The Prince of Egypt
The best scene in _The Prince of Egypt_, a modern animated retelling of _The Ten Commandments_, occurs after Moses visits God at the burning bush. He meets his wife, Tzipporah, and giddily tells her the news, dances with her, and she steps back slowly in a quiet wonderment. No dialogue is heard. This is all done in pantomime, as Hans Zimmer's score annunciates what's on the screen.
I highlight this to distinguish what makes _PoE_ different from nearly ANY other animated film I could remember. It isn't a typical scene. In any other film, the (redundant) dialogue would be heard, the violins would screech to represent Tzipporah's response, and all of this would occur at an extreme close-up. Not here. If Orson Welles had directed this film, he would have done the same thing.
This film is so gloriously _cinematic_ that it's poetry. There are scenes in this film work so visually well that it speaks on multiple levels. Take the scene where Moses confronts Rameses and firstborn, in front of the hieroglyphic indicating the drowning of Hebrew children. Rameses' son is in the middle of the frame, perfectly situated in the hieroglyphic jaws of death. Not only is it a conversation of the terrible past, but it is a foreshadowing of the worst plague to come.
There's a scene where the young Moses confronts "the man he calls father", Pharoah Seti. The backdrop is a giant statue of Seti, and when they speak, Seti's face matches that of the great monument behind him. It's as if young Moses were confronting not just Pharoah, but centuries-old traditions and authority. Brilliant.
Then there are the technological achievements that weren't even possible a few years ago. Not just the parting of the Red Sea--we've seen that bit in the coming attractions--but how about the water in the opening sequence, when Baby Moses is placed in a basket in the river. The river itself, swishes, rolls, and plain darn LOOKS LIKE A REAL RIVER.
Much of Pharoah's kingdom has a scope and greatness that has been compared to David Lean. Thousands of extras have been replicated, but there are no false images. Even those individuals at a great distance have an authenticity to them.
The voices are also well done. Val Kilmer is not my first choice for Moses, but he brings about a fine metamorphisis: from fun-loving prankster in the opening reel to dynamic leader. (I have to remind myself: didn't he get his start with the sophmoric comedies _Top Secret!_ and _Real Genius_? ) Ralph Fiennes does an admirable job as the Pharoah Ramses, and Patrick Stewart even brings in some dignity as the Pharoah Seti. Michelle Pfieffer (as Tzipporah) and Martin Short (as the sorcerer Huy) are the least recognizable, while Jeff Goldblum (Aaron) and Sandra Bullock (Miriam) have more familiar vocal = mannerisms.
I can now attest that, after trudging several years through _Anastasia_ and _Hercules_, the songs _are_ memorable once again. _When You Believe_ is probably Oscar bound, and only lacks when sung by the divas Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. (That's because it works better if it were sung simply, not throwing in every nuance of "ooh-whooah-aaah" that Mariah and Whitney are known for). Also, Baby's Lullaby and Heaven's Eyes are also catchy.
None of these tremendous advances in animation, catchy tunes and great acting would be worth a cent if the story driving it didn't demand such respect. And here, in the year of the "tell me a story" film (_Men With Guns_, _Smoke Signals_, even _Saving Private Ryan_), we have the mother of all stories. This is a story that, according to Deuteronomy, was commanded to be told in every household, for all generations.
Who doesn't want to relate to a reluctant hero with a nearly impossible task, demand justice and freedom for the oppressed? When God calls Moses to pursue this task, you can see Moses' weakness, his tremor, his uncertainty. When he initially fails to have Ramses relent his torture, the Israelites complain that Moses is making it worse for them. Yet somehow he's steadfast, he prevails, follows strange orders (drop your rod--it will turn to a snake, put the blood of a lamb over your doorposts), and acheives the impossible. When Moses was inbetween the Red Sea and thousands of angry Egyptian warriors, God had made a way where there was no way.
For all that familiarity, the story is still most poignant and powerful. It still speaks many things to many different people, liberals, conservatives, Jews, Christians, Muslims, atheists, rich, poor, and so on. Jeff Goldblum, in a radio interview, raved that this is a story that, the deeper you look into it, the more you get out of it. I couldn't agree more.
Will kids dig it? I hope so. But this film isn't for kids, but for everybody. The makers at Dreamworks have a philosophy that animation isn't necessarily a category of itself, but a vehicle to bring about a story, _any_ story.
_The Prince of Egypt_ is a seminal film. It will be remembered for years to come, not only on anniversaries during religious feasts, but for its' landmark understanding of film, period. I don't think I'm exaggerating that this may take animation where _Citizen Kane_ took mainstream film nearly sixty years ago.
Nick Scale (1 to 10): 10
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