THE PRINCE OF EGYPT

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: scriptural inaccuracies

Rated:

Not since The 10 Commandments has a film based on the story of Moses been attempted. Logically it's a great story and what's more, we're only given a brief sketch of the actual Biblical events, which leaves a wide gulf for writers to fill in the blanks. The Prince of Egypt does a good job of doing just that, aiming the film at children but also catering to adults with a hodgepodge of well-known voices ranging from Ralph Fiennes and Danny Glover to Sandra Bullock and Michelle Pfeiffer. It did surprisingly well at the box office and has been granted a loyal following. It's one of the few Spielberg films I actually like, because for once he has given up on trashing Christian values and ideals to instead inspire them.

In the sun baked desert of Egypt, slaves work tirelessly to build the great pyramids while in the city the princes of Egypt live in resolute splendor. By order of the Pharaoh, all Israelite baby boys under the age of two must be murdered. He fears the swelling slave numbers will soon outnumber his people. Under the cover of twilight a woman and her daughter Miriam slip down to the riverbank and set afloat a reed basket in which her child has been lain, praying for God to watch over him as he drifts away. Narrowly escaping a horrible fate, the basket drifts into the Queen's courtyard where she discovers the child and takes him under her wing. Moses is raised beside his "brother" Rameses under the watchful eye of the Pharaoh. He knows nothing of his past or the deception his mother is party to, but is a spoiled, pampered, arrogant youth who enjoys tormenting his father's royal magicians.

The two are inseparable, yet divided in equal destinies... Rameses will be Pharaoh, and Moses his master builder. When Moses learns the truth of his lineage from a slave girl called Miriam, he will be forced to choose between the fate God has given him and the life he has known for so long. There are several alterations to scripture in The Prince of Egypt, for the sake of artistic license, but I don't feel that they're overly damaging. In the Bible it is Pharaoh's daughter who pulls Moses from the rushes; here it is his wife. This purpose was to give flight to the proposition that Rameses and his future arch-enemy were raised as brothers, which they very well may have been. The only other change that bears mentioning is Moses' killing of the Egyptian is played out to be an accident rather than intentional murder; probably to lighten the weight of his flaws since the film is aimed at children.

Some of the other alterations I did enjoy, such as the appearance of Moses' future wife Tzipporah as a prisoner in the royal court. The animation is unusual for this kind of film; avoiding the playful soft lines of Disney's art, DreamWorks gives the film the sharp-toned illusion of being an Egyptian heliograph... and it works. I don't particularly care for it myself, but many people consider it an excellent example of modern art. Where DreamWorks truly excels is in its liquids. With water and light they are capable of creating an incredible visual experience. The Parting of the Red Sea is more realistic by far than anything before, and the visitation of the death angel, symbolized by a fragile white vapor, is beautifully animated.

The Oscar-award winning musical score is some of the finest music I've ever heard in an animated film. Compelling, powerful, and inspirational, the soundtrack is also a great purchase. And the voices... none of them will you be unfamiliar with. Disney has never dared sport such an impressive cast, but it works. The film does deserve the PG rating since it involves beating the slaves, an accidental murder, and visual implications of the plagues that descend on Egypt, as well as the mass drowning of Pharaoh's soldiers in the Red Sea. Younger children should also understand where the story divides from scripture before taking it as fact. Less suggestive than its counterpart and more family-oriented, The Prince of Egypt is a great addition to any classic video collection.

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