theprincessofegypt - Tumblr blog

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reblog and tag with the movie(s) you have memorized, to the point where you can recite every line down to the exact intonation of the characters

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FACTS!

i’m not saying that it’s better than prince of egypt (it’s not) but joseph: king of dreams is UNDERRATED

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songs from Quest For Camelot (1998)

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If ur down, pick urself back up. Gently. Slowly. U r a baby. Rock urself 2 sleep. Sing Deliver Us frm Dreamworks’ Prince of Egypt. Survive.

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Mmm them spinning shots of Moses 11/10

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I shall be with you, Moses

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Ohhhh, he's honestly one of my favorite parts of the movie! Thank you for making this!

The Prince of Egypt - Pharaoh’s son

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I will not be dictated to. I will not be threatened. I am the morning and the evening star. I am Pharaoh

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The Prince of Egypt + Moses’ red coat

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References to Midrash in The Prince of Egypt

Midrash refers to a genre of rabbinic literature extrapolating from material in the Torah. It seeks to explain puzzling portions, fill in gaps, and explore implications. In other words, as tumblr user jewish-kulindadromeus describes here, it’s “culturally-sanctioned fanfiction.”

There are a few scenes in The Prince of Egypt that seem to allude to midrash. Since the filmmakers did a lot of research, I assume that most of the allusions, if not all, are intentional, and have listed the ones I personally noticed below. 

I’ll be referencing Rashi, Shabbethai ben Joseph Bass, and Rabbi Nehemiah, which are the names given to various authors of midrash/Torah commentators. All sources are quoted from the website Sefaria unless otherwise stated.

1. Miriam the Prophet

Exodus/Shemot 15:20 refers to Miriam as “Miriam the prophet.” However, there’s no elaboration of what her prophecy was. Rashi offers this explanation: “But where had she prophesied? When she was the sister of Aaron alone — before Moses was born she said, ‘My mother will at some time bear a son who will deliver Israel.’

The Prince of Egypt supports this interpretation. From the very beginning of the movie, Miriam knows that Moses will return to save them. Her certainty makes more sense with the context of her being a prophet. She knows what will happen because God has already told her. In fact, her line “Come and deliver us too” may very well be her prophesying.

2. Miriam’s Well

Midrash tells that during the time the Israelites wandered after leaving Egypt, they were accompanied by a magical well. The well was provided by God as a miracle on behalf of Miriam, and is therefore referred to as Miriam’s Well.

Shabbethai ben Joseph Bass says, “You might ask: Why was the well not in Aharon’s [Aaron’s] or Moshe’s [Moses’s] merit? The answer is that it was in the merit of Miriam waiting for Moshe by the water, to see what would happen to him when he was placed there in the box [as a baby]. In return, this merit of the well, i.e., the water that Hashem [God] provided for the congregation was on her behalf.”

When Moses reunites with Miriam and Aaron, they are standing by a well. It doesn’t appear to be a supernatural well, just an ordinary one, but the choice of backdrop certainly seems like an allusion to the well described in midrash. Miriam and Moses were separated by water (the Nile River), and in this scene, they are reunited by it, both times through Miriam’s “merit.” She watches over him as a baby and tells him the long-hidden truth as an adult.

3. Moses’s Stutter

In Exodus/Shemot 4:10, after encountering God at the burning bush and being tasked with returning to Egypt to speak to Pharaoh, Moses protests that he is “slow of speech and slow of tongue.” This has generally been taken to mean that he had a speech impediment, probably a stutter.

As oiaoe points out in this post, during the burning bush scene in The Prince of Egypt, Moses stutters while speaking with God. He does this at no other point in the movie, which suggests that the inclusion of his speech impediment in this scene is a deliberate reference.

4. God’s Voice

Rabbi Nehemiah elaborates on Exodus/Shemot 3:6, in which God declares to Moses “I am the God of your father.” Rabbi Nehemiah says, “When the Holy Blessed One revealed Himself to Moshe he was a prophetic novice. The Holy Blessed One said, ‘If I reveal Myself to him in a great voice it will frighten him, with a small voice I will sour him on prophecy.’ What did He do? He revealed Himself to him with the voice of his father.”

In The Prince of Egypt, God is voiced by Val Kilmer, the same person who provided the voice of Moses. While not exactly identical to what Rabbi Nehemiah describes, the idea of God using a familiar voice to speak to his prophets appears to be drawn from midrash.

5. Tzipporah’s Name

The Women’s Torah Commentary, edited by Elyse Goldstein, says, “The story of Tziporah begins with her name, which translates into English as ‘bird.’ Midrash Tanhuma suggests that Tziporah’s mother gave her that name because she had the insight that, like the purification offering of two clean, living birds, Tziporah would be responsible for purifying her house.”

During Tzipporah’s portion of “When You Believe,” she sings the line “Hope seemed like the summer birds” as a flock of birds takes flight around her. This is a clear reference to the midrash surrounding her name. Notably, the birds appear after Rameses has agreed to let the Israelites go -which is to say, after Egypt has been “purified” of slavery.

6. Mi Chamocha

A fragment of the traditional Jewish song “Mi Chamocha” is sung during “When You Believe.” The line is, “Mi chamocha ba eilim Adonai/ Mi kamocha nedar bakodesh.” 

The different pronunciation of the second “chamocha” has puzzled generations of Torah scholars. I was unable to find a source for this story on Sefaria, but ReformJudaism.org presents the following information: When the Israelites approached the Red Sea, the waters did not immediately part. They drew closer, and as they approached they sang: “’Mi chamochah … Who is like you, Eternal One!’ (Exodus 15:11). With water up to their ankles they sang, but nothing happened. Up to their knees they sang, but nothing happened. Up to their chests they sang, but still nothing happened. Finally, with the water so high they had to tilt their heads back to breathe (altering their pronunciation from mi chamocha to mi kamocha)” the sea split. 

The Prince of Egypt doesn’t present this exact scenario, but Moses does wade out into the water, evoking the scene described in midrash.

Edit: Tagging @oiaoe and @jewish-kulindadromeus, since I reference posts by both of them.

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Heaven isn’t too far Heaven is where you are Stay with me and let me be your wings.

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The Prince of Egypt (1998) is based on the book of Exodus and the story of Moses. As a child, he was saved from the Egyptians slaughter of newborn Hebrew boys. He grew up in the Egyptian royal family as the son of Pharaoh Seti, but he left when he discovered his true parentage. God spoke to him through a burning bush in the desert, and Moses returned to Egypt to free the enslaved Hebrew people.

This feels like a landmark in animation. It’s beautiful traditional animation with cgi special effects. The story is dramatic and heavy, but still understandable for children. Most amazingly, it is a story that is important for several major faiths around the world. Filmmakers consulted with various theological scholars to make it as accurate and faithful as possible. This is a spiritual story that exists beyond the bounds of a single religious theology.

It’s such an achievement. I love it.

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Ah man, this stuff is gorgeous. 

The amazing concept art of Anastasia (1997)

The Art of Anastasia: A Twentieth Century Fox Presentation

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“All I Ever Wanted”?? The unbearable angst of nostalgia tinged with denial?? The glittering strings that are meant to soothe and yet make the mind race with uncertainty?? The soft pipes that pulse out like ripples of curiosity and doubt? And then the motif of want comes back in “The Plagues” with bitterness but total conviction in it’s rejection!??!?!??