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a-mysterious-ghost · 2 months ago

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Ok, so here's the breakdown of "The Prince of Egypt" (1998) as requested by @meowingatthesea. A few disclaimers before we start- this is all based off of my Bais Yaakov education, and I do not claim to be an expert in any way, shape, or form. That being said, I do have an open Sefaria next to me, and everything I say is based on texts. Long post ahead--

Okay, before we even get into the movie itself, it's important to note that even the making of this movie is incredibly controversial. Making images of the people spoken about in Torah (and other Jewish historical writings, such as the prophets) is considered forbidden by many. I'm not saying that this is right or wrong, just something to think about, and also a reason why a lot of ultra-orthodox Jews will reject the movie out of hand.

That being said- let's get on to the movie itself.

We start out strong, with a disclaimer about artistic and historical license, but don't worry! They've stayed true to the themes of the story. (Spoiler, they haven't).

Next we see Yocheved going to hide baby Moses in a basket in a river (true!), with Miriam and Aaron coming with. At this point, Moses should be around three months old (he looks more like eight-nine months in the movie), meaning Aaron should be three (he looks to be about five or six) and Miriam should be six (she seems to be eight or nine). This is relatively minor, so I'd let it slip if the ages had been correct for the rest of the movie. However, someone decided that they couldn't have an old hero, that would be preposterous! So Moses remains in his twenties, (mayyyybe thirties if we're being generous), for the rest of the movie, despite being eighty in Torah. Same story with Aaron and Miriam (I guess that makes sense, seeing that they couldn't mess up one and not the others, but oh well).

Then the whole part with the river. Someone come stop me from punching a wall. There is no indication that Yocheved shoves a basket into a river to nearly be eaten and capsized half a dozen times. That, in fact, would ruin her whole point of attempting to save her son. While the basket is floating down the Nile, Miriam watches her brother which is correct! She stayed back to watch him and make sure he'd stay safe. Ten points to the movie for including that. Then negative one million for skipping the next part, which is Miriam going to talk to Pharoah's daughter (yes, daughter! it says it multiple times in the Torah, not sure how they made the leap from there to "wife" but ya know) and bringing Yocheved to her as a wet nurse for the baby. Moses actually spends the first few years of his life with his family! Being raised by his mom! Before eventually returning to the palace once he is weaned. But no, we don't see any of that, that would ruin the rest of the plot of the movie, which is complete bogus.

Next we have Moses growing up as a brother to Ramses. I have yet to find any source for this, but who knows, maybe they did. Regardless, this whole brotherly dynamic is completely fictional, as far as I can see, and has no basis in history. Meaning- the entire plot for the rest of the movie, them being best buddy pals, is just...weird. Why are you focusing on that?

Then we get to one of my favourite unnecessary parts they stuck in for the ~drama~ -- Tzipporah. Why. Why is she here. She doesn't come in to the story for a while, sir. Please get rid of this bit. Thank you muchly. Then, as Moses chases after her (??? why is he doing that?? Wasn't he just trying to free her?) he meets his siblings! Now, as previously mentioned, he would have lived in their house as a baby, which, granted he might not remember. So we'll say that it makes sense that he doesn't recognize them. Also, they are older. However, he should not have met them in the first place, unless he ran to a completely different city, seeing as his family were from the tribe of Levi. Levites lived in the city of Goshen, a city of just Jews, or Hebrews, I suppose, as Jews didn't technically exist yet. Additionally, the Levites were not conscripted as slaves! They tended to the religious needs of the people, and were not forced to work. Which makes this entire conversation between Moses and Aaron frankly bizarre. But ever onward! We aren't even half an hour in a this point.

Now Moses has an awakening! He was one of the Hebrews! His dad (grandad) finds him and gives a pretty good text based reasoning for the murdering of the baby boys, but doesn't go into fun medrashim, so only some points. Although, respect for using proper phrasing from the Torah.

Okay, so far we're about half an hour in, and we are at 2:12 in Shemot. We're about a third of the way through my list of complaints. Moses kills an Egyptian, seemingly by accident. He was just trying to pull him off the Hebrew! Now, in the movie, this happens in front of a whole bunch of people. Moses feels that he has to run away immediately. Right now. He's guilty of murder and deserves no less! Now, listen to me. This? This was deliberate. Moses saw an Egyptian beating a slave to death and went, nope. Not on my watch. And killed the other man first. It actually says in the text that he looked around to check if anyone else was around before doing this. Then he killed him and buried him in the sand. The next day Pharaoh finds out and wants to kill him. No one tries to convince him to stay. He'd die.

After killing the Egyptian, Moses runs to Midyan (I don't know how to properly anglicize that). He does, in fact, rescue Jethro's daughters from some shepherds who are antagonizing them, so good job, movie! You got that one (mostly) right! (There are seven daughters, not four, but we'll forgive them). This is where Moses should have met Tzipporah, but I suppose we needed more drama, didn't we.

Time for the burning bush! Now, aside from the whole controversy of putting G-d in your film, which is an even bigger controversy than drawing Moses, they actually did this part pretty decently. It includes many of the actual lines written in the Torah (though not necessarily in the right order, and missing a lot). It does lose points for not having Moses cover his face when he finds out that it's G-d, and also for not having G-d give Moses the three signs he should show the Hebrews when he gets back. They also don't mention Moses' speech impediment, which I suppose makes sense, but it kinda sucks. On that note, they also skip out the whole part about Aaron being his second in command, his interpreter, and how ecstatic he is that Moses will be the leader of the Hebrews and take them out of Egypt. Oh, also, this is the moment in the movie that we should see Moses as an eighty year old man. Just so we're all clear.

