The Prince of Egypt

Movie Review: The Prince Of Egypt

Released in 1988 by Dream Works Studies, The Prince of Egypt is a dramatic animated musical that has been adapted from the book of Exodus. In this movie, we follow Moses, who is an arrogant prince of Egypt and eventually comes to lead his people out of Egypt. This film was directed by Brenda Chapman, Simon Wells and Steven Hickner. This film was produced by Penney Finkelman Cox, Sandra Rabins, and Jeffery Katzenberg. It also has a lovely score written by Stephen Schwartz and composed by Hans Zimmer. This music was sung by professionals, with the exception of a few actors. This movie stars Val Kilmer as Moses, Ralph Fiennes as Rameses II, Michelle Pfeiffer as Tzipporah, Sandra Bullock as Miriam, and Jeff Goldblum as Aaron. Outside of Disney films, it is currently the 4^th top grossing animated film excluding those made by Disney.

There are many characters in this film and important settings. Yet, I feel a main focus of the movie that created the intensity was the relationship of the brothers, Moses and Rameses, so I feel they’re most important to discuss. Moses had a change in paradigm entirely from beginning to end. He comes across as a common man that you wouldn’t expect to follow initially. He sort of fell into his leadership as opposed to seeking it out, which most watchers love and come to admire in a main role as his. “You’ve chosen the wrong messenger,” Moses starts, “how can I even speak to these people?” also, “Who am I to lead these people?” He seems very human, and with his big role is hard to find. He is very relatable and a great main character. In Rameses, you see he has to choose between his legacy and his family, and then you’re sunk into his internal drama further in the story. Rameses has a blend of bitterness and love throughout that is very developed in his lines. He talks highly of his legacy, “I am the morning and the evening star, I am Egypt,” yet his brother shrewd of importance, as he admits to Moses, “you were always there for me.” Rameses and Moses have a conflict of values which builds great intensity and really draws you into the story.

The story starts out with a baby Moses and his family having to send him away in a basket down a river, due to the death threat of the higher political power. This is important, that Moses is a Hebrew and not actually of the lineage which he was forced into. The Pharaoh’s wife found the basket that Moses was in and raised him as a naïve and apathetic child, whether that was her intention or not. His brother in royalty, Rameses, is also that child, so it is probably due to their location, deep within the walls of the palace. There is a bond that is shown between the brothers, yet Rameses is condemned by his overbearing father since he is the heir. Rameses is determined to not be the weak link. In the middle, Moses finds out about his lineage and ends up running out of Egypt through seemingly endless dessert lands. He stumbles into the lands of the Midianites who do not worship Egyptian gods, but rather the Hebrew God. A new supporting character is introduced, Tzipporah. Moses ends up saving her and her sisters from bandits and is welcomed into the home of Tzipporah’s father, Jethro. Moses becomes a shepherd and gradually earns the respect and trust of those around him. He eventually marries Tzipporah. One day, Moses stumbles into a sacred area where he is confronted by God where his destiny is revealed: to lead the children of Israel, the Hebrew slaves, out of Egypt. With his wife at his side, Moses lovingly greets Rameses, only to inform him of their conflicting legacies. Rameses’ heart is heartened and is unable to be persuaded by Moses. Moses ends up gaining the Israelite’s trust. God sends plagues that Moses warns the people about. Rameses then tells Moses and his people to leave.

Themes are interpretive and I’ve found many themes in this movie, but my favorite is the sense of a true, higher power that I saw that correlated with a lot of other things in this movie. This can also be interpreted, either as the conquering power of the humble Israelites that can overrun those who have more political power yet false ideals, or to God who was able to lead the people through their trials through Moses, the medium. The Israelites, for example, were able to work together and get out of the Egypt with the help of their righteous leader, Moses, who knew what was best for the people, who had developed into a merciful character. When discussing God as the true higher power, it is plain to see why God is superior to gods they worshipped with the bird-eye-view we have. The miracles performed to show the ‘power’ of the Egyptian gods all seemed to be more magic, in the sense of smoke and mirrors. There were constant bright lights and flashes, while God’s miracles were clean and pure.

The Prince Of Egypt can easily be compared to the 1956 film, The Ten Commandments, directed by Cecil B. DeMille. They are both epic adoptions from the book of Exodus, so it’s easy to compare them. Yet they weren’t telling the exact same story. There were different angles, scales, and a different spin on the main characters. For example, Rameses is entirely different. In The Ten Commandments, Rameses is very cold-hearted, cunning, and cares nothing for anyone or anything except for his legacy. In contrast, in The Prince of Egypt, Rameses is the product of his environment. A tetrad soul who still loves his brother, but is under the psychological grip of his overbearing father. Therefore, Rameses comes across as more tragic, having to go against his own brother. Fienne’s version of Rameses is simply more complex, yet can still match the same vengeance that Brynner’s Rameses has. The God is also different. For Example, in The Ten Commandments, God is kind of badass and is seemingly very omnipotent. In The Prince Of Egypt however, God is very clever. The way the bush is drawn also very much adds to it. It looks as if it’s not of this world. It creates fire to be very comforting. His voice is also soothing and loving. This is entirely different from the brash God in The Ten Commandments.

This can be easily applied. A big concept is where true power lies in the people and the importance of a good leader. For example, how Moses was able to lead the people out. How the power of the Hebrew God frustrated Rameses so much that he told them to leave. The children of Israel worked for their freedom. With the help of Moses, a virtuous and righteous leader, they were able to prosper. Moses’ values are important, too. He came to understand that he shouldn’t command others, and to be empathetic. An understanding of empathy, correct morals and values, and knowing that one person can influence a nation’s future is important concepts we can take from this compelling masterpiece.

I love this movie and I think it’s extremely underrated. You hear animated musical mixed with Bible, you automatically think disaster. Although, I think it was very well done. There is a lot of depth and insightful, creative character development that is interesting to analyze. Even the cheesy comedy in the beginning between the two brothers builds some of the plot later in the story. It creates a great contrast to the later draw. It is overall a very dramatic film. There are some problems, but this movie knows that the most fascinating element is between the relationship of Moses and Rameses. They knew that would draw people in, allowing the audience to empathize. They portrayed this important element so well. It is a great watch. I recommend it.