The Prince of Egypt

Description

Dreamworks Pictures has taken the biblical story of Exodus, put it into cartoon form, and released it on the big screen as an epic animated feature. The Prince of Egypt tells the story of Moses releasing the Jews from Egyptian slavery under the hand of the evil pharaoh Rameses. Think of The Ten Commandments with songs and an all-star cast doing the voices. In the Charlton Heston role of Moses is Val Kilmer. Moses' brother Rameses, previously played by Yul Brynner, is now voiced by Ralph Fiennes. The story revolves around these two close brothers, Moses and Rameses. While Rameses is groomed to take over the land, his beloved brother Moses is a carefree prankster, until he learns the true secret of his past. His secret, of course, is that he is really a Jew and as a child was floated down the river to escape mass genocide. The pharaoh Seti (Patrick Stewart) raised Moses as his son. Upon learning the truth of his past from a burning bush, Moses returns to Egypt with God on his side and demands that the pharaoh (now his brother Rameses) must "Let my people go." With songs written by Oscar-winner Stephen Schwartz and sung by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, The Prince of Egypt covers all the classic story points of the story of Moses, including the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. Nearly every biblical film is ambitious, creating pictures to go with some of the most famous and sacred stories in the Western world. DreamWorks' first animated film was the vision of executive producer Jeffrey Katzenberg after his ugly split from Disney, where he had been acknowledged as a key architect in that studio's rebirth ( The Little Mermaid , etc.). His first film for the company he helped create was a huge, challenging project without a single toy or merchandising tie-in, the backbone du jour of family entertainment in the 1990s. Three directors and 16 writers succeed in carrying out much of Katzenberg's vision. The linear story of Moses is crisply told, and the look of the film is stunning; indeed, no animated film has looked so ready to be placed in the Louvre since Fantasia . Here is an Egypt alive with energetic bustle and pristine buildings. Born a slave and set adrift in the river, Moses (voiced by Val Kilmer) is raised as the son of Pharaoh Seti (Patrick Stewart) and is a fitting rival for his stepbrother Rameses (Ralph Fiennes). When he learns of his roots--in a knockout sequence in which hieroglyphics come alive--he flees to the desert, where he finds his roots and heeds God's calling to free the slaves from Egypt. Katzenberg and his artists are careful to tread lightly on religious boundaries. The film stops at the parting of the Red Sea, only showing the Ten Commandments--without commentary--as the film's coda. Music is a big part (there were three CDs released) and Hans Zimmer's score and Stephen Schwartz's songs work well--in fact the pop-ready, Oscar-winning "When You Believe" is one of the weakest songs. Kids ages 5 and up should be able to handle the referenced violence; the film doesn't shy away from what Egyptians did to their slaves. Perhaps Katzenberg could have aimed lower and made a more successful animated film, but then again, what's a heaven for? --Doug Thomas Review: 10/10 Movie! - *The Prince of Egypt* is such an amazing movie! The animation is beautiful, the music is unforgettable, and the story is incredibly powerful. It's one of those movies that never gets old, no matter how many times you watch it. Whether you're watching it for the first time or the tenth, it's inspiring, emotional, and so well done. This is easily one of my all-time favorite animated movies and one I'll continue to watch for years to come. Review: A Tale of Two Brothers -- Wonderful Bible Story - It was interesting picking up an early DreamWorks animated feature and to have it surprise and delight in their take on the story of Moses from the Old Testament. In 1998 they decided to put together an animated feature that would combine a majority of animators and a minimum of CGI. The result was quite good. We are all familiar with the story of Moses but the way these creators wrote the tale was different than I'd seen say on The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston. No, we have two brothers who grow up and love each other. Moses is the practical joker and Ramses, destined for greatness as the Pharaoh, is teased and can't seem to take a joke. The story depicted here does make changes from the Bible, as the film itself states at the beginning. The story as given is a more human approach that I think children and families would better understand. This is not your daddy's Bible class! In the background are the Hebrew slaves. When Hebrew children are being slaughtered, or the Hebrews are being squashed down, the usual Egyptian response was "They're just slaves." This nonchalant, superior attitude was throughout the film. Moses' doubt that he would even be chosen as a prophet was interesting. His anguish that the first born sons of Egypt would be slain and his lament that no matter what, he still considered Ramses his brother was touching. The movie was not heavy-handed in a religious way. You could see the DreamWorks guys having fun with the parting of the Red Sea, the mysterious force that represented the Angel of Death and the sweeping desert vistas. Great artwork! Voice actors included Sandra Bullock, Patrick Stewart, Steve Martin, Val Kilmer and Jeff Goldblum among many others. They did a great job here in vocal expression and tone that was believable and at times dark. The "Making Of" feature on the DVD was fun to watch. The artwork including sketches and production stills was bold and beautiful. The art direction and discussion of computer techniques which may have been cool in 1998 are pretty much routine in today's CGI world. However, to listen to them you get excited about the animation yourself. Finally, The Prince of Egypt is a musical. Lots of songs and music that give an overall theme of redemption and freedom. Does the bright thread know that it is part of a tapestry? No, it cannot see the tapestry but should take on its view. Heavy stuff, man! Music composed by Hans Zimmer and friends and songs and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz really made the movie what it was. Quite a miracle of animation, a serious story, and if there was a fault, some of the characters were a bit too "Disney-esque" but that makes it a family film so it's all good. Academy Award winner for Best Original Song 1998 "When You Believe." Favorite scenes for me were the pillar of fire and the Red Sea split, the chariot race, knocking off the nose of the Sphinx, and moving heiroglyphs on the walls during the "dream sequence." Excellent animation. Recommended. What's the DVD made of?: Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85 Letterbox - 1.85 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Additional Release Material: Making Of Music Video: "When You Believe" Audio Commentary: Brenda Chapman - Director, Steve Hickner - Director, Simon Wells - Director Documentary: Chariot Race - Basics of Animation Trailers: 1. Original Theatrical Trailer 2. TV Spots/Previews Text/Photo Galleries: Production Notes Biographies: Cast & Crew Stills/Photos: PRINCE OF EGYPT Art Gallery Other DreamWorks fun: Prince of Egypt: Dreamworks Classics Collection Miriam's Gift: The Prince of Egypt Book and Keepsake