Moses heads out from the cave with his new purpose. He goes home (correct!) to get his wife (and kids, but they don't exist in the movie apparently). Now we get to a bunch of scenes that would have been amazing if they had included them, but no, lets focus on the 'brother' story, because that's wayyyy more interesting. Moses should get back to Egypt with his wife and brother, Aaron, who met him on the way. They should go to Bnei Yisrael (the Sons of Israel) and talk to them, telling them that the time has come for redemption. Do some wonders for them. Then head off to Pharaoh with the elders of Bnei Yisrael, who would melt away one by one. No, instead, Moses goes with his wife, who does absolutely nothing. Here, the movie rolls a few meetings between Moses and Pharaoh together, which is fine, considering that this is a movie and has limited time. I am mad that Aaron wasn't there, though, and that when Moses' stick turns into a snake, it eats the other snakes as a snake and not as a stick, which is what happens in the text.

Now we get to the part that I hate the most about this movie. AARON. How did they manage to mess him up this badly? Moses and Aaron's relationship in the Torah is one of my absolute favourites. This is what the movie should be about. Moses is scared that his older brother will be resentful and angry that he was chosen as the leader, and Aaron is just so ecstatic for him. He is his number one supporter. He helps him, he believes in him, he has a massive part in the redemption. But no, we're going to relegate Aaron to a bitter side character, because... no, actually I can't think of any reason. We'll build up the whole Ramses and Moses brotherly dynamic (which does not exist in the text), but we'll destroy the Aaron and Moses brotherly dynamic (which absolutely does). I am eating glass.

On a similar note- Aaron does the first three plagues. I know it's like, really dramatic to have Moses do it, but... just let other people have some spotlight. This is heresy (literally and figuratively). And while we're talking about the plagues, Pharaoh got three weeks of warning before each one (save three), and was told exactly what was going to happen if he didn't let Bnei Yisrael go. The plagues in the song aren't quite in order, and they don't seem to show the classic understanding of Arov (wild beasts), but other than that, the song seems to cover the destruction of Egypt during the plagues quite well. If anything, it probably underestimates the damage.

The song stops at darkness (incidentally, one of the three that Pharaoh had no warning about), when Moses comes to speak to Pharaoh. And just... they need to stop. This was not a happy, fun relationship. This is happening at best...forty years after Moses runs away? Possibly 68 years later (yes there are opinions that he was 12 when he killed the Egyptian). There are no warm brotherly feelings here. Stop it. Also, Pharaoh's son comes in with a working torch?? How???

Then we get to plague of the first borns. Their death specifically. Now, we'll ignore the weird vortex in the sky representing G-d, because I'm feeling generous. We'll even ignore how poor Bnei Yisrael still seem to be, given that the plagues have been going on for nearly a year now, and their lot in life would have improved greatly. What I will get mad about is the fact that Bnei Yisrael are cowering in fear, in the dark, in their empty little cottages. No. Just no. They were celebrating, having a feast with their family and friends. They had roast lamb, matzah and bitter herbs- the first Pesach Seder! This is such a misrepresentation of the atmosphere in their homes. Let this be a story about celebration, even before the redemption happens! Happiness and joy isn't reserved only for the good times. Also, points off for not showing idols crumbling and being destroyed as part of the plague.

You might be aware of the famous kids song, "Pharaoh in pyjamas in the middle of the night". If not, that's pretty much how it goes. Pharoah in pyjamas, he looks for Moses, the kids played games with him. Why? He was terrified of dying, seeing as he was a first born. This is a very very different feel from the movie, which has Moses come and... pay respects? To Pharaoh who is mourning his dead son. He should be begging Bnei Yisrael to leave right then and there, not to stay an extra second, which we graciously refuse, saying that we will not leave like thieves in the middle of the night, but we will leave in the morning. This would be an insane scene in a movie, and honestly, they're the ones missing out for not including it.

We're approaching the end of this movie (finally), Bnei Yisrael have left Egypt, and are confronted by the sea. A pillar of fire descends from the heavens to stop the Egyptians in their tracks (which should be a cloud, the fire was in front of them to light their way, but alright, I guess this is cinematic. Also, points for how cool the pillar of fire looks). Here, Moses dramatically sticks his staff into the sea and it parts. I would have loved if they had included Nachshon's part in this, which is wading directly into the sea with complete faith that G-d would save them somehow. But no, we need Moses to be the only character of any worth in this movie. Also, Moses is famously allergic to hitting water, he should have stretched his staff out over the water, not stuck it in.

Bnei Yisrael make it to the other side! Mazal Tov! And one of my favourite (correct) details in the movie- Miriam singing with her tambourine, and other women also playing instruments! Congratulations for getting that one right!

Then we fastforward through a few parshiyot to the end of the movie, the giving of the tablets- which are obviously completely wrong. We couldn't get too much right in this movie. These should be made of blue sapphire and rectangular, build like two massive bricks, really (6x6x3 tfachim). Instead we get two stone slabs that look like they'd shatter if you dropped them.

And that's the end of the movie! In short, I think that the makers promise that the movie "is true to the essence, values, and integrity" of the Pesach story is absolute bogus. It's a movie about two brothers who don't get along, and then another two brothers who don't get along.

And the songs are incredible, which is just not fair. They have no business going as hard as they do.

That's my assessment of the movie, if anyone has anything to add, please do! If anyone wants to fight me over this, come at me. I'll throw books at you. Happy Pesach, everyone!