up secure in the knowledge of his family. So, when he discovers he was, in fact, born of the slaves who built and died on the Pharoah's orders, Moses is chosen to deliver his people from servitude.

The Review:

I first saw The Prince of Egypt during a high school Religious Education lesson. Although we didn’t finish the whole film, the songs stuck with me. While the score is powerful and suitably epic, thanks to composer Hans Zimmer, the opening song, “Deliver Us/River Lullaby,” grabs you by the throat with the slaves’ plight. 

 Feel the sting of the whip on my shoulder

With the salt of my sweat on my brow

Elohim, Adonai, can you hear your people cry?

Help us now!

This dark hour.

Deliver us!

Hear our call, deliver us!

The heart of the song comes from Israeli singer Ofra Haza. She offers her voice for Moses’ mother, who sends her baby son down the river.

My son, I have nothing I can give

But this chance that you may live

I pray we'll meet again

If He will deliver us…

The song sets a dark tone most significantly as slaves strain under the whip – a Disney film, this is not. The Pharaoh could have been depicted as the villain, ordering for the Hebrew’s babies to die because he felt like it, but Steward plays him as a tired ruler, weighed down by impossible choices. Though it was only a brief scene, it carries the responsibility of shaping Moses as a character.

After watching the film during its development, religious scholars and leaders were pleased that the studio executives had acknowledged their ideas and praised the studio for reaching out to these outside sources.

Val Kilmer successfully carries the film as Moses and the dominant voice for God. To avoid offending anyone, the whole cast contributed, and the effect is quite dramatic. In addition, Ralph Fiennes sneers as Moses’ brother, Rameses. The amount of expression the animators were able to give to his face is startling in its realism. My favourite shot follows the death of Rameses’ young son after God reaps another plague upon Egypt. The temple is dark, lit by a harsh, white light as Ramses curves around his boy’s shrouded body, like a trapped animal.

Image Description: A temple is lit with pale light, illuminating the small white shroud of a boy and the bald head, and curved, bare shoulders of Rameses. He has an arm up towards the side of his head, his expression agonised. Moses stands away from him, long-haired and bearded, draped in a scarf and baggy robes. Holding his crooked staff, he looks bewildered and helpless.

 Yes, children die in this film; as per God’s instructions, those who daube lamb’s blood on their door would be saved in the night. Then a white spectre passes like smoke through the sleeping streets. We don’t see anything except for a tiny arm falling to the floor, and the shade snuffs out a candle placed on a windowsill, but that’s it. Finally, the sun rises, and the screaming starts. The transition from Rameses’ grief and the slaves’ song of joy is terribly jarring, indeed. It makes you wonder how the hell the film managed to procure a U rating.

 

Image Description: A single flaming torch lies on the ground, dropped by Moses, who leans a hand on a wall. His posture is crumpled, his head bowed in shame. The wall mural is 2D, Egyptian art, making him look piteously small. The wall displays a vast Pharoah on the left. Seated upon his throne, the Pharoah points to soldiers on his right. Standing like upright pillars, each man holds a small child, queuing up to cast the babies down to the bottom of the wall where large crocodiles wait in blue waters.

 The animation was stunning for its time and was clearly a labour of love. The iconic moment of Moses parting the Red Sea took two years to develop, after all, and his nightmare sequence is a spectacular twist in style. 

It's Hotep and Huy’s cringe-worthy number, “Playing With the Big Boys Now,” that spoils the film somewhat. In retaliation to Moses' pleas to let his people go, it is gorgeously shot, and a feast for the eyes… if only Martin and Short could sing! They play it hammy, which comes at odds with its epic nature, similar to “Be Prepared” from The Lion King. Instead, it sticks out like a sore thumb and is just plain embarrassing to hear.  

Also, for all their outstanding performances, the sheer number of white actors giving their voices to Egyptian and Hebrew characters left a bad taste in my mouth. It makes one wonder what would have happened if The Prince of Egypt was made today if anyone would dare.    

In conclusion, casting choices might not be in the best taste by today’s standards, but The Prince of Egypt was something of a middle-fingered salute to Katzenberg’s previous employer! Although pushing the limit of its U rating with shocking imagery, its animation has aged. Nevertheless, the film is beautifully ambitious, supported by Hans Zimmer’s incredible score, and well worth watching.

 The Verdict: 3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

 

My Sources:

Film poster - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince_of_Egypt#/media/File:Prince_of_egypt_ver2.jpg

The origins of DreamWorks - https://www.britannica.com/topic/DreamWorks-Animation

“Deliver Us” lyrics - https://genius.com/Ofra-haza-and-eden-riegel-deliver-us-lyrics

Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Ten Commandments idea and his dedication to the film - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120794/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv

Image: Rameses lets the slaves go - https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Rameses_(The_Prince_of_Egypt)

Image: The Pharoah’s actions laid bare - https://theprinceofegypt.fandom.com/wiki/Massacre_of_Hebrew_Boys